As the July recruiting period concludes, let's take a look at all the things that go with evaluating high school prospects. We've already taken a look at recruiting sites, this is not what will be talking about. What we will talk about is how different schools evaluate talent throughout the year.
Casting a Large Net
Most schools function this way, especially early in the recruiting process. You want to be able to find as many prospects as you can and hope that certain one stick. Depending on the level some of this evaluation begins during the AAU or high school season of their junior year. If the school sees a intriguing prospect at a game, they'll add that prospect to their database and start the process.
You'll see D3 coaches at some of the bigger tournaments throughout the country and they are evaluating as many prospects as they can. Seeing as many teams as they can that are from their recruiting area.
Let's say there is 100 prospects on the school's recruiting list. The hope that you can get 25 (that might be high) to visit. 15 will probably apply and you might get three of those kids when school starts. You may look at those numbers and think that I'm absolutely nuts. Ask most D3 coaches and their lists start with much more than 100, especially when they have to bring in high numbers every year.
There are also many high level schools that will offer a lot of prospects in order to get their name involved in the process. There are times that those offers really don't mean anything especially when the coaches don't talk to the prospects (offers are through AAU coach).
Babysitting
You'll see this after legitimate scholarship offers are out. Coaches from D2 and D1 levels will basically follow a prospect around the area or country in order to now that the prospect is a priority. Some of the high level coaches have their own private plane, owned by school or booster(s), that they travel around in order to see prospects. Here's a little article about Kentucky basketball and another one about Alabama football.
I've seen numerous articles and tweets regarding the NSIC schools traveling to Vegas (I'll have another article on this place soon) to see prospects. For the most part, they are going there to "babysit" guys they have offered or have extremely high interest in. Like I've said before, I've never coached at the D2 level, I am not exactly sure this is a great investment for these programs unless they are starting to recruit out of state prospects. One thing is does do is it tells the prospects how important they are if they are spending half or more of their recruiting budget by heading to "City of Sin."
Conclusion
Every college program has a different idea on how to recruit. There isn't a right or wrong way to do it. The same as different offensive and defensive systems. The hope is that each program finds the best way for them to compete in recruiting and on the floor for their school.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
The Shot Clock
Every year there is a debate in many states in regards to putting in a shot clock for high school basketball. This year, in the Hopkins vs. Shakopee Minnesota State Semifinal led more people to believe that a shot clock would be a good idea in Minnesota. I'm a firm believer that having a high school shot clock would be good for the game.
I grew up in New York and around the time I was 10 (might've been earlier), the state decided that a shot clock would be a good idea for high school basketball. The initial plan was to go with a :45 shot clock (the college game was also :45 at that time). After the college game moved it down to :35, then New York followed as well. So, I never played a high school game without a :35 shot clock.
Obviously, it was a little different playing with one compared to middle school ball but, you learn to adjust as a player and then a coach. If you didn't get anything in the first :20 then we would run a set around :15 in order to try and get a shot. As you moved to the varsity level, that timeline shifted a little more and we would try to get into our set around :12.
One thing I really liked with the shot clock is that the players and coaches are forced to make quick decisions on a consistent basis. Coaches have to become creative with their sets and the players are forced to make plays. I think this encourages better coaching because teams can't just rely on continuous offenses, like the flex, for extended periods of time.
I understand that the this will lead to some forced shots by some bad players but sometimes that happens in high school basketball. It will also widen the gap between the good and the bad teams because there will be more possessions (which hopefully forces all coaches to work with their youth programs more, which equals, better basketball).
Two bad teams square off and then shot clock forces bad players into a bunch of bad shots. That happens without a shot clock. I've seen a lot of really bad games at the high school level and it wouldn't matter if there was one or not. Maybe they would make more shots if they actually attempted more.
Another issue is the cost behind installing the shot clock and then having competent shot clock operators. For a lot of schools there are a lot budget issues and doing this would cause more of a hassle. I would say installment is a one time fee ranging from $1500-$5000 with then $25 per game to the shot clock operator. That's a lot of money for some schools but if you go into a lot of gyms throughout the state of Minnesota you will notice that the shot clocks are already installed on top of the baskets, they just aren't in use.
At one point the PSAL (NYC's public school league) decided that only certain levels would be using the shot clock. For example, in Minnesota only 3A and 4A schools would be required to use them during games. Maybe a conference would be forward thinking enough to force schools to use them for conference games.
The last thing I want to bring up about the shot clock is how it is used on the international level. The shot clock is used at ALL levels international. We are the only country in the world that doesn't use it consistently through all ages. Even at lower age groups they use a :24 shot clock. It would make sense to have universal rules but we want to make our own rules in the US that truly don't have a rhyme or reason behind it (:30 shot clock for women and :35 for men).
Make the game universal.
I grew up in New York and around the time I was 10 (might've been earlier), the state decided that a shot clock would be a good idea for high school basketball. The initial plan was to go with a :45 shot clock (the college game was also :45 at that time). After the college game moved it down to :35, then New York followed as well. So, I never played a high school game without a :35 shot clock.
Obviously, it was a little different playing with one compared to middle school ball but, you learn to adjust as a player and then a coach. If you didn't get anything in the first :20 then we would run a set around :15 in order to try and get a shot. As you moved to the varsity level, that timeline shifted a little more and we would try to get into our set around :12.
One thing I really liked with the shot clock is that the players and coaches are forced to make quick decisions on a consistent basis. Coaches have to become creative with their sets and the players are forced to make plays. I think this encourages better coaching because teams can't just rely on continuous offenses, like the flex, for extended periods of time.
I understand that the this will lead to some forced shots by some bad players but sometimes that happens in high school basketball. It will also widen the gap between the good and the bad teams because there will be more possessions (which hopefully forces all coaches to work with their youth programs more, which equals, better basketball).
Two bad teams square off and then shot clock forces bad players into a bunch of bad shots. That happens without a shot clock. I've seen a lot of really bad games at the high school level and it wouldn't matter if there was one or not. Maybe they would make more shots if they actually attempted more.
Another issue is the cost behind installing the shot clock and then having competent shot clock operators. For a lot of schools there are a lot budget issues and doing this would cause more of a hassle. I would say installment is a one time fee ranging from $1500-$5000 with then $25 per game to the shot clock operator. That's a lot of money for some schools but if you go into a lot of gyms throughout the state of Minnesota you will notice that the shot clocks are already installed on top of the baskets, they just aren't in use.
At one point the PSAL (NYC's public school league) decided that only certain levels would be using the shot clock. For example, in Minnesota only 3A and 4A schools would be required to use them during games. Maybe a conference would be forward thinking enough to force schools to use them for conference games.
The last thing I want to bring up about the shot clock is how it is used on the international level. The shot clock is used at ALL levels international. We are the only country in the world that doesn't use it consistently through all ages. Even at lower age groups they use a :24 shot clock. It would make sense to have universal rules but we want to make our own rules in the US that truly don't have a rhyme or reason behind it (:30 shot clock for women and :35 for men).
Make the game universal.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Basketball Analytics
We live in a world of data and sports are no exception. The first introduction into sport analytics for most people was "Moneyball," which profiled the Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane and his approach for team success through innovative ways. Basketball analytics is a newer concept that more and more information is being put out there. From the NBA to high school basketball, stats are forcing coaches to adjust.
According to analytic data there are two different shots that are considered good shots for your team. Those two shots are 3's and lay-ups/dunks. 3's are considered a good because of the stat that gives you eFG%, which is effective field percentage. The formula is eFG% = (FGM + 0.5 x 3PTM) / FGA. So, in not math genius terms. Player A is 2-6 from 3 for 6 points. Player B is 3-6 from 3 for 6 points. Both point totals are the same thus having the same eFG which is 50%. In the NBA, the metric is slightly different because corner 3's are a little bit shorter than anywhere else on the floor, therefore that is considered a high percentage shot.
One of the known leaders in basketball analytics is Daryl Morey, the general manager for the Houston Rockets. He has come up with innovative ways to implement to what data suggests is the right way to play. His biggest experiment is the Rockets' D-League the Rio Grande Vipers. They are coached by Nevada Smith who is bound to be the old guy at the gym that gets a rebound and sprints out to the three point line to shoot a three (He actually would do that in the North Country coaches' noon time hoops.). Nevada is a former D3 player and coach (imagine that, back to the D3 love) that loves to play fast and shoot threes. Here is a great Grantland article on his team from this past season. If you don't want to read, here is a video example of the way they play.
The Portland Trailblazers are also another example of a team that has completely bought in to the analytics craze. They have coach and general manager that are on the same page, which is the key. Everyone needs to "buy in" in order for it to work. Here is an article regarding their approach from ESPN Insider. Trailblazers.
If you look at the college ranks, the only team that really uses analytics that I can think of is Grinnell and "their system." Their coach has created his own formula to order to win games. While, I'm not a huge fan of the way they do things (that's a whole different entry), he has created a buzz about the program and they've won more games than they have before. Here is a inside look at what they do.
Analytics at the high school and college level are a little different. Why? Zone defense. It forces teams to attempt mid-range shots which, according to analytic data, is a bad shot. Now, I know that certain coaches have their own metrics which could include getting 15 offensive boards, holding team to under 40%FG, etc. It's just really hard to get 15-22 year olds to be consistent enough to get the same results all the time.
I really like analytic data and I think over the course of time you can come up with some great data. My biggest issue is that none of the teams that I mentioned above have actually won a championship. Then the question becomes, why haven't they won more? I think the answer to that is analytic data doesn't always carry over in a one game series. That's why "the best team" doesn't always win the NCAA tournament or the State Basketball Tournament.
You would think that a seven game series like there is in the NBA and MLB would give you enough time for the analytic stuff to work but things are just a little different in the post-season. What it boils down to is, you have to put the ball in the basket or have guys cross the plate. In the playoffs, scouting is enhanced and adjustments have to be made. And it's tough to make adjustments to the way you have played for the whole season for a short period of time to get wins.
According to analytic data there are two different shots that are considered good shots for your team. Those two shots are 3's and lay-ups/dunks. 3's are considered a good because of the stat that gives you eFG%, which is effective field percentage. The formula is eFG% = (FGM + 0.5 x 3PTM) / FGA. So, in not math genius terms. Player A is 2-6 from 3 for 6 points. Player B is 3-6 from 3 for 6 points. Both point totals are the same thus having the same eFG which is 50%. In the NBA, the metric is slightly different because corner 3's are a little bit shorter than anywhere else on the floor, therefore that is considered a high percentage shot.
One of the known leaders in basketball analytics is Daryl Morey, the general manager for the Houston Rockets. He has come up with innovative ways to implement to what data suggests is the right way to play. His biggest experiment is the Rockets' D-League the Rio Grande Vipers. They are coached by Nevada Smith who is bound to be the old guy at the gym that gets a rebound and sprints out to the three point line to shoot a three (He actually would do that in the North Country coaches' noon time hoops.). Nevada is a former D3 player and coach (imagine that, back to the D3 love) that loves to play fast and shoot threes. Here is a great Grantland article on his team from this past season. If you don't want to read, here is a video example of the way they play.
The Portland Trailblazers are also another example of a team that has completely bought in to the analytics craze. They have coach and general manager that are on the same page, which is the key. Everyone needs to "buy in" in order for it to work. Here is an article regarding their approach from ESPN Insider. Trailblazers.
If you look at the college ranks, the only team that really uses analytics that I can think of is Grinnell and "their system." Their coach has created his own formula to order to win games. While, I'm not a huge fan of the way they do things (that's a whole different entry), he has created a buzz about the program and they've won more games than they have before. Here is a inside look at what they do.
Analytics at the high school and college level are a little different. Why? Zone defense. It forces teams to attempt mid-range shots which, according to analytic data, is a bad shot. Now, I know that certain coaches have their own metrics which could include getting 15 offensive boards, holding team to under 40%FG, etc. It's just really hard to get 15-22 year olds to be consistent enough to get the same results all the time.
I really like analytic data and I think over the course of time you can come up with some great data. My biggest issue is that none of the teams that I mentioned above have actually won a championship. Then the question becomes, why haven't they won more? I think the answer to that is analytic data doesn't always carry over in a one game series. That's why "the best team" doesn't always win the NCAA tournament or the State Basketball Tournament.
