Tamera Young's Work Is Never Done

An article from The Daily News Record of Harrisonburg, Virginia writes about Tamera Young's influence on James Madison's recruiting.

What? You say that Tamera Young graduated from JMU in 2008? Very true. But her influence on the program extends to the present day, according to JMU coach Kenny Brooks. During the 2008-09 recruiting season, 90 percent of the players with whom Brooks spoke knew of the JMU-Tamera Young connection.

This just goes to show you not merely the value of Tamera Young, but the difference between being a program with a name player and being a program without one. As one of about 300 Division I college coaches, you have to get your foot in the door with a potential recruit. There's a big difference between:

"James Madison? I never heard of it. What state is it in?"

and

"James Madison? That's where Tamera Young went, right? She was like a first round draft pick in the WNBA!"

Even without Tamera Young actually on the roster, Young still pays dividends, which is the definition of a great player.