Post by roy on Apr 30, 2007 22:55:55 GMT -5
chance said:
uh, why are you guys getting so wrapped up on "diversity issues?"You think the coach ever sits down and goes "what can i do to promote cultural exchange between the US and country X?"
I would venture to guess that foreign players are most common on teams who are trying to climb to the elite levels, but arnt there yet (at the time of the players recruitment).
Pretend you are Nebraska. You have no reason to go overseas for players. That takes a lot of work, and you never know who might have adjustment problems. You just go out and (somewhat) have your pick of the very best american (or canadian) players.
But 2nd tier schools cant just take their pick of 1st tier players. They can only easily recruit second tier players. But since they want to be first tier, that means they need to somehow get first tier players.
There are three ways to do it.
1. Somehow convince a first tier play to come to your school. This is hard, but on rare occasions it happens (player wants to stay local, player has family connections, you get lucky, etc...).
2. Get players who are currently 2nd tier players, but have the potential to develop into first tier players (projects). So while Nebraska can get a great athlete with great skills, you might have to get a great athlete who is new to the sport, and hope you can develop her skills by the time she is a sophomore or junior.
3. Get 1st tier players who arnt being recruited by first tier schools. This generally happens for 3 reasons.
First, the player has some sort of negative issue. Maybe they have legal / character problems. Maybe they had a serious injury that caused the better schools to back off. Either way, you could be taking a risk
Second, the player is underrated, or plays in a situation that doesn't showcase her skills well. They might not play for a good club team, or maybe they play in a system that doesn't highlight them (like a WR in football on a run heavy high school team). Or maybe the player plays in the shadow of a more hyped player. The problem with underrated players is they are very hard to find.
Third, the player is from overseas. It takes a lot of effort to recruit overseas, and you could have adjustment issues, so the first tier programs might not bother doing it very much. But for a second tier program, this is a good way to try and get players who might otherwise be "too good for you."
That's why people bring in foreign players, not because of some weird diversity exchange thing.
Yet, Nebraska has Pavan who is an international player. She may not be an overseas players, but she is taking the spot that an American player could have.
I don't think anyone would say that the purpose of an international player is to bring cultural diversity. I completely agree that coaches are bringing in these players because they feel these players will help them win. Cultural diversity is simply a positive byproduct that bringing in an international player has. But these players bring in a certain level of experience most other players, including those on top tier teams, do not have. Exposure to those kind of players improve the overall quality of volleyball on the team. There is enough scholarship opportunities for players all around the country to play at a variety of different levels. Again, I don't believe a team should load up on international players. But Pavan shows that you can have a 6'5 opposite that can pass. There is no excuse why we are not producing passing outside hitters (a weakness in the current national team).