You would think that a seven game series like there is in the NBA and MLB would give you enough time for the analytic stuff to work but things are just a little different in the post-season. What it boils down to is, you have to put the ball in the basket or have guys cross the plate. In the playoffs, scouting is enhanced and adjustments have to be made. And it's tough to make adjustments to the way you have played for the whole season for a short period of time to get wins.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Recruiting Sites
We live in a world where there are recruiting sites for every single BCS school as well as a lot of sites for mid to low major schools. All of these sites provide information to the masses that want to know where the next big national and in state star are going to eventually go for school. Schools in the ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, and the Pac 12 all have several different sites for each school. These sites usually include scout.com, rivals.com, and the latest to get involved is 247sports.com.
If you read these sites on a consistent basis, you will notice that each site will tilt the article to make it look like "that school" is in the lead for a prospect. If there are quotes involved, there are always positive quotes regarding the school that the site is run through. So fans will get super excited when Jimmy Basketball really likes Coach ______ and likes their style of play. Kids and their families have become savvy enough to do this in order to please everyone.
Within the past couple of years the recruiting service industry has changed because of the unlimited contact that coaches can have with recruits. Before, coaches could only contact the prospect twice a week and could theoretically use the recruiting service to contact the kid more. That's called a "grey area" that a lot of coaches work in order to use everything possible to get the players they want.
Another way that colleges use the recruiting services is to help recruit other kids. How? Why? Coaches want other kids to see that "School A" is recruiting all these really good players and that could potentially draw more interest from recruits. Coaches are savvy enough to know that most kids and their families read these recruiting sites on a consistent basis. They also want to "be on the list" just like you see on TV while getting into an exclusive club.
Recruiting sites that technically don't have a tie to a certain school have their own biases as well. These sites don't have any ties to schools but they tend to have ties to some AAU and high school programs. They will write about a lot of different prospects from those particular AAU or high school programs because the people that run the site are good friends with the coaches from each program. This idea will not only apply to articles but ranking of prospects as well.
Very rarely are these recruiting sites actually run by former college coaches who truly understand how the recruiting process works. So, when you read the 2015 or 2016 rankings, you can't get too caught up in them. Coaches are looking for the best fit for their program and rankings really don't mean a thing. On top of that, what does the ranking actually mean? Is it, who is the best player now? Who will be the best college player? Rarely do the sites actually tell you this and a lot of the time, the sites are inconsistent in the ranking process.
Again, I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions regarding anything that I've talked about, please feel free to contact me at cwhop03@yahoo.com
If you read these sites on a consistent basis, you will notice that each site will tilt the article to make it look like "that school" is in the lead for a prospect. If there are quotes involved, there are always positive quotes regarding the school that the site is run through. So fans will get super excited when Jimmy Basketball really likes Coach ______ and likes their style of play. Kids and their families have become savvy enough to do this in order to please everyone.
Within the past couple of years the recruiting service industry has changed because of the unlimited contact that coaches can have with recruits. Before, coaches could only contact the prospect twice a week and could theoretically use the recruiting service to contact the kid more. That's called a "grey area" that a lot of coaches work in order to use everything possible to get the players they want.
Another way that colleges use the recruiting services is to help recruit other kids. How? Why? Coaches want other kids to see that "School A" is recruiting all these really good players and that could potentially draw more interest from recruits. Coaches are savvy enough to know that most kids and their families read these recruiting sites on a consistent basis. They also want to "be on the list" just like you see on TV while getting into an exclusive club.
Recruiting sites that technically don't have a tie to a certain school have their own biases as well. These sites don't have any ties to schools but they tend to have ties to some AAU and high school programs. They will write about a lot of different prospects from those particular AAU or high school programs because the people that run the site are good friends with the coaches from each program. This idea will not only apply to articles but ranking of prospects as well.
Very rarely are these recruiting sites actually run by former college coaches who truly understand how the recruiting process works. So, when you read the 2015 or 2016 rankings, you can't get too caught up in them. Coaches are looking for the best fit for their program and rankings really don't mean a thing. On top of that, what does the ranking actually mean? Is it, who is the best player now? Who will be the best college player? Rarely do the sites actually tell you this and a lot of the time, the sites are inconsistent in the ranking process.
Again, I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions regarding anything that I've talked about, please feel free to contact me at cwhop03@yahoo.com
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Showcases and "Elite" Camps
Over the course of the last ten years "showcases" have become commonplace in grassroots basketball. You use to be able to showcase yourself with your high school or AAU team but now you can essentially play in a one day camp that is supposed to give you exposure. The number one goal off each showcase is to make money. It's clearly not about the kids.
When I was in high school I went to a few showcases in order to "showcase" my talent to college coaches. I went to several "Metro Top 100" showcases run through The Hoop Group. The showcases were always challenging for me because I was a big goofy white guy that played point for my high school and AAU team. In the showcase setting, I was generally one of the taller guys on the team, so I would be stuck playing against bigs. It wasn't exactly an ideal setting to "showcase" my skills. There were many D2 and D3 coaches there that didn't think very highly of my performance or lack thereof.
I went to another showcase run by Keystone Invitational (I think Hoop Group took this over and renamed it). There I was able to play the point and the coaches actually coached us rather than just make substitutions that happened automatically anyway. I had numerous college coaches approach me after the camp and that's what makes it a great experience for players.
Over the past couple of years there have been a few showcases that have popped up in Minnesota. These showcases are nothing but money makers for the people running them. What each showcase does is not charge a few "highly known prospects" to make sure they can name drop on social media in order to get other kids there.
I've witnessed one camp as a college coach that literally had five college coaches there after the event said that they had commitments from 20+ college coaches there. Another recent event had a lot of big names there and yet very few college coaches. Even though the event was certified by the NCAA, kids and parents have to develop an understanding of how these showcases work.
And lastly, do you think that playing with a bunch of guys that you've never played with before is an ideal situation for you to be evaluated at?
And lastly, do you think that playing with a bunch of guys that you've never played with before is an ideal situation for you to be evaluated at?
"Elite" Camps
I will be extremely brief on these. The only "elite" camp you want to attend is one hosted by a college or university. When I say hosted, it's not a private entity, it's run by the coaches of that college. I believe that quite a few local D2's have their own elite camps and there are many D1's that have their own as well.
These camps are very beneficial because you are playing in a controlled setting in front of the coaches of that college. They generally don't charge a lot either because they want to make sure they can get their top recruits there. The coaching staff might make a little money but it's not nearly as significant as a showcase.
So, if you can, go to a school's elite camp rather than a showcase.
Monday, July 21, 2014
The D3 Numbers Game
I've talked to a few people about my blog and I've been told that I promote D3 like it's the best thing ever. I am biased to it because I played in it and coached in it. There is definitely some things wrong with D3 and I'll talk about it today.
When you look at a lot of D3 basketball rosters at private schools you will see HUGE numbers. And when you see these massive rosters, you will see large amounts of freshmen (not first year's, that's a stupid concept) and sophomores and a lot less juniors and seniors. The reason you see this, like many other things, is because of money.
Tuition money is huge for a lot of these private schools to survive. The more incoming players coming in, the more money the school has. So, when you see a large number recruiting class it is usually based off the Admission office of the school pushing to bring in more athletes to the school. Sometimes this leads to the college having a junior varsity team in order for these athletes to have a place to play and to still be on the roster.
Here is the simple economics of a school that brings in large amounts of basketball players (other sports are pushed to do the same thing as well) to their school. Let's say there is 15 incoming basketball players. Tuition is $25,000 (I'm not including room and board). That's $375,000 in tuition alone for incoming basketball players. After their freshmen year a five guys see the writing on the wall and decided to transfer out. That's $125,000 out the door but still $250,000 going towards the school. Five more guys decide to give up basketball after their sophomore year but like the school a lot and decide to stay. So, by the time this group becomes seniors only five of the fifteen are still on the basketball roster but their tuition brought in $1,125,000 to the school.
Now, not every athlete is going to have to pay a full $25,000 in tuition to the school based off of academic scholarships and financial aid but you get the point. Even if this group brings in $900,000, that's $900,000 that the school didn't have in the first place.
Imagine if this is done for ten years, that's roughly $9,000,000-$10,000,000 to the school. Then you add in bringing in big numbers for football, soccer, and track & field. That is why athletics should be an integral part of any D3 private school.
There are some D3 schools that recruit huge numbers because of a coaching change, hope for a culture change, and/or to fill a JV roster. The Admissions office is never unhappy with the coaching staff when these large numbers happen. Wins and losses are important but the bottom line is the most important thing for a majority of D3 schools.
Be in the black not in the red.
When you look at a lot of D3 basketball rosters at private schools you will see HUGE numbers. And when you see these massive rosters, you will see large amounts of freshmen (not first year's, that's a stupid concept) and sophomores and a lot less juniors and seniors. The reason you see this, like many other things, is because of money.
Tuition money is huge for a lot of these private schools to survive. The more incoming players coming in, the more money the school has. So, when you see a large number recruiting class it is usually based off the Admission office of the school pushing to bring in more athletes to the school. Sometimes this leads to the college having a junior varsity team in order for these athletes to have a place to play and to still be on the roster.
Here is the simple economics of a school that brings in large amounts of basketball players (other sports are pushed to do the same thing as well) to their school. Let's say there is 15 incoming basketball players. Tuition is $25,000 (I'm not including room and board). That's $375,000 in tuition alone for incoming basketball players. After their freshmen year a five guys see the writing on the wall and decided to transfer out. That's $125,000 out the door but still $250,000 going towards the school. Five more guys decide to give up basketball after their sophomore year but like the school a lot and decide to stay. So, by the time this group becomes seniors only five of the fifteen are still on the basketball roster but their tuition brought in $1,125,000 to the school.
Now, not every athlete is going to have to pay a full $25,000 in tuition to the school based off of academic scholarships and financial aid but you get the point. Even if this group brings in $900,000, that's $900,000 that the school didn't have in the first place.
Imagine if this is done for ten years, that's roughly $9,000,000-$10,000,000 to the school. Then you add in bringing in big numbers for football, soccer, and track & field. That is why athletics should be an integral part of any D3 private school.
There are some D3 schools that recruit huge numbers because of a coaching change, hope for a culture change, and/or to fill a JV roster. The Admissions office is never unhappy with the coaching staff when these large numbers happen. Wins and losses are important but the bottom line is the most important thing for a majority of D3 schools.
Be in the black not in the red.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
AAU Tournament Economics
I've gone to several AAU tournaments this spring and summer as a high school coach and have become extremely disappointed in how things are run. I always hear, "It's about the kids." Well, it's not. Someone is making a lot of money and they are lying when they say they are not.
I'll use a tournament that is going on in Minneapolis right as an example. This isn't a knock on D1Minnesota AAU program. I'm just using it as an example because it's going on right now.
72 teams entered the tournament (Three of their own organization are in the tourney, so 69 teams paid)
Revenue
- Cost per team is $500 - $34,500 for entry fees
- Each team brings roughly 16 people (easier for math) at minimum. I paid $10 today to get in, I don't know if there is a whole tournament fee. If there is, let's say it's $25. Now parents from the D1 program are paying that as well. That's $400 per team for entrance fees. That's $28,800 in admission fees.
- College Coaches' Packets usually are $100 for JUCO and D3, $150-$200 for D2, and $250-$350 for D1. Now, I didn't see a ton of college coaches but I have to think they made at least $2,000 on those.
So, at the bare minimum (I think) they make $65,300 in revenue.
Expenses
- Facility Rental - I'm making a complete guess here but I'll say $5,000 total for all the gyms.
- Insurance - Another complete guess but I'll go with $2,000
- Athletic Trainer(s) - $2,000
- Referees - I would think the going rate is $25 per game per ref. So that's $50 per game. There are 156 games for the whole tourney (yes, I counted). That's $7,800
- Runners/Scorekeepers/etc - $2,000
So, there are roughly $17,800 in expenses for the tournament.
$65,300
-$18,800
$47, 500
That's a lot of money to make on a weekend even if I am off on rental fees or the costs of the referees. I would think that a lot of this money will go back into the D1Minnesota AAU organization with coaching salaries, rental facilities for practice, gear for the kids, travel for organization to out of town tournaments, etc.
There are other tournaments like any NY2LA tourney that makes WAAYYYYYYY more than that because they have more teams, and way more college coaches. Also, NY2LA (there are many more like these series of tournaments but this is one most are familiar with) isn't tied to any AAU organization, so the money clearly isn't going back to the kids.
I'll use a tournament that is going on in Minneapolis right as an example. This isn't a knock on D1Minnesota AAU program. I'm just using it as an example because it's going on right now.
