tm74 wrote:Thanks.
Are there set times that kids make decisions? I hate staring at the inbox and figure they only set to declare after home visits maybe?
I'm playing Central Michigan, which is only 28 prestige in a 40 prestige conference, with a coach rep of just 27. Guess the three star guys are my ticket for now.
Not necessarily just 3 stars. But you need to see which players fit your style, and have a genuine interest in your school. Like I said there are normally a couple steps:
1. Determine if there is any interest at the 'cold' level. (sometimes a player will be warm from the start, these are players who already have genuine interest)
2. During the first phone call ask them under general information what they think of your school, you will normally get the 'you're not in the mix' response but sometimes you get lucky with a 'you're in the top 3/4' or 'you're my first choice coach' or something like that.
3. Next is the campus visit - this is a big factor, anyone who says they had an 'awesome time' is really interesting, it goes down levels.
4. The home visit - by now you should know enough about their preferences (or parents' preferences) to pitch the best thing you can. For you, if conference prestige is high, that's better than your team prestige, also check your facilities and academics ranking (anything above B is good for a pitch). The response you want out of the home visit is that they 'can't wait to see you on the court next year'. Those are players who want into your team. Sometimes they don't sign that week, and if they don't then repeat the home visit (same pitch) and hopefully they sign after that second visit.
In terms of commitments, I've found after the first flurry not many sign during the season (if any, I haven't been following anyone who has signed mid season). Most teams after the first flurry wait for SATs. Then when the next round of home visits can occur. The home visits are often the final step needed to secure a commitment.