How important is recruiting and spring ball during the high school season?

Will I be ready for spring ball? Am I doing the right things for my college basketball recruiting? Am I prepared for the high school season?

We wanted to take a look at these common questions and provide some context and an overview of things we think you should be considering this high school season.

College Recruiting and Spring Ball

First and foremost, players, you must take care of your high school season.

We are about to cover some topics that may seem like a high school distraction. But right now, your high school season is the most important thing you are doing.

If you take care of having the best high school season possible, recruiting and spring ball will take care of themselves.

If you focus on or prioritize the future, your current opportunity is going to suffer.

Select Basketball is a travel program so we cover topics like this because our readers want to know about it. But don’t let that shake your concentration. Without high school basketball, there is no spring basketball or college basketball. The high school season is the foundation.

Playing at the College Level

To begin, if you are a sophomore or younger, this is not the point in your career to worry about playing in college. College as a goal is great! But Division I colleges cannot contact players until June following their sophomore year. So put every ounce of your energy into getting better and helping your high school team win.

So how does your high school season affect your college recruiting?

Your high school season is a piece of the overall recruiting puzzle. College coaches won’t rely solely on your high school performance. But they won’t ignore it either. The things they will consider are the level you are playing at (Varsity team and size of school), who you play against, whether you are winning or losing, and how you are doing statistically (points/ shooting percentage/ rebounds/ assist to turnover/ etc). Often, it is the high school season that will build momentum heading into the spring.

If you are not playing varsity, this season is still a chance to work on your game, be a great teammate and learn how to win. The biggest thing is that you get better every day.

College coaches are looking for the same things that your high school coach wants from you. In addition to a solid skillset, they want to know if you will compete on every play, if you are a smart and efficient player, and if you know how to win.

Tips

Find a way to get better every day and make your high school team better.
The high school season is another chance to build up your video library. High school games give you 20+ opportunities to get footage for a highlight video and to capture your best game.
If you are on social media, use it to dish out praise to teammates, show respect to opponents and show off your best assets. Be careful with social media. Coaches do check up on all social media accounts for potential recruits. Remember: you are your own brand. You control it and determine what it is. Use that to your advantage.
Recruiting violations are really not anything you need to worry about. This responsibility falls on the college coaches. If you receive a duffel bag full of cash then you should have some concerns. Otherwise this is not something that needs to occupy your time.

Spring Ball

We understand that even though it is the high school season, thinking about the spring is a natural thing to do. Similar to the high school season, spring ball is an important piece of recruiting. Your opportunities in the spring are directly correlated to how you do during the high school season. This is yet another reason why giving everything you have to the high school season is so important.

If you are interested in playing on an elite spring team, here is a simple process to follow:

Identify the team that you want to play for and make sure that your residency complies with the adjoining state rule (use this link and skip to section 7 to see what it means).
Find the coach’s email address and put together a professional email that will get their attention and
- let them know where they can see you play this season
- let them know how they can get a hold of you
- ask them what their process is for selecting their teams
Follow up with the coach about 3/4 of the way through the high school season and send them a link to your team’s schedule. Remember the videos you have been working on? This is a great opportunity to share them and see what they think.

Coaches are always looking for great players to add to their program. A conversation with them is generally just an email or phone call away. The key is to let them know you are available so when it comes time to put a roster together, you are in the mix for a spot.

Make the most of your winter

How important is recruiting and spring ball during the high school season?

We can’t emphasize enough how important your high school season is to setting up your future. More than the spring and summer, high school basketball replicates a college season. You have practice every day. There will be a full season of games with playoffs and meaningful championships. Your games will have students, fans, boosters and media watching you. There is no other environment like it.

At the same time, high school ball is a great opportunity to build your college recruiting and prepare for the spring. By approaching the high school season with the right mindset, you will maximize your efforts over the next few months.