College coaches don't rely on newspapers for recruiting

[Smallpotatoes]

http://highschoolsports.masslive.com/news/article/7238664218454778376/no-connection-between-newspaper-and-athletes-being-recruited-for-college/

I wish I could have written this.

 

[MonsterLobster]

So satisfying.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Tremendous job.

And yeah, coaches used to use newspaper clippings to recruit and sign athletes. That went out, oh, around the time that the television was invented. Now there's considerably more resources. Parents should comprehend that.

 

[spikechiquet]

*stands up and starts a slow clap*

 

[Cape_Fear]

Tremendous job.

And yeah, coaches used to use newspaper clippings to recruit and sign athletes. That went out, oh, around the time that the television was invented. Now there's considerably more resources. Parents should comprehend that.

More like the Internet was invented. In high school in the early 90s, catcher John Doe went 3-for-4 with a homer and a couple of RBIs or something and an outfielder Pete Smith had a good game. Somehow the local paper in the roundup wrote "John Smith" and "Pete Doe". A few days later our homeroom teacher drops off a letter from a college coach addressed to "John Smith" clearly ripped off from the newspaper.

 

[Simon]

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) ;D

 

[HanSenSE]

(bowing toward Mass.) WE'RE NOT WORTHY!

 

[lcjjdnh]

Whether or not the underlying proposition is true, this article was not at all persuasive.

 

[Dan Feldman]

I couldn't disagree more.

Michigan scouted Zack Novak only after seeing his stats. I believe this example is explained better elsewhere, but I can't recall where I read it. Here's a piecemeal account. Jeff Eisenberg of The Dagger (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Big-Ten-preview-How-Zack-Novak-became-Michigan-?urn=ncaab-wp4743):

As a slimmer Novak lit up opponents for 26.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Chesterton, word reached Beilein that one of the state of Indiana's leading scorers wasn't being recruited by any top Division I programs.

And where did that word come from? Ruth Lincoln of The Michigan Daily (http://www.michigandaily.com/content/2009-03-17/novak-scholarship-toughness?page=0,2):

Michigan assistant coach Mike Jackson came across Novak’s name. Assistant coach John Mahoney, who recruits the state of Indiana, checked him out.

Obviously, this doesn't prove Jackson -- or whoever tipped Jackson -- saw the name in a newspaper (although, I believe the other account of events I can't find confirms that detail). But whoever discovered Novak easily could have gotten that same info in a newspaper.

Of course, college teams don't recruit players solely because of what they read in newspapers. They scout and talk to coaches and players. But how do they know which players to watch, ask about and interview? No database exists with every high school player in America, and especially small schools don't have the resources to create anything even close to complete. So, coaches often rely on stats and all-league teams -- often found in places like newspapers -- to begin their search.

If Mrs. Novak had called the local paper and her son's scoring numbers were listed incorrectly, and she said it might cost him a scholarship, she probably would've been right.

 

[Ace]

I don't think coaches scour newspapers to find players to recruit, but if your kid is in the paper, it could catch the eye of a coach. Or if you send a packet of clippings that might be enough to warrant a partial scholly at Podunk Tech. Or if the kid is all-county, it could tip things in your favor.

Some of the smaller schools and non-rev sports have almost no recruiting budget and have take kids they have never seen. I am sure getting your coach to lobby for you and having persuasive films is better, though.

 

[Rhody31]

I couldn't disagree more.

Michigan scouted Zack Novak only after seeing his stats. I believe this example is explained better elsewhere, but I can't recall where I read it. Here's a piecemeal account. Jeff Eisenberg of The Dagger (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Big-Ten-preview-How-Zack-Novak-became-Michigan-?urn=ncaab-wp4743):

As a slimmer Novak lit up opponents for 26.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Chesterton, word reached Beilein that one of the state of Indiana's leading scorers wasn't being recruited by any top Division I programs.

And where did that word come from? Ruth Lincoln of The Michigan Daily (http://www.michigandaily.com/content/2009-03-17/novak-scholarship-toughness?page=0,2):

Michigan assistant coach Mike Jackson came across Novak’s name. Assistant coach John Mahoney, who recruits the state of Indiana, checked him out.

Obviously, this doesn't prove Jackson -- or whoever tipped Jackson -- saw the name in a newspaper (although, I believe the other account of events I can't find confirms that detail). But whoever discovered Novak easily could have gotten that same info in a newspaper.

Of course, college teams don't recruit players solely because of what they read in newspapers. They scout and talk to coaches and players. But how do they know which players to watch, ask about and interview? No database exists with every high school player in America, and especially small schools don't have the resources to create anything even close to complete. So, coaches often rely on stats and all-league teams -- often found in places like newspapers -- to begin their search.

If Mrs. Novak had called the local paper and her son's scoring numbers were listed incorrectly, and she said it might cost him a scholarship, she probably would've been right.

