You Make The School, The School Doesn’t Make You

Wellington Smith here, Regional Director for Unity Sports Group. So often I get asked about my college recruiting experience.

Who recruited you?

• West Virginia University
• Wake Forest
• Georgia Tech
• University Of Virginia
• Rutgers
• Seton Hall
• South Florida

When did you sign your national letter of intent?

• The early signing period before my post graduate basketball season at Blair Academy.

Why’d you choose West Virginia?

• The coaching staff, the people and the players made me feel comfortable. WVU basketball and football are the pro teams and you’re treated as such all over the state of WV.

Often times I get asked what players should do to get noticed by college coaches. My answer is always, “play on a competitive aau team, with a competitive basketball schedule and go to a competitive camp where college coaches can evaluate you.”

They used to say, “if you’re good enough, they’ll find you.” Well now, more then ever, the saying has changed. If you think you’re good enough, go find the coaches.

I also get questions about kids attending prep over their public school. I was fortunate to have both experiences. What I tell them is this, “the athlete makes the school, the school doesn’t make the athlete.” Or in some instances, the coaches makes the school and the athlete. Top notch programs like St. Anthonys here in New Jersey or Montverde Academy in Florida, come to mind.

Checkout this PDF of a college coaches recruiting schedule.

The athlete makes the school. As I mentioned once before, if you play on a competitive aau program and you go to a competitive camp where college coaches can evaluate your skill level, then you’ll be in a great position to be recruited. However, you can’t just show up and expect to make it, you better bring your game!

After a summer of competitive basketball, it’s time to make noise locally and around your state. This is when you showcase everything that you have learned over the summer. This is when you guide your local team to the promise land and you become the big man or woman on campus.

If you go to a prep school there’s a chance that your coach recruits over you or a player transfers in and takes your time. There’s also an even bigger chance that you aren’t the go to scorer, but if you are then great.

At a local public school, you’ll be the go to scorer, rebounder and you’ll have play after play ran just for you. Soon, whispers about your escapades of dropping 30 points in a half begin to rumble. You’re comfortable, confident and better yet, begin to understand why you decided to stick around in the first place. You start being recruited by local schools, then the summer begins and you do the same exact thing as you did before. You bring that cocky, yet confident attitude to your competitive AAU team and competitive camps, and you begin to dominate the circuit. You go back to your local high school, and you repeat the process until you’re at (insert college) playing basketball.

College coaches evaluation process:

• They evaluate the talent in the summer.
• They choose a few players to follow up with during the fall.
• They choose a handful of players to visit in the fall or winter.
• Depending on scholarships they may offer just one athlete a scholarship to attend their school.

What I’m trying to get across is that college coaches are to busy to see everyone in the fall & winter. So, make your name in the summer, stay on your grind in the fall & winter, then repeat the process. If you aren’t dominating on your middle school or local travel team, then chances are you won’t at your prep school.

Learn how to be the go to player, first and make a name for yourself.

Gain confidence, playing time and experience.

Go to camp and play on an competitive travel team.

Enjoy your time, it goes quicker then you think.

Checkout our website to sign up for fantastic programs.

Jr. Nets Basketball Clinic

Join us for our Jr. Nets Basketball Clinic!

Our Unity Sports coaches create an intense, yet comfortable atmosphere that encourages learning and development. The goal is for each player to leave our one day clinic with improved skills, increased confidence, acquired knowledge on how to practice and succeed, and of course have fun too!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

5 Keys To Maximizing Your Talent

There are many stories of players with incredible talent and potential who most people have never heard of. There could be a handful of reasons as to why they have never been heard from high school, if they got that far. Character issues, poor work ethic, lack of discipline, or they could just be ignorant to how things work. Here are 5 keys to maximizing your talent so that you stay in the news, not out.

Great Players Have a Well Defined Why

Like most great business men and women, they know the purpose of their mission. They understand that in order to be successful there will be personal sacrifices that come with being great. Most great players have a vision and plan to make their dreams a reality. When they play the game, they play with an agenda.

“I need to have 5 points a quarter to average 20 points a game.”

“I need to get 3 rebounds a quarter to get 12 rebounds a game.”

20 points, 12 rebounds, not a bad season, but how do you get there. Anyone can say they’ll make 5 points a quarter, but realistically you’ll only touch the ball a handful of times and not every time you’ll get an opportunity to shoot the ball. So the question is how will you make that happen?

