April 4, 2021

Dr. Tony Allen, President

Delaware State University

Dear Dr. Allen:

Just a few thoughts on Delaware State University and where it fits in today’s version of Division 1 college basketball. These are truly some challenging times. I have paid close attention to college basketball and college basketball coaching hires for more than 30 years. My focus has been primarily on the mid-Atlantic region. I am convinced that Delaware State can make good decisions and compete for MEAC championships in a relatively short period of time.

The Shifting College Basketball Landscape
The mid-Atlantic region’s rich college basketball tradition has experienced a massive and consequential paradigm shift. Things are very different than they were just a few years ago.

A mere cursory glance reveals that college basketball recruiting has been radically transformed. President Allen you face a serious challenge. You have to identify a coach whose values align with those you are instilling within your administration and all across campus. You also need a coach with skill sets and deep relationships that will translate to a significantly upgraded roster in a relatively short period of time. You want a winner. You want to bring pride and passion back to the storied Hornet Hoops program.

I got you…

I know a guy…

You find yourself asking: Exactly where does the Delaware State Basketball program fit in this vexing and fast changing NCAA Division 1 context? And, who would be the best leader of the program going forward?

The recent history has been rather bleak. The last 2 Delaware State Coaches have combined record of 58-163.

Let’s win some games… Let’s win some championships…

Rider Assistant Geoff Arnold is, by far, the most qualified and battle tested candidate to improve that record and lead the Delaware State program into battle against the BIG BOYS and highly competitive MEAC foes.

Where DSU Basketball Stands: Encircled by the BIG BOYS
The present discussion will center around Delaware State Basketball, but the logic is applicable to Division 1 college basketball in general. Let’s focus on the strategy of encirclement deployed by Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delany and it’s deleterious impact on the recruiting of mid-Atlantic mid-major basketball programs such as Temple, Saint Joseph’s, La Salle, Drexel and the regions only Division 1 HBCU, Delaware State.

The Big 10 is in the midst of a well-funded and sustained basketball invasion of the mid-Atlantic region. They have effectively encircled Delaware State and the region’s other mid-majors: Rutgers to the north, Penn State to the West and Maryland to the South.

Big 10 programs are attracting top HS recruits that would otherwise serve as reinforcements for Delaware State and other mid-majors. At first glance, one might view that as problematic. However, in the current context, it represents tremendous opportunity. Those same top prospects and recruits are now widely available in the transfer portal… Just gotta get ’em… Every program in America is monitoring and recruiting the transfer portal.

Things are very different now. Delaware State, with the right coach in place, can compete with every mid major program in the mid-Atlantic region for the top prospects.

We are feeling the effects of decisions made a while ago. So… how did we get here?

In what can aptly be described as as stroke of genius, Delany added Penn State to the Big 10 in 1990, twenty-four years later he added Maryland and Rutgers. With the latter two additions, encirclement was firmly in place. Delany has publicly stated how significant the mid-Atlantic presence is to the Big 10’s long-term plans. “I don’t think people should evaluate this in the short term. But in a 25-year or 50-year period, I think they’re going to be very competitive. They are added value. And if the Big Ten had stayed at 10 and not taken on any of the risk associated with expansion, we probably would be tied for the fourth-largest conference.

Delany further added, “Rutgers is a fabulous institution, as is Maryland. And the corridor they occupy with Penn State might be the most important in the Western world — great students, political institutions, financial institutions. So we’re not only recruiting students to play basketball but students overall.”
“If you don’t venture out,” Delany said, “you never gain anything. I don’t want to go back and read all the articles about (criticism for) the Big Ten Network or instant replay or expansion. You have to do what you think is right. And if you make mistakes, you course correct or you double down.”

The Big 10 doubled-down and it is now reaping the rewards.

DJ Newbill, John Johnson, Shep Garner, Lamar Stevens, Tony Carr, Nazeer Bostic, John Harrar, Mike Watkins, Izaiah Brockington, Kyle McCloskey and Seth Lundy were Philly area Penn State Nittany Lions that may have found their way to Delaware State or other local mid majors under the old paradigm.

Five of Maryland’s top 6 players played with grassroots clubs based in the Philadelphia region.

Fifteen years ago, coaching staffs spent countless hours in HS gyms evaluating and building meaningful relationships with prospects and their families. Trusting the bond they had formed with these coaches during this process, prospects were far more inclined to commit to HBCUs and other mid major programs. Those days are gone. The shift is real… Coaches haven’t been allowed to evaluate prospects in-person for over a year. Nonetheless, recruiting is more intense than it has ever been.

