Florida Atlantic recruits in the gyms that you don’t hear about in travel ball.
They sit there and watch. They ask the right questions to the right people. They don’t job hunt in April and July. They do the work.
No hype, just ball.
Your eighth grade hooper will not be recruited. For a while. So, slow down. Enjoy it. Take that pressure of your 14-year-old. Relax. Just love 'em first. That support is forever. A small chance of a scholarship is fleeting.
I just crossed into the state of Georgia on interstate 20 from Alabama. There were already four cars pulled over. All four had Alabama tags. Welcome to Georgia, Bama fans.
The NCAA has released the 2021 recruiting calendar for men’s basketball.
2021 Live Period dates:
April 9-11 (travel teams)
April 23-25 (travel teams)
June 18-20 (HS team camps)
June 25-27 (HS team camps)
July 8-11 (travel teams)
July 20-25 (academies)
Suffice it to say, Ace Bailey to Rutgers is MASSIVE.
We think he has No. 1 potential in the class nationally. His wow factor is better than anyone in the nation from the class of 2024.
Superstar potential.
HS hoopers... as you start to think about your travel team season, find a team where you are on the floor. You don't earn scholarships cheering from the bench. PLAY during the LIVE PERIOD.
I'm watching a NBA prospect in
@TheSkillFactory
2021 big man Kai Sotto. The 7-foot skilled big man from the Philippines will be one of the most intriguing players we will see this HS season. 1st HS game here in the US is against IMG Post-Grad. High ceiling for days.
Iowa commit Brock Harding was the best player I saw tonight at The Run at
@ssasports
as we opened up the July NCAA Live Period here in Atlanta. He piloted
@MidProAcademy
to a W over the ATL All Stars. Defense, passing, creation, vision. Captain of the cruise ship tonight.
The NCAA is here and they told me the Best of the South is the single largest NCAA Live Period event for boys under one roof. Thanks so much to every team that has joined the action with us here in Atlanta. What a thing to be a part of.
My biggest takeaway from this new June NCAA live period is this - talent isn't exclusive to shoe branded circuits. I've seen it up close and personal for seven good years now with our
@HoopSeen
stage. Talent is out there at every level and on every stage.
Total control. That’s what
@hardingbrock2
brought to the table en route to the Best of the South platinum division. My thoughts on the future
@IowaHoops
PG.
Dwon Odom finishes with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and another state title. He's the No. 2 all-time leading scorer in school history, behind Kobi Simmons. Odom is the all-time leader in assists.
#Xavier
fans, you're gonna love him.
After two amazing decades, I have packed up and moved from Atlanta to the West. I’m excited about this big new venture for our
@HoopSeen
stage as we expand to the West. Please follow
@HoopSeenWest
as we launch this new division.
End of the summer thought: Run the NCAA Academy camps in June at the same time as the NBPA Top 100 camp. Let the June period be a time for schools of all levels to go to individual camps.
Proposal: Make the spring NCAA Live Periods the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. Let the transfers and unsigned take their on campus visits and let coaches handle that before opening HS spring recruiting.
The Men's Basketball Oversight Committee approved changes to the recruiting calendar for the 2024 season. These are the live evaluation period dates for nonscholastic:
May 17-19
July 11-14
July 19-21
July 22-24 College Basketball Academy only
The recruiting pecking order for college coaching staffs
1. Their current roster
2. NCAA transfers
3. High School Seniors
For HS players, it is important to understand this. Be patient. The recruiting timeline isn’t the same as it once was. Your time will come.
Sources confirm what has been reported by a number of people that Jonas Hayes has accepted a position at Xavier. He was on staff with Mark Fox at UGA. Hayes is one of the best coaches - developers and recruiters - in the South.
I know I'm biased but...
That was the coolest week of basketball I've ever had in the state of Georgia. We've never seen anything quite like what our
@HoopSeen
team did for the
#BOTS19
.
I've been in this space for 20 years and I've never seen anything like it.
Thank you!
Give me a dude like Woodward Academy PG Michael Whitmore all day. He’s one of the true elite on ball defenders and an elite competitior. He was a catalyst in his team’s 75-46 win over Lambert. Oh, he didn’t make one shot. Not a one. THAT is his value.
Seth Jones drilled a wing three to advance
@JL3Elite
past the Atlanta Celtics in the best game I’ve seen this weekend so far. Awesome, awesome game.