72 teams entered the tournament (Three of their own organization are in the tourney, so 69 teams paid)
Revenue
- Cost per team is $500 - $34,500 for entry fees
- Each team brings roughly 16 people (easier for math) at minimum. I paid $10 today to get in, I don't know if there is a whole tournament fee. If there is, let's say it's $25. Now parents from the D1 program are paying that as well. That's $400 per team for entrance fees. That's $28,800 in admission fees.
- College Coaches' Packets usually are $100 for JUCO and D3, $150-$200 for D2, and $250-$350 for D1. Now, I didn't see a ton of college coaches but I have to think they made at least $2,000 on those.
So, at the bare minimum (I think) they make $65,300 in revenue.
Expenses
- Facility Rental - I'm making a complete guess here but I'll say $5,000 total for all the gyms.
- Insurance - Another complete guess but I'll go with $2,000
- Athletic Trainer(s) - $2,000
- Referees - I would think the going rate is $25 per game per ref. So that's $50 per game. There are 156 games for the whole tourney (yes, I counted). That's $7,800
- Runners/Scorekeepers/etc - $2,000
So, there are roughly $17,800 in expenses for the tournament.
$65,300
-$18,800
$47, 500
That's a lot of money to make on a weekend even if I am off on rental fees or the costs of the referees. I would think that a lot of this money will go back into the D1Minnesota AAU organization with coaching salaries, rental facilities for practice, gear for the kids, travel for organization to out of town tournaments, etc.
There are other tournaments like any NY2LA tourney that makes WAAYYYYYYY more than that because they have more teams, and way more college coaches. Also, NY2LA (there are many more like these series of tournaments but this is one most are familiar with) isn't tied to any AAU organization, so the money clearly isn't going back to the kids.
#CharterSchoolProblems
As of many of you have already heard, Emmanual Mudiay has "decided" to forgo college and play professional. It's an interesting choice because he has decided that following the footsteps of Brandon Jennings and Jeremy Tyler is the best route to go instead of going to prep school, junior college, etc.
Here is a great article regarding Mudiay's situation, Gary Parrish article
Now, there are always multiple sides to every story. It will be interesting to see what exactly Mudiay's side is besides the "hardship" route. I'm certainly not saying that there isn't a hardship issue but there are too many instances of eligibility concerns coming from Prime Prep.
This is a perfect example of people more concerned about the "exposure" issue rather than truly finding the correct fit for a student. There were major eligibility issues with two different players the year before. Unless something drastically changed at the school, Mudiay was going to have some of the same issues as the previous students had. There are also several more prospects that are at Prime Prep right now that will be dealing with eligibility issues in the future.
These are the famous words that Prime Prep's founder has gone by for a long time
Here is a great article regarding Mudiay's situation, Gary Parrish article
Now, there are always multiple sides to every story. It will be interesting to see what exactly Mudiay's side is besides the "hardship" route. I'm certainly not saying that there isn't a hardship issue but there are too many instances of eligibility concerns coming from Prime Prep.
This is a perfect example of people more concerned about the "exposure" issue rather than truly finding the correct fit for a student. There were major eligibility issues with two different players the year before. Unless something drastically changed at the school, Mudiay was going to have some of the same issues as the previous students had. There are also several more prospects that are at Prime Prep right now that will be dealing with eligibility issues in the future.
These are the famous words that Prime Prep's founder has gone by for a long time
Friday, July 18, 2014
Getting that Scholarship Offer
There are many D1 programs that will throw out scholarship offers to any good player they can think of. There are also many that are extremely selective when handing out scholarships. The hope is like with many things, college programs are in that "in between" area when it comes to giving out scholarships.
One of my former players, Nick Carroll went on a little twitter rant this morning in regards to offers (see below).
Nick makes some really valid points here but I don't necessarily agree with him.
Now, I don't know what school(s) or what player(s) he is talking about in regards to his twitter rant but my guess is that it has to be about one or a few of his D1Minnesota 17u players. So, he is a little bias to his players, as he should be. I've only seen Nick coach high level AAU once but I do know that he gets his kids to play extremely hard and they really compete on the defensive end (Saw his previous teams play a lot).
Another thing that we aren't sure of is the amount of scholarships that the mentioned schools have left for the 2015 recruiting class. We don't know how many other offers that school has thrown out to kids other than Nick's kids. Nick might know, but I don't. Even if an assistant coach is constantly contacting Nick and/or the player they could be doing it as a backup plan to the "priority" guys they have previously established. If it's the head coach that is constantly contacting the kid then I would totally agree with what Nick says in his tweets.
I personally can't say that I've ever been able to hand out basketball scholarships to kids. So, at times, it is very difficult for me to fathom a program offering someone after seeing them play once or even twice. If you are going to invest a full (or even partial) scholarship you want to learn as much as you can about a kid before you offer. You want background info, academic transcripts, as well as how they are as a person. You can't do that after four days in July (I have no clue how long these colleges have been recruiting Nick's kids).
There are also a few schools that will not offer until the kid has completed a visit (official or unofficial) to the school. What the unofficial visit does is tell the school's coaching staff that the player is actually interested in attending the school by spending their own money on a visit to a school. If the family is interested enough to spend to their own money to come on a visit then the program is interested enough to offer a scholarship (Just because you visit doesn't necessarily mean there is an offer waiting for you).
If I'm a college coach, here is a list of things that I would do before I would offer someone a scholarship:
- Make sure he/she can play
- Get HS transcripts (could take a while if interests increases during the summer)
- Get full game tape from the HS season (with background on opponent)
- Talk to both AAU and HS coaches
- Talk to parent(s)/guardian
- Talk to kid
Again, this is an investment into the coach's program. They will make mistakes but they want as much as info as they can gather. There are times when coaches don't even get past the talking to AAU or HS coach. Why? There just isn't that mutual interest. It works both ways.
I know it's not easy and it could be tough considering the timeframe that a lot of prospects have but I (if I'm a college coach) want to see how they practice and also I would love to see a HS game. Now, I understand this isn't always realistic at D1 level because of NCAA restrictions but I feel it would give me, as a coach, a better gauge on the kid. I would say that some HS programs will run a more complicated offensive and defensive system than the kid would in AAU because of time. I would love to see how quickly they pick up new concepts as well as to see if they can play other positions. My system isn't ideal unless the coach has started the recruiting process before or during the kid's junior year.
One of my former players, Nick Carroll went on a little twitter rant this morning in regards to offers (see below).
Too many schools are scared to be a kid's first scholarship offer. If you like the kid, go after him. If you don't, don't waste his time.
— Coach Carroll (@CoachNACarroll) July 16, 2014
Interesting dynamic in college recruiting: every school wants the hidden gem, but 99% of schools will wait to offer til someone else does.
— Coach Carroll (@CoachNACarroll) July 16, 2014
Worst case scenario, you offer a kid and don't get them. Every kid remembers and speaks highly of the first school that offered them.
— Coach Carroll (@CoachNACarroll) July 16, 2014
Maybe you get them on bounce back, or more importantly, your program becomes relevant to future recruits. Bottom line, if they fit, OFFER!
— Coach Carroll (@CoachNACarroll) July 16, 2014
Nick makes some really valid points here but I don't necessarily agree with him.
Now, I don't know what school(s) or what player(s) he is talking about in regards to his twitter rant but my guess is that it has to be about one or a few of his D1Minnesota 17u players. So, he is a little bias to his players, as he should be. I've only seen Nick coach high level AAU once but I do know that he gets his kids to play extremely hard and they really compete on the defensive end (Saw his previous teams play a lot).
Another thing that we aren't sure of is the amount of scholarships that the mentioned schools have left for the 2015 recruiting class. We don't know how many other offers that school has thrown out to kids other than Nick's kids. Nick might know, but I don't. Even if an assistant coach is constantly contacting Nick and/or the player they could be doing it as a backup plan to the "priority" guys they have previously established. If it's the head coach that is constantly contacting the kid then I would totally agree with what Nick says in his tweets.
I personally can't say that I've ever been able to hand out basketball scholarships to kids. So, at times, it is very difficult for me to fathom a program offering someone after seeing them play once or even twice. If you are going to invest a full (or even partial) scholarship you want to learn as much as you can about a kid before you offer. You want background info, academic transcripts, as well as how they are as a person. You can't do that after four days in July (I have no clue how long these colleges have been recruiting Nick's kids).
There are also a few schools that will not offer until the kid has completed a visit (official or unofficial) to the school. What the unofficial visit does is tell the school's coaching staff that the player is actually interested in attending the school by spending their own money on a visit to a school. If the family is interested enough to spend to their own money to come on a visit then the program is interested enough to offer a scholarship (Just because you visit doesn't necessarily mean there is an offer waiting for you).
If I'm a college coach, here is a list of things that I would do before I would offer someone a scholarship:
- Make sure he/she can play
- Get HS transcripts (could take a while if interests increases during the summer)
- Get full game tape from the HS season (with background on opponent)
- Talk to both AAU and HS coaches
- Talk to parent(s)/guardian
- Talk to kid
Again, this is an investment into the coach's program. They will make mistakes but they want as much as info as they can gather. There are times when coaches don't even get past the talking to AAU or HS coach. Why? There just isn't that mutual interest. It works both ways.
I know it's not easy and it could be tough considering the timeframe that a lot of prospects have but I (if I'm a college coach) want to see how they practice and also I would love to see a HS game. Now, I understand this isn't always realistic at D1 level because of NCAA restrictions but I feel it would give me, as a coach, a better gauge on the kid. I would say that some HS programs will run a more complicated offensive and defensive system than the kid would in AAU because of time. I would love to see how quickly they pick up new concepts as well as to see if they can play other positions. My system isn't ideal unless the coach has started the recruiting process before or during the kid's junior year.
Monday, July 14, 2014
D2/D3 - State School vs. Private School
We live in a day where the amount of money spend on college for non or little scholarship athletes is unbelievably high. State schools tend to run anywhere from $15,000-$23,000 (in state tuition, run and board). Private schools have a even bigger range with anywhere from $35,000-$55,000.
Many people are convinced that private schools provide a better education than a state school. Some people also believe that it's not worth the money to pay for a private school education when you can get something close to it with a state school. It's a matter of perception.
State schools generally offer lower tuition which is a huge positive in the eyes of parents and players that have to take out student loans. State schools generally have some extremely good programs that will give a great education at much less of the cost. If you are looking at education or criminal justice then it makes a lot more sense to go to a state school than a private. Why? There wouldn't be that much difference in the curriculum from a state to private, so why pay more for your education when you don't need to.
State schools will also offer academic scholarships but it tends to get a little harder to receive them because there isn't as much of a margin for the school to make money if they are continually giving out huge scholarships. Simple economics.
Private schools generally offer much higher tuition rates and many people believe that you get a much better education based off of smaller class sizes, more specialized majors, and alumni connections. Most private schools try make people believe that the higher the tuition, the better the education. It can be true in some cases but not in all. Are these programs worth $45,000 per year that could potentially bury the student financially for a long time? Maybe they are, if you can get an extremely high paying job out of college.
Now, private schools have the opportunity to get creative with financial aid packages. Not all will but some can. For example, the school costs $45,000 per year. An incoming freshmen has a legit 3.9 GPA and a 30 on their ACT. The school has a $20,000 scholarship for students with those type of grades and test scores. That immediately puts the cost at $25,000, which is a lot more feasible than $45,000. Some schools have scholarship ranges from $3,000 to full academic scholarship. It all depends on the institution.
One good question to ask is if the school has the ability to meet 100% of need. There are certain schools that are able to meet full need and others that aren't. What I mean by full or 100% need is that the school is able to cover what ever the family can not cover according to their EFC (check out FAFSA for more information). Schools are able to cover dollar amount based off of their endowment. In closing, the higher the endowment, the chances of the school being able to help incoming students with their financial aid packages.
If a D2 won't offer a full athletic scholarship because they are limited in scholarship money like I talked about here they can give you other avenues to "make it all work." Academic and athletic scholarship to go along with a Pell Grant. This doesn't necessarily mean it all cover all expenses for college but it could help out a lot and very limited loans need to be taken out.
Basically, if you are good student you will open up huge opportunities at both state and private schools to get exactly what you looking for in a college.
Many people are convinced that private schools provide a better education than a state school. Some people also believe that it's not worth the money to pay for a private school education when you can get something close to it with a state school. It's a matter of perception.
