...That recruiting in places other than Missoula and Ogden is finally starting to pick up. The conference's leading scorer (DeWayne Russell, NAU), rebounder (Venky Jois -- love that name, EWU) FG shooter (Martin Seiferth, EWU), assist leader (Justin Crosgile, EWU), free throw shooter (Tomas Sanchez, ISU) and steals leader (Russell) are all newcomers. Russell and Jois are true freshmen, Seiferth is a sophomore and Crosgile and Sanchez are juniors.
NAU's new coach has done a very nice job recruiting in his very brief time in Flagstaff, including a commitment Ako Kaluna, from a 6-8 power forward in California who just recently broke the backboard while dunking and is considered a "coup" as an NAU early signinig. He's averaging 19 points and 15 boards a game as a senior in high school. Even Idaho State, who had to take what was available at the end of last year's recruiting season, has three early signees, including a 6-9, 20-year-old prep school center from Houston who should be a nice addition next year.
The Big Sky may never reach the same level as the Mountain West, but if recruiting continues to improve, the conference could get back into the mid- to top-20s rankings among conferences.
NAU's new coach has done a very nice job recruiting in his very brief time in Flagstaff, including a commitment Ako Kaluna, from a 6-8 power forward in California who just recently broke the backboard while dunking and is considered a "coup" as an NAU early signinig. He's averaging 19 points and 15 boards a game as a senior in high school. Even Idaho State, who had to take what was available at the end of last year's recruiting season, has three early signees, including a 6-9, 20-year-old prep school center from Houston who should be a nice addition next year.
The Big Sky may never reach the same level as the Mountain West, but if recruiting continues to improve, the conference could get back into the mid- to top-20s rankings among conferences.
