If a kid is hoping that one day they can play in that good ole March Madness, it's a good idea to know how to get there.... Most kids think they need to score a bunch of points in order to get a scholarship, but that's not always true... How good would every school be if ALL they had were scorers? Not that good.... There would be no playmakers, rebounders, defenders, etc.....
Here's some of the things these coaches are looking for.... In no particular order....
#1 - Respectable grades - I know I said "In No Particular Order" but I had to start with grades.... Time after time, kids and parents focus so much on basketball, they don't put that same energy towards the kids grades... Kids need to develop a strong work ethic in the classroom just as they would on the basketball court... There's an old saying, "You don't have to be the brightest bulb in the box, but just stay in the box!" . Every kid isn't going to be a genius in the classroom, but there's no excuse to come to school without their homework completed.... There's no excuse to not have reviewed class notes to prepare for an exam on Friday that was told to the class on Tuesday.... A lot of kids try to "Coast" through Middle school as well as their early years of high school.... By time they hit their junior year, that's when they want to get serious.... 9 times out of 10, it's too late.... or it just makes it extremely difficult to reach your goals...
#2 - Great Character - All kids love to play and they feel like they should never come out of the game.... But if they do come out the game, you better believe a coach is watching the kids body language! Kids have to remember to be happy for their teams success and not just theirs... Also, when we talk about character, we have to look how the kid behaves in school... Having a clean record is very important in the eyes of a University.... They understand that things happen in life, but they would prefer if there were no suspensions or serious infractions on an athletes record... I can recall about seven years ago, a college coach called me and asked if it was true that a local player I coached was driving around town without a drivers license.... I told him I wasn't aware of it, which was true, but when he asked me would it surprise me if it was true, I had to be honest and say NO, it wouldn't surprise me.... Any HS or AAU coach is in a position where they have to tell the truth about a kid and his character.... If not, he/she lose credibility in the eyes of a college coach....
#3 - BE A HIGH IQ PLAYER - Coaches love nothing more than a player with a high IQ... A kid who understand every position on the floor and know how to communicate well with team mates and coaches... This is especially important for a point guard because a point guard should be an extension of the head coach on the floor... A high IQ player should always know two things on the floor #1 - Know the time on the clock... #2 - Know the score of the game... I learned from the GREAT COACH BRUCE LEIB that the time and score is extremely important... Helps a player to better manage the game and it leads to more wins.... High IQ players normally are pretty good students as well....
#4 - Watch what you say on SOCIAL MEDIA - Times have changed so much because of technology... Coaches can now follow your every move with the click of a button... If you turn out to be a pretty good player, coaches can now Follow you on TWITTER.... That can be a blessing and a curse.... It all depends on the type of person you are... Some kids put their relationships with their friends all over Social Media and they use words that they probably wouldn't use around their grandmother.... Since lots of parents either don't monitor their kids social media pages or don't care, kids say what they want.... This is an opportunity for coaches to judge your character daily.... See, you can fool most of the people most of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.... If you're a parent and you invest thousands of dollars in your child so they can have a future in this sport, treat your child like you would treat any good investment.... Pay attention to them, listen to them and help put them into the best positions to have a great future... It doesn't just happen by luck or chance, success is prepared for and given to those who work for it....
#5 - DO WHAT YOU DO BEST AT! - Sometimes kids will get into a grove and think they can do all the things they see on tv... Most times they are completely wrong... If you are a shooter, shoot the ball.... If you are a post player, post up.... If you are good at penetrating and dishing, penetrate and dish.... If you rebound really well, REBOUND THE BALL.... Games aren't the place to work on new moves and new skills.... Do that on you own personal time and as you improve, you can now do it in the game... If a coach is watching, that's not the time to show weaknesses...
#6 - Keep getting better! - One thing that's important is to always progress as a player... If a coach see a player in July, they would like to see something different or improved by time they see the kid in September.... If a kid really want to be good, they should be working on their game weekly and should be improving at a constant rate.... Some kids are really good in Middle School so people think that this kid is the best thing since sliced bread... The problem with that is most kids believe the hype about themselves and never really improve.... I can recall a lot of kids in my neighborhood who were really good in the 7th and 8th grade... They were bigger, stronger, faster and just more advanced than everyone else.... Some kept improving like Rafer Alston and Shaheen Hollaway, just to name a few... Others got no better so I don't even remember their names anymore... lol.... Most scholarships are offered to a kid during their jr year and heading into their senior year.... So it doesn't matter if a kid is the best MIDDLE SCHOOL BALLER... It means nothing in the long run because sooner or later players will catch up as they continue to get stronger.....
