Players will ask me all the time what coaches look for and what can get them to the next level. That next level is different for every player but typically that question is speaking about college. Players want to get their education paid for and if they can make money playing basketball then that is just an added bonus. I’m not going to cover what I respond because that answer could differ from day to day and from kid to kid depending on the situation. What I do want to cover is something that players don’t hear about everyday as something they can work on. Energy.

I know what you are thinking. “How can a scout or a coach judge energy?” Let me answer with a comparison. When Mike Anderson from Missouri recruits kids he goes after players that can play in his system. His system is full court pressure all the time as I spoke about in my last post. When Mike Anderson goes to watch a player perform he looks for energy. He looks for players who can get after it and aren’t afraid to get after it.

When I played competitively I used to hate to be guarded by the guy who was on me the entire time. It used to drive me crazy. I hated guarded the player who always was moving without the ball and running around. I hated those guys. COACHES LOVE THEM. Every team needs someone who comes up with loose balls and isn’t afraid to play defense the entire time. Coaches love players who are willing to give it their all 100% of the time and who don’t get tired.

My point is this: Just like shooting, passing, dribbling are talents or skills so is energy. Coaches scout it and can see it just like the other talents that are out there and that players have.

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Understand that each coach is different and the better player you are the easier it is for a coach to overlook certain areas. What players need to understand is that the majority of division I schools are midmajor or low major schools and that there is nothing wrong with playing at that level. Davidson is considered a mid/low major school yet they have the best player in the country right now in Stephen Curry. Curry was barely recruited even though his father was a legend at Virginia Tech and a great pro. Some coaches look at different things and I thought I’d cover 3 that, in my opinion, are overlooked and underappreciated.

1. Practice Habits: Coaches can go watch players practice but the good coaches watch a player before and after practice to see what his habits are. They like to be a little anonymous so the player doesn’t know he’s watching. What are they looking at? Warmup habits, leadership habits and structure. Coaches want kids who love the game and are willing to play and play it right. By watching beforehand and seeing a kid out early and warming up correctly before going it to his ‘ritual’, it can make all the difference in the world. The best players stay after and keep shooting. You couldn’t get me out of the gym after practice ended and I still love it to this day.

2. Attitude: This is a 2 way street here and players need to be aware. If you are a great player this isn’t as important as if you aren’t a great player. Here is what I mean. Coaches go around and talk to teachers, other students, principals, security guards…you name it. They want to get unbiased opinions by other people in the school as to what type of a person you are. Coaches understand that players always try to put their best foot forward so by asking others they get a good sense of what a kid is really like. Be mindful of this because it can make a low major player a mid major one and a mid major a high major. High major players can get away with more here.

3. Respect for Parents and Coaches: Coaches want kids who are willing to be coached and not react. It is just as important during a practice as to how a kid reacts while being coached as it is to how he plays. Does the player look the coach in the eye? Does the player respond to criticism? Does the player show respect to his parents? All these things play a giant role in deciding if a kid is getting a scholarship or not.

Coaches want kids who have talent, love the game, respect the game by always playing hard and win. Kids that come from winning programs have a much easier time getting their educations paid for. Winning breeds winning and the more coaches surround themselves with winners, the better their program can become.

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I must state that as an Illini fan, who was spurned when Bill Self left for Kansas, I’m not the biggest fan of the guy. I believe him to be an average coach but an excellent recruiter and the other day we learned one of his secrets for recruiting. Please read this as not being completely serious at all but there is a little something there.

In case you didn’t hear, Self was watching John Wall play the other night. When the game ended, Self approached the coaches to wish them well. That is well played by Self and well within the rules of recruiting. While the mix was going on a hand was extended and words were exchanged that went like this “i can’t talk to you but you played really well’. I admit this is something that the NCAA shouldn’t really worry about and the spirit of the law wasn’t violated here, but the letter was. Coaches can’t talk to prospective players during certain portions of the year and this was one of them.

What i like is this line “i can’t talk to you but…”. That is the best recruiting line ever and I use it on people all the time. How often do we say that line to someone when trying to compliment them or tell them something that we don’t want accountability for. I do it all the time. “I shouldn’t say this but you look really good in that outfit” or “I’m not telling you that my computer password is 88888.” The list goes on and on. The line “I can’t talk to you but…” clearly signifies the desire to shake off accountability for what was about to take place. The best part is that it really shouldn’t matter. We know that shoe companies can funnel money to these kids and have been for a while. We know that the AAU circuit gets these kids cash if they are good enough and willing to take it. I just have a hard time believing that OJ Mayo didn’t take a pay cut going to the NBA. I don’t have proof though.

