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Post by gigibear on Apr 21, 2014 21:00:10 GMT -5
So, I'm curious...why would a program go looking for an athlete from across the sea when we have soooo much talent here in the U.S.? The language barrier alone will make getting an education in the U.S. challenging, unless of course, they have been speaking English since almost birth. I would think the language barrier might make team chemistry challenging as well. The teams I've seen with a foreign player, well, said player seemed to play at a good level but definitely not ultra better than girls here.
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Post by sevb on Apr 21, 2014 21:30:12 GMT -5
The benefits are numerous... And many times skill is not a factor...
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Post by caavb on Apr 21, 2014 21:38:52 GMT -5
For schools that don't have a "traditional campus" (more of an urban campus - like a Long Island, or a big football program with national name recognition, etc) recruiting a top American player can be tough. You can recruit a higher level international athlete because they might be focused on studying in the US and not care as much about a football team or a traditional style campus. If you lived in Brazil would you know the difference between a Florida and an FIU?
Also, If your university has a strong international department or a very lenient TOEFL requirement you can attrack high level international athletes , when you might not be able to compete for the high level American kid. A lot of times the international athlete that is coming to the US is choosing school over playing for a professional team in their country - so they are very focused on academics and volleyball. It is easy to say recruit only American - but as a coach if you are trying to recruit the athletes that you need to win and they are turning you down, and a foreign athlete says yes...your job is to win. Also on a side note, I think having a diverse team makes for a great experience for everyone.
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Post by cardinalvolleyball on Apr 21, 2014 21:50:16 GMT -5
Its easy to get americans to play for you, but it's easier to get elite talent from overseas to play for you.
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Post by Phaedrus on Apr 21, 2014 22:00:14 GMT -5
I guess the cycle is repeating itself.
Many foreign players are better skilled, better ball control, smarter setters, hit with more shots and intelligence. They come by this through playing under different circumstances and training regimens than here in the US.
Junior system in foreign countries are different from ours. Many of them have the younger players play on the same teams as the senior players, giving the younger players more experience with the speed of a high level game.
Foreign players are also oftentimes more mature than the American players insofar as being an athlete is concerned. This also has to do with the culture and how the game is seen in their home countries.
Oftentimes. American coaches just needs a centerpiece to build a team around, sometimes they are looking for a specific role, like a setter, a terminator, or a ball control player. Someone who can act as a catalyst for the team.
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Post by azvb on Apr 21, 2014 23:07:24 GMT -5
Is there a limit on number of foreign players allowed on a team? Not just volleyball - any sport? Seems like track and field was discussing it a few years ago. Lots of disparity in the JC ranks, or at least there used to be. Maybe it's evened out now.
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Post by Xplaya on Apr 22, 2014 0:23:15 GMT -5
Is there a limit on number of foreign players allowed on a team? Not just volleyball - any sport? Seems like track and field was discussing it a few years ago. Lots of disparity in the JC ranks, or at least there used to be. Maybe it's evened out now. No limit
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Post by Coach John on Apr 22, 2014 2:05:58 GMT -5
The language barrier alone will make getting an education in the U.S. challenging, unless of course, they have been speaking English since almost birth. I would think the language barrier might make team chemistry challenging as well. I'm currently coaching at a university in England. Players on my teams (men and women) whose first language is English are in the distinct minority. I think I've coached something like 20 different nationalities in two seasons. Language is not an issue with team chemistry at all. These players have been speaking English for many years - especially the European ones.
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Post by rogero1 on Apr 22, 2014 4:00:56 GMT -5
Is there a limit on number of foreign players allowed on a team? Not just volleyball - any sport? Seems like track and field was discussing it a few years ago. Lots of disparity in the JC ranks, or at least there used to be. Maybe it's evened out now. No limit There is a limit of 2 or 3 (some current JC coach help me out here) for the number of foreign players for NJCAA. One NJCAA Division II school last year had their whole starting lineup composed of Puerto Ricans (they are US citizens).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 6:25:05 GMT -5
There is a limit of 2 or 3 (some current JC coach help me out here) for the number of foreign players for NJCAA. One NJCAA Division II school last year had their whole starting lineup composed of Puerto Ricans (they are US citizens). You are correct. There are limits on what can be paid for at D-II NJCAA schools, but sometimes schools get "creative" with that as well....
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Post by Xplaya on Apr 22, 2014 8:34:32 GMT -5
There is a limit of 2 or 3 (some current JC coach help me out here) for the number of foreign players for NJCAA. One NJCAA Division II school last year had their whole starting lineup composed of Puerto Ricans (they are US citizens). You are correct. There are limits on what can be paid for at D-II NJCAA schools, but sometimes schools get "creative" with that as well.... sorry, let me clarify, no limit in D l
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2014 8:59:36 GMT -5
The reason is simple. 4 or 5 schools are getting the best players in the States. It's all about whether you want to compete or not.
Of course, when those 4 or 5 schools also go after foreign players then it's pretty hopeless.
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Post by vbnerd on Apr 22, 2014 9:24:09 GMT -5
American kids pretty much know the pecking order. Look at Rutgers or Maryland joining the Big 10. No American player is going to choose one of them over Penn State, Minnesota, Nebraska, etc. So they can try to get marginally better year by year until they can get a junior national team player in a decade or so, or they can go get a player who doesn't know the pecking order, and instead has greater recognition of New York and Washington, or even family there.
When Chris Poole arrived at Florida State, they hadn't been ranked in a decade and he went to the regional final in his 2nd year, and the final 4 in his 4th season with players from Serbia, Turkey, New Zealand, Canada, Latvia, and Brazil. As they graduate he has replaced them with players from Florida, Atlanta, and Pennsylvania and they continue to be ranked.
Similarly, Mary Wise built Florida on the efforts of Aycan Gokberk when she got there. Mick Haley had Bibiana Candelas when he got to USC and Jim McLoughlin's success at Washington is largely due to the success he had when Sonja Tomasevic was there and built the UW Volleyball brand. St. John's had a huge season a few years ago with mostly international players, but they couldn't or didn't translate that into domestic success.
This season there were 3 international AAs including one who helped Kansas to a seeded tournament appearance after this board speculated about Ray Bechard's job security. How many matches was Sandra Lozic worth for San Diego? And nobody has more talent in their back yard than San Diego.
Even if you are an elite team, if have a chance to get a Hana Cutura, Sarah Pavan, Sam Bricio, Alex Jupiter, Mira Topic, Asia Kaczor, Yulia Vtyurina, Gorana Maricic, Syndie Nadeau, or Lola Arslenbakova and any of the several Louisville players from abroad you take them so they can help you, and so you don't have to play against them. They don't all become stars but I think most coaches would take a Tabi Love, Mari Hole or even a Ziva Recek.
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Post by southie on Apr 22, 2014 9:44:47 GMT -5
I'm actually surprised there aren't more international players on collegiate rosters. I find it interesting as to which countries these players originate. Seems like European countries have an extensive presence. I think it was St. John's and Missouri a few years ago who had some incredible players from China; not sure that's the case any more.
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Post by FOBRA on Apr 22, 2014 11:44:35 GMT -5
There's also a timeline issue. With commits being as early as they are, a transfer or some other unexpected roster change can screw up your depth chart pretty badly. Foreign commits generally will be around to get picked up late.
I think both times when USC picked up Bricio and Pizziagola (I'm sure I botched that), it was fairly late in the game when Haley saw some holes in his roster but all your Top 100 type prospects would have been locked up.
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