Recruiting - parents impact

[TheRoyalIveyFund]

Catching up on some of these articles about our recruits and others, etc, it struck me just how many the quotes are from AAU coaches, from those with "ties" to the player, etc, and there seems to be no involvement with parents with some of them. Personally, I'd have my kids not say stuff like "Indiana doesn't have anyone that can play guard", stuff like that is not positive. Or, I'd be monitoring their twitters (mine not old enough for twit or facebook yet) and would be an end to swearing and other profane stuff in the public domain.

This makes me think that there's probably some compelling data that shows kids, and by association, their teams, with strong families do better on/off the court than those without (comparing like skill-sets)

When I think of some of our players the last several years, I think how for four years, Brandon never said boo about anything, CJ seems so mature and ready to take the reins, how Andy and Wes were great leaders on/off, etc. We know their families took a strong interest in them and their journey. I don't think it's a coincidence we've been so successful, esp. lately...

Now, I'm not advocating targeting just saints that are all ranked 125+. However, I do like that when looking at the top 25 or top 100, we factor in this sort of stuff. For ex, BJ appears to be have settled in around top 80 or so. To me, those are the type of kids that are great for the program. Good/great 3-4 year, dad knows the game and he has learned what to do and what not do to, will probably bust his butt or not only face JB's wrath, but face his dad's, too...

 

[jordoo]

It is strange that these kids parents aren't more involved from a "whats best for the future of my child" perspective. If one of my children are ever recruited heavily for any sport when they grow up I would most likely never let the coaches talk to them directly without me being there or being on the phone with them. These coaches are adults trying to sway teenagers to their programs to help them win. Not all of them are sleezy or bad but plenty are and don't care that much for the kids. I would rather pay for a trip to the school with my kid so I can be there than let them take a free trip that I would not be on where who knows what could happen to try and convince them to committ. Its just weird how things work IMO. I would want my child to have the ultamite choice in the end between a few schools/coaches that are good fits for them and we trusted the coaches.

It just seems that this would be a normal approach for most parents.

 

[Francis03]

Catching up on some of these articles about our recruits and others, etc, it struck me just how many the quotes are from AAU coaches, from those with "ties" to the player, etc, and there seems to be no involvement with parents with some of them. Personally, I'd have my kids not say stuff like "Indiana doesn't have anyone that can play guard", stuff like that is not positive. Or, I'd be monitoring their twitters (mine not old enough for twit or facebook yet) and would be an end to swearing and other profane stuff in the public domain.

This makes me think that there's probably some compelling data that shows kids, and by association, their teams, with strong families do better on/off the court than those without (comparing like skill-sets)

When I think of some of our players the last several years, I think how for four years, Brandon never said boo about anything, CJ seems so mature and ready to take the reins, how Andy and Wes were great leaders on/off, etc. We know their families took a strong interest in them and their journey. I don't think it's a coincidence we've been so successful, esp. lately...

Now, I'm not advocating targeting just saints that are all ranked 125+. However, I do like that when looking at the top 25 or top 100, we factor in this sort of stuff. For ex, BJ appears to be have settled in around top 80 or so. To me, those are the type of kids that are great for the program. Good/great 3-4 year, dad knows the game and he has learned what to do and what not do to, will probably bust his butt or not only face JB's wrath, but face his dad's, too...

When it comes to the quotes and stuff from AAU coaches. I think the main thing is that it's easier for reporters to contact and network with them at these events because when the kids are playing games in the summer at places like Milwaukee, Orlando, Vegas, Indy, etc, it's hard for a parent to travel to all of these venues. So if you're trying to write about a player and his play from the summer, the best source and info for that is the AAU coach. There are some dirtbags in AAU obviously, but for the most part there are more positive than negative folks coaching these kids and devoting a lot of time away from their family as well to help these kids earn scholarships.

 

[SmilinBob]

Talk about a parent that has some pull look at Mr. Grant...he kept his cool (publicly) about playing time which says a lot to me...class and he gets the big picture.