Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="BobbyJ, post: 4135082, member: 4250"] IMO, the better the coach and program, the less they pay attention to any amateur guru rankings. The top 25 programs know what they're seeing with their eyes, that's why they travel to AAU tourneys, HS games, open gyms etc. to see the kids in person. They also have trusted contacts around the country they communicate with. Often two or more coaches on a staff scout the kids separately, often more than a couple times and compare notes and weigh plusses and minuses to project what they think the kid can become for them through development. You can't teach 6-5 but the better coaches believe they can develop it. The UConn staff obviously feels she's worth the investment. Most of those top 25 teams would have wanted/taken her if she'd had interest in them. But since their job depends on it, most competent coaches trust their eyes and not some guy with a laptop trying to sell subscriptions to a website or podcast. Of course smaller programs with smaller recruiting budgets will rely on the services somewhat for identifying under the radar kids that the bigger programs might not have as much interest in, but they try to see the kids up close also if possible. As for blowing smoke, the flowery, colorful descriptions are nothing more than that. Just hype for fans. [/QUOTE]