Groce said. We continue to recruit that area and make it a priority for us.
The trio averages 71.1 minutes per game, and Cooper and Kinney score 24.9 points per contest together.
The Illinois tandem's numbers thus far may pop out to potential recruits, Groce said.
Obviously
we like the fact that (Cooper and Kinney) have been able to play valuable minutes for us as freshmen and grow Groce said. Coach John Groce came to the Bobcats from Ohio, but he brings most of his recruits from beyond the state's borders.
In his second season as head coach, Groce extended the Bobcats' (11-9, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) recruiting sphere to Midwestern states. Freshman forward Ivo Baltic is from Missouri and guards D.J. Cooper and Jay Kinney both went to school in Illinois.
Over the years we've had relationships in a lot of different states with a lot of different people
Groce said. We continue to recruit that area and make it a priority for us.
The trio averages 71.1 minutes per game, and Cooper and Kinney score 24.9 points per contest together.
The Illinois tandem's numbers thus far may pop out to potential recruits, Groce said.
Obviously
we like the fact that (Cooper and Kinney) have been able to play valuable minutes for us as freshmen and grow
Groce said. Hopefully
people that watch them take advantage of the opportunity they have - whether it's from Illinois or otherwise - to take note and be interested in how we're playing.
Six out of the 12 teams in the MAC are located in Ohio. With the potential for all of those teams to recruit in-state players, the Bobcats welcome the ability to recruit further west, Groce said.
An out-of-state athlete's tuition is covered the same way as an in-state athlete's. Basketball is a counter sport, and all scholarships are full scholarships.
Every once in a while if you get an opportunity to recruit a kid that's a great fit outside that breadbasket area
we'll certainly do that
Groce said.
The most important part of the recruiting process is finding an athlete who fits the program well in all aspects, regardless of his home state, Groce said. He added that out-of-state recruiting may be the current trend, but the team cannot forget about going after players in its own backyard.
We always have to have a pulse of what's going on in our state; that's important
Groce said.
We're trying to find the right fit
using some of the contacts and relationships we have outside of our immediate area or in our immediate area to try to get the best student athlete we can.