Great Players Have a Plane Of Action

How will achieve your goals? If 20 points and 12 rebounds is your goal for your season what are you doing today, tomorrow…now, to get there? Do you have a plan in place to MAKE 200 shots a day? What kind of shots will you make, pull-ups, layups, threes? Do you understand when you can score in your offense?

Step 1: Put a goal on paper

Step 2: Adding steps to accomplish that goal

Step 3: Doing the steps you added.

Great Players Aren’t Satisfied

It’s not by coincidence that Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, JJ Watt, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, are great players in their game. They have already reached the pinnacle of their career, but yet, they still ask themselves,” what’s next?” If you reach your lifelong dream of making it to play in college or the pros, don’t be satisfied with just getting there. Always strive to do more.

Great Players Outwork Their Competition

Great players are very particular about their daily routine and give every thing they have on a day in and day out basis. They simply outwork everyone, all the time. It does not matter if it’s during practice, during pre-game shoot around or during the game itself. Their intensity is contagious and spreads to the entire team. They set their teams tone with their extraordinary effort. Great players always outwork their competition.

Great Players Are Lifelong Learners

Great players know they cannot reach their full potential alone. They know they need help along the way from coaches and teammates. They see the value in seeking direction from others with more experience.

10 Questions – Raising a Division 1 Athlete

My son is really good, how do I get them to the next level?

My daughter wants to be the next Skylar Diggins, how do I help her achieve that goal?

How do you raise a division 1 athlete?

Last year, Deadspin released an article asking the question, “Which States Produce The Most College Basketball Recruits.” The article got us thinking about a lot of things, most notably about the similarities that each of the athletes had when they were growing up. Understanding that people come from different backgrounds and that Allen Iverson’s story may not be like Grant Hill’s, we asked a few general questions to parents of a division 1 athlete. Check out our brief interview below.

How old was your son or daughter when you realized they could play D1 basketball?

Sophomore or Junior in HS

At a young age did you ever think he could play college basketball?

No, he wasn’t good enough. Always falling on the ground and being bullied by more experienced players.

Was it challenging finding leagues or teams to play on?

Yes, we didn’t know where to look. Sports was heavy in our town, but not basketball.

Were you against private school? If so, why? Or if not, why did you not send your athlete?

No, I was not against private school, but my son wanted to stay with his friends in public school. He wasn’t good enough to play at a private school and looking back, if we took him then he might not have ended up playing in college. Kids get discouraged when they aren’t good at something. It’s a very tough line to walk.

If you could go back, would you have your child attend prep school over public school?

I think it worked out the best way it could. My son was able to get noticed on the AAU circuit and then again at camp. Only the coaches who were really interested came to see him. However, intense academics and athletics do not usually coexist in public school. Having both in high school is a draw for most and could have prepared him better for college.

Are kids that play multiple sports more or less susceptible to being noticed by a Division 1 coach?

My son had one main focus, and it was to play basketball. Though football and baseball were games he played, he was more excited about going to basketball practice and getting better. However, it is true that some kids are naturally gifted in multiple sports. I’m sure every town has such athletes. My kid however, wasn’t that kind of athlete.

Did he/she play AAU basketball?

Yes, he started playing in 9^th grade. We had no idea that AAU basketball existed prior to him playing. He jumped right in and had a fantastic time. Our first AAU experience was great. It’s what kept us coming back.

How far was the largest AAU tournament you attended?

Las Vegas, Florida, Seattle – Keep in mind, we’re from New Jersey so going on trips across the country just to play basketball for a weekend was unheard of for our family. However, in terms of connecting on a deeper level with our son, we were able to do that and wouldn’t change a thing.

How do I make my son/daughter want to get better and work on their game?

Surround them by the game as much as you possibly can. Have them watch the game and in the gym playing the game as much as possible. They will sooner or later pick up different habits from other players that they play against. But, you physically can’t make them do anything. There will come a time when they will either want to be great or they wont.  Fortunately for my wife and I, we had a son that wanted to be really good and worked his butt off to get there. If you force something too much then you can potentially turn them away from it. Give them positive feedback all the time and negative feedback when they ask for it.

What advise would you give to parents whose son or daughter wants to play a sport in college?

Find competent teams and programs, along with good competition and coaches that provide ample playing time, encompassed with consistent skills and drills. Start at a young age supporting a desire to play. Ensure continued focus on the academics also.