February 15, 2008

Recruiting 101 for parents

Kevin McCarthy
 

Anyone’s choice of college, let alone a basketball recruit, can be a life-making or breaking decision. For a 17-year-old, it’s a strange situation, what with all these adults painting the best of portraits for and about you. It can also be bewildering for parents.

Here are some rules of the game to follow so to speak. Learn them and add to them. These may not make the decision-making process any easier but will provide the information necessary to make an informed choice.

Josh Akognon. Antonio Kellogg. Dior Lowhorn. Decensae White. Adrian Oliver. Armondo Surratt.

Each of these young men headed out of the Bay Area to colleges throughout the country after their senior years in high school, star players wooed and won by a number of top-flight Division I basketball programs.

photo of Carl Foster
The Oakland Soldiers’ Carl Foster has been involved with college recruiting for many years

All eventually came back to California, primarily to the Bay Area, to continue both their on court and classroom education.

Is there a pattern to discern from these changes of minds, besides California being the common denominator as the return destination?

Such would require the cooperation of each prodigal son if concrete answers are desired and understandably such isn’t really for public discussion.

So rather than perform an autopsy from afar on each returnees’ decision, let’s broaden the perspective with the assistance of a couple of individuals quite familiar with prep and college basketball.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts" -- Daniel Patrick Moynihan

First up is Bob Bramlett, a co-founder of the West Valley Basketball Club. Always a straightshooter, Bramlett initially offers "There is no one specific reason, there’s a variety," when asked about why players bounce back from their initial colleges of choice.

"Unrealistic expectations" is right up there, per Bramlett. "A kid may have a dream to play basketball at this school or for that coach and his parents want to do whatever it takes to fulfill that dream. The parents truly love their son -- aren’t out of control or obsessive -- they just want to make it happen if he sees himself as attending a big time D-1 basketball school. But when the reality is the kid’s a lower level or even a Division II, Division III talent, well, that’s the makings of a soon-to-be-failure, a disaster."

Sometimes, it’s the parent or parents who envision big things for their child and a reality check is needed for that equation. "Educate yourself but in an honest way," counsels Bramlett.

"We tend to forget that a chance to get a quality education wherever it may be and pay as little for it as possible can truly be a success," Bramlett offered, emphasizing the word ‘can.’

He continued with another scenario. "Sometimes, the kids don’t want their parents to have to pay for their education but it’s worthwhile to fully evaluate accepting an offer even if it’s the only one out there -- think it through. It may or may not be worthwhile walking on at another school or attending a junior college rather than ending up at a school that is a bad fit socially and educationally."

Bramlett did counter with this proviso: "It’s a different situation if accepting a basketball scholarship is the only way to attend college."

"But some kids aren’t physically or emotionally ready for a committment to a D-1 basketball experience and what that actually entails," he continued. "The junior college system is good both educationally and in playing basketball and that’s something to consider."

Turning the light on to himself, Bramlett said: "Guys like us kind of fail when we get more concerned about landing the next big star or keeping the talent rolling in than with providing an honest talent assessment. We shouldn’t deceive kids or their parents because college coaches won’t when the time comes. I will provide my professional opinion but then it’s up to the parents and the kid to decide which direction to head. They may disagree with what I say and that’s there perogative. I have no desire to ruin someone’s dream but I will offer what I believe to be true."

Bramlett concluded with this admonition: "Nobody can get anyone a scholarship, no one has that kind of pull regardless of what is said. I can call people, maybe help with awareness but no college coach will take someone he feels won’t be able to help."

"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg" -- Abraham Lincoln

Carl Foster, is a major domo with The Oakland Soldiers basketball club and his takes on numerous basketball subjects are always compelling. He also cites unrealistic expectations, along with coaching changes, home sickness, different cultures and being unclear about what the experience living elsewhere will really be like as among the myriad of reasons kids bounce back from their original college of choice.

"It’s tough to tell kids what the reality is, especially when they see themselves at a high level," Foster continued. "But sometimes the key is what role do they want to play and are willing to accept? You may see yourself as an immediate star but the coach sees you helping by your junior season. You may expect or want to be an all-conference player at a certain level when becoming a mid-major star is more realistic. Are you a Top 200 player dreaming of Duke when Xavier might be a better choice? Do you want a career resembling the one you had in high school? Do you want to be a featured guy or a complementary player? Honestly assess what the teams you are considering need and what does it take to be that guy. Who is already on the team and at what positions? What is the talent level of most of the players? What style of play is used and is that conducive to your play? Chuck Hayes was never all-SEC at Kentucky but he filled a role for his team and is now in the NBA. Take Quentin Thomas. Other people’s expectations were that he could be a star at this school or that but he’s enjoyed four years of Roy Williams, playing in the ACC, being on national television. He’s in the same ‘fraternity’ as Michael Jordan and what he has learned and who he has met will be invaluable the rest of his life."

As for what to determine prior to making a decision, especially a final decision, Foster said, "Call the process a frame that needs to be filled. Let someone tell you the blunt, honest truth but keep in mind that’s just one person’s opinion. It’s incumbent on parents to do some digging, to go to multiple resources. Utilize insight from impartial observers because someone from outside the family generally has a better chance of noticing if a player has a slow shot, a high dribble or coasts too much in high school."

Foster advises that a third party can also be familiar with asking questions parents may not know to ask a college coach, or may inquire about but not get the information necessary to decide. "Coaches are less likely to talk fluff with a respected AAU guy or an informed high school coach," he said.

Continuing on, "most college coaches won’t promise anything -- they will give you answers that may or may not help in making your final decision. If a kid or parent asks about playing time, a wise coach will respond with ‘do you think you will demand minutes from the get-go?’ If the kid or parent responds affirmatively, the coach may then say ‘then you’ll deserve to play.’ Notice how no committment was made."

Another key factor is the differences in recruiting between the national powers and lower level conferences. According to Foster, "With the Big Sky schools, it’s rare for a coach to recruit say back-to-back point guards. Typically they don’t recruit ‘over’ a previous class unless there are some special circumstances or needs. But at big time schools like UCLA, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas and the like, the coaches there need to appease alumni 24/7 and must land ‘stars’ every recruiting season."

Foster continued, "A lot of people get caught up in the beauty pageant aspect of recruiting but it’s more important to fully determine if a school fits your academic needs, your social needs, your level of play. I use the girlfriend analogy -- find the one who best meets your most important needs, who loves you and will take care of you, rather than chase after five others who may like you. Drew Gooden took only one visit and decided he was set. Kansas had what he wanted so he cancelled his other travel plans."

Ultimately, the best advice boils down to these factors, a cheat sheet of sorts for the decision-making process of selecting which school, coach and basketball program with which to align.