#Gibbons
Tye Fagan will wrap up his career with 2 state championships and undefeated in his final two years as an Upson Lee starter. He's one of the best players I've ever covered from Middle Georgia in the 18 seasons here in the Peach. Hats off, sir.
I get a lot of tweets @ me about 2024 players and how much people are sleeping.
Y’all. We are gonna be sleeping a lot longer on that young of a player.
So, enjoy the process. Don’t rush it. Get better with the patience. Have fun. No stressing.
Just a friendly reminder that a lot of guys who busted your bracket last month played travel basketball on independent teams.
Have a great NCAA Live Period, y'all.
Find the winners.
A commonality between Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren:
- none left home to play at basketball school
- all stayed the course with their travel team
- never heard any of them chirp about rankings
- supportive families anchored in positivity
WIth
@collinchand13r
now committed to
#BYU
, I think the Cougars have a McDonald's All-American level talent coming to Provo. He'll essentially be a class of 2024 prospect after a two-year mission. What a major recruiting win for the Cougs. Big 12 matter? You better believe it.
Speaking with college coaches, the recruiting priority list looks a lot like this as we head into the spring NCAA Live Period this weekend:
1. Transfers
2. Available 2019
3. 2020
4. Rarely, if ever, do we discuss 2021. Just not a need right now.
Jalen Johnson talks about the route to No. 1 on the 2020 class. Great topic of discussion here at the
@ARSRescueRooter
Washington DC
@HoopfestUSA
. He went for 28 pts, 15 rebs, 8 asts in a great win over St Johns.
I got the news last night about the passing of Derrick Dickerson. He coached the Atlanta Celtics and was one of the most tenured youth coaches we have in Atlanta. He’s worked with so many players and families over the years. Rest well, Dickerson. Rest well.
Two things:
1. The biggest shot of the GHSA state playofss. Cedar Shoals senior Tyler Johnson sinks a triple in the fourth overtime.
2. The cop at the very end of the video realizing there is no point in stopping the court storm.
The best player I saw tonight at the USA Basketball U16 Training Camp was Atlanta’s Jabari Smith. And I’m not sure anyone who was there would argue that.
There is no trick to exposure.
Do the work.
Get better.
Block out the noise.
Apply coaching.
Excel as a student.
Be a good human.
Win.
Do it every day.
Of all of the players here at the 550-team Best of the South, Gehrig Normand is the guy I’d want to be a teammate with. Ultra competitive, very skilled, top 70 national player. My favorite prospect here through two days.
There is a different kind of edge to
@BennMathurin
that I think keeps him in the NBA for a long time. Five years from now, I think he’s a problem in the playoffs. My take on the Arizona star here on draft day:
JUCO hoops gets hit really hard with all of the shutdown.
NO:
- Hutch
- Final Four
- Spring Recruiting Period
They have to place kids to 4-year schools AND refill their roster with as many as a full roster every year, most done in the spring.
Bryce Griggs is not only one of the top overall performers I saw at the 2021 Bob
#Gibbons
Tournament of Champions, he’s one of the best guards I’ve seen all season nationally. Elite passer, ball-handler, playmaker. Awesome weekend in Atlanta. He’s on my All American short list.
You don't have to be on a list to be a prospect.
You don't have to be on a "shoe team" to be recruited.
You don't have to have a social media account with thousands of followers to be noticed.
Don't believe the narratives. Play your game. Maximize your July.
Houston has a major team in 2022-23. They were in the Final Four not that long ago. They know exactly who they are and what makes them tick.
Now onto the Big 12, the Cougars are landing players like a new blood recruiting power.
Watch out.
STORY:
I am confident there isn’t a better tournament director and scheduler in the game than Daniel Paccione here at
@hoopseen
. He’s too humble to even seek out any praise but I can promise you that we appreciate him every single season. An absolute professional and elite human being.
Things I'm not concerned about as an evaluator:
Your position
Your ranking
Your clout
Your excuses
What team you're on
Things I really care about:
Are you a winner
Desire to get better
Work ethic
Humility
Competitiveness
The best player I saw on the Texas Titans was 2020 PG/SG/SF Cade Cunningham. The Texan is one of the most skilled players I've covered in 20 years of prep hoops and can be the best player on the floor at three positions. Yes, let's talk about him No. 1 overall in the 2020 class.