Zoom-based recruiting is paramount. It is the new normal.

Positioning Delaware State Basketball
Many mid-major athletic programs remain entrenched in the outdated paradigm. They have yet to fully comprehend the extent of the paradigm shift. Plainly stated, they are not up on transfer portal recruiting. They do not have deep and trusting relationships required to successfully integrate transfer portal recruiting into the overall roster management strategy.

Zoom video conferencing is a key aspect of college basketball recruiting going forward. During the pandemic, Arnold formed a Zoom-based professional development group called “12inches Over”. A weekly gathering that brings in guests who share their professional evolution stories with NBA, college and high school coaches. Through storytelling, Arnold has developed a distinct brand of professional development for basketball coaches and enthusiasts. Dawn Staley (South Carolina), Rod Baker (Philadelphia 76ers), Bruiser Flint (Kentucky), Kevin Broadus (Morgan State), Karl Hobbs (Rutgers) and Drew Gladstone (Northern Illinois) are among the 60-80 coaches that tune in weekly.

Arnold and Delaware State are uniquely positioned to take advantage of and leverage massive changes in the college basketball recruiting industry.

These days, you can dramatically reshape your Men’s basketball program in a relatively short period of time.

The recruiting process has been highly compressed. Zoom-based transfer portal recruiting is as important as traditional high school recruiting. For many college programs it has become the primary recruiting vehicle. College basketball recruiting, to a large extent, consists of a zoom or two and a few days of texting/calling. Scholarship offers and commitments are taking place between transfers in the NCAA portal and college coaches at a breakneck pace. You need an experienced and discerning coach to navigate this new highly fluid transfer portal era.

This is the new reality in college basketball.

The challenge you face is to identify a coach that can be aggressive in the market for elite players while maintaining a commitment to the core values of your administration. You need a coach that gonna get it done and represent Delaware State University in a dignified manner at all times.

President Allen… Geoff Arnold is that guy. He will identify talented high school student-athletes and deftly integrate the transfer portal into his roster management strategy.

Hire Geoffrey Arnold… Black Cager Sports enthusiastically and unequivocally endorses Geoff Arnold for the Head Men’s Basketball Coaching position at Delaware State. Arnold ranks among the top 3% of college basketball coaches I have encountered.

As the Founder of the Arline Institute, Black Cager Sports Media and the Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Fame, I have developed working relationships with some of the top basketball coaches in America. On a regular basis, I deal extensively with coaching staffs at the following colleges and universities:
Temple
St. Joseph’s
Maryland
Penn State
South Carolina
North Texas
Morgan State
Howard
Maryland, Eastern Shore
Washington
Marquette
Rutgers
Seton Hall
La Salle
Drexel
Delaware
Northern Illinois
Georgia
East Carolina
Syracuse
St. John’s
Fairleigh Dickinson
Yale
Pennsylvania
Mt. St Mary’s

Coach Arnold ranks among the very best in all areas areas when compared to his peers at these institutions. He is an outstanding recruiter, blessed with an extraordinary ability to relate equally well to players, parents and grandparents. He has a solid grasp of all NCAA rules and regulations and scrupulously adheres to the letter and spirit of regulatory guidance.

He teaches the game with a passion that is rare and his players reap the benefits. He has coached several players currently in the National Basketball Association, Langston Galloway (Phoenix Suns), DeAndre Bembry (Toronto Raptors) and Charlie Brown (Minnesota Timberwolves) were recruited and trained by Arnold during his stint with St. Joseph’s.

Leveraging Existing Relationships

College Basketball Recruiting in 2021, especially the increasingly important transfer portal version, is all about who you know and who trusts you. Arnold has established a vast network of deep relationships in the mid-Atlantic region. Black Cager Sports enthusiastically and unequivocally endorses Geoff Arnold for the Head Men’s Basketball Coaching position at Delaware State.

In sum, President Allen, Black Cager Sports pledges to tirelessly assist you, and should you hire him, Coach Arnold and the Delaware State Athletic and Admissions Departments in their efforts to identify, recruit and enroll talented and qualified students and student-athletes.

You will soon hear from scores of Athletic Directors and Coaches extolling the virtues of Coach Arnold… They are right…

Let’s have a Hornet Basketball Renaissance!