hoopdreams

The reality is that 90% of recruiting happens in the summer through college "invite" camps on their own campuses or from AAU tournaments. The summer is the best time for colleges to recruit because they can see thousands of players in a short amount of time. During the season they want to focus on their team and often only travel to high school games to "babysit" the players that are at the top of their list. Not many kids truly get offered scholarships from a game tape or film sent blindly to a coaching staff. What actually happens when tapes or letters are sent to a college is that their third assistant or DOB watches the tape first. Only if they feel the player is good enough does it warrant moving up the chain for other assistants to view. Rarely does the HC see game tape sent in. College coaches look for many things but attitude and effort are at the very top of the list as well as the potential for improvement or "upside". Of course basketball skills are important along with how a player fits into a certain style of play or system. Unfortunately, many players "peak" at a young age and if a coach doesn't see that the player will improve much over the next few years, a good high school player won't necessarily make a good college player. Therefore many good high school players don't get recruited if they don't seem to have much room to improve. Exposure in the summer or from playing in the state tournament with their high school team is crucial. Lastly, players and parents should ultimately understand that a coach will not knowingly take on a problem child no matter how "great" everyone thinks they are. The pool of outstanding basketball players for college coaches to choose from is deep. Parents should also be careful to always be positive about other players and the high school coaches when talking to college coaches. Remember the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Sometimes parents are unknowingly limiting their child's chances at receiving a scholarship by their attitude or behavior. Good luck to all players. Keep working hard and stay positive. I love to see kids get chances to play at the next level!