The remedy for our malady is three-fold: accepting that what people want and need can be found in multiple locations AND that tapping our heels together while repeating "there's no place like home" isn't always accurate AND sometimes the grass is simply greener elsewhere.
With this in mind, why have a number of Bay Area ballers decided to cast their lot with the University of Montana in the last decade? Try Will Cherry, Mario Dunn, Jermaine Edmonds Jr., Sayeed Pridgett (who signed in November) and now Tim Falls.
Let's turn to Chris Cobb, a Montana assistant basketball coach and recruiting coordinator, and himself a northern California native, for an explanation. He played at Bishop O'Dowd and then Menlo College and then began coaching at San Francisco State followed by Chico State. Now he resides in Missoula, a city of 70,000, as a member of Coach Travis DeCuire's staff.
Of course, he can only speak about the current approach.
"Every program is different with basketball needs and fits. We identify guys we want as a player, student and person and we don't cast as wide a net as others.
We'll talk to coaches and also get academic information. Half the kids will get crossed off because they don't qualify. Then it's time to get to know the kids and learn what they are about. It's a process of finding out who they are as a player and individual. We got Sayeed because of the relationship we had with him and his family.
We believe in our ability to develop our student-athletes on the court once they get here. We will get in the gym and sweat with them, helping them reach their goals and potential. Being mentally and physically tough has to be a staple because there will be adversity. Whether it's in athletics, academics or their social experience, a balance is needed because if one is out of whack it will effect the other two."
About Montana (as basketball program, school and the community of Missoula). "There is an unknown regarding what Montana is about. I believe in this place, in Travis, in the staff here and the school. It's a pretty special community. The best thing about this place is the people. We have a great following in the community--7,000 were here the other night when we played Montana State--so there is great support. The students line up before games--it's a bigtime atmosphere. Socially, Missoula is big enough to have a lot going on.
There's a reason and a vision for all the guys we bring to campus. We don't want it just to be a basketball experience so we have good administrative, academic and support staff who work hard to connect with the guys. We would put the quality of people and character that our players interact with on a daily basis up against any other program in the country. That is something we believe very strongly in and are proud of--the character and people involved here. We stress taking full advantage of the basketball, academic and social experience. We have a good alumni base--the Nike COO is a Montana grad. Guys from up and down the West Coast, from Seattle, Portland, theBay Area and Los Angeles, have enjoyed success at Montana."
There is also tradition. The coaching lineage is remarkable considering Jud Heathcote, Mike Montgomery, Stew Morrill, Blaine Taylor, Larry Krystkowiak and Wayne Tinkle have all produced winning programs in Missoula. Most recently, Montana has earned spots in the Big Dance in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Cobb also noted, "since 1992, every player who has been here four years has been on a team that played in the NCAA tournament. They came here for a chance to play for a championship, for the atmosphere, the environment and the facilities."
These are the reasons why.
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