As usual, the local chattering class is fretting about the University of Memphis’ recruitment of Memphis-area high school players in the wake of guard Leslie McDonald’s decision to attend North Carolina. The more significant storyline, however, relates to the University of Tennessee.

When Bruce Pearl arrived in Knoxville, he brazenly talked about poaching the best players from the Memphis area and immediately began pouring resources into this side of the state. It would be impossible to know how much time and money the Tennessee staff spent in recruiting Leslie McDonald and Elliot Williams, but given the almost weekly sightings of Pearl and assistant Steve Forbes around town the past few years, rest assured the investment was significant.

Now that Pearl has struck out on both, you have to wonder how long Tennessee will continue to recruit Memphis. What Pearl should be beginning to understand right now is that the climate locally is simply terrible for a Memphis-area basketball star to go to Knoxville. With the Tigers’ program where it is right now and the intensity of the Tennessee rivalry where it is right now, it would be a significant statement for a Leslie McDonald or Elliot Williams-type player to choose orange over blue. And it’s a statement that would not be well-received by the vast majority of people they’re close to. By choosing UNC and Duke, respectively, McDonald and Williams have received a collective slap on the back from the local folks. Choosing Tennessee? That would be a slap in the face. Those dynamics will be very hard for Pearl to overcome as long as John Calipari is at Memphis.

The Tigers’ coaching staff, meanwhile, certainly wished McDonald had chosen Memphis. He’s a quality player and a quality kid, and Calipari turned up the heat on McDonald’s recruitment over the past few months because he’s a Memphis kid. But much like Williams, there was never much belief from Memphis’ standpoint that McDonald would be a Tiger. This isn’t a huge disappointment like Thaddeus Young. This isn’t a statement about Memphis’ relationship with local players as much as it is about the fact that McDonald wanted to play at North Carolina.

Furthermore, as Calipari always says, a Memphis coach would be foolish to tie his success to the whims of local players. That’s why this weekend’s elite camp will include the likes of Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City, who is exactly the kind of player that has made local/non-local recruiting a complete non-issue among Memphis fans.