The recruiting challenge at UMass is different from what Whipple faced at Brown, as well. But he acknowledges that with fewer financial and academic restrictions at the University, he will be able to target student-athletes that might not fit the Ivy League profile associated with Brown. The challenge becomes, Whipple acknowledges, bringing to campus not just the better players, but the better people as well. We want them to be able to perform on the field, but in the classroom, especially. No one's excited about having a bunch of jerks walking around campus.
Nobody wants that.
It takes a year to go in and evaluate what you have and what you're going to need. It's a challenge more daunting than figuring out the phone system, but it's one that Mark Whipple says he's prepared for his whole career. We've got a great base here, a strong tradition. We just need to do some work. That's the fun part.