As we make our way into the heart of July, I'm often reminded of my time as a Prep school coach at the AAU tournaments. For two summers, we brought a club team made up of mostly players from our incoming prep school class, and for three summers, we followed incoming or prospective student-athletes that played for other club teams. Two summers in a row, we had Westwind players 'blow up', as word about them spread, more and more coaches came to check them out. One of those players is now in the NBA, the other plays at a prominent High Major School. At the same time, we had others who had the potential to 'blow up', end up fizzling out, and we watched as their recruitment struggled to take off throughout the school year as well. Some of those players are now at lower levels than they anticipated, are playing at junior colleges, or are out of basketball entirely. Thus proving, that the summer before your senior year is an important one if you choose for it to be. However, it may take swallowing your ego to ultimately get you the results you want. Based on my experience, I'm going to now contrast traits from the two who 'blew up' against the ones that didn't. I found that our players that did well did so because of a combination of their physical gifts and the way they carried themselves. The ones that didn't get the recruitment they wanted got their results because of a combination of a lack of physical gifts and the poor way they carried themselves.
The guys who saw their level of interest from schools rise during July:
1. Had standout physical appearances and above level individual skills for their sizes. One was a 6'8 g whose club team had him handling the ball at the point guard position. He could handle the ball extremely well for his size and had leadership and an ability to see the floor that was unmatched by others of his height. He was an available player that nobody else had. The other player was 6'11 and about 260lbs. A large human, yet was in very good shape. Compared to other players on the court, he clearly stood out. Again, he was somebody that nobody else had. However, I've seen players like them before and since, without the other pieces they brought to the court, they wouldn't have received the attention they did.
2. Played to win - They didn't see their role as only being a scorer, or weren't focused on how many points they got. Instead, they did everything necessary to win games. They ran their offenses, they rebounded, defended, and played the role they were asked to extremely well. It wasn't about the points, it was about winning games.
3. Were visibly coachable - These guys would listen intently whenever a coach spoke to them. They would execute what they were asked to, and they never complained. They bought in to the team they were playing for, and it showed on the court.
4. Did not show negative emotion on the court - They were steady. Regardless of whether all was going well or not, they continued to play their game and their role. They didn't get better when their team was on a run and worse when the other one was. They played hard every possession and tried to win that possession.
5. Had the ability to make the right play when the game was on the line - One player would do what he was asked and take the winning shot out of the set that was drawn up for him. The other had to defend and secure the winning rebound. Regardless, the big moment didn't faze them, they didn't get "hero syndrome". They did what they were asked to do and helped their team win (see #2).
The guys who didn't see their level of interest from school rise during July:
1. Did not have standout physical traits for the position they play: Maybe one was 6'9 and could jump out of the gym. However, if he's too skinny and is going to be pushed around, that's a red flag for a lot of schools. Couple that with the inability to play any position outside of power forward and you have a player that is unable to help a college team win games. Players blow up in July for a reason, and that's often because of the work that was put in prior to the July AAU period.
2. Cared about stats more than wins - One former college coach said it best when he said he would't recruit anyone that scored 30 points per game for a 10-10 team. The points you score don't matter if you're unwilling to do the little things that help teams win. Good coaches and recruiters notice these things, and they trust their eyes. If you're scoring 30, but you can't guard, then you're not getting an offer.
3. Argued with their coaches - I'm talking about the guys that whine when they're pulled out of a game and instead of staying invested on the bench, slouch in their chair until their coach puts them back in. College coaches want guys that want to win as bad as they do. If your stats are your #1 priority, you won't be their #1 priority.
4. Pouted visibly - This is the player who yells at their teammate when they don't get the ball. This is the player that whines at the refs after they don't get a foul call. This is the player that jogs back on defense because they miss a shot. This is a player that won't get recruited at the level they want.
5. Made sure they had the ball in their hands at the end of the game, regardless of whether or not it was what the coach wanted - We once had a right handed player shoot the ball left handed instead of pass it off at the end of a summer league game because he was so focused on being the hero. You don't have to take the final shot to make a winning play, sometimes its a screen, a rebound, a smart pass, the right movement. Coaches will notice, because if they're at your game to see you, they're watching YOU in that situation.
Overall, it shouldn't be a shock as to which players get noticed on the July club scene and which don't. If one is realistic about what they're looking at, the distinction is clear. Remember, college coaches don't want to get fired, so they recruit players that can be the difference between winning and losing. They're not going to spend time dealing with a 12th man who is pouting. If you want to increase your chances to be successful this July, you'll demonstrate some of the positive, winning attributes mentioned above. Obviously, it's too late to do much about your size and skill before the live period, but that doesn't change how you can play the role asked of you. Play to win, and you will increase your chances. It not a solution that covers all issues, but playing to win never hurts you.
Good luck this month.
For more information, follow me on twitter @coachdesautels
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