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THE RECRUITING PROCESS
The topic I want to talk about today is recruiting. Hopefully parents and players can take advantage of the advice that I will pass along. First, I want everyone to understand there is no science to recruiting. For example, some schools like players who play a certain style. Some coaches will only recruit a kid who has length. When I coached at FDU we only recruited athletes. While at St. Bonaventure, all our post players needed to be able to step away from the basket. I coached with the great Butch van Breda Kolff at Hofstra (who happens to be the inventor of the Princeton offense). He wanted players who knew how to play and more importantly had a great basketball IQ. You have to understand everyone recruits differently. But understand this one point, if you are good enough, a school somewhere will want you. You may send me any questions you have and I will answer them ASAP. If I don’t have an answer I will call some of my college coaching friends.
WHAT ARE THE LEVELS OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL?
The recruiting process is different at each level. Let me start with the Top 10 programs and work my way down. If a player is being recruited by the Rutgers, U-Conn’s and the Tennessee‘s of the world. They are among a small group of players. These kids are likely identified as early as the 8th grade. Many play for powerhouse AAU teams sponsored by major shoe companies. Often time’s colleges will make an offer before the sophomore year begins. These kids are among the best in the country. This is not to say a player won’t be recruited by a top 10 school if they haven’t heard from one. It just means they will have to prove to these schools they have the talent. The recruiting lists of these schools are very small. There is not one senior in the Jersey recruiting class of 2009 who will play at a top ten school. Next year, Lauren Mincey may be the only player in the class of 2010 who is being recruited by a national championship contender. … These high major schools are in a different recruiting world.
Now all the other schools fall into the following categories. Major College (ACC, Big East, and Pac 10 type schools), Mid-Major (Atlantic 10, Colonial type schools) and then you have low major, which no college likes to be called (MACC, American East, NEC). Lastly, you have the academics schools (Ivy’s and Patriot). All these conferences can have a school that can move up or down from time to time. Marist College for example was a major college team playing in a low major conference last year. The difference is they do not recruit American born top 50 players’ year in and year out. So it’s hard for them to sustain a top 20 program.
Next you have div 2; this is where most of the problems for kids begin. First, there are many and I mean many, div 2 girls basketball teams that can beat div 1 schools. There are different levels of Div 2. You have your high Div 2 schools which give out full scholarships and have recruiting budgets. These schools tend to be looking for div 1 players who have been missed during the recruiting process or a kid who prefers that school for whatever special reason. Then you have the div 2 schools that give out the tuition only scholarships. Many times they want a kid from their state or a kid they can put a financial aid package together for. Then you have the Div 2 schools that are given a certain amount of scholarship money and the coach can split it up any way they want. These schools tend to have small recruiting budgets and rarely have a full time coach outside of the head coach. Which means recruiting is always an ongoing process right up until the time the school year starts.
Next comes the Div 3 level and this is the hardest level for people to understand. More players play at this level than any other. Now here is the problem. Div 3 schools say they don’t give out scholarships. This is the biggest joke I have heard in all my years of coaching. Remember I am one the few coaches in the country that can say they have been to the NCAA tournament at the Div 1, 2 and 3 levels. I am also one of the few coaches and maybe the only one that can say they have had players drafted into the NBA from the Div 1, 2 and 3 levels. I think I have the background to discuss this. Many Div 3 schools with large endowments have scholarship money with many names. Here are a few! The Martin Luther King Scholarship, Academic Aid, Work Study. Mt St Mary’s of New York can give a player up to 14,000 thousand dollars to any kid with 1200 on their SAT’s. Personally I don’t care what they call it. It’s money which may allow a kid to get to college. It’s money that allows a family to survive while their kid is in college. Div 3 basketball is the most important part of the NCAA in my opinion. Many kids just don’t understand the talent that shows up on these div 3 campuses. The kids are shocked to find many players are div 3 in name only. Kean College for example can play with any low major school on the east coach. Same goes for NYU in a good year.
You must understand the information above. Why do you ask? Knowing what level you can play at is important. There is no reason to call, write and wait for a top 10 team to recruit you, if you are a low major player. I think all players have the ability to be recruited one level above or below their ability. The sooner you know your level, the sooner your recruiting process will begin. THE EARLIER YOU START THE BETTER.