Bill Self is not a rule breaker and his intention wasn’t to break the rules. In reality it may end up costing him John Wall as a recruit. Can Wall sign with Kansas now that many programs would love to see Kansas lose out on some kids? If he does sign with Kansas it may open up more doors and windows into the program and you never know what you’ll find. That’s why i’m most interested…I want to see how Bill Self plays this one the rest of the way because he is a good recruiter.

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College recruiting is very different than what it used to be. 

Illinois just received a commitment from a player who is due to be there for the incoming class of 2011.  That’s the way things are going nowadays.  A good player will always end up somewhere and deservedly so but the kids that show the most potential are getting offered earlier and earlier than ever.  The game has changed.

The AAU scene has caused a great deal of this as players are seen and watched now more than ever.  The kids play against better players from all over the country and the summer now means much more than the high school season when before that was reversed.  Players now try to position themselves to get on the right team with the right AAU coach and it is crazy.

The kid that Illinois received a commitment from is named Tracey Abrams and by all publications is a top 50 talent for the class of 2011. Abrams is a point guard with incredible athletic skills and he had already received scholarship offers from 4 other big time programs.  I would’ve loved that feeling.  I would’ve loved knowing where I was going to college as a sophomore in high school.  Abrams isn’t even having that great of a high school season but he lit people up over the summer.  For his AAU team he has the ball in his hands but his high school team he doesn’t as much. 

Colleges now have to get in on kids earlier and take the risk because that’s the way it is going.  Players are evaluated and then gone after and it isn’t going away.  I even saw a list of the top 6th graders in the country and that’s ridiculous. 

Either way, I get messages from kids asking me how they can get recruited now that they are a senior and I want to say it is almost too late because D1 programs try to have as many kids commited as they can for the years ahead.  If you are a high school senior looking to play college basketball then it is up to you to be seen and to research and find out what schools need a player like you.  Be realistic and optomistic at the same time in knowing that if you can play, you can play and schools will see that.  Be realistic in realizing that North Carolina might now be for you but North Carolina A & T might.

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After I watched the draft last night i got thinking about a concept that’s been out there for a couple years now and that’s the idea that a top high school player is better off in Europe than in the states at a University.

The idea is strong now after Brandon Jennings, an Arizona commit and top player in the country, isn’t getting the grades to go to school and is being forced to look at his options.  If he doesn’t get the grades he will sit out the year and go into the draft next year but lose a year of growth as a player and person.  He could skip school altogether and just run to Europe to play.  Jennings is arguing that he doesn’t want to attend school anyway and that the NBA is making them go to college for a year when they don’t really care about it anyway.  He’s right.  The NBA should let these kids make a living at whatever age they want but they also shouldn’t punish them for a possible wrong choice.  What I mean is that players that declare and are drafted in the 2nd round shouldn’t lose eligibility and that team should retain their draft rights. 

Brandon Jennings is overrated if you ask me and isn’t near ready for the NBA.  He is frail and couldn’t guard a full garbage can.  He needs time to develop and that time for him should be wherever he wants it to be.  Since the NBA won’t let him in then he should go where he can develop as a player or at least have that chance. 

If he chooses Europe he’ll be forgotten about in the states and miss out on some marketing and face time.  You can’t tell me Rose didn’t make himself the number 1 choice based on the NCAA tournament.  He did.  Rose was a top 10 before the tourney and a top 3 after.  Jennings will be forgotten about and fans won’t have the connection that they developed with Mayo, Rose, Beasley and Love.  If you ask me it is a tough call because if he goes to Arizona he’ll become a nationally recognized player and become the face of a school.  If he plays in Europe he’ll develop quickly and either help or hurt his stock.  It isn’t easy competition so i think he’ll get better as a player that way. 

Jennings made a statement earlier that this hurts college basketball and I couldn’t disagree more.  I think it helps it more.  If players like him go overseas then coaches know what they are getting for multiple years.  You can’t tell me coaches like players that go one and done.  It helps the program only in a sense that the player that was there for a year got them notoriety but always having to recruit around positions instead of counting on someone for a few years can be taxing.  Coaches want the best players possible and they all want the ring so they’ll take whoever but teams that have experienced players generally win the title anyway.  Kansas won with 5 draft picks from this years squad and when it is said and done will have a lot more and they were all juniors and seniors.  Coaches know it and they’ll take a 3 year good player anyday over a 1 and done that they won’t win it all with.  I could be wrong but I don’t think so.

