Right about now is when parents and players are looking at their spring and summer plans besides playing AAU. One of those plans should be to attend a college or university's "Elite Camp." These camps are generally where the college or university will bring in their recruits or potential recruits to campus and have them compete with each other. It's a way for the coaches to have complete access to potential recruits for a couple of days.
According to NCAA rules, programs are not allowed to limit the participants to just their recruits. They are allowed to limit numbers but if a kid wants to come and pay, then they have to let that athlete participate. Programs also have to charge money for the camp. Some camps will charge the bare minimum because they want their best kids to come to camp and make sure the expenses aren't very high, especially when many are flying in for the weekend. For other programs, it's a way to see their potential recruits as well as a way to make money. Camp fees will range from $50-$400.
One of the best parts of having an elite camp for a college coach is to have full access to the potential recruits. They get to see them work in drills, they get to watch them play, they get to see how they treat teammates, and they get to see the recruits compete. Coaches also get to coach them and potentially get to see them play with their guys to see how they fit. One thing that is overlooked is that coaches get to see how the recruits treat managers, support staff, the servers at the dining hall, or anyone else that doesn't seem to help the recruit. This is a huge character thing that could be a make or break opportunity for a recruit without them really knowing.
For players, the elite camp is a great tool to gain information. It's good to see how the coaches treat the players, it's good to see how the players interact with each other, and it's good to see how the coaches coach you. It's essentially a "day in the life" of a college basketball player minus the classes. Even if it doesn't go well, it should give an idea of what you need to work on because you will play against some pretty good players.
At a few of the Ivy League school elite camps, coaches from lower levels (D2 and D3) will actually be instructors or will be there evaluating recruits. So, if you don't impress the D1 coaches, hopefully you'll impress another coach that'll give you another opportunity to play college basketball at another high end academic school.
Many of the Ivy schools will host "elite" camps on the same weekend and you'll have to choose which one to go to if that is what you are interested in. There are many more schools that offer them and you'll have to look at the Camps/Clinics section of each school's athletics' website. They aren't always called Elite camps either. Some will be "Prospect" or "Practice" camps.
DISCLAIMER: If another entity (not a school but an organization) says they are hosting an "elite" camp please be aware that these are generally moneymakers and there is nothing "elite" about them. If you have any questions regarding which camps are good or bad to attend, I can definitely answer any questions on Twitter: @coachhop21 or my email: cwhop03@yahoo.com
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Picking and Paying for a College for All Athletes
Finding the right fit and the correct level for high school athletes can be extremely difficult. There are so many things to think about before many decision. Here are some issues and solutions for issues at all levels. Again, this is for all levels and all sports.
Division One
There are several sports at the Division level that every member of the team is on a full scholarship. Those sports include football (85), basketball (M - 13 and W - 15), women's tennis (8), women's gymnastics (12), and women's volleyball (12). All of the other sports can offer full scholarships but don't often because of the limits they have.
If you don't participate in any of those sports you are looking at anywhere from a full scholarship to being a walk-on. Full scholarships will go to the "elite of the elite" in that sport. Getting a full scholarship is hard. So...you should be happy with getting ANY scholarship money.
For most families, even with the scholarship money, you'll be looking at outside sources for scholarships as well as academic money. The academic money is an institution to institution thing. Most of the time the potential money will be posted somewhere on their Admissions' website. In some of the bigger schools, it depends on which "school" you apply to within the university to see if you get any academic scholarship money.
Private schools tend to give out more scholarship money than state schools. That's another thing to keep in mind if finances are really important in the final decision.
Division Two
I've talked about Division Two before HERE. Much like what I mentioned above with the minimal scholarships, D2 athlete are very similar to D1 athletes when it comes to finances. The biggest difference is that D2 athletes generally have to come up with more money out of their own pocket.
Another thing to think about is the availability of scholarships. Some programs ARE NOT fully funded and don't have the same amount of scholarships as other schools. It's a school to school and program to program thing. Like some D1 athletes, there are some full scholarships available but not as many.
Here is a chart of scholarships available for all sports at the D1 and D2 levels. Just because these are the total amount scholarships each program is allowed to have, it doesn't mean that each program has this many scholarships for their program.
