The College Recruiting Process

Publicly, the following is denied by every college coach who insists that something like this never happens. However, talk to players who have been recruited recently, and this occurs more and more.

I spoke to a high school senior-to-be. During the summer, while traveling around to various tournaments, she took an unofficial visit to one of the schools that was on her final list of five. Her parents were not on the visit, as she was with her team at a tournament.

On the visit, the head coach asked the player: if we offer early, are you ready to commit right now? They told her that she was one of two players that they were recruiting at her position. The player was unsure – she had not visited her other choices. She told the coach that she wanted to talk to her parents first.

Several days later, the coach offered another player who accepted the scholarship and informed the first player that they no longer had a scholarship for her.

Why does it matter?

This spring, I noticed a number of transfers from local players. Through some investigating and reading some web sites, I am fairly certain that the above scenario played out in every situation, except the player accepted.

A player takes an unofficial visit during the summer or her first official visit in the fall. The school offers a scholarship – or says that they will offer the scholarship if the player is ready to accept. The school tells the player that they are prepared to offer another player if she does not make a verbal commitment while on campus.

In this situation, many players commit. After all, the school is offering a scholarship – a free education and the fulfillment of a dream. When we think of scholarships as a reward for one’s high school career, the acceptance of the scholarship is the end. The player accepts, receives congratulations and feels like all the work paid off.

Unfortunately, that commitment means that the player has committed to four more years of basketball at that school. What if the school does not have the right major? What if the school is far from home? What if the coach has a coaching style that does not work for the player? What if the program recruits another player at the position? There are dozens of reasons for choosing another school.

A scholarship is not an end – it is the beginning. When a player thinks of the scholarship as the beginning of a four-year commitment, the choice is far more important and more than a reward.

These players this spring – seven players – transferred after one year for various reasons. Not enough playing time, too far from home, coaching change, asked to leave by the coach…any number of reasons.

However, these players did not make an educated choice. They were pressured into a choice. When the player transfers, it does not affect the coach. The coach does not have to sit out a year when the player leaves – instead, the coach signs a new player and moves on. The player transfers – which means going through an abbreviated recruiting process all over again – and has to sit out a year.

I am not sure of the answer to the problem, as every coach does the same thing because they do not trust other coaches. They do not want the player to take her visit to campus, leave and then get pressured by the coach on her next visit. I do not know how to legislate trust, unless the NCAA forced players to take all their visits before making a commitment.

However, I do know that it is in the best interests of players to take their visits and make an educated choice. If a player has a dream school and the school is a great fit in terms of need, playing time, major and more, an early commitment makes sense. But, coaches pressuring a player into making a choice without even discussing the choice with her parents ileads to bad choices and ultimately more transfers.

~ by Brian McCormick on August 4, 2009.