State schools generally offer lower tuition which is a huge positive in the eyes of parents and players that have to take out student loans. State schools generally have some extremely good programs that will give a great education at much less of the cost. If you are looking at education or criminal justice then it makes a lot more sense to go to a state school than a private. Why? There wouldn't be that much difference in the curriculum from a state to private, so why pay more for your education when you don't need to.
State schools will also offer academic scholarships but it tends to get a little harder to receive them because there isn't as much of a margin for the school to make money if they are continually giving out huge scholarships. Simple economics.
Private schools generally offer much higher tuition rates and many people believe that you get a much better education based off of smaller class sizes, more specialized majors, and alumni connections. Most private schools try make people believe that the higher the tuition, the better the education. It can be true in some cases but not in all. Are these programs worth $45,000 per year that could potentially bury the student financially for a long time? Maybe they are, if you can get an extremely high paying job out of college.
Now, private schools have the opportunity to get creative with financial aid packages. Not all will but some can. For example, the school costs $45,000 per year. An incoming freshmen has a legit 3.9 GPA and a 30 on their ACT. The school has a $20,000 scholarship for students with those type of grades and test scores. That immediately puts the cost at $25,000, which is a lot more feasible than $45,000. Some schools have scholarship ranges from $3,000 to full academic scholarship. It all depends on the institution.
One good question to ask is if the school has the ability to meet 100% of need. There are certain schools that are able to meet full need and others that aren't. What I mean by full or 100% need is that the school is able to cover what ever the family can not cover according to their EFC (check out FAFSA for more information). Schools are able to cover dollar amount based off of their endowment. In closing, the higher the endowment, the chances of the school being able to help incoming students with their financial aid packages.
If a D2 won't offer a full athletic scholarship because they are limited in scholarship money like I talked about here they can give you other avenues to "make it all work." Academic and athletic scholarship to go along with a Pell Grant. This doesn't necessarily mean it all cover all expenses for college but it could help out a lot and very limited loans need to be taken out.
Basically, if you are good student you will open up huge opportunities at both state and private schools to get exactly what you looking for in a college.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Scholarship Offers - Updated
As I zoom through twitter on an hourly basis over this evaluation period for men's basketball I see that basically every single prospect has gotten at least one scholarship offer from multiple schools. They aren't all true. Many of the recruiting "experts" have very little direct knowledge of true scholarship offers from schools (there are many that are really in tuned as well).
These recruiting "experts" get most of their information directly from the kids being recruited. These are the same kids that say they have a 3.6 GPA and in reality have a 2.9 GPA. How many 16 and 17 year old males will give you exactly the same information that they just heard? Unless they forward a screen shot of a direct message or text from a head coach about a scholarship offer, then I would search a little further for a true offer.
I read these highly regarded scouting services including Espn.com, Scout.com, Rivals.com, and 247sports.com on a daily basis. I see quite a few guys with a lot of interest from Michigan and quite a few that report offers from Michigan. They will not get an offer from Michigan until they have visited for a full academic tour. So, anytime I read that article stating that an athlete has received an offer from them without visiting I know that the athlete is hearing what they want to hear in regards to phone calls and text messages. An example of this is from this zagsblog.com article.
Like I've said before, a phone call, a letter, or a text message does not mean a scholarship offer. A true scholarship offer comes directly from the head coach of a program. Are there times when an assistant offers a prospect? I'd say so, but the head coach oversees the whole program and I would rely on him a little more than an assistant for that offer.
The assistant's job is to make sure you hear what you want to hear. Examples of this are "we could see you playing 20 minutes a game next year." "We think you could replace the senior that we are losing." Notice that none of what was said actually says, "You will." Very rarely are you guaranteed anything except a chance to compete.
As you move from D1 (all full ride scholarships) to D2 (some full and some partial) there are some differences. D2's can offer a full basketball scholarship but most will try to get creative with the scholarships because some are limited in total scholarships (10 is limit but not all are fully funded, 13 is the limit for D1). An example would be, "We will make sure you are on a full scholarship total. The school is working on the academic side and we will fill in the rest." Let's say an athlete gets $22,000 in academic money and then the basketball program will fill in the rest of the $20,000 to make sure all $42,000 will cover tuition and room and board.
Another way to make it all work is to add the Pell Grant. If the athlete qualifies for a full Pell ($5,500), the school could tell them to use that money to cover the remainder or part of the cost of the school. Like I said last blog, not everyone qualifies for full Pell but if that becomes an option, coaches could try and use it to their advantage to make sure they still have scholarship money left over for another athlete.
For many D2's the end of the year means they have extremely limited money to offer to athletes. This could mean that they only offer an athlete $500 per year or books. They could also tell you that they will give you that much for your freshmen year and after that it could go up based off of production. The schools that are fully funded, that is definitely possible but schools that aren't, it becomes extremely difficult to give more money because they need that money to give incoming recruits.
Now, some programs believe that would rather give more money to their current players because they have actually produced at the college level while the recruits have done nothing (my wife's team does this for cross country, track and field). Each program is different.
Here is a good article in regards to the scholarship situation for the local D2 conference, the NSIC.
http://www.sctimes.com/story/sports/college/2014/04/26/college-sports-look-nsic-basketball-scholarships/8234147/
Again, I hope this was helpful. If anyone has anymore questions feel free to email me at cwhop03@yahoo.com.
These recruiting "experts" get most of their information directly from the kids being recruited. These are the same kids that say they have a 3.6 GPA and in reality have a 2.9 GPA. How many 16 and 17 year old males will give you exactly the same information that they just heard? Unless they forward a screen shot of a direct message or text from a head coach about a scholarship offer, then I would search a little further for a true offer.
I read these highly regarded scouting services including Espn.com, Scout.com, Rivals.com, and 247sports.com on a daily basis. I see quite a few guys with a lot of interest from Michigan and quite a few that report offers from Michigan. They will not get an offer from Michigan until they have visited for a full academic tour. So, anytime I read that article stating that an athlete has received an offer from them without visiting I know that the athlete is hearing what they want to hear in regards to phone calls and text messages. An example of this is from this zagsblog.com article.
Like I've said before, a phone call, a letter, or a text message does not mean a scholarship offer. A true scholarship offer comes directly from the head coach of a program. Are there times when an assistant offers a prospect? I'd say so, but the head coach oversees the whole program and I would rely on him a little more than an assistant for that offer.
The assistant's job is to make sure you hear what you want to hear. Examples of this are "we could see you playing 20 minutes a game next year." "We think you could replace the senior that we are losing." Notice that none of what was said actually says, "You will." Very rarely are you guaranteed anything except a chance to compete.
As you move from D1 (all full ride scholarships) to D2 (some full and some partial) there are some differences. D2's can offer a full basketball scholarship but most will try to get creative with the scholarships because some are limited in total scholarships (10 is limit but not all are fully funded, 13 is the limit for D1). An example would be, "We will make sure you are on a full scholarship total. The school is working on the academic side and we will fill in the rest." Let's say an athlete gets $22,000 in academic money and then the basketball program will fill in the rest of the $20,000 to make sure all $42,000 will cover tuition and room and board.
Another way to make it all work is to add the Pell Grant. If the athlete qualifies for a full Pell ($5,500), the school could tell them to use that money to cover the remainder or part of the cost of the school. Like I said last blog, not everyone qualifies for full Pell but if that becomes an option, coaches could try and use it to their advantage to make sure they still have scholarship money left over for another athlete.
For many D2's the end of the year means they have extremely limited money to offer to athletes. This could mean that they only offer an athlete $500 per year or books. They could also tell you that they will give you that much for your freshmen year and after that it could go up based off of production. The schools that are fully funded, that is definitely possible but schools that aren't, it becomes extremely difficult to give more money because they need that money to give incoming recruits.
Now, some programs believe that would rather give more money to their current players because they have actually produced at the college level while the recruits have done nothing (my wife's team does this for cross country, track and field). Each program is different.
Here is a good article in regards to the scholarship situation for the local D2 conference, the NSIC.
http://www.sctimes.com/story/sports/college/2014/04/26/college-sports-look-nsic-basketball-scholarships/8234147/
Again, I hope this was helpful. If anyone has anymore questions feel free to email me at cwhop03@yahoo.com.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Paying College Athletes
Over the course of the past couple of years there has been a huge push to get college athletes "paid" or to increase what they are already getting. Most people don't understand what many of them are already getting. I am arguing against paying college athletes and strictly against whatever Jay Bilas says in regards this.
For football and basketball players at the division one level they are on a full scholarship. A full "ride" pays for tuition, room and board, as well as books. What most people don't understand is that all of these athletes get a check from the institution for each month. The checks will vary in amount based off if the athlete lives on or off campus. That range is $150 (roughly, that's coming from a Minnesota football player) to $950 (that's from the checks we use to hand out to the basketball players at West Virginia). This money is supposed to be used for food ($150) for the month and if it's the higher amount, it's supposed to be for housing and food.
If you want to do simple math. Housing will cost anywhere from $350 to $600 a month. Food will cost at the very most, $200 a month. That number should be much lower now that the NCAA allowed schools to give "unlimited snacks" to their athletes. Thanks Shabazz Napier. Even with that, if you are off campus you have $150 to yourself per month to do what you want with.
If the program provides "training table," which is a catered buffet for the team, then the money it costs for each meal is then taken out of their scholarship check for the month. For example, I believe eight dollars was taken out of each players' scholarship check for each meal. The basketball players at WVU would get meals four days a week. So, $32 dollars per week was taken out. $128 was taken out per month, so the check would be reduced from $950 to $822. If there was a game day meal (at home or on the road) the meal wouldn't be charged and the guys would get that $8 credited to their check.
After proper saving, the players should have, at a minimum, $150 per month for themselves. That's about $1,800 per year. The players are doing alright for themselves unless they are buying a bunch of crap they don't need including but not limited to fresh Jordan's, jewelry, and tattoos.
Now, most people don't know that many of these athletes qualify for some type of Pell Grant from the government. Not all, but many of these athletes qualify for a full Pell Grant which would give them $5,500 for the year to be able to use for their schooling. So, on top of the scholarship covering everything, they are getting an additional $5,500 (could be less for some based off of family's taxes). Between their scholarship checks and the Pell Grant these athletes should have $7,000 to save at the end of the year.
But wait, there's more...
Each major conference (not sure about mid-major conferences) has a fund set up for athletes to receive a clothing allotment of $500 in order to get a few things (like a winter coat, winter hat, gloves, etc). Not everyone is eligible for the allotment and it's similar to the Pell Grant as far as how it is given out.
On top of this I haven't mentioned the amount of gear and the crazy amount of travel these guys have. Here is the potential list of gear that an average high major D1 basketball player gets.
6 pairs of basketball shoes - $140 each - $840
4 sets of sweatsuits - $100 each - $400
2 sets of practice gear - $90 each - $180
10 pairs of socks - $15 each (Nike Elite socks are expensive) - $150
1 pair of training/running shoes - $85
4 sets of workout gear - roughly $120 total
That's $1,800 at a minimum for gear that the guys get per year. And I think I'm on the very low end for most of that gear in amount and in price.
Many top D1 programs also charter to every single away game as well as stay in extremely nice hotels. By chartering each player probably gets about $500 (minimum again) in travel. They travel at ten times a year, $5,000 per player per year. Here is an example of the hotel that many teams stay at while traveling. Average room cost at that particular hotel is $250 per room. Two players per room, let's just say $100 per player per night. Teams travel ten times per year, so $1,000. I still haven't mentioned conference tournament lodging and potential postseason lodging. Let's say that's another $500 per player. I won't even mention food. While at WVU, we had a $45 per plate BREAKFAST while in NYC for the Big East Tournament. Roughly, $6,500 is spent per athlete during a basketball season just on lodging and probably another $1,000 for food.
Most schools almost always have academic advisors, as well, team nutritionists, team psychologists, athletic trainers, doctors, and media training. These are all free to these athletes. I can't even put a number on that.
In ending, free schooling, free sports training, at a minimum $1,800 in gear, $7,500 in travel and food, free access to many things that the average college student doesn't have. And to top it all, NO STUDENT LOANS. Tell me a better gig than this.
For football and basketball players at the division one level they are on a full scholarship. A full "ride" pays for tuition, room and board, as well as books. What most people don't understand is that all of these athletes get a check from the institution for each month. The checks will vary in amount based off if the athlete lives on or off campus. That range is $150 (roughly, that's coming from a Minnesota football player) to $950 (that's from the checks we use to hand out to the basketball players at West Virginia). This money is supposed to be used for food ($150) for the month and if it's the higher amount, it's supposed to be for housing and food.