Division One
There are several sports at the Division level that every member of the team is on a full scholarship. Those sports include football (85), basketball (M - 13 and W - 15), women's tennis (8), women's gymnastics (12), and women's volleyball (12). All of the other sports can offer full scholarships but don't often because of the limits they have.
If you don't participate in any of those sports you are looking at anywhere from a full scholarship to being a walk-on. Full scholarships will go to the "elite of the elite" in that sport. Getting a full scholarship is hard. So...you should be happy with getting ANY scholarship money.
For most families, even with the scholarship money, you'll be looking at outside sources for scholarships as well as academic money. The academic money is an institution to institution thing. Most of the time the potential money will be posted somewhere on their Admissions' website. In some of the bigger schools, it depends on which "school" you apply to within the university to see if you get any academic scholarship money.
Private schools tend to give out more scholarship money than state schools. That's another thing to keep in mind if finances are really important in the final decision.
Division Two
I've talked about Division Two before HERE. Much like what I mentioned above with the minimal scholarships, D2 athlete are very similar to D1 athletes when it comes to finances. The biggest difference is that D2 athletes generally have to come up with more money out of their own pocket.
Another thing to think about is the availability of scholarships. Some programs ARE NOT fully funded and don't have the same amount of scholarships as other schools. It's a school to school and program to program thing. Like some D1 athletes, there are some full scholarships available but not as many.
Here is a chart of scholarships available for all sports at the D1 and D2 levels. Just because these are the total amount scholarships each program is allowed to have, it doesn't mean that each program has this many scholarships for their program.
Last thing to think about when it comes to a D1 and D2 scholarship is the completed offer from the school. A partial scholarship at one school could be equal to a full scholarship at another. What I mean is, some schools are forced to offer full scholarships to certain athletes because they have no chance to get them otherwise. Other schools can't afford to offer certain athletes full scholarships because the rest of their team would be compromised. That is why a partial scholarship could mean a full scholarship for certain programs.
Division Three
Since there are no athletic scholarships at the D3 level, you and your family have to figure out the best way to pay for school. Sometimes you have to get creative and sometimes you can just write a check.
Like dealing with schools that are giving partial athletic scholarships, D3 schools will give out academic scholarships. This is generally the only way to get money from the school. Some of the upper echelon "athletic" schools could potentially give an athlete a "need based" scholarship. As in, "we need you" and we will make sure you won't pay that much. This isn't the case at most schools but certain schools will get away with this because they give all their students scholarships and it doesn't look weird.
There is also legitimate need based financial aid. This is for families that can't afford the true cost of attendance. Certain schools are able to meet 100% of aid, while others can only meet 60%. This is all based off of the school's endowment. Not a bad thing to know before asking for a financial aid package.
The academic scholarships and the need based financial aid are great platforms for families to afford college. There are times that these two will get the total financial aid package matches a financial aid package from a state school. Doesn't always happen but it could.
At most state schools, there isn't much leeway to give academic money at the D3 level. So, they are relying on pure numbers and government funding to make profit. There still is some financial aid available but not as much as there is at a private institution. So, don't expect to get a ton of help from the school specifically in regards to financial aid.
The last and most important part of picking a college, D1, D2, or D3, is the academic side of things. You don't want to make a decision based purely off athletics. You want to go to a school that has your major of interest. If the school you initially go to has the scholarship money but not the major you are looking for, you could be miserable for the next four or five years. It could also force you to go back to school with not at much help financially from your family or the school.
Scholarships don't fall off trees BUT you have to look at the academic side of others. When picking a college, these should be you and your family's priorities 1) Cost (depending finances and/or scholarship), 2) Academics, 3) Athletics.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Are You Being Recruited?
We live in a world that everyone that plays high school basketball is getting "recruited" to go someplace and play in college. The concept of "being recruited" gets lost because it seems so watered down. When do you know if you are actually being recruited? You are about to find out.
You just got a form letter in the mail from a certain school while you are a junior. What does that mean? It means that one of the coaches saw you play, liked what they saw, and wouldn't mind seeing you play in the spring or summer during AAU. Very rarely will a form letter truly mean you are being recruited. It means you are on a list for that specific recruiting class. That list sometimes consists of over 300 kids. As much as gives your ego a boost, it doesn't mean a lot in the grand scheme of recruiting.
