3 Steps To Help You Get Recruited During COVID-19
The Spring evaluation period has already been cancelled due to Covid-19 and it’s unclear how this pandemic will affect the rest of the summer.As the July recruiting period hangs in the balance, there are many athletes unhappy with their current offers.
Here are 3 steps that you can take to be proactive during this time:
The Spring evaluation period has already been cancelled due to Covid-19 and it’s unclear how this pandemic will affect the rest of the summer.
As the July recruiting period hangs in the balance, there are many athletes unhappy with their current offers.
Here are 3 steps that you can take to be proactive during this time:
1. Research/Know your fit and make a list
When looking at schools that you want to attend, create a list of things that you want out of your college experience. Do your homework and make sure that the academics and athletic program aligns with your wants.
There likely won’t be a perfect match but if you come up with your non-negotiables (ex: Engineering program, uptempo playing style, within 5 hours from home) you will be able to come up with 8-10 schools that you could envision yourself playing for, maybe more.
Once you’ve made this list, organize the schools starting with your top choices.
Quick tip: Make sure your list is realistic. If you are being recruited mostly at the D2 level, then creating a list full of D1 programs isn’t the best way to spend your time.
Unless you’re planning on going pro, don’t get too hung up on level. Go where you’re wanted, where you can have an impact and great experience on the court, campus and classroom.
2. Gather and Send
Now that you have your list, you need to get all of the contact information of the coaching staff, you can usually find all of this on the athletics website. It’s best to send your email to all staff, giving it a higher chance to be opened.
You will also want to gather recent full game film, a highlight video if you have one, your stats, any awards you received and your GPA. Once you have all of these, it’s time to draft your email.
Keeping the email to 5 to 6 sentences is ideal. Do your best to leave out your life story (save that for the recruiting calls). You want to make the email easy to read and to the point. Throw in a quick compliment of the program, why you’re interested and let them know you’re excited to speak with them.
Quick tip: If you’re being recruited by anyone that they compete with, let them know. It helps to quickly give coaches perspective on what level you are and may intrigue them more.
Once you’ve drafted your email, make sure to include the game film(s), your contact information (include social media ex. Twitter handle), your coach’s contact information and links to any articles that feature you.
Try to personalize these emails as much as possible. Triple check to make sure that when you’ve created your template, you’re not putting in the wrong school name or coach’s name in the message :)
Finally, the subject line. This is very important. It will be the first thing they see so make sure to include your full name, year and position.
3. Don’t be shy - Follow up!
You want to stand out from the competition? Get on the phone. We all know how many kids are awkward and don’t enjoy being on the phone but one way to separate yourself is to actually reach out to the coach and introduce yourself.
Nervous? Here’s a little script to give you some guidance:
Hey Coach ______, this is Mya Hooper. I’m a 2021 and I’m very interested in your program. I sent you and the coaching staff an email last week with some game film that I would love to get your feedback on.
Here are some potential scenarios:
They haven’t watched: Let them know you’ll send another email with it attached when you get off the phone.
They watched and are interested: See if it’s possible to set up a virtual tour with your family. FaceTime is your best friend during these unique times!
They watched and it’s not a good fit: Cool, use it as an opportunity to get some free advice to get better!
They don’t answer: Leave a voicemail or shoot them a quick text once you’re off the phone.
Your goal with this phone call is to see if they are recruiting your position in your class. Some schools would be a great fit but they just don’t have a need for your position.
If that’s the case, great, move on, there’s plenty more out there. It’s better to find that out now so that you can put more time into pursuing other opportunities.
No response to your email and no phone number to call?
No problem, keep emailing! You have to understand that coaches are receiving close to one hundred emails a week from athletes interested in their program so it’s likely they just missed yours.
Give it a few days to a week between and keep reaching out until you get a response. Persistence is key!
--- Happy recruiting!
How to Become a Better Scorer
When you watch the most prolific scorers, the one constant you will notice is that they are rarely, if ever, sped up. Understanding the importance of pace as a scorer is something that can have an instant impact on your game and ability to score.
So what are some practical ways that you as a player can improve in this area? Here are 3!
When you watch the most prolific scorers, the one constant you will notice is that they are rarely, if ever, sped up. Understanding the importance of pace as a scorer is something that can have an instant impact on your game and ability to score.
So what are some practical ways that you as a player can improve in this area? Here are 3!
ROLL THE TAPE..
If you are a film watcher, take a look at a few of your games and pay close attention to each moment that you are going full speed at times that it’s not required or bringing value to your play. Evaluate the decisions you’re making when you are playing at that pace and track the efficiency of those decisions each time you touch the ball.
GET THE CONES OUT..
