what high school girls need to know about recruiting

[acasualfan]

:( In recent days there has been a lot of rumors floating around about big name programs involved in some recruiting violations. As far as anyone knows these are just rumors and most likely will not amount to much. As womens basketball becomes more visible there will surely be a time when a coach or alumni crosses the line. I know on the men's side a lot of effort is given to educate the prospects of what a coach can or cannot do as far as recruiting. In my observations the women bbp have not been given as much scrutiny by the ncaa as the mens but I think this will change. With schools recruiting budgets increasing and visibility via the internet and tv growing having winning programs is going to have more empahsis from alumni and schools. Does anyone know of any program to educate these young womens players about the ncaa recruiting rules. At these summer events has anyone seen questionable actions by coaches or alumni. No names or schools please as we don't want to spread rumors also. thanks

[teammom4]

I have been wondering about this for a few years. When I see top 20 prospects taking forever to commit, it baffles me. I would think the playing field is leveled, & there would be one or two for sure deal-breakers, but it really makes me wonder when you have a kid torn b/w a school in a generally cold area vs a warmer climate, or in one conference with one style of play vs another with a different style.
You don't have to let the school pick you! More often these days on the boys side boys are going where they WANT to go for various reasons. OJ Mayo could have gone to ANY program in the Country & he sent his people to USC to inform them he wanted to come help return a winning tradition to that program, while being able to Market himself for the NBA. Girls are way more reluctant to go out on that limb of a lesser known program. IMHO, it's not rocket science on the girls' side. Opportunity is not there for girls to go pro after one year & it's not even promised if they complete all four yrs., so the focus should be education, placement & what will you get out of the bball program.(along w/ a few others) Kids shouldn't wait until the rising Sr. season to start this winding down process either. Some folks get caught up in the hype of hearing how good their kid is or they are & drag the process out unnecessarily.
To me, the top recruits in the Nation should have it the easiest because they are bound to be successful just about anywhere they go. Folks say don't pick a school based on the coaching staff because it's not promised to be there, but that HAS to be something a kid factors in because it is them, not the professors or admin. who will receive your child & settle them in before they even get to the professors.
I just came out of a weird situation. My daughter is in the '07 class & I was at a eval. tourney over the weekend. The rules didn't apply to me because she is already attending school, but you could still feel the apprehension of coaches to talk to me because they were unsure of my affiliation with her HS program. Most of these coaches weren't from the big programs, so they were being EXTRA careful, but when it was clear, they were receptive, and kept the talk general, not really trying to get inside scoop or anything like that.
I can see where the manipulation & violations may come into play now with the bigger programs because of the weight they carry, but don't know of any examples.
The main thing a kid should be looking for is Major at the the institutions they are considering, geography, & team. Check roster out to see what who's losing & gaining & to see where yo might fit in. Get on campus to mingle with the staff & existing team & to get a feel of the size of campus. Then make a list of some shallow things that may be the deal-breakers. Don't let them run you.

[WOLFSCOUT]

Boss post TM4.

[scoutnwhoops]

I think their only resource is the NCAA video before each event.

In general college coaches are not allowed to comment to anyone on unsigned players, let alone to someone at an event whether they are affiliated or not.

Most teams I see at theses events whine about having to watch the video in the first place.

What would you like to see from the NCAA, besides the video? Is there something specific the guys have that the ladies do not?

[ifyousayso]

Scoutnwhoops I agree that I have not seen anything that better prepares the men against recruiting violations than the women...except the high recruits on the mens side typically have quite a few "handlers" in the process.

There are so many rules and many of them uncontrollable by the player... For instance if a player goes on a visit to a school during the schools season and attends a game. A recruiting violation would be Signs in the stands encouraging that player to attend their school. What can the recruit do about that? Or if the school gives them a T-Shirt - That is a recruiting violation. Alumni or supporters of the program have the same restrictions to contacting a player as a coach... There is ALOT to keep up with during this process. www.ncaa.org has all the rules outlined.

