Concerns have been raised about the number of foreign athletes in select collegiate sports, such as skiing and tennis. With the increase in popularity of volleyball there is the possibility that some coaches will try to build a national contender by recruiting top national players from other countries.
A quick review of the online rosters for the 2012 PAC 12 teams was conducted to see if this was an issue in that conference. This analysis produced the following results:
• About 10% of all players, or 18 of 185, listed hometowns in other countries.
• The 18 foreign players represented 11 countries.
• 10 of the 12 teams had foreign players.
• The breakdown by number of foreign players follows:
– USC had 3 foreign players.
– 6 teams had 2 foreign players: ASU, Colorado, Utah, California, UCLA, and OSU.
– 3 teams had one foreign player: WU, WSU, and OU.
• The breakdown by country follows
– 4 players were from Canada.
– 2 players were from each of the following: Greece, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Serbia.
– 1 player was from each of the following: Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
At this point, there does not appear to be reason to believe that there are an inordinate number of foreign players in the PAC-12. Given the strength and popularity of high school volleyball in the U.S., it is unlikely that “too many” foreign players will become a problem in the near future.