You received an email from an assistant coach inviting you to campus over the summer. Like the form letter, the email was sent through the program's recruiting database. Every single kid on the list got an email (if they have an email address). Another thing to know is that most programs have a really cool email system that personalizes every email to every recruit. Each email has some really cool graphics that have links to various information regarding the program. The emails look awesome but generally don't mean much, especially at the beginning or during the prospect's junior year.
You got a phone call from an assistant coach during the spring or summer of your junior year. This is the next step in the recruiting process. These personal interactions are what you want. The phone call usually means they are interested in you as a player and want to learn more about you. They will usually gauge your interest, what you are looking for in a college, and what your grades and standardized test scores are. There are times that after one phone call coaches will stop contacting because they know their school doesn't have what you are looking for. It's a start though.
Text messages from coaches start popping up on your phone. These are definitely a good thing, like the phone calls but they can be a bit tricky. Why are they tricky? Through many program's recruiting database, they can send mass text messages to each of their recruits that won't be personalized but sent to their whole list. You want coaches to be specific with you and that's how you know their interest is real. An example of a mass text would be, "Hope practice is going well, we play on the road Saturday vs. _______." An example of an individualized text is, "Heard you played really well against _______ on Tuesday, good luck against ________ on Friday. Looking forward to having you on campus soon."
You see a bunch of schools watching you play during the summer for AAU. This is tricky because AAU usually has good players playing against each other. Just because a coach from a program watches you play doesn't necessarily mean they are watching you specifically. They could be, but they could always be watching someone else as well. Hopefully, you showcase yourself enough that coaches will continue to come and notice you more than they already do.
The assistant or the head coach sent you a hand written note. This is definitely good stuff for you. How easy is it for coaches to send an email or form letter that has been written several times before? Much easier than personally writing a letter to a prospect. Even if a coach writes you a little note on a standard letter is a good sign but a completely handwritten note is much better.
The head coach called you and left a message. Whenever the head coach gives you a call, that's a good thing and that usually means that a school is very interested in you. Assistant coaches usually handle recruitments, especially at the beginning. They will help narrow down the field for the head coach. So, the head coach giving you attention is never a bad thing.
A coach from the school comes to a practice or game. This is when the interest level amps up a bit. If a coach is missing their team's practice to come to yours, then you are a high priority for that particular school. If a coach stops by for multiple practices and/or games during your junior year, that usually means you could have a scholarship coming your way. Coaches aren't going to miss their own practice time in order to watch someone they have little or no interest in. D1 and D2 coaches aren't supposed to talk to prospects after games. They can talk to high school coaches but not a prospect. Again, if they are at a game, that is a good sign for you as a prospect, even more if the coaches come to more than one game. D3 coaches are allowed to talk to seniors after their head coach has released (usually after team talk) them.
In closing, you want personalized communication with college coaches. That is the only true way to know that you are being recruited.
You just got a form letter in the mail from a certain school while you are a junior. What does that mean? It means that one of the coaches saw you play, liked what they saw, and wouldn't mind seeing you play in the spring or summer during AAU. Very rarely will a form letter truly mean you are being recruited. It means you are on a list for that specific recruiting class. That list sometimes consists of over 300 kids. As much as gives your ego a boost, it doesn't mean a lot in the grand scheme of recruiting.
You received an email from an assistant coach inviting you to campus over the summer. Like the form letter, the email was sent through the program's recruiting database. Every single kid on the list got an email (if they have an email address). Another thing to know is that most programs have a really cool email system that personalizes every email to every recruit. Each email has some really cool graphics that have links to various information regarding the program. The emails look awesome but generally don't mean much, especially at the beginning or during the prospect's junior year.
You got a phone call from an assistant coach during the spring or summer of your junior year. This is the next step in the recruiting process. These personal interactions are what you want. The phone call usually means they are interested in you as a player and want to learn more about you. They will usually gauge your interest, what you are looking for in a college, and what your grades and standardized test scores are. There are times that after one phone call coaches will stop contacting because they know their school doesn't have what you are looking for. It's a start though.
