Every November I’m reminded of the tremendous parallels between the recruiting process and the obsessive efforts of political candidates running for office at virtually every level. For the record…that’s seldom a good thing.
On both the campaign and recruiting trail the barrage of information intensely disseminated about individuals or programs can be overwhelming not to mention grossly distorted and misleading. The good part is that should we as voters make a mistake in who we elect to office we know we’ll have the chance to correct the errors of our way when the time for re-election rolls around. For the athlete, “term limits” are short with just four years to compete. Make the wrong choice in a school and the resolution may not be quite as simple as the electoral process.
Student-athletes always have the option of transferring, however it comes with the baggage of sitting out a year as well as a second, albeit much simpler, adaptation period. Hardly ideal but more often than not a much better choice than remaining in something less than an optimal situation. Having just five years to play those four, time is a commodity that has its own price tag as well as an indisputable “no refund” policy. Regardless of the effort, cost and duration of any decision process there is an inherent value in skepticism, research and a good dose of comparative shopping. The best solution for both recruits and any voting constituency is to get it right in the first place.
Whether you’re listening to a candidate or a college recruiter it’s important to never forget the base reality of the relationship you share…you have something they want. Both votes and commitments serve the ultimate purpose of coaches and political wannabes. If you didn’t have either “currency” to offer, the odds are they wouldn’t even know your name. However, because of that valuable asset that you possess which can help make their dreams come true, you and your future instantly become “important”. A reality to embrace with caution is that your decision is suddenly essential to people who barely know you if they even know you at all.
Because you’re now the focus of their very being, the “campaign” begins in earnest and that particular word is applicable in both politics and athletics. Don’t think for one second that any effort to secure your support on election or signing day isn’t measured, choreographed, and analyzed for impact. Spontaneity is great but campaigns and recruiting seldom leave things to chance. Coaches will often cite that as “being thorough” and “paying attention to detail” and maybe, to an extent, that might be true. It also happens to reek of control issues and paranoia regarding your decision making process and their competition for your commitment.
This is where the first real hurdle for a prospect and her family comes up. The process is yours not theirs. Campaign promises and scholarship offers can be intoxicating but the second you hand them the reigns the glasses you’re looking through begin to take on the tint of their school colors. Their interest may be humbling, but never forget that while it may be their job, it’s your life…and you owe them absolutely nothing beyond common courtesy.
Both scenarios, unfortunately, are a massive inundation of propaganda, hype and cultivated messages. The challenge is to sift through the extraordinary amount of electronic, written and conversational information that often has the aromatic qualities of a high occupancy barnyard. Here are some tips and red flags to utilize as you look to take the three ring circus down to a single, more manageable, stage.
· Beware of coaches telling you what should be important in your decision…It’s presumptuous and arrogant on their part and entirely self-serving…Watch out for the words “You need to”…Only you know what is definitively important to your future
· Avoid the tendency to put any stock in “how long” and “how much” when it comes to the recruiting efforts of the programs knocking on your door…Neither does a single thing to make one school a better fit than another and the last coach to jump into the mix may well have the setting that will best serve you in reaching your goals…“We’ve been there from the start” is the most empty overture you can hear and indicates that they’re more interested in selling the process than the possibilities they have to offer
· Just like the pictures of meals on menus, the rooms in hotel advertisements and the profile photos on dating sites, things are not always as they appear…Hollywood caliber web sites, edited videos, images and creative writing can paint a picture that has little basis in reality…Confirm your perceptions first hand or through third party resources
· In politics it’s called mudslinging and in basketball it’s negative recruiting…Regardless, it’s cowardly and an incredible indicator of a complete lack of character…Those speaking badly of others have run out of good things to say about themselves along with any semblance of integrity…Some will tell you that they’re “looking out for your interests” but isn’t it funny how that happens to serve their own…Negative recruiters are hardly mentor material or role models
· Ask the tough questions…Absolutely nothing is out of bounds if it is important to you…College recruiters inserted themselves into your life so any topic high on your agenda warrants an enthusiastic and honest response on their part…Ask the same question at different times and of different staff members or players to see if you get the same answers…Any avoidance or failure to answer the actual question itself is a red flag the size of a football field…The ability of coaches to “spin” answers makes most politicians look like amateurs
· Campus visits (official and unofficial) are the gold standard for fact checking…They’re also more scripted than the State of the Union Address every January…As I’ve advised many times before, show up unannounced, come a day early, stay a day later, see the university landscape without their influence, ask for time on your own, basically make it a point to eliminate as much staging of your time on campus as possible…It can be revealing both in what you see as well as the honesty of the portrayal of a program and opportunities that has been shared with you
· Talk to the players they don’t use as hosts or the ones who are the least involved in your visit or recruitment…Find time with them without the coaches or other players present…Those you spend time with or that tend to be present at meals or on campus tours are, more often than not, carefully chosen and well informed about any prospect on the radar of their coaching staff
· Ask multiple players how reality differs from what they perceived it to be from their own recruiting process…Share with them your biggest concerns and see if their interpretation of that issue matches their coach’s depiction…Again, ask the quietest player at a team meal or a senior who isn’t seeing 30 minutes a game
