On the road again…
 
Hello out there from the busy world of CNU Men's Basketball. As is usually the case, the summer is absolutely flying by. We are less than a month of way from freshmen move-in! As the calendar turns to the heart of July, college basketball coaches across the country begin the annual non-stop recruiting journey of this month. Like salmon swimming upstream, us coaches fan out across the country to the usual events and destinations, hopping from one place to the next as hundreds and hundreds of high school players showcase their talents.
 
My journey began last week, as I traveled to Reading, PA for two events run by the preeminent Hoop Group organization. These events are great for programs like ours because in a single location you are able to see over seven hundred campers play individually and with their high school teams over the course of a few days.
 
Like with most things, the key with July recruiting is to have a plan going in. There is literally no possible way any coach can watch every single player who is at these events. There are simply too many games going on at once. If you try to watch everyone, you end up seeing no one.
 
Thus, before they begin their travels coaches pinpoint players of interest. During the winter and spring every program compiles a list of names of players who have already been targeted as potential recruits. July then provides coaches the opportunity to evaluate the basketball abilities of these players in-depth.
 
Every coach has different basketball skills and abilities that they highly value in prospective recruits. It also depends on the type of player that the team needs to bring in to complement the returning players. Some coaches are looking for very skilled players who can really shoot the ball and/or pass, while others are looking for quick, athletic players who can really fly around the court and play above the rim. Some coaches are looking for all of the above or some combination thereof.
 
All in all, a lot of time, effort, and scrutinizing goes into these July recruiting evaluations. Recruiting, especially the evaluating aspect of it, is certainly an inexact science, but that doesn't mean coaches aren't meticulous with their search processes.
 
I am currently with head coach John Krikorian in King of Prussia, PA, where we have been watching some of our top 2013 recruits since Wednesday. We will then travel over the weekend to Boyds, MD for another recruiting event. This is the first time Coach Krikorian is watching a lot of these recruits play live. Fortunately, most of them have been performing well, which of course helps to ensure my continued employment at CNU men's basketball for the near future.
 
July leaves little time for rest, as most coaches are constantly on the move from one event to another. Next week will take me on a solo trip to Orlando, FL and then finally back to Richmond, VA for the final leg of the month.
 
As our journey continues, stay cool out there and enjoy the remaining weeks of summer!