Text messages from coaches start popping up on your phone. These are definitely a good thing, like the phone calls but they can be a bit tricky. Why are they tricky? Through many program's recruiting database, they can send mass text messages to each of their recruits that won't be personalized but sent to their whole list. You want coaches to be specific with you and that's how you know their interest is real. An example of a mass text would be, "Hope practice is going well, we play on the road Saturday vs. _______." An example of an individualized text is, "Heard you played really well against _______ on Tuesday, good luck against ________ on Friday. Looking forward to having you on campus soon."
You see a bunch of schools watching you play during the summer for AAU. This is tricky because AAU usually has good players playing against each other. Just because a coach from a program watches you play doesn't necessarily mean they are watching you specifically. They could be, but they could always be watching someone else as well. Hopefully, you showcase yourself enough that coaches will continue to come and notice you more than they already do.
The assistant or the head coach sent you a hand written note. This is definitely good stuff for you. How easy is it for coaches to send an email or form letter that has been written several times before? Much easier than personally writing a letter to a prospect. Even if a coach writes you a little note on a standard letter is a good sign but a completely handwritten note is much better.
The head coach called you and left a message. Whenever the head coach gives you a call, that's a good thing and that usually means that a school is very interested in you. Assistant coaches usually handle recruitments, especially at the beginning. They will help narrow down the field for the head coach. So, the head coach giving you attention is never a bad thing.
A coach from the school comes to a practice or game. This is when the interest level amps up a bit. If a coach is missing their team's practice to come to yours, then you are a high priority for that particular school. If a coach stops by for multiple practices and/or games during your junior year, that usually means you could have a scholarship coming your way. Coaches aren't going to miss their own practice time in order to watch someone they have little or no interest in. D1 and D2 coaches aren't supposed to talk to prospects after games. They can talk to high school coaches but not a prospect. Again, if they are at a game, that is a good sign for you as a prospect, even more if the coaches come to more than one game. D3 coaches are allowed to talk to seniors after their head coach has released (usually after team talk) them.
In closing, you want personalized communication with college coaches. That is the only true way to know that you are being recruited.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Advice for Parents in Recruiting
Over the past 15-20 years parents (good and bad) have become more involved with youth sports, high school sports, and now college sports. I believe the mindset has become "I'm paying the money and I should be involved in the process." I agree with that statement to an extent because parents should absolutely be involved but they shouldn't be the main focus. There is no way that a child can be the best they can be when the parent(s) overwhelm the process.
So, here are some words of advice for the parents out there during the recruiting process:
1) Remember it's your son or daughter that is being recruited, not you. Yes, the college coaches will try to recruit you on top of your child, but you shouldn't be the main focus of the recruitment. Your child is and should be the #1 priority in this situation.
2) Do your research. Know the colleges that your son or daughter is looking at. Know the acceptance rate, know the average academic scholarship, and know the average financial aid package. Know the academic programs, know the retention rates, know the graduation rates of the regular students, student-athletes, and athletes from the particular team that is recruiting your son or daughter. Know internship opportunities, know average salary of recent graduates, and know graduate school acceptance rates for graduates. If the questions to these answers aren't posted (many are), please ask an admissions counselor and the coaches.
3) Know the roster. As a parent, you think your son or daughter is the best thing since sliced bread. Guess what? There are a lot of slices of bread on college rosters. Look to see how many players are on the roster. See how are the classes distributed. Make sure to look at how many players on the roster play the same position as your son or daughter.
4) Be honest with coaches. How many times do teenagers tell people what they want to hear rather than what should be said? This same thing happens during the recruiting process as well. Kids don't want to disappoint anyone. They won't tell coaches that they aren't interested anymore. It shouldn't be the parents job to tell coaches if their son or daughter wants to or doesn't want to attend their school. If coaches ask where things stand, you can always hint what is going on and then have your son or daughter call the coaches to tell them they aren't interested anymore.
5) Don't be afraid to say NO. This is the second best answer college coaches can get. The earlier they get a "no" the better it is for everyone. You and your child should not drag out the process. Their college choice should be a tough one. It's where they are going to spend the next four or five years of the life. If you know there is a college that your child isn't interested in, encourage your child to tell that college "no."
6) If you don't know, ask someone that does. As a parent, you should have a ton of questions. Your child is one of the most important things in your life. You want the best possible situation for them. If you don't know, get advice from someone that has been through the process before, whether that be a player or parent. If you can't find anyone, ask a high school or AAU coach to help a little bit. They generally have a good grasp of how things work.
