Basic Recruiting Questions

[jas80s]

Hello all,

I am new to the game and I had a few basic questions regarding recruiting and I was hoping some of the vets might weigh in.

1. Generally speaking, about how many players should be recruited at any given time? My first run through, I was usually around 20 or so. I was at a medium school, so the top guys shot me down, so I started focusing on mid level guys and local talent.

2. When in the process do you offer scholarships? Is it solely near the end? Is there an advantage to doing it early?

3. Is there something to be gained by continuing to watch film on a player? Once you get the basic grades they seem pretty static, so is there something else you gain by watching again?

My first time through, I focused on local guys and continued the process with guys who showed interest and abandoned the ones that didn't. Each period I would jettison the guys who said no, and replaced them with a few more prospects. Is that about the gist of it?

Thank you very much for reading.

[Magic Bird]

1. Generally speaking, about how many players should be recruited at any given time? My first run through, I was usually around 20 or so. I was at a medium school, so the top guys shot me down, so I started focusing on mid level guys and local talent.

2. When in the process do you offer scholarships? Is it solely near the end? Is there an advantage to doing it early?

3. Is there something to be gained by continuing to watch film on a player? Once you get the basic grades they seem pretty static, so is there something else you gain by watching again?

My first time through, I focused on local guys and continued the process with guys who showed interest and abandoned the ones that didn't. Each period I would jettison the guys who said no, and replaced them with a few more prospects. Is that about the gist of it?

1. I don't think it matters much how many players you recruit at a time. Only 50 players can be added to your call and watch lists, and other actions like watching film, hosting recruits for campus tours, scouting live at games, and visiting recruits at their homes are limited in the number of times per week one can perform those actions. Some players of the game like to keep their call and watch lists full, other players only watch about 20-30 players at a time, and sometimes players know exactly who they want and who they think they can recruit to their school and pursue less than 10 recruits during the recruiting season. It's your preference. I like to recruit at least 4 guys intensely because that is the maximum number of home visits one can make per week during the contact period. At small schools I will have a plethora of prospects on my call and watch lists since few decent recruits are interested at first in attending low prestige programs. It also takes several weeks to watch film and scout the different summer camps in order to assign grades to recruits and their skills. When coaching schools that likely won't land any top recruits, it's important to consider the grades recruits have to see if they have the skills necessary to play well in your offensive and defensive systems.

Some players do prune their call and watch lists by removing recruits who don't show interest after a few weeks of recruiting, then add some new recruits to the lists to see if any of them begin exhibiting interest. I like keeping players who have the skills I prefer on my lists for months at a time because sometimes a good player will take that long to develop interest in my program. I also keep tabs on these players for the spring recruiting session if I don't fill all of my scholarships in the fall. Sometimes recruits won't look at attending small programs until spring. I do add players to the lists, watch film of the freshly added players, and remove other players from the lists in between fall and spring.

At lower prestige schools, it is easier to recruit local players than out of state and especially out of region prospects.

2. I do not know if there is any advantage to offering scholarships to recruits early (like in July). I prefer to offer scholarships in August, especially on August 14. Recruits' top preferred schools update when the game progresses to August 21, so I like to see if offering a scholarship the week prior makes a difference in how much my prime targets are interested in playing for me. Sometimes I do offer scholarships in July, other times I wait until September.

3. There is nothing gained by watching film of a player more than once.

[jas80s]

Thank you so much, that is great information.

I should say, I'm a fan of your screen name. My dogs are named Magic and Bird, two of my three favorite players of all time.

[Magic Bird]

I should say, I'm a fan of your screen name. My dogs are named Magic and Bird, two of my three favorite players of all time.

You're the second user in the past 24 hours to comment about how they like my username. When I registered I was surprised no one else on the site had thought to use it yet. I chose it because the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rivalry began at the college level and evolved into one of basketball's greatest legends at the pro level. I play both the Pro and College basketball games series produced by Wolverine Studios, love both NCAA basketball and the NBA, and basketball is my favorite sport, and I wanted my username to reflect those preferences. Also, Larry Johnson would have been a poor choice of username because people might have confused my passion for pro and college basketball with an affection for a certain UNLV forward.

Magic vs Bird is the greatest cross-level basketball rivalry ever! (and the only significant cross-level rivalry in any sport to my knowledge, which is not extensive)

[CoachC]

"Hello all,

I am new to the game and I had a few basic questions regarding recruiting and I was hoping some of the vets might weigh in."

One of the reasons I suggested to Gary that an option to skip to the start of the season was because recruiting is the MOST difficult part of the game. Hitting new players with the most difficult part of the game is a bit unfair. I have been playing this game since CB1 though and I will try to give you the best answers I have. Others may disagree, but that's the beauty of this forum! we all respect each other's beliefs.

"1. Generally speaking, about how many players should be recruited at any given time? My first run through, I was usually around 20 or so. I was at a medium school, so the top guys shot me down, so I started focusing on mid-level guys and local talent.

: No matter how many scholarships you have open, the very first day of recruiting, your net should not close until you have the 50 player maximum on players on your call list. by the way, the first week of recruiting, don't put anyone on just the watch list, put them all on the call & watch list (ctrl b in the recruiting menu)

"2. When in the process do you offer scholarships? Is it solely near the end? Is there an advantage to doing it early?"

: If a player is in the top 25 and I am sure I want him I will offer him a scholarship first week of August. In all other circumstances, I will wait til the first week of September, at which point I will offer all my scholarships to the best deserving candidates. The reason for offering a top 25 candidate early is because they may sometimes commit before you have the chance to visit them in September. Making an early August commitment to them, gives them something to consider.

"3. Is there something to be gained by continuing to watch film on a player? Once you get the basic grades they seem pretty static, so is there something else you gain by watching again?"

: Nope. The only reason for watching game film is for your recruiting assistant to get an initial look at the player. looking at more game films does nothing. Going to see a player LIVE that you already have a report on is a different story. If they are local, and visiting them live is cheap, or they are one of your top recruits, going to see them live reinforces your interest in them, and helps a bit in pushing their interest towards your school.

"My first time through, I focused on local guys and continued the process with guys who showed interest and abandoned the ones that didn't. Each period I would jettison the guys who said no, and replaced them with a few more prospects. Is that about the gist of it?"

Jettisoning the guys that say no is the right approach, but ONLY after they refuse to take a phone call from you. Focusing on guys from the same state, followed by the same region definitely increases the chance that they will be interested in your school.....but, going after guys only because of the likelihood of them signing is losing basketball. Your process was correct , but your opening net needed to be wider....also the first week in September, you should go through everyone on your list, look at your school's academic requirements, and look at the notes your recruiting coach has left for you. Guys that are leaders, or that are hard-workers, deserve a big edge over guys that are trouble makers and lazy. most players wind up somewhere in between, but it's the extremes you should be concerned about. as far as injuries go, the only thing you should be aware of is if a hs coach says a guy is frequently injured...THAT's a huge red flag....but, it also means you can recruit a very good player to your school if you are willing to take the risk.


"Thank you very much for reading."

Thank you for asking! There is a lot more about the recruiting process that you should know, but I'm not sure any of the old links are around.