Since the July recruiting period ended, many local newspapers have written about local players and their new recruiting prospects. AAU/club coaches use these articles to perpetuate the myth that summer club ball is the only way to get recruited.
I read two egregious examples. In one Santa Monica High School’s Thea Lamberger verbally committed to UCLA, and the ESPN article said that her recruiting had taken off after the Nike Nationals last weekend. While many people may have changed their opinions about Lamberger at the Nike Nationals, insiders told me that UCLA offered her a scholarship in early June at UCLA Elite’s Camp when she dominated the camp competition.
If true, she could have accepted the scholarship offer in June and not played at Nike Nationals and her recruiting would not have changed at all. However, the article implies that the offer was because of her play at Nike Nationals, which simply is inaccurate according to insiders.
In another case, a club coach told the local newspaper that many players had seen their recruiting skyrocket. He named several players. I happen to know about one of the players. The same coach who told the papers that her recruiting had taken off because of her summer performance was calling schools and trying to sell schools on a player that college programs had crossed of their recruiting list. Maybe she added other suitors, but his report to the paper was inaccurate if he is calling uninterested programs and tryng to get them to offer (though the coach should be commended for working hard on behalf of his players).
Of course, nobody fact checks the accuracy of these statements because local newspapers are in the business of writing feel-good stories about local players and college coaches are not allowed to comment on prospective players. So, how does one verify the story? Coaches are allowed to market the necessity of their programs through these stories, and nobody counters their statements.
I do not think that these coaches mean harm; instead, papers quote their opinions, which are often taken as fact. The same occured with an article about specialization and the importance of summer play.
“At this point, if you are an elite player, you really have no choice but to do this,” Babineaux said of summer tournaments. “You simply aren’t going to be seen if you only do high school.
“College coaches expect them to play a higher level of basketball. They want to see them play against the best.”
So, the authority on what a high school player has to do is an AAU coach. What else is he going to say?
To his credit, the writer points out some of the important attributes of the players that he covers:
Mao, Babineaux, Rodriguez and Mitchell have similar attributes: An insatiable work ethic, physical and mental resilience, good grades, time management skills and a strong parental support system.
But, then he backtracks and credits participating in one tournament as the reason for more and better scholarship offers:
Babineaux got a spot at an invitation-only event in Philadelphia in which many of the nation’s top coaches attended. By playing well there, the 6-foot-4 guard likely will find himself among the leading recruits in the class of 2011.
That means the potential for more and better scholarship offers.
The problem is the perception. For already talented players, playing in such big events may be important to improve one’s scholarship pursuit (though it is not the only way, as evidenced by Lamberger’s offer after participating at an elite camp).
However, the perception created by such articles is that the offers are because of the exposure. This cannot be more false.
College coaches offer scholarships to prep players who possess the skills, talent, grades, size, intangibles, etc that fit a need with their program. This must come first.
If players lack the skill, talent, size, grades, intangibles, etc., no amount of exposure will be enough to warrant a scholarship offer.
Parents often ask what they should do to help get a scholarship offer: Get Better! That is always the answer. If you’re good enough, a college will find you. If you are not good enough, it does not matter how many colleges know about you.
Exposure camps, tournaments and teams play a role in a player’s recruitment in today’s system, but the role must come after the player develops the skills and talents to warrant a scholarship. Exposure does not equal a scholarship.
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