If you want to do simple math. Housing will cost anywhere from $350 to $600 a month. Food will cost at the very most, $200 a month. That number should be much lower now that the NCAA allowed schools to give "unlimited snacks" to their athletes. Thanks Shabazz Napier. Even with that, if you are off campus you have $150 to yourself per month to do what you want with.
If the program provides "training table," which is a catered buffet for the team, then the money it costs for each meal is then taken out of their scholarship check for the month. For example, I believe eight dollars was taken out of each players' scholarship check for each meal. The basketball players at WVU would get meals four days a week. So, $32 dollars per week was taken out. $128 was taken out per month, so the check would be reduced from $950 to $822. If there was a game day meal (at home or on the road) the meal wouldn't be charged and the guys would get that $8 credited to their check.
After proper saving, the players should have, at a minimum, $150 per month for themselves. That's about $1,800 per year. The players are doing alright for themselves unless they are buying a bunch of crap they don't need including but not limited to fresh Jordan's, jewelry, and tattoos.
Now, most people don't know that many of these athletes qualify for some type of Pell Grant from the government. Not all, but many of these athletes qualify for a full Pell Grant which would give them $5,500 for the year to be able to use for their schooling. So, on top of the scholarship covering everything, they are getting an additional $5,500 (could be less for some based off of family's taxes). Between their scholarship checks and the Pell Grant these athletes should have $7,000 to save at the end of the year.
But wait, there's more...
Each major conference (not sure about mid-major conferences) has a fund set up for athletes to receive a clothing allotment of $500 in order to get a few things (like a winter coat, winter hat, gloves, etc). Not everyone is eligible for the allotment and it's similar to the Pell Grant as far as how it is given out.
On top of this I haven't mentioned the amount of gear and the crazy amount of travel these guys have. Here is the potential list of gear that an average high major D1 basketball player gets.
6 pairs of basketball shoes - $140 each - $840
4 sets of sweatsuits - $100 each - $400
2 sets of practice gear - $90 each - $180
10 pairs of socks - $15 each (Nike Elite socks are expensive) - $150
1 pair of training/running shoes - $85
4 sets of workout gear - roughly $120 total
That's $1,800 at a minimum for gear that the guys get per year. And I think I'm on the very low end for most of that gear in amount and in price.
Many top D1 programs also charter to every single away game as well as stay in extremely nice hotels. By chartering each player probably gets about $500 (minimum again) in travel. They travel at ten times a year, $5,000 per player per year. Here is an example of the hotel that many teams stay at while traveling. Average room cost at that particular hotel is $250 per room. Two players per room, let's just say $100 per player per night. Teams travel ten times per year, so $1,000. I still haven't mentioned conference tournament lodging and potential postseason lodging. Let's say that's another $500 per player. I won't even mention food. While at WVU, we had a $45 per plate BREAKFAST while in NYC for the Big East Tournament. Roughly, $6,500 is spent per athlete during a basketball season just on lodging and probably another $1,000 for food.
Most schools almost always have academic advisors, as well, team nutritionists, team psychologists, athletic trainers, doctors, and media training. These are all free to these athletes. I can't even put a number on that.
In ending, free schooling, free sports training, at a minimum $1,800 in gear, $7,500 in travel and food, free access to many things that the average college student doesn't have. And to top it all, NO STUDENT LOANS. Tell me a better gig than this.
Monday, July 7, 2014
AAU - The Bad and The Ugly
AAU - The Good and now The Bad and The Ugly
As most people know AAU gets a bad rap a lot because of the people that are in it for all the wrong reasons. Most of those reasons involve attention and money. Due to these @tchoopsczar has created #AAUBingo, seen below
Tweets about "aaubingo"
I was fortunate enough to land on one of the first editions of aaubingo as I called a timeout to show them where to get the ball vs. 2-3 zone. Pretty embarrassing for us all.
THE BAD
There is a lot of bad basketball in AAU. Why? The system that has been created makes it borderline impossible to have as many practices as games. High school programs are usually have two practices for every game throughout the season. College programs generally have three practices to every game. Typically, AAU teams will have will two practices a week and then have anywhere from 4-7 games in a weekend. There just isn't enough time to really get the team to where it should be (same thing happens for some HS and college programs as well).
A great example from above is that when I coached, I learned quickly that I couldn't put in a team defense because I had kids from about seven different high school programs. On top of that, I only had three practices before we played in our first tournament. Needless to say, our first tournament didn't go very well. We did get better as the season progressed but we couldn't completely install everything I would've liked because I wanted to make sure each player got better individually as well.
One thing that is much different than high school programs is that each AAU organization doesn't have a specific style that would fit it. Each coach within each AAU organization has a specific system that they want to run. Most HS program have a specific style which include a base offense, base defense, and similar quick hitters from a the youth levels to the varsity level. I just don't see that in AAU.
I am not completely sure of numbers but a majority of AAU organizations charge anywhere between $500 to $2000 per player for the spring and summer season. Put everything together the costs go to gym time, scholarships, uniforms, and tournament entry fees. For some organizations there is quite a bit of profit headed to the director's way. That is why they add teams every year. More money in their pocket.
Last thing in the bad category goes to the organizations/coaches that will push their players to scholarship schools (even for little or no money) to make sure that their program produces nothing but scholarship level talent. I understand it's a great sell to parents to make their child's education paid for but when they could actually get more financial aid/academic scholarship from a D3 school than they could from a D2. Please help your players fit the best fit for them academically (biggest priority) and athletically.
THE UGLY
There are tournament directors that charge $400-$600 for a tournament throughout the spring and summer. Imagine if there are 100 teams (low end at the major tourneys). That also means they are charging anywhere from $7-$10 per day for admissions for at least 1,000 people per day. That's a lot of money heading to someone's pockets. Then they will say they need to pay for insurance, gym rentals, referees, athletic trainers, and misc. workers. So, these directors say they don't make nearly as much as money as everyone thinks they do. Please read below.
We can't forget that these tournaments charge anywhere from $100-$300 for college coaches' packets. So, instead of making sure college coaches come to their event to see players, they not only charge the kids and their parents but the college coaches to see them as well. If the tournament is during the live period there could be 200-300 coaches there. That's $20,000-$30,000 for selling paper at the low end. And that paper has a lot of mistakes.
There are deadlines that these tournaments have for AAU coaches turning in their roster to be printed. Deadline is followed by many but some don't think the rules apply to them. So...college coaches are getting information from the tournament via the AAU coaches that is wrong. Wrong uniform numbers, wrong names, wrong heights, wrong contact information, or even no roster at all. This can't happen. These kids and their families are generally paying a significant amount of money in hopes of having a college see them and then the wrong contact information is in the packet college coaches get.
After one tournament that I attended while coaching college we figured that one tournament we went to cleared at the very minimum $100,000 (it wasn't a local tourney). I understand there is a market for this but isn't this exploiting kids more than any college coach ever has.
There are some really shady characters that tend to hover around big time AAU tourneys. Some of these characters include family members that are getting "paid," some are "handlers," and some are wannabe "handlers." People think that having that one player is a one way ticket out of the life they currently have. And the sneaker companies certainly don't help the problems.
You go to a big time tournament and you notice a 30 person entourage for certain teams. Each person has all the Nike/Adidas/Under Armour gear. Their flights are hotels are covered and that's one of the reasons why some of the kids are playing for that certain organization.
Parent: "My son will play for you, how will you take care of our family?"
Director: "What exactly do you need?"
Parent: "We are behind on our car payments."
Director: "Done."
I certainly haven't witnessed anything like that but I do know stuff like that goes on. There have been rumors recently about a significant cash payment to a player's family and a different player's family had most of their expenses taken care of. It's scary to think that things like this happen.
The last thing I will talk about is the biggest issue involving AAU at the highest levels. At the highest levels there is cash exchanged to get the players to attend certain colleges. The cash comes from a booster, the head coach, or an assistant coach. The cash is then given to a handler, an AAU coach, and/or family members. The expectation for many assistant coaches is that they will use part of their salary in order to secure commitments. It happens at the mid-major level and I couldn't imagine the amount of money thrown around to the potential high majors recruits and their families.
And here is Robert Horry's take on AAU. Very interesting http://m.thepostgame.com/blog/daily-take/201406/robert-horry-hate-aau-basketball-youth-coach
As most people know AAU gets a bad rap a lot because of the people that are in it for all the wrong reasons. Most of those reasons involve attention and money. Due to these @tchoopsczar has created #AAUBingo, seen below
Tweets about "aaubingo"
I was fortunate enough to land on one of the first editions of aaubingo as I called a timeout to show them where to get the ball vs. 2-3 zone. Pretty embarrassing for us all.
THE BAD
There is a lot of bad basketball in AAU. Why? The system that has been created makes it borderline impossible to have as many practices as games. High school programs are usually have two practices for every game throughout the season. College programs generally have three practices to every game. Typically, AAU teams will have will two practices a week and then have anywhere from 4-7 games in a weekend. There just isn't enough time to really get the team to where it should be (same thing happens for some HS and college programs as well).
A great example from above is that when I coached, I learned quickly that I couldn't put in a team defense because I had kids from about seven different high school programs. On top of that, I only had three practices before we played in our first tournament. Needless to say, our first tournament didn't go very well. We did get better as the season progressed but we couldn't completely install everything I would've liked because I wanted to make sure each player got better individually as well.
One thing that is much different than high school programs is that each AAU organization doesn't have a specific style that would fit it. Each coach within each AAU organization has a specific system that they want to run. Most HS program have a specific style which include a base offense, base defense, and similar quick hitters from a the youth levels to the varsity level. I just don't see that in AAU.
I am not completely sure of numbers but a majority of AAU organizations charge anywhere between $500 to $2000 per player for the spring and summer season. Put everything together the costs go to gym time, scholarships, uniforms, and tournament entry fees. For some organizations there is quite a bit of profit headed to the director's way. That is why they add teams every year. More money in their pocket.
Last thing in the bad category goes to the organizations/coaches that will push their players to scholarship schools (even for little or no money) to make sure that their program produces nothing but scholarship level talent. I understand it's a great sell to parents to make their child's education paid for but when they could actually get more financial aid/academic scholarship from a D3 school than they could from a D2. Please help your players fit the best fit for them academically (biggest priority) and athletically.
THE UGLY
There are tournament directors that charge $400-$600 for a tournament throughout the spring and summer. Imagine if there are 100 teams (low end at the major tourneys). That also means they are charging anywhere from $7-$10 per day for admissions for at least 1,000 people per day. That's a lot of money heading to someone's pockets. Then they will say they need to pay for insurance, gym rentals, referees, athletic trainers, and misc. workers. So, these directors say they don't make nearly as much as money as everyone thinks they do. Please read below.
We can't forget that these tournaments charge anywhere from $100-$300 for college coaches' packets. So, instead of making sure college coaches come to their event to see players, they not only charge the kids and their parents but the college coaches to see them as well. If the tournament is during the live period there could be 200-300 coaches there. That's $20,000-$30,000 for selling paper at the low end. And that paper has a lot of mistakes.
There are deadlines that these tournaments have for AAU coaches turning in their roster to be printed. Deadline is followed by many but some don't think the rules apply to them. So...college coaches are getting information from the tournament via the AAU coaches that is wrong. Wrong uniform numbers, wrong names, wrong heights, wrong contact information, or even no roster at all. This can't happen. These kids and their families are generally paying a significant amount of money in hopes of having a college see them and then the wrong contact information is in the packet college coaches get.
After one tournament that I attended while coaching college we figured that one tournament we went to cleared at the very minimum $100,000 (it wasn't a local tourney). I understand there is a market for this but isn't this exploiting kids more than any college coach ever has.
There are some really shady characters that tend to hover around big time AAU tourneys. Some of these characters include family members that are getting "paid," some are "handlers," and some are wannabe "handlers." People think that having that one player is a one way ticket out of the life they currently have. And the sneaker companies certainly don't help the problems.
You go to a big time tournament and you notice a 30 person entourage for certain teams. Each person has all the Nike/Adidas/Under Armour gear. Their flights are hotels are covered and that's one of the reasons why some of the kids are playing for that certain organization.
Parent: "My son will play for you, how will you take care of our family?"