Alabama is showing up in "Top 5" and "edit tweets" more than I can ever remember. Nate Oats & staff haven't coached a game yet in T-Town but the hoops brand is touching all corners of the nation. Can they lure an out-of-the-area guy? Storyline I'm watching as we push towards fall
High school coaches - please come out and support your players. Present your GHSA pass and we'd love to have you as our guest this weekend for Bob Gibbons. Would love to see y'all this weekend.
Bottom line is this: Your circuit won't earn you a scholarship. Your game will.
In order to make college coaches believe, play on a team where you PLAY.
The path and timeline to college is different for every athlete. But the path was on the court, developing and competing.
Hagans commitment is huge, obviously for him alone at UGA, but keep in mind kids love playing with guys that pass. Will be interesting to see who else follows suit.
EJ Liddell is that dude. He's going to win a lot of games. Win a lot of match-ups Win a lot of people's respect. Just makes winning plays. Nothing over complicated about him.
Class of 2023 guard Aric Demming was the man of the hour tonight for Duncanville in their big win over Montverde here at the
@HoophallClassic
. He hit five threes, including the game winner. His defense, though, was the crown jewel. What a night for the Texan.
Very happy to see a guy like Anthony Edwards make a big decision like this (to any school for that matter). Life has not dealt an easy deck of cards to work with. He's overcome a lot to be at the point he is now. Hard to not be happy for him. Heck of a journey.
Can't say enough great things about our team this year. We have a terrific group of men and women at
@HoopSeen
. They serve and have honest intent with their work to help teams, players and families. Proud to say we all work side by side and proud of the work we did this season.
On a night where
@TheTraeYoung
was in the building,
@milton_hoops
sophomore Bruce Thornton was ice cold. He scored 16 of his 28 in the 4th and didn’t miss a shot. Elite playoff effort in a 68-62 win.
BJ Davis is going to give SD State a shot in the arm next season as a freshman. He's a great example of why recruiting HS players and getting them committed and signed early is still such an important thing to do in roster building. Youthful energy has its advantages.
Not totally surprised by this. Tony Bennett and staff got him on campus early - and before the post
@Section7Az
recruitment rush - and got the hottest big in the West. Great fit for both. From Coeur d'Alene to Charlottesville. If you’re good enough, they’ll find you.
The big stage is back. Can’t wait to tip things off here in Louisville.
Over 600 teams.
Over 50 courts.
Big basketball weekend for us at
@hoopseen
along with
@ny2lasports
and
@Ohio_Basketball
.
I'm not one to read into exhibition stats but here is something to take note of regarding Florida State freshman Devin Vassell.
Over two games, he's played 32 minutes and scored 29 points on 11-14 FG, 3-4 from three.
Malcolm Brogdon type of character. Jeremy Lamb type of game
If you don't leave the Live Period weekend with an offer/interest... don't fret. The recruiting calendar isn't about RIGHT NOW. What you do this weekend could come into play a year from now. Or two. Or three. This is a process more than ever. Be consistent.
The
#NCAALIvePeriod
is here. Some hings to think about.
Be patient. Transfers are priority numero uno. Offers won't come pouring out after this weekend. That's just the reality of recruiting. This is an evaluation weekend. Play your authentic game. Be consistent. Win. Have fun.
Basketball ends. For most, much quicker than you think it will. I challenge young people and their inner circle - family, coaches, mentors - to discuss, what skill do you possess that is transferable in working America? How can you increase and develop that talent?
The best thing a 15U & 16U Player and Team can do during the NCAA Live Period is build up good days to allow you to be ready for the 17U stage when that time comes. Don’t rush expectations. Build your winning foundation for your time within the recruiting calendar.
Brilliant effort for Trendon Watford in Mountain Brook win over Norcross. Scored 29 of his 36 in 2nd half. Lived at FT line. 16-20 there.
Said Alabama, FSU, TCU and LSU involved.
I want all the Chris Johnson stock ya got. What an impressive 2023 wing. Big, physical, bouncy.
@JL3Elite
is huge and he’s right in the middle of all of the good stuff.
A cool 30 from Tennessee bound Jaden Springer as IMG holds off Archbishop Stepinac 80-67. His shot was falling and he powered past defenders with the dribble at ease. One of the best individual performances of the event so far.
Kennedy Chandler has been the nothing short of awesome since he's been in HS. Huge win today at Montverde. Just awesome performance against the No. 1 team in the nation. Let's not forget he piloted his
@MokanBasketball
team to a Peach Jam title, too. Straight up winner. Always.