So, here are some words of advice for the parents out there during the recruiting process:
1) Remember it's your son or daughter that is being recruited, not you. Yes, the college coaches will try to recruit you on top of your child, but you shouldn't be the main focus of the recruitment. Your child is and should be the #1 priority in this situation.
2) Do your research. Know the colleges that your son or daughter is looking at. Know the acceptance rate, know the average academic scholarship, and know the average financial aid package. Know the academic programs, know the retention rates, know the graduation rates of the regular students, student-athletes, and athletes from the particular team that is recruiting your son or daughter. Know internship opportunities, know average salary of recent graduates, and know graduate school acceptance rates for graduates. If the questions to these answers aren't posted (many are), please ask an admissions counselor and the coaches.
3) Know the roster. As a parent, you think your son or daughter is the best thing since sliced bread. Guess what? There are a lot of slices of bread on college rosters. Look to see how many players are on the roster. See how are the classes distributed. Make sure to look at how many players on the roster play the same position as your son or daughter.
4) Be honest with coaches. How many times do teenagers tell people what they want to hear rather than what should be said? This same thing happens during the recruiting process as well. Kids don't want to disappoint anyone. They won't tell coaches that they aren't interested anymore. It shouldn't be the parents job to tell coaches if their son or daughter wants to or doesn't want to attend their school. If coaches ask where things stand, you can always hint what is going on and then have your son or daughter call the coaches to tell them they aren't interested anymore.
5) Don't be afraid to say NO. This is the second best answer college coaches can get. The earlier they get a "no" the better it is for everyone. You and your child should not drag out the process. Their college choice should be a tough one. It's where they are going to spend the next four or five years of the life. If you know there is a college that your child isn't interested in, encourage your child to tell that college "no."
6) If you don't know, ask someone that does. As a parent, you should have a ton of questions. Your child is one of the most important things in your life. You want the best possible situation for them. If you don't know, get advice from someone that has been through the process before, whether that be a player or parent. If you can't find anyone, ask a high school or AAU coach to help a little bit. They generally have a good grasp of how things work.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Investing in Players
Over the course of an athlete's career that are a lot of people that are looking out for them. It usually includes their parents, HS coach(es), and AAU coach(es). Quite a few people are investing money and a lot of time in order for the athlete to succeed. The hope is that everyone works together in order for the athlete to achieve his or her goals.
Parents are investing by pouring time and money into many different ventures. Some of which include traveling tournaments, training, AAU, and team associated events in high school. They want what's best for their son or daughter. Their idea of what is best usually is completely structured around their son or daughter. Yes, they want the team to win but their son or daughter is the number one priority.
A lot of times, parents are spending more time with their kids than they are with each other. Or at least more time watching their kid play than with each other. In some parents' cases, coaching their kid, especially at the youth levels. Many parents have kids that are different ages and/or different genders that are separated every weekend and a lot of week nights because of tournaments and games. Anyway you look at it, it's a lot of time spent in balmy gyms all over the place.
HS coaches are investing by having open gyms, team workouts, working with youth programs, etc. HS coaches could be investing in a player's career for 13 years. That time commitment is unparalleled compared to any other coach. Kids from kindergarten to ninth grade are going the camps and clinics hosted by the high school coach. Yes, he/she wants what is best for their program but they are looking out for every player as well.
A lot of coaches are taking the time away from their own children to help out kids in their program. They generally aren't getting paid to the level that they should considering how much time they put in. Imagine putting in 20-30 hours a week for a job that they get paid less than half of the minimum wage. Most do it because they love it. They want to see the kids they've seen grow up physically grow up emotionally and socially.
AAU coaches are investing by spending their spring and summer time with 13-17 year olds. They usually aren't getting paid much and want to see the kids do the best to their abilities. Many will spend countless hours in contact with college coaches in hopes of helping find the best college for each kid's future.
College coaches invest a ton of resources into potential recruits. It's usually not their money but it is their time. They spend weekends during the spring and summer away from their family. They also spend a lot of week nights during the season trying to lure your son or daughter to their campus. There are times that the coaches are investing time and energy in keeping kids at their colleges. It's almost an every year thing. They not only have to recruit the kid from high school but also recruit them not to leave their college. It shouldn't be that way but a lot of times it is.
