On a positive note, there are a limited number of Top Tier basketball schools that are Adidas only and very few are in the Southeast. If this Adidas connection is as influential as we have been reading, give Howland some time and you have to like our chances on some of the elite kids coming out of the Southeast that don't want to have to go over 500 miles from home to play hoops.

In region, Louisville, Miami, NC State, and Texas A&M are really the only Adidas schools. If you draw a circle that includes all of their campus's you would likely find Starkville near the middle of that circle as each of those schools is basically on the edge of what we like to call the Southeast while we are right in the heart of it. If you have an elite player from TN, AL, GA, LA, MS, or FLA panhandle that wants to play for a close to home Adidas school with a coach that has a history of placing kids in the NBA, we become a great option.

Top Tier Adidas schools

Indiana
Kansas
Louisville
Michigan
Wisconsin
UCLA

Others

Cincinnati
Miami
NC State
Tennessee (short term, moving away from Adidas)
Texas A&M
Arizona State

The other thing I'm wondering is if Adidas can help with non-conference scheduling. It would be cool to see some home/home series with the other Adidas schools.