By Joe Butler—Metro Index Basketball Scouting Service
What do college coaches and scouts look for in a high school prospect? There are many items so let’s categorize them, but in no specific order.
Size: everybody loves size in basketball. Some big kids (say 6’ 11”) are heavily recruited even though they are weak or have average skills. Why? College coaches hope they can develop during their college careers, and also there are not that many native born Americans that are tall. With high school enrollment on a steady decline, there has been a proportionate decline in size. Today you see more and more taller players in the college ranks from other countries and continents. Metro Index Scouting Service did d survey on the number of high school seniors on the East Coast (Maine to Virginia) that were 1984 graduates over 6’7”. The total came to approximately 80. The number of Division I basketball schools in the same area is approximately 90. What you are looking at is not even a 1 to 1 ratio of big men to Division I schools. In reality, it is hard for a Low Major Division 1 school to recruit a legitimate 6’9” high school post player.
Athletic Type Players: Speed, quickness, jumping ability, and strength have become prominent in the game today. As scout I get questions like “How quick is he?” “Can he leap?” “Is he strong?” “ How big does he play?” Hey it is a fast moving game, it has become a physical game, it has become a game where at 6’4” you play guard where as 40 years ago at 6’5” you were a center. Kids that are slow and cannot leap have great degrees of difficulty competing with the athletic players in basketball. It is a plain and simple fact especially if you are on the short side (under 6’3”) that if you are basically slow, you will most likely get overlooked for the collegiate level.
Intelligence: I think this is an overlooked attribute with basketball players. Many coaches tell their players to “play smart.” Players that make intelligent decisions on the floor will come out ahead the majority of the time. The prime example is Larry Bird. Bird doesn’t have the quickness or leaping ability that others have. What he does though is out-smarts and out-thinks his opponents. Bird knows where to be in all basketball situations. This intelligence combined with his passing and shooting skills has carried him to the top in the game of basketball. I think more and more college coaches are looking for high school players that make great decisions on the floor.
Intensity: Did you ever hear the word “coast?” The majority of people in the USA tend to coast while they work, while they study, on losing weight, on getting in shape, etc… College coaches look for intensity (playing hard). Players love to cut corners, players coast defensively, and consequently a lack of intensity turns some college recruiters off. College basketball is a very intense game. College practices are very intense. High school players that tend to “coast” might have a difficult time playing at the collegiate level.
Attitude: One thing a coach at any level does not need is a player that has an attitude problem. High School coaches jobs are tough; they teach all day, practice usually after school, some get home late every evening, and the pay they get hardly matches the hours they put in. It is a major distraction to a high school coach to have attitude problems. College coaches cannot justify recruiting players that have poor attitudes. Why throw a rotten apple into a bushel of good apples?
Fundamentals and Hard Work: Last but not least. Nothing is more pleasing for a scout than seeing players that are fundamentally sound. Basketball has many skills that require hard work in order to become a complete player. Players have tendencies to work on their strengths and ignore their weaknesses. It is boring to jump rope for ½ hour every day, but it is important for some to become quicker. It is easy to sit and watch the afternoon soaps and drink a cola when you could be out shooting 200 jump shots. Players that work hard are fundamentally sound, and strive to become complete players have a better advantage of playing in college.
Playing basketball, or any sport, in college requires a great deal of dedication. You do not want to overlook the primary purpose of going to college which is to acquire a college education leading to a college degree. Basketball and sports in general tend to push aside the importance of a college education for some players. Sometimes just a minor knee injury can end a student-athlete’s 4 year college athletic career. If you cannot play any more what is left? Guess what? Your college degree. Don’t “blow off” a college degree what will last for the remainder of your life.
RSS feed!
Save To Delicious
Follow On Twitter