I wish Brandon Jennings luck and to follow his dream and pray he doesn’t get hurt.

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I get a lot of emails from people asking about recruiting and how they can get more colleges interested.  It’s an interesting process that is enjoyed by some and not enjoyed by others.  I’ll go over some ideas that I have about the topic but feel free to chime in with your own opinions.

#1-  Are you in a position to be seen?  No college coach is going to offer a player they haven’t seen play before.  Are you playing at a big high school or in a rural area?  It makes a difference.  Coaches want a chance to see players and if they can go to a city and watch a few games in a week and interact with other coaches they are better off than going to a remote location to catch a game.  You had better be worth their time if thats the case.  I’m not saying to avoid small schools, but I am saying if they aren’t coming to watch you play in high school then you need some more options.

#2- Should I play AAU?  Of course you should.  Without a doubt, if you can, get on an AAU team and play all summer long.  When I was in high school this was just getting to be a big thing and it was amazing.  As a result I was able to play against Jason Kidd and a number of other future pro players.  It was experience that you can’t get any other place.  These forums are the best for coaches because they can watch a number of players at one time and it increases exposure.

#3  Know your Limitations-  When you are being watched please don’t try to do things you’ve never done before.  That includes pretending to be a point guard when you don’t have the skills or haven’t practiced there.  If you aren’t a 3 point shooter then don’t start trying just because a coach is watching.  Know what you do and do it well and most important thing to remember is to always work hard.

#4  Understand what coaches are looking for-  Coaches look at all facets of the game but that also includes attitude, work ethic, teamwork and the little things.  They pay attention to your team being a winner or not also.  Coaches want kids who play on winning teams because it creates an attitude.  If you are a point guard a coach wants to see how well you handle the ball, pass the ball, mental toughness on defense, ability to shoot the ball, finish in traffic, pressure defense.  It’s amazing what they are looking for.  It’s the details.  When i talk about passing i mean crisp passes that aren’t lazy and ball handling that isn’t sloppy or flashy for no reason.  Pressure defense is something that takes place the entire possession not just while your guy has the ball.  It’s the details that coaches look for and it’s important to know.

#5-Proper Expectations:  I hear all the time from players who view themselves as better than what they really are.  It’s ok to be confident in your abilities.  It is just that I get messages from people who might be a 6*1 post player who scores 25 a night for his high school team in a small conference in rural Alabama or wherever.  You are a great high school player who could play college basketball but you aren’t going to play at Alabama or in a power conference because they aren’t looking for 6*1 point guards.  If you want to play college ball understand this please and adapt.  I knew that I would be 6*0 tall but I was a shooting guard growing up.  I had to learn and change for the point guard position so that i could get recruited and it turned out great for me.  Realize that if you are a 6*4 post player in high school that you need to develop skills away from the basket and it will only increase your options.  You work on those traits on your own time to improve and don’t pick the AAU game to decide you are an outside threat.  I hope that makes sense.

I have some other ideas but I’ll put those in another time because I have to go.

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I recently wrote something about Kelvin and his latest recruiting incident at Indiana and I went back and read it again and I don’t think I did it justice.  This man needs to resign. 

Kelvin Sampson can’t recruit another player at Indiana, especially a top recruit, without everyone thinking that he crossed a line to get there.  The reputation is stained and is staining Indiana each day he has a job there.  I don’t know Kelvin personally and I’m sure he’s a great guy.  But he needs to do the right thing and step down and earn his way back.  It’s a shame that Matt Doherty gets run out of North Carolina and has to start at the bottom again and this guy gets free pass after free pass.   

Kelvin’s assistant recently resigned over the issue and isn’t that kind of backward.  The guy trusted with the program has an assistant who recruited some of their best incoming players and did so by making some illegal phone calls.  The head coach was in on at least 10 of those calls yet the assistant is forced to resign?  Makes no sense to me.