The idea of "what's best for little Timmy/Tammy" is drastically different from everyone's perspective. The more everyone communicates, the more likely people will on the same page. It's communication at all three levels.
Parents are investing by pouring time and money into many different ventures. Some of which include traveling tournaments, training, AAU, and team associated events in high school. They want what's best for their son or daughter. Their idea of what is best usually is completely structured around their son or daughter. Yes, they want the team to win but their son or daughter is the number one priority.
A lot of times, parents are spending more time with their kids than they are with each other. Or at least more time watching their kid play than with each other. In some parents' cases, coaching their kid, especially at the youth levels. Many parents have kids that are different ages and/or different genders that are separated every weekend and a lot of week nights because of tournaments and games. Anyway you look at it, it's a lot of time spent in balmy gyms all over the place.
HS coaches are investing by having open gyms, team workouts, working with youth programs, etc. HS coaches could be investing in a player's career for 13 years. That time commitment is unparalleled compared to any other coach. Kids from kindergarten to ninth grade are going the camps and clinics hosted by the high school coach. Yes, he/she wants what is best for their program but they are looking out for every player as well.
A lot of coaches are taking the time away from their own children to help out kids in their program. They generally aren't getting paid to the level that they should considering how much time they put in. Imagine putting in 20-30 hours a week for a job that they get paid less than half of the minimum wage. Most do it because they love it. They want to see the kids they've seen grow up physically grow up emotionally and socially.
AAU coaches are investing by spending their spring and summer time with 13-17 year olds. They usually aren't getting paid much and want to see the kids do the best to their abilities. Many will spend countless hours in contact with college coaches in hopes of helping find the best college for each kid's future.
College coaches invest a ton of resources into potential recruits. It's usually not their money but it is their time. They spend weekends during the spring and summer away from their family. They also spend a lot of week nights during the season trying to lure your son or daughter to their campus. There are times that the coaches are investing time and energy in keeping kids at their colleges. It's almost an every year thing. They not only have to recruit the kid from high school but also recruit them not to leave their college. It shouldn't be that way but a lot of times it is.
The idea of "what's best for little Timmy/Tammy" is drastically different from everyone's perspective. The more everyone communicates, the more likely people will on the same page. It's communication at all three levels.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Picking an AAU Team
This is the time of the year that you'll see some AAU coaches/directors start to linger around high school games. Some get the ball rolling early and are around all season. Just like with picking a college, there are many things that need to be looked at when picking an AAU team. I am strictly talking about players that want to play in college when it comes to picking the correct AAU team/program.
Most if not all guys that play AAU think they are or want to be Division One basketball players. If you think you are a D1 player, you HAVE to play during the Division One Live Periods. A Live Period is when Division One coaches are allowed to watch travel basketball and evaluate prospects. The Live Periods this year are April 10-12, April 24-26, July 8-12, July 15-19, and July 22-26. It is very important that you are playing in tournaments during those weekends to be seen.
Division Two and Division Three coaches have a much different recruiting calendar. They are allowed to see prospects almost all the time. I'm not as familiar with the D2 coaches but they certainly aren't as restricted as the D1 coaches. There are no dead periods for D3 coaches. They can be out ALL THE TIME.
Last thing when it comes to what tournaments the team plays in is, you want college coaches to see you play when you are fresh. Both Nike and adidas have structured their travel team schedules with guys only playing three or four games a weekend. It's brilliant thinking. The Upper Midwest has done the same thing with their Sanford Pentagon Series. If you are tired (your body especially), you will not be your best and you want coaches to see you at your best. Simply put, four games is MUCH better than seven or eight games every weekend.
Playing at a high level is important. You want to be able to play against other good players on a consistent basis. By playing on a program's second team (generally speaking) doesn't allow you to do that. Yes, there are some programs that have very good second teams but make sure to look at the schedules of each team to see which is the top team and which is the second team, especially if the program directors tell you the "teams are equal." Top teams will generally travel a bit more and/or play in slightly better tournaments.
It's important to have a plan in place for each individual player's development. Ideally, you want to be able to play a position that you will in college. Practice time is generally limited so it's extremely important that practice has some type of skill development in it. It can't just be scrimmaging. Communication with high school coaches on what their thoughts on the player's development is something that is forgotten at times (it's a two-way street).