The recruiting process starts very early now. For each level it is different. I will not discuss the top 10 schools. Those players don’t need advice. They need information so they can pick a school. The Ivy’s and Patriot schools fall into a category of their own. You must be a great student and a pretty good player as well. These players have a different recruiting route as well. So let’s just start with everyone else.
WHEN DOES THE PROCESS START?
The process starts when a player goes to an AAU event which college coaches are attending. Most schools will be taking names of the best young players at the event. They will put these names on a mailing list. If a player is playing up they will almost always get mail. My daughter’s first college letter was from Tennessee. Pat Summit had no idea who she was or where she was from. It’s called getting in early “just in case”. Sophomores are watched closely by major colleges and mid major schools. The low major’s tend to pay attention to only sophomores in their area. They understand if a player is a great sophomore and is not from the area it’s a long shot. The Div 2 and 3’s are very rarely looking at anyone other than seniors. Now the high Div 2 schools are working like a low Div 1 school. Rising juniors have the most pressure in my mind. Many colleges form their recruiting list from how the juniors play in the summer. They want to know if the junior is worth going to see during the high school season and if they are someone worth a scholarship in 8 months or before the start of their senior year. The seniors are on the spot as well. Div 1 schools are babysitting a player, which is when a school has have offered the player a scholarship and is following her to show how important she is to their program. Then you have the senior a school has not been offered a scholarship. This is most likely a low major player or a player the Mid Major’s are not sure about. Div 2 schools are watching and doing more evaluation than recruiting, they are hoping the div 1 schools miss evaluate a player. Div 3’s are most likely in the evaluation mode as well. Here is the one thing about the process you must understand, in the case of most Div 1 schools the recruiting process is ending before your senior year starts. Most div 1 schools are looking at Junior’s when you are playing your senior year. There are some cases when Div 1 schools are recruiting late. This is because a scholarship has opened late or the school has missed on their top recruits. This is what coaches call scrambling, when a school is trying to find a diamond in the rough or a player that has been missed. Most Div 2 and 3 schools are recruiting all year or until they have no money left. Div 1 schools will hold on to scholarship more often rather than give it away… START THE PROCESS EARLY.HOW DO YOU START THE PROCESS?
1. Know the NCAA rules. There are certain times a coach can call and write you. You can call a coach at anytime. (ncaa.org)
2. Make contact with the schools that interest you. Don’t wait till you are a senior!
3. Know what level player you are.
4. Send schools personal information about you.
*use the mail not an e-mail (coaches always open mail. The same cannot be said about e-mails)
5. Call the chief recruiter of the school.
*don’t call the head coach
6. Send your summer schedule to as many schools as possible
7. Ask your High School coach to call any schools you have an interest in.
8. Attend college basketball camps of schools you have an interest in.
9. Div 1 Coaches are allowed to call a player in April of their junior year
* Div 2 and 3 schools tend to wait longer
* If you do not get a call it means you are not on the radar
* Don’t panic if you have not received a call. Many coaches will still be evaluating in the summer
11. Be honest with yourself about what level you are as a player
12. Send Colleges any information about your playing skills
*no highlight tapes
*.Do not let your AAU coach control your recruiting (coaches always prefer to talk with YOU!)
*send newspaper clipping
* start a web site and drive coaches to it
13. Send your transcript to coaches
14. Know the NCAA recruiting dates
15. FIND OUT HOW RECRUTING SERVICES ARE RATING YOU AS A PLAYER!
*almost all colleges use recruiting services
PREPARING FOR THE RECRUITING PERIOD.
This always causes debates. Let me say this first. Do what is best for you. Many AAU coaches simply enjoy coaching and want players to play. Many players only want to play games in the summer. This can cause problems for everyone. First the High School coach wants the player to work on their skills. The AAU coach wants to win games. The coaches want to work on plays and getting ready for the summer. I say this to the player, Do one thing. GET BETTER! You will not get on a recruiter’s list because your AAU team wins or loses. You get on coaches radar by playing well. I feel you must put together a program that addresses these 3 areas
CONDITIONING- You must be in great shape by the time the summer recruiting period starts. Why? You will play more basketball in the July period than any other time of the year. Many times you play 6 games in three days. If a college coach gets to you on game six they are not concerned about how many games you played. They want to know if you are performing well. I say a running program along with a weight program is a must. KNOW THE HISTORY OF YOUR TRAINER!