Director: "What exactly do you need?"
Parent: "We are behind on our car payments."
Director: "Done."
I certainly haven't witnessed anything like that but I do know stuff like that goes on. There have been rumors recently about a significant cash payment to a player's family and a different player's family had most of their expenses taken care of. It's scary to think that things like this happen.
The last thing I will talk about is the biggest issue involving AAU at the highest levels. At the highest levels there is cash exchanged to get the players to attend certain colleges. The cash comes from a booster, the head coach, or an assistant coach. The cash is then given to a handler, an AAU coach, and/or family members. The expectation for many assistant coaches is that they will use part of their salary in order to secure commitments. It happens at the mid-major level and I couldn't imagine the amount of money thrown around to the potential high majors recruits and their families.
And here is Robert Horry's take on AAU. Very interesting http://m.thepostgame.com/blog/daily-take/201406/robert-horry-hate-aau-basketball-youth-coach
Sunday, July 6, 2014
AAU - The Good
I've been around AAU (it's still travel team because everyone isn't AAU sanctioned) for the better part of 16 years. That includes playing in it, reffing it, recruiting it, and coaching it. I think everyone at some point has a great experience and has had an absolutely terrifying experience. I'll try to lump everything together to get some points across.
THE GOOD
For any player AAU can be a good thing. Whether you want to get a scholarship, play college ball, start for your high school team, get minutes for your high school team, or even be on your high school team, practicing and playing more can be really good for your game. No matter what anyone says, the more you play, the chances of you becoming better increase (although practicing is better). Also, if you play consistently against better players, you will be forced to adjust your game to keep up. Again, making you better.
For me, playing AAU was a great experience. I got to play with the area's better players and get a chance to play against some very good players. Twice a week, at least five other guys would pile into my parent's minivan and head to practice. The drive for practice could be ten minutes or it could be an hour and a half. We wanted to make sure at some point during the spring the guys and their families didn't have to drive crazy amounts to get to practice. I think the least amount of guys we EVER had for practice was seven.
We got to travel all over the Northeast to tournaments and the group of guys became very close. We were all seen by a lot of college coaches and more importantly for our own games, we were exposed. Other players and other teams found our weaknesses and we were forced to adjust. We played against some of the best players and teams in the country. I even got a double technical with Chevy Troutman (former Pitt Panther) at our home tournament.
Now, onto what I've seen as a coach. There are many AAU coaches that do an unbelievable job of communicating with college coaches in regards to recruiting. Many coaches send out emails about their team to colleges throughout the area to order for coaches to have information going forward. Every college coach appreciates that.
AAU is also a place where college coaches can see a ton of college prospects in one setting. The coaches will see how their recruits match up with each other and/or against better players. They'll also see them get exposed and then how they handle it. You'll usually see this more during AAU than during the high school season. Coaches will also see new prospects on a consistent basis that are potentially matched up with some they came to see.
As a former AAU coach I learned a lot over the four months I coached. I learned all about making adjustments. I learned how to use timeouts correctly. I learned that April stinks for you and July can be awesome. I saw another side of parents.
There are plenty more positives to AAU that I and others have experienced. Next up, AAU - The Bad
THE GOOD
For any player AAU can be a good thing. Whether you want to get a scholarship, play college ball, start for your high school team, get minutes for your high school team, or even be on your high school team, practicing and playing more can be really good for your game. No matter what anyone says, the more you play, the chances of you becoming better increase (although practicing is better). Also, if you play consistently against better players, you will be forced to adjust your game to keep up. Again, making you better.
For me, playing AAU was a great experience. I got to play with the area's better players and get a chance to play against some very good players. Twice a week, at least five other guys would pile into my parent's minivan and head to practice. The drive for practice could be ten minutes or it could be an hour and a half. We wanted to make sure at some point during the spring the guys and their families didn't have to drive crazy amounts to get to practice. I think the least amount of guys we EVER had for practice was seven.
We got to travel all over the Northeast to tournaments and the group of guys became very close. We were all seen by a lot of college coaches and more importantly for our own games, we were exposed. Other players and other teams found our weaknesses and we were forced to adjust. We played against some of the best players and teams in the country. I even got a double technical with Chevy Troutman (former Pitt Panther) at our home tournament.
Now, onto what I've seen as a coach. There are many AAU coaches that do an unbelievable job of communicating with college coaches in regards to recruiting. Many coaches send out emails about their team to colleges throughout the area to order for coaches to have information going forward. Every college coach appreciates that.
AAU is also a place where college coaches can see a ton of college prospects in one setting. The coaches will see how their recruits match up with each other and/or against better players. They'll also see them get exposed and then how they handle it. You'll usually see this more during AAU than during the high school season. Coaches will also see new prospects on a consistent basis that are potentially matched up with some they came to see.
As a former AAU coach I learned a lot over the four months I coached. I learned all about making adjustments. I learned how to use timeouts correctly. I learned that April stinks for you and July can be awesome. I saw another side of parents.
There are plenty more positives to AAU that I and others have experienced. Next up, AAU - The Bad
Saturday, July 5, 2014
How to Fix Youth Basketball
Notice how the title didn't say, "How to fix AAU or High School basketball?" I believe the issues that many people have with the "less skilled and lower IQ" basketball player start at the very bottom of the youth levels. Those same issues continue throughout their players later teens. How do we fix it?
Let Them Play
Most people will read that and completely disregard everything I am about to write, but hear me out. Kids in the US don't "know how to play." I'm not just talking about basketball either. How many times do you see kids at the local park just "playing?" I would say, very few or never. Kids can't figure things out for themselves because they aren't allowed to by their parents. Every disagreement has to be figured out by an adult, there is zero problem solving, there is zero give and take, and there are only winners (9th place trophies).
At a certain point we, as adults, have to let them figure it out. Will there be disagreements? Will there be fights? Will there be a bad foul call on game point? Will there be one basketball for all the people playing and then the one person with the ball has to leave? The answer to all of these questions is YES. And what happens? You figure out a way to make things work.
Now let's talk basketball. I personally feel these ideas would help solve some issues with the lack of understanding and skill of our youth players. Small sided games. What I mean by this is have the kids play a lot of 3 on 3 and 4 on 4 in the half court. By doing this, it teaches the kids proper spacing, how to get open, and how to set/read screens. And to throw a wrench into the mix by not letting them dribble. I think the first instinct youth players (and adult players for that matter) have is to dribble the ball after the catch. The players are forced to share the ball, rely on teammates, and "think the game" rather than rely on athleticism all the time. These type of small sided games force the kids to learn "how to play" because if they don't, they don't win.
Play Multiple Sports
Too many kids these days (yep, I sound old) are focusing on just one sport at a very early age. This eventually leads to burnout and also overuse injuries. Kids need to play multiple sports. Why? It forces your body to adjust to different things (believe it or not, this happens all the time in basketball), you use different muscles, and you get to experience different people and coaches.
There are a lot of sports that have very similar concepts and/or movements that will help with basketball performance. Some of these sports include ALL OF THEM. Hockey, soccer, and lacrosse all have relatively similar games. Tennis and soccer would be great for footwork. Swimming is great to take the stress off your joints. Track and Field is great for speed, endurance, and explosiveness (my wife would kill me if I didn't include it). I could go on and on.
One thing parents need to think about is that college coaches LOVE having guys or girls that have played multiple sports at the youth/high school level. Why? They know that your best basketball (or any other sport) is ahead of you. Focusing on a sport at age 12 is a lot different for development than focusing on one at 18.
Too Many Games Not Enough Practice
You can look at the structure of youth basketball (travel level) and AAU as a very similar system. Teams will practice (maybe) twice a week and then play four to six games a weekend. Do the kids learn a lot from the games? Absolutely, but there isn't enough time to truly teach them in practice.
Imagine if you flipped those numbers around. Kids would hate it until it became the norm. Coaches should love it because now they actually get to teach and get to throw their kids into different situations at practice. I do understand that some coaches are "gamers" just like their kids are and the practice over play concept wouldn't work. Those are the coaches that don't need to be involved in any program.
One thing to keep in mind in MN is that HS coaches generally have two weeks to work with their players before their first game for the high school season. That's not enough time to instill many basic principles that each coach wants to install, especially if you got hired after July. I know my Dad has about a month before his first game in NY. Huge difference from state to state.
I know there are more issues to fix, but let's start with these in hopes of making basketball better.
Let Them Play
Most people will read that and completely disregard everything I am about to write, but hear me out. Kids in the US don't "know how to play." I'm not just talking about basketball either. How many times do you see kids at the local park just "playing?" I would say, very few or never. Kids can't figure things out for themselves because they aren't allowed to by their parents. Every disagreement has to be figured out by an adult, there is zero problem solving, there is zero give and take, and there are only winners (9th place trophies).
At a certain point we, as adults, have to let them figure it out. Will there be disagreements? Will there be fights? Will there be a bad foul call on game point? Will there be one basketball for all the people playing and then the one person with the ball has to leave? The answer to all of these questions is YES. And what happens? You figure out a way to make things work.
Now let's talk basketball. I personally feel these ideas would help solve some issues with the lack of understanding and skill of our youth players. Small sided games. What I mean by this is have the kids play a lot of 3 on 3 and 4 on 4 in the half court. By doing this, it teaches the kids proper spacing, how to get open, and how to set/read screens. And to throw a wrench into the mix by not letting them dribble. I think the first instinct youth players (and adult players for that matter) have is to dribble the ball after the catch. The players are forced to share the ball, rely on teammates, and "think the game" rather than rely on athleticism all the time. These type of small sided games force the kids to learn "how to play" because if they don't, they don't win.
Play Multiple Sports
Too many kids these days (yep, I sound old) are focusing on just one sport at a very early age. This eventually leads to burnout and also overuse injuries. Kids need to play multiple sports. Why? It forces your body to adjust to different things (believe it or not, this happens all the time in basketball), you use different muscles, and you get to experience different people and coaches.
There are a lot of sports that have very similar concepts and/or movements that will help with basketball performance. Some of these sports include ALL OF THEM. Hockey, soccer, and lacrosse all have relatively similar games. Tennis and soccer would be great for footwork. Swimming is great to take the stress off your joints. Track and Field is great for speed, endurance, and explosiveness (my wife would kill me if I didn't include it). I could go on and on.
One thing parents need to think about is that college coaches LOVE having guys or girls that have played multiple sports at the youth/high school level. Why? They know that your best basketball (or any other sport) is ahead of you. Focusing on a sport at age 12 is a lot different for development than focusing on one at 18.
Too Many Games Not Enough Practice
You can look at the structure of youth basketball (travel level) and AAU as a very similar system. Teams will practice (maybe) twice a week and then play four to six games a weekend. Do the kids learn a lot from the games? Absolutely, but there isn't enough time to truly teach them in practice.
Imagine if you flipped those numbers around. Kids would hate it until it became the norm. Coaches should love it because now they actually get to teach and get to throw their kids into different situations at practice. I do understand that some coaches are "gamers" just like their kids are and the practice over play concept wouldn't work. Those are the coaches that don't need to be involved in any program.
One thing to keep in mind in MN is that HS coaches generally have two weeks to work with their players before their first game for the high school season. That's not enough time to instill many basic principles that each coach wants to install, especially if you got hired after July. I know my Dad has about a month before his first game in NY. Huge difference from state to state.
I know there are more issues to fix, but let's start with these in hopes of making basketball better.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
To Prep or Not to Prep...
Over the past two years two of the highest ranked players in Minnesota have decided to take the prep school route for their senior year in high school. Many people have given them crap because they don't think it's in the best interest of the kid to spend their last year in high school out of the state of Minnesota. Naturally, this set up a huge debate on the twitter land. Both players chose to go to a "prep" school for their senior year.
Let's just go over some facts about "prep" schools. There are legit ones and essentially basketball factories. The legit ones have been established for an extended period of time and kids attend an actual school. They usually have college style dorms on campus that the kids stay in. There are other students on campus besides the basketball players. Examples of these type of schools are Brewster Academy (where Alex Illikanien is heading), Oak Hill, and New Hampton (where DJ Peterson, formerly of Hopkins, attended). There are many more including all of them that compete in the NEPSAC.
At the not so legit ones the kids only take "online classes" to help increase their test scores. All the players live in a house with one of the coaches where food can sometimes be limited. There is never a time when the players interact with other students in a school setting. HERE and HERE is a perfect example of these "schools" are all about.