Coaches run the risk of fines and various negative publicity for blatant recruiting violations which could if done and caught on a regular basis end their stint at that college and VERY good salaries(Large DI programs) over time. So for the most part I believe that these coaches are fairly careful in not flagrantly violating policy.

[acasualfan]

I am not aware of any specific ways that boys have that is not acessible to girls except for what was written in bob hurleys sr. book. He oversaw all his players and seemed to be up on ncaa regulations as he had numerous division 1 prospects. He vaguely talked about the dark side of recruiting without giving specifics other than to say some of his players had been offered incentives by certain university affiliates.One question I do have is have there ever been a womens college program that has been put on probation. I am not aware of any. I know there have been numerous infractions documented on the mens side. thanks

[glenn]

There are too many club coaches who don't know NCAA guidelines. It seems to be all about winning - and therefore ego - for way too many coaches. I thought their main mission was helping their kids through this process.

On a slightly related topic, I was talking to Veronica Algeo, who covered the Blue Chip tournament at Penn State for us. We discussed post-game protocol and how coaches differed in the access they allow us. I would like that most who know how much we can help expose their kids are very accomodating. I met a coach last week who clearly did not want to give me the time of day. We both had coaches who obviously thought it was way more important to scream at their kids than it was to give us a little information. We tend not to have a lot of time because we're running to another game.

[teammom4]

That's a sad thing to hear about club coaches. Most of the eval. period is in the club season and if they are uninformed or unconcerned, Houston, we have a problem. I haven't seen one of those videos in like four years or so, and don't remember much of anything it was about. But I hope they cover all bases with these uninformed handlers carrying children through the process. My kid's school obviously has a lot of integrity, because it was them who would double check as to if something was legal or not & they often inform me of the rules & dead periods, etc.

Let me put it out here in case folks don't make it to the ncaa site...DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FROM ANYBODY ASSOCIATED WITH A SCHOOL DURING YOUR RECRUITING PROCESS or after. Over-zealous fans may come at you or do something to show how interested they are in having you, don't acknowledge it. For the friends, fans, and family members, I suggest you read up...the restrictions are endless on what you can & cannot do when in a prospect's life, and after he or she signs you still have to lookout...

[YourCrimsonNightmare]

A very significant percentage of the best recruits for the approaching signing year don't attend the big events like EOT for various reasons. For some, they feel like they can't help their prestige much compared to the risk of injury. For others who have committed, their future coaches have specifically asked them to reduce their risk by not competing in the grueling summer circuit. There are plenty of other reasons, as well.

But for coaches of elite teams to be given an opportunity to showcase their athletes, and then in a huff of personal disappointment take their anger out on their players when they don't have the kind of success with elite kids that they expected for themselves, I just want to say that what you are doing is wrong. These girls are putting it on the line and dedicating amazing amounts of time to be among groups of like-minded peers, and when there's no doubt that they are among the best players in the country, and you decide because of a personally wounded pride that they deserve to be punished for your personal lack of glory, then you should be ashamed of yourself.


These coaches don't know who I'm talking about in general, because those people don't think they need any advice. But, believe me, I know who more than one of you are, and you have been bookmarked by me. For every action there is a reaction, and sometimes it's not what you expected.

The players just want the best chance to have the best life for themselves in the future. So when you abandon them at the end of the road like something disposable, you aren't being a teacher, you are being something that doesn't deserve what you just had.

End of Sermon

[acasualfan]

sounds to me like there is trouble brewing when coaches put their own interests above the players and the team. I hope this is just an isolated incidence. If club team coaches aspirations extend beyond coaching and teaching these young ladies then problems will arise. Recruiting violations are bound to occur espiecially if something is to be gained from having elite players play for you. I am not familiar with the club circuit other than what I read on the internet. In the future i will try to see some tournaments in my area as I have a great interest in wbb and how this young ladies mature at the next level

[Meign]

I came from boys travel ball to girls travel ball.. and if any of you have sons who was very good players.. boys elite aau programs make alot of money. for the best talent from shoe companies.. from reading the mike t white article it said 30-40,000 deals.. boys are like 70+ to cover travel and things.. Basketball is just out of control and it is not for the weak.. and girls travel ball is getting to the level of boys..