Even though it is not an NCAA evaluation weekend, May 9-11, 2014 could still end up being one of the biggest college basketball recruiting weekends of the spring. With over 80 travel teams expected to attend from California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho the competition at the Northwest Premier Invitational will be tough – something that all coaches love.
College Basketball Recruiting
The Northwest Premier Invitational (NPI) enters its fifth year. One reason for its success has been the ability for college basketball recruiting coaches to get great evaluations of players from around the northwest. Although NCAA Division I coaches are not permitted to attend events this weekend, NCAA Division II coaches and all other levels have sat in the stands to help build their programs. There are anywhere from 25-40 college coaches in the stands through out the weekend. This provides a rare opportunity to play in front of the right people and be seen during a non-evaluation period. We take care of the college coaches by providing them with free entry to the games and providing them free rosters for the teams. During an NCAA evaluation period this could cost them over $200.
Division I coaches still have an opportunity to get information on how players do thanks to the presenting sponsor, Transition Hoops Report. The recruiting and evaluation website has Division I subscribers from several conferences. They include the Pac-12, Mountain West, West Coast Conference, the WAC and the Big Sky to go along with conferences from Division II and below. Transition Hoops will be updating the over 1,100 players currently in their database as well as sending updates to coaches not in attendance.
All of the teams playing in the NPI will also have the chance to meet with college coaches at our Networking Night, Friday, May 9 after the games are done. College coaches generally like to attend this event because it gives them a chance to meet the club team coaches, learn about their programs and, more importantly, learn about the players that they are interested in recruiting. As with so many things in the real world, networking is a huge part of college basketball recruiting.
Getting the most from your games
All teams are guaranteed four games and teams that continue to win could play up to seven games throughout the weekend. Games are spaced out as best as possible to allow teams to get as much rest as time allows. We strategically place teams in pools that ensure that they are not playing against teams that are from their same region whenever possible. Teams that have competed in the past include Utah Pump N Run (now the Utah Basketball Club), Clutch Players from Portland and the Emerald City Pioneers from Seattle
The NPI reputation not only helps attract college basketball recruiting services and coaches but also some of the best talent. As a player, this produces the best opportunity to see how you match up against the best players from other parts of the region. Click here to see a list of some of the more notable players that have competed at the NPI. The list includes over 50 players that have gone on to play at schools like Oregon State, Washington State, Utah, BYU, Weber State, Boise State, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, Santa Clara and Pacific to name a few.
Convenient and cost effective
The NPI was created for coaches and players by coaches and players. After coaching travel teams for over 12 years, we understand the importance of getting the most value out of a tournament. We know that most teams just want to play and do not want to worry about all the logistical stuff like finding gyms, hotels, etc. So we’ve made it as simple and cost effective as possible.
We strategically partnered with hotels near the gyms where the different ages play and near the airport for teams that are flying in for the tournament (click here to view hotel partners). Plus, we’ve negotiated better rates for all of our teams that stay there. The gyms are near each other so even if you do play at more than one gym the travel is minimal and easy to find. Click here to see a map with all of the current gyms and hotels.
The hotels aren’t the only way we are trying to help save teams money. With team registration of only $300 and a daily entrance fee of only $5 a day, families can enjoy the tournament without breaking the bank.
Get registered
All indications are that the 2014 Northwest Premier Invitational will be the biggest and most competitive one yet. But you’ll need to get your team registered ASAP before the gym space is gone. Visit www.idahoselect.org/npi to get all the details and to register your team.