Cones are a great way to give you a visual as you are beginning to work on your pace/change of speed. Set them up in a line like the video below and use your imagination from there.
Work on going from slow to fast and from fast to slow and everything in between. Get your body used to changing speeds while remaining in good balance.
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE..
Whether you have access to open runs or a buddy you can get on the court and play one on one with, both are good for experimenting. In one on one it’s a great way to feel how you can control your defender with your different speeds.
During a pick up session it’s great to feel yourself control your defender but also to be able to recognize how that change of speed impacts secondary defenders off the ball.
The final piece of advice is to watch as much basketball as you can. Find a player that you feel your game relates most to and study them.
Watch how they move.
Pay attention to what they do with and without the ball.
Study how they score and find ways to improve your game in those areas.
All of the information you need is out there but keying in on what applies directly to your game/abilities is often what trips players up.
So don’t waste your time working on skills that won’t translate into your game’s DNA.
Be honest with yourself, know your strengths, know your weaknesses and own it.
The quicker you can figure these things out, the quicker you will be on the right track to reach your potential as a scorer.
How to Build Team Culture
Today, with the reality of the uprise in anything from high school/college transfers to coach investigations, it’s clear why culture is the new buzzword.
There’s a lot of great advice out there that gives plenty of solutions in ways to establish and/or improve your team’s culture but let’s focus on one that is not only practical in its application but also whether you’re a head coach, an assistant or a player it will benefit your program.
Today, with the reality of the uprise in anything from high school/college transfers to coach investigations, it’s clear why culture is the new buzzword.
There’s a lot of great advice out there that gives plenty of solutions in ways to establish and/or improve your team’s culture but let’s focus on one that is not only practical in its application but also whether you’re a head coach, an assistant or a player it will benefit your program.
Everything that is strong starts with the foundation and when it comes to culture, that foundation is trust. It’s the foundation of every successful team no matter what sport, company or relationship.
Let’s look at it from on 3 levels…
HEAD COACHES > ASSISTANTS > PLAYERS
Starting from the top. Your staff’s ability to work together can make or break a team. The trust from the head coach to the assistants is crucial.
Some coaches feel the need to do a little more micro managing and direct every aspect of the team through the assistants. If this is how you run your program, it may work for you but it doesn’t exactly exemplify trust.
Trust can be displayed by head coaches releasing that control. By allowing assistants to take ownership in important areas it allows for their growth as a coach while empowering them to be more productive and feel more valued as a staff member.
When you are relied upon as an assistant in this way, you take on a completely different mentality when it comes to your work. As difficult as it may be to relinquish that control, in the long run if you’ve hired the right people it will pay off.
I can’t say enough about the impact this has on players. Players recognize when it’s a one man/woman show and it’s often reflected in their respect of the assistants.
By giving your staff more trust, you are creating extensions to your players that you on your own wouldn’t be able to achieve.
Finally for the head coaches direct trust with the players, ask them questions! There is nothing better than feeling like your head coach values your opinion as a player. It not only builds trust but it also disarms players and puts them in a less defensive mindset when it comes to receiving your feedback/criticism.
ASSISTANTS > HEAD COACHES > PLAYERS
This trust goes both ways...Assistants have to also show trust in their head coach. It’s a normal thing to disagree with your head coach and debate but once a decision is made, it is important that you are on board regardless of your opinion.
You’re all on one boat that has the goal of going one direction. If assistants aren’t paddling in the same direction the result will be a negative one no matter who is right or wrong.
When you can disagree with your head coach in a meeting but display on the court, in front of your team that you are all on the same page as a staff, it gives your head coach more trust in you and allows for the respect in that relationship to grow.
When it comes to players, the reality is that they are very much in tune to the state of the staff’s relationship. They quickly pick up on rifts and it becomes the hot topic of the locker room, which is the exact opposite of where you as a coach would like for their focus to be.
PLAYERS > ASSt./HEAD COACH > TEAMMATES
For players, teams typically designate leadership at the beginning of the season. Regardless of your position, age or experience you can have an impact.
Communication is number one when it comes to building trust with your coaches but it’s equally as important with your teammates. When it comes to players and coaches, you want to make sure that there is a clear understanding to your role on the team.
You have to be on the same page with your coach to have the best chance to make an impact.
As for your teammates, your communication is key in that you are POSITIVE. This is a very important aspect of building trust among teammates.
If you can challenge yourself to build up your teammates on a daily basis and not succumb to the temptation of the gossip/negativity in the locker room you are guaranteed to gain the trust of your teammates.
When others can see the impact that you have with a positive mindset, it’s natural for those habits to ripple through your team and for them to follow.
Everyone wants to have a great culture and win games, unfortunately there isn’t just one easy fix, but if you’re going to start somewhere, start with trust.