There's always more things to be aware of but this will at least give some kids a blueprint for success.....
Coach Little
Here's some of the things these coaches are looking for.... In no particular order....
#1 - Respectable grades - I know I said "In No Particular Order" but I had to start with grades.... Time after time, kids and parents focus so much on basketball, they don't put that same energy towards the kids grades... Kids need to develop a strong work ethic in the classroom just as they would on the basketball court... There's an old saying, "You don't have to be the brightest bulb in the box, but just stay in the box!" . Every kid isn't going to be a genius in the classroom, but there's no excuse to come to school without their homework completed.... There's no excuse to not have reviewed class notes to prepare for an exam on Friday that was told to the class on Tuesday.... A lot of kids try to "Coast" through Middle school as well as their early years of high school.... By time they hit their junior year, that's when they want to get serious.... 9 times out of 10, it's too late.... or it just makes it extremely difficult to reach your goals...
#2 - Great Character - All kids love to play and they feel like they should never come out of the game.... But if they do come out the game, you better believe a coach is watching the kids body language! Kids have to remember to be happy for their teams success and not just theirs... Also, when we talk about character, we have to look how the kid behaves in school... Having a clean record is very important in the eyes of a University.... They understand that things happen in life, but they would prefer if there were no suspensions or serious infractions on an athletes record... I can recall about seven years ago, a college coach called me and asked if it was true that a local player I coached was driving around town without a drivers license.... I told him I wasn't aware of it, which was true, but when he asked me would it surprise me if it was true, I had to be honest and say NO, it wouldn't surprise me.... Any HS or AAU coach is in a position where they have to tell the truth about a kid and his character.... If not, he/she lose credibility in the eyes of a college coach....
#3 - BE A HIGH IQ PLAYER - Coaches love nothing more than a player with a high IQ... A kid who understand every position on the floor and know how to communicate well with team mates and coaches... This is especially important for a point guard because a point guard should be an extension of the head coach on the floor... A high IQ player should always know two things on the floor #1 - Know the time on the clock... #2 - Know the score of the game... I learned from the GREAT COACH BRUCE LEIB that the time and score is extremely important... Helps a player to better manage the game and it leads to more wins.... High IQ players normally are pretty good students as well....
#4 - Watch what you say on SOCIAL MEDIA - Times have changed so much because of technology... Coaches can now follow your every move with the click of a button... If you turn out to be a pretty good player, coaches can now Follow you on TWITTER.... That can be a blessing and a curse.... It all depends on the type of person you are... Some kids put their relationships with their friends all over Social Media and they use words that they probably wouldn't use around their grandmother.... Since lots of parents either don't monitor their kids social media pages or don't care, kids say what they want.... This is an opportunity for coaches to judge your character daily.... See, you can fool most of the people most of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.... If you're a parent and you invest thousands of dollars in your child so they can have a future in this sport, treat your child like you would treat any good investment.... Pay attention to them, listen to them and help put them into the best positions to have a great future... It doesn't just happen by luck or chance, success is prepared for and given to those who work for it....
#5 - DO WHAT YOU DO BEST AT! - Sometimes kids will get into a grove and think they can do all the things they see on tv... Most times they are completely wrong... If you are a shooter, shoot the ball.... If you are a post player, post up.... If you are good at penetrating and dishing, penetrate and dish.... If you rebound really well, REBOUND THE BALL.... Games aren't the place to work on new moves and new skills.... Do that on you own personal time and as you improve, you can now do it in the game... If a coach is watching, that's not the time to show weaknesses...
#6 - Keep getting better! - One thing that's important is to always progress as a player... If a coach see a player in July, they would like to see something different or improved by time they see the kid in September.... If a kid really want to be good, they should be working on their game weekly and should be improving at a constant rate.... Some kids are really good in Middle School so people think that this kid is the best thing since sliced bread... The problem with that is most kids believe the hype about themselves and never really improve.... I can recall a lot of kids in my neighborhood who were really good in the 7th and 8th grade... They were bigger, stronger, faster and just more advanced than everyone else.... Some kept improving like Rafer Alston and Shaheen Hollaway, just to name a few... Others got no better so I don't even remember their names anymore... lol.... Most scholarships are offered to a kid during their jr year and heading into their senior year.... So it doesn't matter if a kid is the best MIDDLE SCHOOL BALLER... It means nothing in the long run because sooner or later players will catch up as they continue to get stronger.....
There's always more things to be aware of but this will at least give some kids a blueprint for success.....
Coach Little
#LOVE IT. Good stuff, thanks Coach!!
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