There’s an old adage that a committed bachelor should never take his current significant other to a wedding. Apparently the urge to walk down the aisle is extremely contagious. Whether that sentiment is true or not, recruiting seems to have a viral component of its own that often leads to emotional, rushed and ill-advised commitments. With the initial signing date just around the corner for 2013 prospects (November 13 – 20), it’s important for those younger classes on deck to avoid getting caught up in the moment and say yes just because a program got on their knee and proposed.
Sadly, in today’s society, divorce and transfer rates are both through the roof and more often than not the result of individuals barely “knowing” the one they pledged their love to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not stumping for long engagements or early commitments. In fact, my perspective is quite the opposite. The woman who puts a diamond on her finger with a wedding date well down the road and the recruit who makes that early commitment without exploring other options might ultimately find a stranger waiting for them at the alter or in the huddle. It’s not a coincidence that those who take more time in recruiting or those who keep dating and hold off on the nuptials are better informed about their suitors…and quite possibly themselves.
Moving on without further matrimonial analogies, the current landscape of women’s college basketball provides plenty of evidence as to why pulling the trigger later rather than sooner may help an athlete hit their target. Entering the 2013 – 14 season just over 100 of the 351 NCAA Division I programs will have a first or second year head coach at the helm. The ripples of change aren’t necessarily confined to the Ides of March or there about either. Just since August there have been five D-I coaching changes impacting not only perspective student athletes but those players already on campus. One of those was a result of another. Two of the five cited resignations for personal reasons while the other two, higher profile shake ups arrogantly provided us with bogus explanations assuming those in the women’s basketball community would blindly buy their nonsense. We’re not the National Enquirer of women’s basketball and “why” is not always relevant as news or even in the recruiting process. At the same time you would hope an athletic department would at least go with the “personal reasons” narrative out of respect for those who may already have a vested interest in the program.
None the less, recent staff revisions aside, that century mark of changes in just two seasons should provide plenty of rational by itself to move slowly through the recruiting process. Making a verbal commitment sends other interested programs (or at least those with any semblance of professionalism) on their way looking for other prospects to fill their needs. If the subsequent departure of a head coach puts a previously committed athlete back on the open market, some previous options for her to explore may no longer be available. That’s not to say that a recruit and her family should constantly doubt the longevity or job security of a coach, but a healthy dose of skepticism and caution may be called for in the case of many. The ones on the proverbial “hot seat”, others with just a year or two left on their contracts and even very successful individuals looking to move up the ladder are risks when it comes to committing early and taking yourself out of the mix.
Beyond firings and resignations there can also be the intervention of the real world that might be cause for not committing right out of day care or middle school. Unfortunately we’ve seen a couple of instances in just the last few years of medical issues that coaches have faced that would be legitimate concerns for a prospect. This fall a highly respected, longtime coach was hit with a law suit by a former and is on the sidelines until its resolution. No one would ever say these types of scenarios call for deleting a program from the short list but the long term result may be worth monitoring before giving the thumbs up or thumbs down.
Assistant coaches are often cited as a key in a prospect’s choice or recognized as the one that developed that personal relationship which was instrumental in her decision. With there being three times as many assistants on the D-I level as there are head coaches, the number of job changes further down the bench the past two seasons is tougher to figure out than the actual cost of Obamacare. Whatever the total, you can bet there were plenty of moves beyond just the changes in head coaches. Assistants move for increased responsibilities, career advancement, pay increases, family concerns, and quite a few have been known to hitch their pony to a friend’s own head coaching opportunity. Assistants can be an integral part of the recruiting process and an invaluable source of insight on the head coach, program and players. I’m not minimizing their efforts but those “special” relationships are their job. It’s an enormous risk for any prospect to make their decision on the basis of the relationship they have with an assistant coach. They’re not who they would ultimately be playing for and have way too many professional variables to be the cornerstone of a commitment. The player who gives a verbal a year or two early may find out that the assistant coaching carrousel spins even faster than the one that head coaches ride.
Players themselves are also a reason for avoiding the express lane in recruiting. The current roster may well have additions and deletions beyond the ones you already know will be graduating before you hit town. Transfers, injuries academics, and even some projected impact players who have disappointed may well change just how a prospect might fit in or who she’ll be playing with. Roster changes necessitate in-depth homework and confirmation of the reasons from multiple sources. It’s not that coaches would lie; they just might leave out a few details or “spin” things in a creative manner. Sorry to drift back to the wedding parallels, but the “details” in regards to the ending of previous relationships just might be worth knowing before saying “I do”.
Obviously for underclassmen the signing classes between now and their own warrant consideration and careful analysis in terms of position, potential and personality. Nobody has choices in relatives but, to a degree, a recruited athlete does regarding their teammates. Ask recruiters what prospects they’re actively involved with and monitor their success in getting commitments from those top choices. It’s important to never forget that they’ll also be signing three classes of athletes after you’re already on campus that will be teammates for at least part of your career. Hold off on your own early commitment to see if their batting average would have them playing AA ball or “in the show”. Those who you play with are just like the in-laws; they can be very special or really screw up a good relationship!
The November signing date is a meaningful moment for seniors and the culmination, for many, of a long recruiting process. There will be coverage, class rankings and press releases that sometimes knock the next couple of classes off the front page for a short period of time…and that’s OK. The 2014’s, 2015’s and beyond will have their day and it will mean a lot more if they slow things down and get such an important decision right the first time. Underclassmen are very much like bridesmaids. It’s important to be there, but avoid the battle to catch the bouquet and be next. Just box out and let it hit the floor!