As a sidenote, I’ve noticed lately that more and more high school kids are committing to schools earlier than ever before.  Already we are seeing kids that have committed to colleges and these kids won’t graduate until 2009.  Sophomores making life choices is an amazing thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe that people with strong support systems can make this choice at a young age but it is going to lead more and more to football type recruiting.  In football you have strong commits, soft commits until signing day approaches.  In basketball there are 2 signing days each year and that helps but the earlier the commitment the better chance that the kid will rethink his decision.  Illinois has 4 commitments already for players that are going to be there in 2009 and 2010.  As an Illini fan, I’m very excited about that but it makes me a little leery at the same time.  After all, I am a Cub fan and I see the worst in things sometimes.

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Webster’s dictionary has commitment as a pledge or a promise or an obligation.  I have no reason to doubt Mr. Webster or Mrs. Webster for that matter or even Miss Webster if that’s the case.  I do doubt though whether the NCAA should change the word committed when talking about college athletics. 

Since this is a basketball blog I will keep it focused on that, but in college football the term commitment is as loose as it gets.  Players constantly are changing where they say they are going to go.  Basketball hasn’t been that way in the past as when a player commits to a school other schools tended to focus on other players to sway.  Football also has many many more scholarships to fill each season and they can afford to continue to recruit committed players.  However, in basketball that simply isn’t the case.  Most college coaches only have a couple scholarships each year to give out and have to use their time and energy wisely.  To go after a committed player is a strain on recruiting resources and is a big gamble.

Eric Gordon, in my opinion the best player from last years high school class, had committed to the University of Illinois.  You all know my love for the Illini so I won’t try to hide it.  Kelvin Sampson got the Indiana job after Mike Davis was let go and went after Gordon.  Gordon decommitted from Illinois and signed with Indiana.  I was crushed.  Eric Gordon is a one and done player and a signature recruit for a coaching staff.  As much as it pains me to write this I don’t think Sampson did a lot wrong here.  Sampson had to give it a shot as Gordon was an Indiana kid and nobody ever told him ‘no’.  He was doing his job.  In the coaching ranks it is being debated whether or not this is ethical or not and some would say that it isn’t ethical to go after a committed player.  Personally I see both sides of this argument and I have a hard time siding with either of them. 

Basketball has the advantage of having 2 signing periods throughout the year where football only has one.  That plays a large role in decommits as so much can happen in a year.  What I think needs to happen and should happen is that a player signs a letter once he has committed and if he wants out then it would have to be granted.  It would force kids to make more thought out decisions and teach them to learn to live with their choices.  Football needs to add a second signing day plain and simple and they will see this cut down a lot.  If they don’t they will continue to have recruits poached up until and including signing day.

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As much as I try to remain unbiased in a lot of ways, it is hard for me to not to show my love for the University of Illinois.  I was brainwashed at a young age by my father to love most things Chicago and it stuck.  I’m a die hard Illini fan living in Utah where I shed tears of joy when Deron Williams was selected by the Jazz a few years ago.  What does this have to do with recruiting?  I want the Illini to do well.  I want them to get the next Deron Williams.  Recruiting has changed since I was in high school.

 When I was in high school the methods were simple.  I’m 34 years old but there was no internet in 1991.  We didn’t have cell phones in 1991 that were worth anything.  We would play high school basketball and summer ball was just starting to get big.  Things have changed with the internet in a number of ways starting with websites and companies completely devoted to the recruitment of players in all sports.  I subscribe to an Illini website that I love to get all the latest updates there in basketball and football.  Coaches used to write letters and call the players.  Now the coaches write letters, call on the phone and text message like crazy.  Recently text messaging came into question by the NCAA and is probably going to be regulated.  Some players were saying they get texts in all hours of the day, so much so that they have handlers or people who handle their recruitment for them. 

 Shoe companies, who were once smaller players, have taken over college athletics.  Nike and Adidas have camps and sponsor traveling AAU teams in the summer and have an influence on kids decisions whether they push it that way or not.  It is a factor in recruiting.

 Something that I think has the largest effect are the message boards that are out there.  These free message boards allow people to post opinions on certain players and recruits and are accessible by anyone with an account.  If a kid is being recruited by Illinois he can go to the message board and see how much he is either liked or disliked and that has an obvious effect on recruiting.  I cringe when I go to the Illinois site that I subscribe to because people type things in there that could really turn a recruit off to the school and the program.  Disparaging remarks about a coach can be made and other recruits that are coming in.  Vice versa, good comments can help in a positive way. 

 These are just some of the ways that recruiting has changed in college athletics and with each turn in technology it changes more and more.

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