Here are 3 basketball recruiting tips based on our experiences that can help you with the recruiting process.
- Don’t Get Hung Up on Perceptions – Many players grow up dreaming of playing for a big powerhouse school like Duke or UConn. They are convinced that they want to play in the PAC-12 or Big Ten. But when it comes down to it, your perception of a school, coach or conference is not always reality.
The truth is, you may think you love a school, coach or conference, but you have no idea what that program or conference is like until you’re in it. What you see on TV and read in papers is not always reality.
Do not decide where you’re going before you experience it for yourself. Which brings us to point #2.
- Take Official Visits and Do So With an Open-Mind
You may think you have your mind made up about going to school A, and you feel like you owe it to the coach at school B to go on an official visit anyway…after all, he’s been recruiting you from the beginning.
So, you visit school B already convinced that it’s not the place for you. A word of advice…don’t waste anyone’s time! Don’t go on an official visit if you are certain that that school is not for you.
College coaches are busy and you should have better things to do with your time. Only go on an official visit if you are seriously considering that school. Once you are on a visit, do the following:
- Learn everything you can about the basketball program, the coach, and players
- This is very important: learn everything you can about the school
- It’s important to weigh your options, but you have to open yourself up to those options first! You may find that what you thought about school B is anything but true! But take your visits and do so with an open-mind.
- For Many, It’s About the People
Some kids and parents struggle with the recruiting process because they do not have an appreciation for what it means to play collegiate athletics. The most important thing we can tell you: go where you like the people the most! The majority of your college athletics experience will take place off the playing field. You will have team meals, road trips, weekend parties, weightlifting sessions, locker room talks and other social events.
While on your visit, ask yourself, do I see myself living my life with these people? Are the guys or girls on the team now the kinds of people that I like to be around? Your teammates and classmates are going to be your best friends over the next few years. You will spend countless hours with them. Do not get hung up on your desire to play for a certain school or in a certain conference and sacrifice your comfort and happiness away from the playing field. This is tough to do, especially if you have a lot of talent. However, if the school and people are not the right fit, you need to move on.