Recruitment advice comes from all walks of life, a lot of the times, from sources that have no clue. Some advice is tainted with self serving agendas. Frequently, club and high school coaches tend to support college programs that pay them "proper respect", or in some cases, pay them with jobs. Getting the goods on programs is not easy to do. Choosing between very good options and really good options is not as easy as one may think. I have a suggestion for you; find a couple Daddies to talk to.
To paraphrase Joe Keller in his infamous book on AAU ball, 'Played their Hearts Out', "I like dealing with single parents". The thinking goes that a single mother will be less informed and less involved in an area like amateur(college) basketball. This allows for unchecked power. I am learning that a lot of unscrupulous college coaches have the same sentiment. They complain that "daddies living vicariously through their kids" are ruining the game. A more true statement would be "Daddies, with knowledge of the pitfalls in recruiting process, are not falling for okey doke these days."
(Must respect to all the single mothers, including mine!)
Daddies look out for the best interest of their seed. The concept of team denotes the will of a collective whole. Individualism is counter productive to TEAM, yet is important to the success of a team. Without excellent individuals, a TEAM can not excel. Most Daddies feel that their kid is the missing piece for any team. They are quite biased. However, somewhere between their biased views, they will sniff out true fallacies in a program.
If their kid was lied to, they will tell you so. If the coach cheated, they will say such. If the team is full of bad kids, you will hear about it. If players are treated only as commodities, a Daddy will let it be known. Usually, a Daddy will speak about these things because they all affect his Baby Girl. Yes, his disgruntled rants will be based on the biased premise that his child should be playing more, shooting more, and scoring in droves. But, his smoke will reveal a fire, some smaller than others, yet still a fire.
Find a Basketball Dad and build a trust with them. They will recognize the obstacles you are facing and in most cases, be willing to give you a heads up to the bumps in the road. Know how to filter his personal disappointments from things that truly matter. Things like truthfulness, integrity, responsibility, accountability, culture, and respect. Things like program prestige probably do not matter that much in the long run to a concerned Poppa. If his seed is in fertile soil, a Poppa will know. If she is planted in barren land, he will eventually let everybody know!
Thanks to all my Basketball Dad's, helping me navigate the rough waters: Charlie Harper, Wayne Simmons, David Jones, Simmie Colson, John Roberson, Larry Gholar, Kelvin Gumbs, Derrick Cloman.
