It is lunchtime somewhere. So, welcome back to the lunch hour read of the Meat & Three. Every weekday I dive into a big picture topic and three things to get you through a quarantine spring. 

Today we dive into some recruiting psychology and what-ifs and we adapt to a shrinking world. Will we see a shift to more regionalized recruiting? The note for today 

Today’s stream of the day is a good podcast worth a listen from Jaylen Brown and Woj. And, of course, the Stan Johnson photo of the day. 

THE MEAT: I JUST WANT TO BE CLOSE TO HOME 

JaDun Michael, a top 6 senior in the state of North Carolina, flipped his commitment from Wichita State to Elon this week. The 6-foot-5 wing from Burlington is the latest player to cut ties with the Shocker program. 

There were eight outbound transfers from the program’s roster from this season, the most of any program in the nation. That roster fluctuation is one of the reasons why Michael made the switch. The other is being closer to home. Elon is just five miles away from Michael’s home. 

Shortly after announcing his decision to leave his Wichita State commitment, Michael said he was considering Cincinnati, Eastern Carolina, Elon, NC State, Penn State, Texas A&M and Virginia. 

Ultimately being closer to home and around family was a major reason why he picked the CAA school. Trust and a relationship with the staff was a major factor, too.  

While the recent impact of staying at home due to the worldwide pandemic wasn’t a factor in his decision, the value of being around those who he has deep-rooted relationships was. 

To take a step further, it makes me wonder - will more players consider and factor in being closer to home for college.

Will recruiting become even more regionalized? 

Will players consider programs closer to home because they can get to campus easier in a new era of social distancing? 

Will colleges be limited with regards to travel because of new potential school and university rules? 

Will these questions be applicable to the 2021 recruiting class and uniquely connected in this strange year that certainly awaits? 

Will families want to see their sons/daughters play more in college and suggest more regional post-high school options? The economic ripple effect could affect spending such as out of town travel, etc. 

The questions are not pressing ones now, but they could be moving forward. With each passing day without a clear answer as to when “normal” returns, or a sense of what “normal” even means, the suggestion of such questions being asked isn’t crazy. 

Quietly, college coaching staffs that I speak to are having those types of what-if dialogues. Understandably, no one is committing to a plan just yet. But contingency plans are being built out, albeit more in a mental space than concrete. 

“I just want to be close to home,” could be the answer we hear more about in the coming months, and potential year or two, from prospects as to why they made the college decision they made. 

Can you blame them? 

THE NOTE

The post non-Final Four blues are here. As an Atlanta resident and lifelong proponent for this great city, I'm sad we couldn't show off our amazing city. The weather was amazing last week. Man, that's gonna hurt for a while. 

So, is it too much to dream ahead for the next couple of years? The Final Four will be in Indianapolis next year and New Orleans the year after that. From there, the Final Four will be in Houston in 2023, Phoenix in 2024, San Antonio in 2025 and Indianapolis in 2026. 

It’s a crying shame the gorgeous Mercedes Benz Stadium couldn’t host our grand finale for college hoops. The downtown Atlanta stadium is a thing of wonder. Hopefully the stage will be back. And hopefully as soon as 2027. 

THE STREAM 

Let’s pivot from video to audio for the Stream of the Day this week. If you’re not a podcast listener, now is the perfect time to become one. This week’s streams are a run back of some of my most favorite listens over the last couple of years. 

Jaylen Brown is one of the most thoughtful and interesting young men I’ve ever covered. He sat down with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN for The Woj Pod back in January. Sure, some of the content is dated but Brown talks about playing pro sports in Boston, his thoughts on education in America for low-income children and why he didn’t hire an agent out of college. 

THE STAN JOHNSON PHOTO OF THE DAY 

I asked our guy Stan Johnson to send me some of his favorite shots from the 2019 season on our HoopSeen platform. We begin his gallery today in the Meat & Three.