You want to be on a good team. Good teams go further in tournaments (yes, I know I'm not a huge fan of tournaments but everyone still plays in them) and the further the team goes, the better chance of college coaches see that team. Asking who else is on the team is important. You don't want to play with guys/girls that aren't very good or don't have the same goals as you. Continuity on the roster is important as well. You don't want to have a new roster every weekend and ideally the roster only changes one to three guys every year.
Winning at the expense of development is an interesting concept (much like youth travel basketball). The reason I say this is because A LOT of travel teams will play zone. They play zone because a lot of the players play with different defensive concepts and zone is easy to teach and just about all HS programs teach it the same way. I know when I coached in college it was important to see how players moved side to side on defense. On top of that, with the exception of Syracuse, how many college programs exclusively play zone? Some zone isn't bad, but all zone isn't what you want.
Cost is important for just about all families. Programs will range from $800-$2500 and sometimes more. Some programs don't charge or charge very little and that is usually for the programs with the sneaker affiliations. There are times with the "sneaker affiliated programs" to charge a way more money to the kids that aren't on their top team in order to fill the gap because their top team is barely paying anything at all. Your son or daughter is paying to have "_________" across his/her chest and it doesn't mean that much. All these programs make money for their coaches/directors, you don't want to be the sacrificial pawn in their money making machine. Which program gives you the best bang for your buck?
Last thing I will talk about is what I think is the most important. Obviously, you want exposure to college coaches but you WANT to be exposed as a player. You want to get beat on defense, you want to miss shots around the basket, you want to struggle from 3, you want to get matched up against someone much better than you, you want to be dominated physically, and you want to get benched. Why????? Because you need to get better and you need to get stronger. And you need to figure how what works and what doesn't work against better players.
Can the team that you picked expose you to all of this? I hope so.
Most if not all guys that play AAU think they are or want to be Division One basketball players. If you think you are a D1 player, you HAVE to play during the Division One Live Periods. A Live Period is when Division One coaches are allowed to watch travel basketball and evaluate prospects. The Live Periods this year are April 10-12, April 24-26, July 8-12, July 15-19, and July 22-26. It is very important that you are playing in tournaments during those weekends to be seen.
Division Two and Division Three coaches have a much different recruiting calendar. They are allowed to see prospects almost all the time. I'm not as familiar with the D2 coaches but they certainly aren't as restricted as the D1 coaches. There are no dead periods for D3 coaches. They can be out ALL THE TIME.
Last thing when it comes to what tournaments the team plays in is, you want college coaches to see you play when you are fresh. Both Nike and adidas have structured their travel team schedules with guys only playing three or four games a weekend. It's brilliant thinking. The Upper Midwest has done the same thing with their Sanford Pentagon Series. If you are tired (your body especially), you will not be your best and you want coaches to see you at your best. Simply put, four games is MUCH better than seven or eight games every weekend.
Playing at a high level is important. You want to be able to play against other good players on a consistent basis. By playing on a program's second team (generally speaking) doesn't allow you to do that. Yes, there are some programs that have very good second teams but make sure to look at the schedules of each team to see which is the top team and which is the second team, especially if the program directors tell you the "teams are equal." Top teams will generally travel a bit more and/or play in slightly better tournaments.
It's important to have a plan in place for each individual player's development. Ideally, you want to be able to play a position that you will in college. Practice time is generally limited so it's extremely important that practice has some type of skill development in it. It can't just be scrimmaging. Communication with high school coaches on what their thoughts on the player's development is something that is forgotten at times (it's a two-way street).
You want to be on a good team. Good teams go further in tournaments (yes, I know I'm not a huge fan of tournaments but everyone still plays in them) and the further the team goes, the better chance of college coaches see that team. Asking who else is on the team is important. You don't want to play with guys/girls that aren't very good or don't have the same goals as you. Continuity on the roster is important as well. You don't want to have a new roster every weekend and ideally the roster only changes one to three guys every year.
Winning at the expense of development is an interesting concept (much like youth travel basketball). The reason I say this is because A LOT of travel teams will play zone. They play zone because a lot of the players play with different defensive concepts and zone is easy to teach and just about all HS programs teach it the same way. I know when I coached in college it was important to see how players moved side to side on defense. On top of that, with the exception of Syracuse, how many college programs exclusively play zone? Some zone isn't bad, but all zone isn't what you want.
