The college game has reached the point where programs almost need to hire a GM or player personnel director.
Gott made a few comments around the time he was hired that have proven to be pretty good indicators of his recruiting philosophy.
When asked about what went wrong at Alabama, he said that he had “reached” on some kids or something along those lines. I also got the sense that he was determined not to plug up the roster with non ACC caliber talent.
When asked what he learned by watching all of the games he did as an analyst, he said that the team with the most talent wins 80-90% of the time iirc. This is why he consistently goes after the tip top guys. He knows he won’t win big without them. He doesn’t want to do the Tony Bennett thing and try to win semi-big with a system. He wants great talent and he believes that in the UCLA offense he can allow that talent to shine no matter where it is on the court. I think the first four years have shown this to be true.
This approach has obvious drawbacks and risks when you aren’t UK, Duke, etc. You can see that even UK got caught nekked going into next season, at least by their standards.
Gott has also shown a really good understanding of how to play the transfer game. Alex Johnson, BSW, Des, and Lacey have all been important pieces.
If he continues to get to the Sweet 16 50% of the time his success rate will go up with the A list guys.
I like the fact that he has a consistent approach and doesn’t panic at the first sign of problems. He has certainly earned the right to play this out a while longer.