There are also "schools" that kids attend a school they aren't playing for. So, they actually attend school with other students but do not compete on the same team (if they have basketball) as the other students in the school. They live in a house or with host families. The two biggest examples of this type of school is Findlay Prep (where Rashad Vaughn went) and Huntington Prep (where Andrew Wiggins went). At both of these "schools" the kids attend a private school (The Henderson School for Findlay and Huntington St. Joseph's for Huntington) during the day and then come together for workouts/practices once school ends.
Now, lets go over the perceived negatives to going to prep school. Kids will miss their family, they will miss their friends, they will miss their teachers. They will probably miss having family see them play. They will probably miss their prom. These are certainly a lot of things that some 17 and 18 year olds will have a tough time handling.
The positives for someone going to prep school go as follows. The kid(s) grow up because they have to, Mom and Dad can't get them out of situations because they are too far away. They get outside their comfort zone. They are exposed to many things including have a roommate from a completely different ethnic or socioeconomic background. One thing that gets overlooked is that after a year at a prep school then can figure out if they want to be close to home for college or that they can handle being away for four years.
The positives are very significant on the basketball side of things as well. They get to practice every day next to players just as good if not better than them. In games they play against players just as good if not better than them on a consistent basis. They are challenged every day. That isn't always going to happen to them at the high school level (there are exceptions to this).
I think every family has to make a decision based off of realistic expectations of their son's ability (hard to figure out sometimes). Is it all worth it? You never know until you try it. Locally, if you ask Jordair Jett (formerly of St. Bernard's then Notre Dame Prep and St. Louis), DJ Peterson (LaSalle), Zach Lofton (formerly of Columbia Heights and then Quakerdale Prep in IA, UMN via Illinois State), Kyle Washington (formerly of Benilde-SM and then Brewster Academy, NC State), Eric Robertson (formerly of Wayzata and then IMG Academy, South Dakota), and Rashad Vaughn (UNLV) to see if it was worth, I'm sure they would all say yes.
Let's just go over some facts about "prep" schools. There are legit ones and essentially basketball factories. The legit ones have been established for an extended period of time and kids attend an actual school. They usually have college style dorms on campus that the kids stay in. There are other students on campus besides the basketball players. Examples of these type of schools are Brewster Academy (where Alex Illikanien is heading), Oak Hill, and New Hampton (where DJ Peterson, formerly of Hopkins, attended). There are many more including all of them that compete in the NEPSAC.
At the not so legit ones the kids only take "online classes" to help increase their test scores. All the players live in a house with one of the coaches where food can sometimes be limited. There is never a time when the players interact with other students in a school setting. HERE and HERE is a perfect example of these "schools" are all about.
There are also "schools" that kids attend a school they aren't playing for. So, they actually attend school with other students but do not compete on the same team (if they have basketball) as the other students in the school. They live in a house or with host families. The two biggest examples of this type of school is Findlay Prep (where Rashad Vaughn went) and Huntington Prep (where Andrew Wiggins went). At both of these "schools" the kids attend a private school (The Henderson School for Findlay and Huntington St. Joseph's for Huntington) during the day and then come together for workouts/practices once school ends.
Now, lets go over the perceived negatives to going to prep school. Kids will miss their family, they will miss their friends, they will miss their teachers. They will probably miss having family see them play. They will probably miss their prom. These are certainly a lot of things that some 17 and 18 year olds will have a tough time handling.
The positives for someone going to prep school go as follows. The kid(s) grow up because they have to, Mom and Dad can't get them out of situations because they are too far away. They get outside their comfort zone. They are exposed to many things including have a roommate from a completely different ethnic or socioeconomic background. One thing that gets overlooked is that after a year at a prep school then can figure out if they want to be close to home for college or that they can handle being away for four years.
The positives are very significant on the basketball side of things as well. They get to practice every day next to players just as good if not better than them. In games they play against players just as good if not better than them on a consistent basis. They are challenged every day. That isn't always going to happen to them at the high school level (there are exceptions to this).
I think every family has to make a decision based off of realistic expectations of their son's ability (hard to figure out sometimes). Is it all worth it? You never know until you try it. Locally, if you ask Jordair Jett (formerly of St. Bernard's then Notre Dame Prep and St. Louis), DJ Peterson (LaSalle), Zach Lofton (formerly of Columbia Heights and then Quakerdale Prep in IA, UMN via Illinois State), Kyle Washington (formerly of Benilde-SM and then Brewster Academy, NC State), Eric Robertson (formerly of Wayzata and then IMG Academy, South Dakota), and Rashad Vaughn (UNLV) to see if it was worth, I'm sure they would all say yes.
D1 vs. D2 vs. D3
Might as well get into the recruiting mode. Today I'll go over the plusses and minuses of each level of the NCAA.
D1: High-major - Almost every kid in the country wants to go to Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, and Florida. For most kids those schools are completely unrealistic. The dream still lives on because they got a letter from one of these high majors in their sophomore year after playing well in an AAU tournament. "They want me." No they don't.
The guys you see at the highest levels are physical "freaks." Locally, you look at a guys like Reid Travis and Rashad Vaughn. These aren't your typical high school players. These guys are super athletic and look like men. Reid dwarfs his older brother Jonah, who is at Harvard, and that is generally the difference.
Kids will say, "Tyus Jones isn't a freak." Yes he is, but not the way Travis and Vaughn are. Tyus knows when to turn it on and off. And his off switch still puts him at a higher level than anyone else in the state of Minnesota (and most of the country for that matter). He also has a feel for the game on par with NBA players.
Mid-major - Like I said yesterday, many of these mid-major schools will have "interest" in many players in MN. What people fail to realize is that the mid-major level is still pretty darn good. There are many prospects in MN that are considered "high-major" players but would be much more successful at a "mid-major" level. Remember, the Missouri Valley with teams like Wichita State and formerly Creighton is considered "mid-major."
This level is also a level that many MN kids go to and then realize how much work they have to put in to even get a little time on the court. You are forced to go to the weight room. Forced to go to study hall. And then Mom and Dad can brag to all their friends about seeing you with your warmups on after watching you play Sunday night on ESPNU.
Low-major - These are mostly academic schools (Ivy and Patriot League) as well as some local schools (UND, USD, NDSU, and SDSU). These are really good fits for a lot of guys. You can't go wrong with an Ivy or Patriot league education. Jonah Travis (Harvard) and Seth Hinrichs (Lafayette) are two great examples of finding the correct fit and making it work for them. Nate Wolters is a great example of finding the right fit and then playing at the next level. CJ McCollum is a also another player that is similar to Nate. He played at Lehigh and now is with the Blazers.
Some kids and parents will say "My son is just as good as these guys. They've put up better numbers against the same competition in HS and AAU. He should be at least a mid-major recruit."
Please read this. Your kid isn't considered a D1 player until they are offered a scholarship at that level. Could they play at one of these levels? Maybe...but college coaches don't think so, and they are the ONLY opinion that matters.
D2: In this area there is a great D2 league. Some of these schools would be a great opportunity to get some or all of your child's education paid for. There are a few schools locally that have made runs into the D2 national tournament including Winona State, which has won a National Championship. This is the level that many mid to low major players will come back to and play for the reminder of their careers. Just because they are a D1 transfer doesn't make them a star player at the D2 level. Could they be a star? Maybe, but if they think they can just walk on campus and be "the guy" then they have a huge rude awakening coming their way.
One misconception at this level is that every school has the same amount of scholarships. Some schools have a full allotment of ten scholarships and some have one or two. This is a good question to ask during the recruiting process, "Are you fully funded in scholarships?" Some schools could offer you 50% scholarship and that could mean the same as a full scholarship elsewhere. One question you don't ask is, "How much $ is your leading scorer getting or How much did you offer another recruit?" That's none of your business, worry about your son.
There are some ways D2s can maneuver the athletic scholarship money with academic scholarships to make everything work for a family financially. This will happen more at private institutions than public institutions (generally).
Please read this. You aren't considered a D2 prospect until you are offered a scholarship from a D2 school.
D3: I'm extremely bias to D3. My Dad coached at this level, I played at that level and coached at that level. I think it's a great level for kids. There is a great balance of academics and athletics. There are ZERO athletic scholarships given at this level. Now, schools can and will get creative with how they give out money.
An example of this would be giving out more money to kids from certain areas or from certain ethnic backgrounds. Some schools are even able to give out "need based" scholarships. As in, they "need" you and you will get more money because of it. It's not an athletic scholarship though. This is how some of the same schools are always in or near the top 25. Not all schools will or can do this.
So, as a kid or parent don't ask "Can you guys do anything more for my son? Isn't there more money out there for him?"
All coaches have to say is, "There is more money out there and it isn't at this school."
There are over 400 D3 schools and most schools can't do what I talked about above. Now, if a coach brings it up then it's fair game. And it's also a NCAA violation.
"But my kid is better than D3."
I doubt it. If you are an incoming high school senior, please go visit a D3 open gym. I can almost guarantee it will be a humbling experience for your son. These guys are really good. Some of best D3 players can easily compete with D1 and D2 players. There are times when D3 guys will compete with European pros on a consistent basis.
Just remember this, every year there are D3 teams that will beat both D1 and D2 teams. During my junior year in college we competed in a tournament with three D2 schools. We won the tournament. The team that I played on that year was the worst (record wise) of my four years playing. If I remember correctly, we won 16 games and lost in the semifinals of our conference tournament (We made it to at least the Sweet 16 in the other three seasons). The first team we beat eventually made it to the Sweet 16 of the D2 national tournament.
When D2 Winona State went undefeated and won the National Championship, they lost to D3 St. Thomas in an exhibition game. I'm certainly not saying all D3 teams will beat the eventual national champ or go undefeated vs. D2 opponents but there are times when high level D3 teams can consistently beat low level D1 schools or D2 schools.
If you are able to go to a quality D3 school, it's a no brainer. If you are still searching for that scholarship when it's June or July and college starts in a couple of months, you might want to give D3 a hard look.
Last thing for parents, if you think your son is a college basketball player then he probably is. Now, it's a matter of finding a place for him. That could cost you A LOT of money in order to find that place. Don't think that because your son plays for a certain HS or AAU program that college coaches will come crawling on their hands and knees to get your son. If your son is a player, they will find him.
If a college coach contacts your son, make sure your son contacts that college coach, even it's to tell them they aren't interested. The best thing for college coaches to hear is "Yes" and the second best is "No." The earlier they hear it, the better.
It's a honor to be recruited and you want to make sure you leave no stone unturned to find the correct fit.
D1: High-major - Almost every kid in the country wants to go to Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, and Florida. For most kids those schools are completely unrealistic. The dream still lives on because they got a letter from one of these high majors in their sophomore year after playing well in an AAU tournament. "They want me." No they don't.
The guys you see at the highest levels are physical "freaks." Locally, you look at a guys like Reid Travis and Rashad Vaughn. These aren't your typical high school players. These guys are super athletic and look like men. Reid dwarfs his older brother Jonah, who is at Harvard, and that is generally the difference.
Kids will say, "Tyus Jones isn't a freak." Yes he is, but not the way Travis and Vaughn are. Tyus knows when to turn it on and off. And his off switch still puts him at a higher level than anyone else in the state of Minnesota (and most of the country for that matter). He also has a feel for the game on par with NBA players.
Mid-major - Like I said yesterday, many of these mid-major schools will have "interest" in many players in MN. What people fail to realize is that the mid-major level is still pretty darn good. There are many prospects in MN that are considered "high-major" players but would be much more successful at a "mid-major" level. Remember, the Missouri Valley with teams like Wichita State and formerly Creighton is considered "mid-major."
This level is also a level that many MN kids go to and then realize how much work they have to put in to even get a little time on the court. You are forced to go to the weight room. Forced to go to study hall. And then Mom and Dad can brag to all their friends about seeing you with your warmups on after watching you play Sunday night on ESPNU.
Low-major - These are mostly academic schools (Ivy and Patriot League) as well as some local schools (UND, USD, NDSU, and SDSU). These are really good fits for a lot of guys. You can't go wrong with an Ivy or Patriot league education. Jonah Travis (Harvard) and Seth Hinrichs (Lafayette) are two great examples of finding the correct fit and making it work for them. Nate Wolters is a great example of finding the right fit and then playing at the next level. CJ McCollum is a also another player that is similar to Nate. He played at Lehigh and now is with the Blazers.
