There were several reasons why Monte Lee won 276 games at the College of Charleston the previous seven years, but one was his ability to take chances on players who were not offered by South Carolina or his new school, Clemson.

“We had a bunch of guys play for us in which we were the only school to offer them,” Lee told The Clemson Insider in an exclusive interview last Friday. “The reason we were the only school to offer them was because the bigger schools filled their recruiting classes so early and so fast that they really passed or could not sign those guys.”

There were several reasons why schools like Clemson and South Carolina missed on guys like pitcher Taylor Clarke or third baseman Carl Wise. First off, they filled all of their spots because of the 27-man scholarship rule and because of that they could not afford to wait and see if a player would develop his senior year.

That allowed schools like the College of Charleston and other mid-majors to come in late an offer a player who might be able to play at a Power 5 Conference school. Lee says there are several players who develop as late as juniors and seniors that big-name schools cannot sign because they already filled up their class.

“They are waiting for a big-name school to offer them and if it happens they commit on the spot, but in most cases that does not happen so they end up going to a mid-major and have great careers,” he said.

“The parity comes because the bigger schools are moving too fast,” Lee continued. “They are leaving kids out there that are still developing. They are making decisions so early and filling their classes so fast there are a bunch of good players that are still out there. That’s where if you are smart at a big school, don’t fill your classes so fast. Make sure you go and evaluate every single player that is out there, especially in-state or within a three-to-four hour trip to Clemson.

“You better make sure you evaluate and make decisions on those guys.”

This is why Lee feels he doesn’t necessarily have to change the way he has done things, even with the limitations the Tigers have since the 27-man roster and the 25-percent scholarship rules came into play in 2010 and 2011. He feels he can get high-quality players to come to Clemson on whatever scholarship money they have, while also finding good players to come on no scholarship at all.

“Kids want to experience playing baseball at Clemson and being able to play in the ACC in a facility that is one of the best in the country,” Lee said. “Our baseball center is getting ready to open and it is one of the best in the country.

“You can get a quality education at Clemson. Kids that are born in this state, they understand the tradition and the success that the program has had. I don’t think we are going to have any trouble getting kids to come and play baseball at Clemson.”

So far Lee is doing at good job of that. In his first two weeks on the job he and recruiting coordinator Bradley LeCroy have been able to get three players to commit to the 2017 class and one to the 2016 class.

Clemson’s new baseball coach admits, though, the 27-man scholarship roster does make it tough when it comes to evaluating and offering scholarship money to a player.

“It forces you to make decisions on kids probably quicker than some of us would like to,” he said. “You also have to be able to pass on guys because the thing that is so valuable is the spots. I only have a certain amount of spots that I can give to kids on scholarship and when those spots run out I still might have some major needs in that class and I have to find quality players that will come for no scholarship.

“The biggest thing you have to do is you have to sell what you can provide for the student athlete because you just can’t throw the kid a book-scholarship anymore. You just can’t give a kid $2,000. You have to give this kid a spot or you have to sell to this kid that he has to come to Clemson with no scholarship.”

That makes it harder for a coach from a Power 5 school like Clemson. They have to make a quick decision on a player or someone else is going to come along and snatch them up.

“Some kids you are going to have to pass on and some kids you are going to have to really sell them to come to Clemson on no scholarship because of our limits,” he said. “I can tell you this. We are not going to use it as an excuse. Everybody in college baseball has to deal with it.”

The difference between 10 years ago and now, according to Lee, is that a school like Clemson was not moving so fast when it came to making offers. There were fewer mistakes and fewer kids they missed on as a result.

“You had a chance to still evaluate a kid later in is development and could make a better decision on whether that kid could play for you or not,” he said. “Now you have to make a decision before a kid can even drive and that is where the parity is coming.

“All of this was not going on early and the spot situation was not there so you could get some guys and then sprinkle in some lower scholarship guys later and have a pretty good class.”

How does Lee know if he has made the right decision on a player?

“That’ the hardest part of the job as far as recruiting goes. I think the hardest part of the job, understanding you have to be patient and you want to try to make sure you are right when you offer a kid a scholarship,” he said. “The problem is, if you are too patient you lose him and you don’t get him. I think you have to understand going into the recruiting business these days that sometimes you have to make quick decisions if you want to get a kid.

“I’m always going to err on the side of being aggressive. I feel like my first impression, I feel pretty good about it. Sometimes, if you evaluate a kid too much, you will talk yourself out of him. That’s just me personally. That doesn’t mean I’m right. Baseball is a game of failure. If you watch him play enough, you are going to see all the weaknesses. If the tools and the skills jump out at you, and we all see different things, but when I see something that I like and it sticks out about that player then I do my background (check). I check on him to see what kind of player and person he is. If I feel like if he is a high-level guy, I have to make a decision.”