Cost is important for just about all families. Programs will range from $800-$2500 and sometimes more. Some programs don't charge or charge very little and that is usually for the programs with the sneaker affiliations. There are times with the "sneaker affiliated programs" to charge a way more money to the kids that aren't on their top team in order to fill the gap because their top team is barely paying anything at all. Your son or daughter is paying to have "_________" across his/her chest and it doesn't mean that much. All these programs make money for their coaches/directors, you don't want to be the sacrificial pawn in their money making machine. Which program gives you the best bang for your buck?
Last thing I will talk about is what I think is the most important. Obviously, you want exposure to college coaches but you WANT to be exposed as a player. You want to get beat on defense, you want to miss shots around the basket, you want to struggle from 3, you want to get matched up against someone much better than you, you want to be dominated physically, and you want to get benched. Why????? Because you need to get better and you need to get stronger. And you need to figure how what works and what doesn't work against better players.
Can the team that you picked expose you to all of this? I hope so.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Trickle Down Recruiting
Trickle down recruiting happens every year throughout the country. What exactly is it? It's when there aren't enough recruitable prospects that fit the level of certain schools and it forces that same school to recruit a player that normally would be recruitable at a lower level. In normal terms, it's when a D1 school recruits what is normally a D2 player and when a D2 school recruits what is normally a D3 player.
Why does this happen?
You will see it a lot with schools that recruit at a state or regional level. Most of their athletes are from the state that the school is located or in the surrounding states. Knowing that there isn't as many as recruitable athletes in a certain class, schools will go after a player that fits perfectly into a lower level school.
I'll just throw an example of schools that are local. North Dakota State generally gets kids from the Upper Midwest. In the class of 2016 (I don't know this, it's all hypothetical) there is a limited amount of low major D1 players that are available. Since there is a very limited number of players that are recruitable, they will go after a kid that would normally go to MN-Duluth. Since, MN-Duluth can't get their "normal" prospect, they then go after a kid that would normally go to UW-Eau Claire.
In the grand scheme of things, the D3 school gets hit the most. Why? The prospects that they are normally looking for get decreased drastically. It also forces the D3 schools to get creative with their recruiting. By creative, I mean, go out of state and/or get junior college guys.
What happens next?
After about an year or two, the kids and their current coach realize (maybe it's just the kid) that there really isn't a role for the player on the current team. They realize that playing time won't be very easy to come by, especially after the next recruiting comes in and that now sophomore isn't the player that a few of the freshmen are.
These players then transfer down a level to where they originally fit. They end up being successful at that level and everyone ends up happy. Sometimes you'll see kids eventually transfer down two levels and realize the D3 level is exactly what they are looking for. The allure of the scholarship blinded their decision making skills during their recruitment.
Why does this happen?
You will see it a lot with schools that recruit at a state or regional level. Most of their athletes are from the state that the school is located or in the surrounding states. Knowing that there isn't as many as recruitable athletes in a certain class, schools will go after a player that fits perfectly into a lower level school.
I'll just throw an example of schools that are local. North Dakota State generally gets kids from the Upper Midwest. In the class of 2016 (I don't know this, it's all hypothetical) there is a limited amount of low major D1 players that are available. Since there is a very limited number of players that are recruitable, they will go after a kid that would normally go to MN-Duluth. Since, MN-Duluth can't get their "normal" prospect, they then go after a kid that would normally go to UW-Eau Claire.
In the grand scheme of things, the D3 school gets hit the most. Why? The prospects that they are normally looking for get decreased drastically. It also forces the D3 schools to get creative with their recruiting. By creative, I mean, go out of state and/or get junior college guys.
What happens next?
After about an year or two, the kids and their current coach realize (maybe it's just the kid) that there really isn't a role for the player on the current team. They realize that playing time won't be very easy to come by, especially after the next recruiting comes in and that now sophomore isn't the player that a few of the freshmen are.
These players then transfer down a level to where they originally fit. They end up being successful at that level and everyone ends up happy. Sometimes you'll see kids eventually transfer down two levels and realize the D3 level is exactly what they are looking for. The allure of the scholarship blinded their decision making skills during their recruitment.
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