Some kids and parents will say "My son is just as good as these guys. They've put up better numbers against the same competition in HS and AAU. He should be at least a mid-major recruit."
Please read this. Your kid isn't considered a D1 player until they are offered a scholarship at that level. Could they play at one of these levels? Maybe...but college coaches don't think so, and they are the ONLY opinion that matters.
D2: In this area there is a great D2 league. Some of these schools would be a great opportunity to get some or all of your child's education paid for. There are a few schools locally that have made runs into the D2 national tournament including Winona State, which has won a National Championship. This is the level that many mid to low major players will come back to and play for the reminder of their careers. Just because they are a D1 transfer doesn't make them a star player at the D2 level. Could they be a star? Maybe, but if they think they can just walk on campus and be "the guy" then they have a huge rude awakening coming their way.
One misconception at this level is that every school has the same amount of scholarships. Some schools have a full allotment of ten scholarships and some have one or two. This is a good question to ask during the recruiting process, "Are you fully funded in scholarships?" Some schools could offer you 50% scholarship and that could mean the same as a full scholarship elsewhere. One question you don't ask is, "How much $ is your leading scorer getting or How much did you offer another recruit?" That's none of your business, worry about your son.
There are some ways D2s can maneuver the athletic scholarship money with academic scholarships to make everything work for a family financially. This will happen more at private institutions than public institutions (generally).
Please read this. You aren't considered a D2 prospect until you are offered a scholarship from a D2 school.
D3: I'm extremely bias to D3. My Dad coached at this level, I played at that level and coached at that level. I think it's a great level for kids. There is a great balance of academics and athletics. There are ZERO athletic scholarships given at this level. Now, schools can and will get creative with how they give out money.
An example of this would be giving out more money to kids from certain areas or from certain ethnic backgrounds. Some schools are even able to give out "need based" scholarships. As in, they "need" you and you will get more money because of it. It's not an athletic scholarship though. This is how some of the same schools are always in or near the top 25. Not all schools will or can do this.
So, as a kid or parent don't ask "Can you guys do anything more for my son? Isn't there more money out there for him?"
All coaches have to say is, "There is more money out there and it isn't at this school."
There are over 400 D3 schools and most schools can't do what I talked about above. Now, if a coach brings it up then it's fair game. And it's also a NCAA violation.
"But my kid is better than D3."
I doubt it. If you are an incoming high school senior, please go visit a D3 open gym. I can almost guarantee it will be a humbling experience for your son. These guys are really good. Some of best D3 players can easily compete with D1 and D2 players. There are times when D3 guys will compete with European pros on a consistent basis.
Just remember this, every year there are D3 teams that will beat both D1 and D2 teams. During my junior year in college we competed in a tournament with three D2 schools. We won the tournament. The team that I played on that year was the worst (record wise) of my four years playing. If I remember correctly, we won 16 games and lost in the semifinals of our conference tournament (We made it to at least the Sweet 16 in the other three seasons). The first team we beat eventually made it to the Sweet 16 of the D2 national tournament.
When D2 Winona State went undefeated and won the National Championship, they lost to D3 St. Thomas in an exhibition game. I'm certainly not saying all D3 teams will beat the eventual national champ or go undefeated vs. D2 opponents but there are times when high level D3 teams can consistently beat low level D1 schools or D2 schools.
If you are able to go to a quality D3 school, it's a no brainer. If you are still searching for that scholarship when it's June or July and college starts in a couple of months, you might want to give D3 a hard look.
Last thing for parents, if you think your son is a college basketball player then he probably is. Now, it's a matter of finding a place for him. That could cost you A LOT of money in order to find that place. Don't think that because your son plays for a certain HS or AAU program that college coaches will come crawling on their hands and knees to get your son. If your son is a player, they will find him.
If a college coach contacts your son, make sure your son contacts that college coach, even it's to tell them they aren't interested. The best thing for college coaches to hear is "Yes" and the second best is "No." The earlier they hear it, the better.
It's a honor to be recruited and you want to make sure you leave no stone unturned to find the correct fit.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
College Recruiting
Over the course of my time in Minnesota I've seen some crazy things in regards to college recruiting. These are some of the misconceptions that people have regarding the college recruiting process.
Interest:
Many prospects throughout the state of Minnesota are getting interest from many Division 1 colleges and universities. This generally means that you are getting letters from each. In the grand scheme of things, letters truly mean nothing except that you are on the school's recruiting list. (Ex. I received letters from at least 12 D1 schools while in HS but never got a phone call from any and I was an average D3 player.) According to NCAA rules, college coaches can not directly contact you as a high school athlete until June 15th of your Junior year, so 2016's can be contacted directly. If you are younger, the only thing they can send you is a questionnaire and a camp brochure.
D1 Schools that do a good job in MN and usually put themselves out there with letters to athletes are NDSU, SDSU, UNI, North Dakota, South Dakota, Drake, Eastern Kentucky, Bucknell, Wofford, Loyola (MD), and Lafayette. I'm sure there are a few others that I'm not aware of as well. If you are a talented player, chances are you will get a letter/information from these schools at some point during your high school career.
Colleges' recruiting lists are generally very big for younger prospects (most 2016 lists are MUCH bigger than their 2015 lists). Some 2016 players will get contacted by D1 schools right now and then never play D1 basketball. And there are many 2016 prospects that haven't been contacted by D1 coaches that will play D1. There are also many 2015 prospects that are getting consistently contacted by D1s but will never play D1 because of limited scholarships, lack of development, and/or grades.
Offers:
There are many misconceptions about scholarship offers in regards to recruiting. Some kids think an offer is when they get a letter. A true scholarship comes directly from the head coach of that college. If it comes from an assistant, chances are, it means very little. If you hear from directly from a head coach or you get a letter with a "we are offering you a full basketball scholarship" from so and so school, then you have an offer. And "we want you" in a text message is different than "we are offering you a scholarship."
If you hear about a younger player (2017 and 2018 this year) getting a scholarship offer, chances are it doesn't mean much unless they are at the level that Tyus Jones was at. Many times, schools will offer a younger prospect in the hopes of breaking into a certain high school program, AAU organization, and/or state and "offering" will break the ice. Does this offer really mean anything? Like I said above, no. There are exceptions to this but most of the exceptions are for the really high major player.
Military academies scholarship offers are different. Why? Each year, they probably "offer" more athletes than "regular" schools because they have a system that is entirely different. Army (West Point), Navy, and Air Force all have prep schools that they run. They will send most of their incoming freshmen there. When I most, I mean that 12 of the incoming 16 players will be sent to prep school. There aren't many athletes that go directly to the initial school that recruited them. I believe (I could be completely off base on this) that once you complete their individual prep school that you are automatically admitted into their service academy. Players can also use the prep school as a "prep" year and decide that military route is not what they want and then head elsewhere. The Citadel and VMI (Virginia Military Institute)are different and you will go there right away.
Parents and prospects must remember that schools don't have unlimited scholarships. Schools are limited to 13 scholarship at the D1 level for their roster. That usually means that the school will have three to four scholarships per year. Sometimes it's one scholarship and sometimes it's seven. Meaning, you can't take a legitimate scholarship offer for granted.
Roles of Coaches:
There are generally two coaches involved in the recruiting process. The high school coach and the travel team coach. Sometimes, they HS coach runs the recruitment and sometimes it's the travel team coach. Usually, it's an effort from both because the college coaches are contacting both on a consistent basis.
Having a prospect from HS or AAU program does nothing but help programs. For some HS programs having a D1 player will increase the "profile" of the program and will help the younger generation in the program as well as help bring in the occasional or numerous transfer(s) to the school. For the AAU program, it brings a notoriety to the program that will help with future players as well as brings in more money into the program. "We've had this many D1 players, you could be the next." That's a great sell for a program.
If you are a coach and you are pushing kids to a level to make sure your program (I'm talking HS and AAU programs) produces nothing but D1 and/or D2 prospects then you are doing the prospect and their parents a disservice. The goal is to help your athletes get to a school that is the best "fit" for the prospect. When I say "fit" I mean what is the best situation for the prospects academically (most important), athletically, and socially. There are many times that a prospect will pick a D3 school over a D1 or D2 because of "fit." Sometimes the D1 is a better fit than a D2 or D3.
In conclusion, help the kids out. Be honest with them and support them through the process.
I hope this was helpful and excuse my poor writing.
Interest:
Many prospects throughout the state of Minnesota are getting interest from many Division 1 colleges and universities. This generally means that you are getting letters from each. In the grand scheme of things, letters truly mean nothing except that you are on the school's recruiting list. (Ex. I received letters from at least 12 D1 schools while in HS but never got a phone call from any and I was an average D3 player.) According to NCAA rules, college coaches can not directly contact you as a high school athlete until June 15th of your Junior year, so 2016's can be contacted directly. If you are younger, the only thing they can send you is a questionnaire and a camp brochure.
D1 Schools that do a good job in MN and usually put themselves out there with letters to athletes are NDSU, SDSU, UNI, North Dakota, South Dakota, Drake, Eastern Kentucky, Bucknell, Wofford, Loyola (MD), and Lafayette. I'm sure there are a few others that I'm not aware of as well. If you are a talented player, chances are you will get a letter/information from these schools at some point during your high school career.
Colleges' recruiting lists are generally very big for younger prospects (most 2016 lists are MUCH bigger than their 2015 lists). Some 2016 players will get contacted by D1 schools right now and then never play D1 basketball. And there are many 2016 prospects that haven't been contacted by D1 coaches that will play D1. There are also many 2015 prospects that are getting consistently contacted by D1s but will never play D1 because of limited scholarships, lack of development, and/or grades.
Offers:
There are many misconceptions about scholarship offers in regards to recruiting. Some kids think an offer is when they get a letter. A true scholarship comes directly from the head coach of that college. If it comes from an assistant, chances are, it means very little. If you hear from directly from a head coach or you get a letter with a "we are offering you a full basketball scholarship" from so and so school, then you have an offer. And "we want you" in a text message is different than "we are offering you a scholarship."
If you hear about a younger player (2017 and 2018 this year) getting a scholarship offer, chances are it doesn't mean much unless they are at the level that Tyus Jones was at. Many times, schools will offer a younger prospect in the hopes of breaking into a certain high school program, AAU organization, and/or state and "offering" will break the ice. Does this offer really mean anything? Like I said above, no. There are exceptions to this but most of the exceptions are for the really high major player.
Military academies scholarship offers are different. Why? Each year, they probably "offer" more athletes than "regular" schools because they have a system that is entirely different. Army (West Point), Navy, and Air Force all have prep schools that they run. They will send most of their incoming freshmen there. When I most, I mean that 12 of the incoming 16 players will be sent to prep school. There aren't many athletes that go directly to the initial school that recruited them. I believe (I could be completely off base on this) that once you complete their individual prep school that you are automatically admitted into their service academy. Players can also use the prep school as a "prep" year and decide that military route is not what they want and then head elsewhere. The Citadel and VMI (Virginia Military Institute)are different and you will go there right away.
Parents and prospects must remember that schools don't have unlimited scholarships. Schools are limited to 13 scholarship at the D1 level for their roster. That usually means that the school will have three to four scholarships per year. Sometimes it's one scholarship and sometimes it's seven. Meaning, you can't take a legitimate scholarship offer for granted.
Roles of Coaches:
There are generally two coaches involved in the recruiting process. The high school coach and the travel team coach. Sometimes, they HS coach runs the recruitment and sometimes it's the travel team coach. Usually, it's an effort from both because the college coaches are contacting both on a consistent basis.
Having a prospect from HS or AAU program does nothing but help programs. For some HS programs having a D1 player will increase the "profile" of the program and will help the younger generation in the program as well as help bring in the occasional or numerous transfer(s) to the school. For the AAU program, it brings a notoriety to the program that will help with future players as well as brings in more money into the program. "We've had this many D1 players, you could be the next." That's a great sell for a program.
If you are a coach and you are pushing kids to a level to make sure your program (I'm talking HS and AAU programs) produces nothing but D1 and/or D2 prospects then you are doing the prospect and their parents a disservice. The goal is to help your athletes get to a school that is the best "fit" for the prospect. When I say "fit" I mean what is the best situation for the prospects academically (most important), athletically, and socially. There are many times that a prospect will pick a D3 school over a D1 or D2 because of "fit." Sometimes the D1 is a better fit than a D2 or D3.
In conclusion, help the kids out. Be honest with them and support them through the process.
I hope this was helpful and excuse my poor writing.
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