Players who know what college coaches are looking for can put themselves at an advantage in recruiting. In this article, I explain 3 things players can do to separate themselves in recruitment that aren’t just points, rebounds, or assists!
- Be great on the bench
College coaches want players who will be supportive while they are on the bench. Of course, colleges are not likely to recruit kids who ride the bench the whole game, but every player will be on the bench for some amount of time each game. When you are on the bench stay engaged in the game and try to make a difference while you are out. You come out of the game to catch your breath and get water, but don’t just do that. Get your rest, but also stay engaged.
This one might sound crazy but a lot of coaches will like this. If you ever foul out of a game that college coaches are at, you might think, “This sucks! Now the college coach can’t watch me!” You are wrong because college coaches watch you on the floor and on the bench. Instead, when you foul out, be the greatest cheerleader and supporter of your teammates that a college coach has ever seen. Call out every screen for your teammates from the bench. Be the first one off the bench during timeouts. Engage your other teammates on the bench and tell them to get up. Don’t sit down and put at the end of the bench. Sit right beside your coach. Don’t sit down, keep standing. If you do this, you will deeply impress a college coach. Not only that but if you can do these things genuinely, then you are just a good person overall. On the contrary, if you go to the end of the bench, cross your arms, shut up and slouch over, you are giving off a bad image. You fouled out? Who cares! That doesn’t mean you can’t be a great teammate.
- Celebrate other teammates buckets as much as your own
Whenever a player makes an incredible scoring move, of course they feel good and they should. They might hit their chest or something like that. This is natural and should happen. But how many players get as excited for a teammates bucket as they do for their own bucket?
When a teammate makes a shot, makes a great defensive play, or even executes simple basketball like consistently playing helpside defense, celebrate them! When you celebrate your teammates when they do well, you will also have more influence to hold them accountable when they aren’t performing well. When you celebrate a teammate as much as you celebrate yourself, you are proving you are about the TEAM!
- Tell coaches specifically how hard you work
When recruiting, every player works hard according to themselves or to their head coach. But if I recruit 100 kids and they all “work hard”, they can’t all be working the same amount. So, when you or your high school coach talk about how hard you work, be specific. What exactly do you do on a weekly basis? 5:45 am every morning? 5,000 makes a week? Train with a trainer 3x/week? Are you the hardest worker on your team? Are you consistent? Do you work hard or extremely hard? Be specific in your routines. When everybody “works hard” but no one defines it, hard work begins to not have a specific meaning.
These were three things recruits can do to help their recruitment process. No matter what level of college basketball you end up at, these tips will help you attract more schools and more importantly help you become a better player and person.
For more information on how to maximize your opportunities in recruiting, check out Coach Mason’s new book, “Recruited in Basketball: The Go-To Guide on Earning and Choosing the Best College Basketball Scholarship”.
Coach Mason Waters has served with Phenom Hoop Report in the past and recently completed his first season as a Division 2 assistant coach.