Obviously I wasn't a big time recruit for any sport. But it's strange to me that there are basketball recruits that consider both Carolina and duke. Because the two programs couldn't be any more different than they are.
Again, I say this as someone that wasn't recruited in high school, but IF I was a big time recruit, I'd know where I was going early. And I'd end my recruitment early. The only things that would matter to me is the personality of the coach I was going to play for and the culture of the team. I reckon that's essentially what you mean when you say "fit". Outside of that, pretty much all the big time schools are going to offer roughly the same experience.
But I'll never begrudge a family for taking their time if they're taking their time for the right reasons (i.e.: vetting out coach, getting feel for program culture, etc). But I'd guess that of the ones that drag out the recruitment, like 5% are doing it for those reasons. The other 95% are doing it to feed their ego. And I'd bet it's more often than not, the parent's ego is the one getting in the way; not the kid's.
You’re thinking of this from the angle of a Carolina fan and someone who hates the long drawn out publicity bullshit that some of these kids do. I totally understand.
But it’s not the only thing to consider. As dad pointed out, coaching, culture, playing time, and the NBA all play a factor with highly ranked guys. It’s the world we live in and recruiting has a spotlight on it like never before. And unlike football, basketball has only a handful of truly impact guys that come in on a yearly basis.
So I don’t blame Zaire for taking his time. We aren’t even into the fall season yet. As far as I know, we are in good shape.