AAU TEAM- I want to start with a story of a young lady. She had a chance to be the 6th or 7th man on a great AAU team. Instead she chooses to stay with her local AAU team and start and be one of the better players. Today very few colleges even know her name. Your AAU TEAM must do three things for you
1. GET YOU EXPROSURE
2. GIVE YOU PLAYING TIME
3. CREATE A BUZZ FOR YOU AMONG COLLEGE COACHES.
If you are on an AAU team that only plays in tourneys in the south and west coast part of the country in July, you better be a national player. Mid and low major, div 2 and 3 schools tend to stay in their area. I know of an AAU team that spent the entire summer out west. No east coast mid or low major colleges saw them play all summer. Then you must be on an AAU team that plays on the main court at an event during the recruiting period. If your AAU team is playing off the main site, forget it. Few colleges are going to watch you. Coaches want to see as many players as possible. Remember starting and winning are not important. It’s about being seen. Next try to create a buzz for yourself before the summer starts, using the list above as guidance. Remember college coaches all talk. Example, Rutgers may not think a kid can play for the, but they may have a friend at Manhattan College who may want that player. During the past year I heard people say I was promoting players. News Flash!! If an organization will promote you…Join ASAP. It’s about getting your name out there.
SKILL WORK- I hope every kid will listen to me about this. The time to get better is during the off season. Pat Summit says players are made and championships are won in the off season. I can’t agree more. You must find an AAU program that allows you to do skill work during the week. I know at NBS we spend hours on working on skills in the off season. Players will play almost 60 games in the summer. That’s about 2 high school seasons. That is more than enough playing. The skills are what kids need to remember to do. Must AAU teams practice twice week and play on the weekends. That leaves 3 days. I say join a program like NBS and improve your skills. The skill work and games go hand and hand. There are no short cuts!
QUICK THOUGHTS ABOUT RECRUTING.
If a college coach has not contacted your high school coach or family, trust me, they are not recruiting you. A letter from a school only means you are on someone’s radar. It doesn’t mean you are being recruited. Coaches do not offer scholarships though third parties. If they want you, they will tell you or your coach. Get rid of the middle man in your recruiting. Anything that needs to be said can be said by you or your family. Don’t allow an AAU coach or outsider to speak about your recruiting. Don’t discuss your recruiting outside of your family and Coach. Don’t be afraid of rejection. This is part of the process. The more schools you contact the better.
FOR THE PARENTS
I want to relay a story for you to think about. During my daughter’s senior year of high school, she refused to open mail from college coaches. I was putting pressure on her to perform and then make a decision about college. She had many schools during the process do things that upset me and my family. One coach showed up at my house without calling, stating he was in the area. Another coach verbally abused my son because my daughter would not take her calls. All of this was the result of stress that I was putting on my daughter. She was hiding from process because of me. She had an idea of what type of school she wanted to attend. She did not want me in the middle of her recruitment. I asked coach Sourlis to step in. The first thing he did was tell my daughter not to come to practice if she did not answer the college coaches letter’s back and he wanted proof to that fact. Then he told her not to attend practice unless she showed up with a list a schools she wanted to attend. The one school she wanted to attend signed a player from the west coast. All the other schools which offered her she did not want to attend. George then took over; he sent tapes to Colgate and called the coach. Then he asked his good friend Joe Montano of RBC to help out and give him a few tapes. Now keep in mind George did all of this on his own. A few weeks later Candice fell in love with Colgate and they offered her a scholarship. That is not the end of the story. As the signing day got closer some schools started trying to confuse Candice. George stepped right in and said this process is over. He reminded Candice and me that education is the only thing that should matter when picking a school. Why do I tell you this story? It’s simple! Be very careful trying to tell your kid where to go to school. Sometimes they need a new voice and sometimes as parents we need advice as well! ….Don’t be stubborn!
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