· Ask about graduation rates in terms of the players that they have signed, rather than just those who have completed their eligibility…It may be semantics but often provides an considerably different answer
· Transfers are a present and ever growing reality in college athletics…Get the details surrounding any players who have left their program in the last few seasons…Don’t allow them to hide behind their concern for a former player’s privacy…Their priority should be on making you comfortable with the chemistry and dynamics of the program they want you to join…If they’re a new staff and there have been multiple roster changes in just a season or two ask how many had the option of staying and how many were cast off into athletic exile…Their honest answer reveals priorities, commitment and character
· When a coach is selling that they “did this” or “did that” while at a previous school(s) find out why they left…Often it’s a good thing in terms of career advancement…However, sometimes they were shown the door and you need to know what went wrong as well as specifically why history won’t be repeating itself should you decide to call their latest campus home (Warning: A lame response like “I didn’t have a player like you” isn’t really answering your question and tells you they aren’t taking your concerns seriously)…Previous success is no guarantee of future accomplishment and because it worked at one school doesn’t mean it will translate into prosperity at another
· Just like politics, stay focused on the message…Cute, creative, warm and fuzzy are all about how the information is delivered rather than what it’s actually saying…It’s easy to get caught up in someone’s Disney World Tomorrowland production and lose sight of your priorities and how they fit when their recruiting efforts are more about showmanship than education about their program…At the same time don’t discredit or underestimate the programs who lack the flash, bells and whistles…It’s the impact of what they’re offering that will make a difference not the means in which they offer it
Campaign Rhetoric – A Small Glossary Of Words And Phrases With The Potential For Creative Interpretations
Postseason – When a program talks about postseason play have them define it…There’s a huge difference in the NCAA and the WNIT and a bigger difference still in the WBI…Some recruiters will even generically refer to their conference tournament as postseason play to create their own illusion of March Madness…Postseason play used to be reserved for those who had a truly special season now you’ve got teams who have lost as many games as they have won talking about themselves in the same breath as those in the Big Dance
Playing Time – If someone is promising playing time imagine what they’ll be telling recruits in the classes coming after you…Any conversation regarding minutes should be about the “opportunity for” rather than a “guarantee of”…The same goes for a starting role…If you’re promised a spot in the line-up before you even commit it would be wise to spend the next four years looking over your shoulder
“You’re our top recruit” – Easy to believe if you’re ranked in the nation’s top five but really irrelevant in any meaningful recruiting conversation…Your status is determined by whether or not there is a scholarship offer on the table…Any other attempt to stroke your ego really doesn’t make a program any more “right” for your future…A better question to ask is “How many players are you offering / recruiting at my position?”…Follow that up by asking who those players are…These days, with the club basketball landscape, it’s likely that you know them and have a perception of the contrasts in your game and theirs
Offer – When a program is offering get definition on the parameters you’re working with…Is it your offer only?…Is it on the table until you decide or does it come with an expiration date?…Are you one of several and does the first to commit gets the prize?…Coach, What are the circumstances that you would pull my offer? (Believe me, there are some)
“I’ll be here your entire career” – What are they going to say? You want someone who will at least acknowledge and identify possibilities and circumstances that might lead to their departure…If the coach’s name is Geno or it’s an individual who just took the job the odds are better you’ll have the same head coach from start to finish…Nobody is going to tell you that they’ll be taking the first offer coming their way
Graduation Rates – See above and beware of the phrase “Our players graduate at a higher rate than the student body as a whole”…Sounds good, but most do…If they don’t, some serious explanations are in order…quickly
“Of course you can play the point/post/wing” – You can find story after story of bait and switch recruiting…There’s never a guarantee and transfers, injuries and underachieving teammates can necessitate a coach reneging on their earlier assurances…Ask the current players about how true to their word the staff has been if you’re one of those not totally defined by a single position (point guard, back to the basket post etc…)
“We lost X number of games by X or less points” – Great rationalization but still losses none the less…You never hear a coach with six or eight losses talking about the margins…Could be a sign of progress but close scores are often not accurate representations of how tight a game actually was…As you look at a team’s previous record examine the box scores, too…If the other team’s bench played a chunk of minutes you can bet that 10 point final margin might be a tad bit misleading
“You don’t need to take any other visits” – When you’ve had a great campus visit coaches are quick to encourage you to pull the trigger and cancel any plans to see what other programs have to offer…And that’s fine if you know you’ve found “home”…In reality no coach who’s genuinely interested in your future would try to talk you out of other visits if you need them to be confident and sure of your decision…On the other hand, if you’re just going to take the trips because you’re allowed, you’re being unfair those other programs and recruits not to mention getting off on the wrong foot with the coaches whose uniform you want to wear
There’s no question that comparing recruiting to the electoral process is an absolute insult to recruiting. At the same time the similarities are extensive and politics demonstrates for you just how challenging the process can be to navigate. Please understand that there are a great majority of college recruiters out there doing things the right way and putting the athlete and her concerns first. However, when you’re behind the wheel and driving down the road you never see a sign indicating “Smooth Pavement Ahead”. So please take these thoughts as they were intended…a signal and warning of speed bumps or detours along the recruiting road. Getting things right the first time will minimize the backtracking of transfers and help any athlete put themselves in a position for success. My solution for sorting out political candidates is a little more complicated and is considered a crime in all 50 states…better pass on that one!
