Basketball recruiting tips: what should athletes be doing, and what should they steer away from? The recruitment process can be intimidating, so we wanted to provide advice for athletes in the process, or beginning to. Remember the best thing for athletes to do, is be themselves! Be confident within your skills, and leave it all out on the court. 

Coaches

David Lewis: Associate Head Coach at Angelo State University (NCAA Division II). 

Lee Sartor: Head Coach at Erskine College (NCAA Division II).

Vince Kmiec: Assistant Coach at North Central College (NCAA Division III).

David Lewis

Coach Lewis says social media is one of the most influential elements an athlete can use to their advantage. Coaches look for this during the recruitment process, as it can used as a platform to showcase an athletes skills, highlights, and more. He also encourages student-athletes to revise their emails to coaches and check for grammar and spelling errors, as it is a pet peeve of his. It can make the athlete look unprofessional, remember the little things count.

Lee Sartor

One specific thing that Coach Lee looks for in a potential player, is the athlete knowing they’re being watched by a coach. He wants players to understand they are always being evaluated/watched, because if a reff's call does not go your way, a bad attitude will stick out to coaches in a negative way. Coaches look for small components of their character, such as how they react to adverse situations, etc. He also looks at parent behaviors and how they interact with their child, it can tell a lot about the family dynamic.

Vince Kmiec

An important quality Coach Vince looks for in an athlete, are their mannerisms on and off the court. Coaches specifically look at how the athlete responds to adversity, bad calls, fouling out, etc. It is also important to coaches to see how an athlete interacts with their teammates and coaches on the bench and leaving the court. These small interactions can say a lot about the athletes character, and can be a determining factor for coaches.

With our coaches recruitment tips stated, keep all of the advice in mind next time you're playing. You never know when there is a scouting coach in the stands watching, so always be on your best behavior.