You couldn't disagree more?
None of the "proof" you provided supports your theory.
I talked to a gentleman who runs a service for high school athletes who want to play sports in college. He puts together the highlight videos and a package and sends it out to schools where they could play.
Had an AD tell me at the guys presentation to the school's athletes, he walked in with a newspaper and ripped it in half, then said "no college coach cares what shows up in the newspaper."

 

[Smallpotatoes]

I don't think coaches scour newspapers to find players to recruit, but if your kid is in the paper, it could catch the eye of a coach. Or if you send a packet of clippings that might be enough to warrant a partial scholly at Podunk Tech. Or if the kid is all-county, it could tip things in your favor.

Some of the smaller schools and non-rev sports have almost no recruiting budget and have take kids they have never seen. I am sure getting your coach to lobby for you and having persuasive films is better, though.

In just about every non-rev sport, and basketball, college coaches don't care what a kid does for his or her high school team. They recruit kids based on what they do for AAU or club teams. Most newspapers don't cover AAU and club the same way they cover high school.

 

[lcjjdnh]

I couldn't disagree more.

Michigan scouted Zack Novak only after seeing his stats. I believe this example is explained better elsewhere, but I can't recall where I read it. Here's a piecemeal account. Jeff Eisenberg of The Dagger (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Big-Ten-preview-How-Zack-Novak-became-Michigan-?urn=ncaab-wp4743):

As a slimmer Novak lit up opponents for 26.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Chesterton, word reached Beilein that one of the state of Indiana's leading scorers wasn't being recruited by any top Division I programs.

And where did that word come from? Ruth Lincoln of The Michigan Daily (http://www.michigandaily.com/content/2009-03-17/novak-scholarship-toughness?page=0,2):

Michigan assistant coach Mike Jackson came across Novak’s name. Assistant coach John Mahoney, who recruits the state of Indiana, checked him out.

Obviously, this doesn't prove Jackson -- or whoever tipped Jackson -- saw the name in a newspaper (although, I believe the other account of events I can't find confirms that detail). But whoever discovered Novak easily could have gotten that same info in a newspaper.

Of course, college teams don't recruit players solely because of what they read in newspapers. They scout and talk to coaches and players. But how do they know which players to watch, ask about and interview? No database exists with every high school player in America, and especially small schools don't have the resources to create anything even close to complete. So, coaches often rely on stats and all-league teams -- often found in places like newspapers -- to begin their search.

If Mrs. Novak had called the local paper and her son's scoring numbers were listed incorrectly, and she said it might cost him a scholarship, she probably would've been right.

You couldn't disagree more?
None of the "proof" you provided supports your theory.
I talked to a gentleman who runs a service for high school athletes who want to play sports in college. He puts together the highlight videos and a package and sends it out to schools where they could play.
Had an AD tell me at the guys presentation to the school's athletes, he walked in with a newspaper and ripped it in half, then said "no college coach cares what shows up in the newspaper."

Shocking! Someone who sells services that help recruits downplays the effectiveness of other methods one might use to catch the attention of coaches?!?!?! Definitely an unbiased opinion. Perhaps for your next post, you can ask the President of Ford what brand of car he recommends.

No one is arguing a coach is taking something in the newspaper as gospel. But certainly one has to imagine that some recruits somewhere occasionally get noticed because of media attention.

 

[JayFarrar]

I'm baffled when working reporters try to downplay or refuse to acknowledge the impact of their work.

Of course press coverage generates scholarships for high school kids. Scholarships aren't just limited to the Ohio States and Floridas of the world. The I-AAs, the Division II schools, the non-revenue sports at both the bigger and smaller schools, they all need players.

Exposure doesn't begin and end with assistant coaches. You have alumni, boosters, fans who read newspapers. They let the schools know who they think is good and worth a look.

So the coach might not have read about the player in the paper but he's at the school checking the kid out because someone else did read it.

 

[slappy4428]

 

[schiezainc]

Uh, not to be a **** but this column wasn't really all that spectacular. In fact, I'd say it was self-serving and, to me, came across as a writer trying to write about something he cares about but that none of his readers do.

Maybe if he had gone more in the "this is what they DO care about" direction rather than the "Please don't call and complain to me" direction, I would have liked it more.

As it is, this is something we can whine about on our dimwits thread but an article/column on it? Making a mountain out of a molehill, in my opinion.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I'm baffled when working reporters try to downplay or refuse to acknowledge the impact of their work.

Of course press coverage generates scholarships for high school kids. Scholarships aren't just limited to the Ohio States and Floridas of the world. The I-AAs, the Division II schools, the non-revenue sports at both the bigger and smaller schools, they all need players.

Exposure doesn't begin and end with assistant coaches. You have alumni, boosters, fans who read newspapers. They let the schools know who they think is good and worth a look.

So the coach might not have read about the player in the paper but he's at the school checking the kid out because someone else did read it.

I'd say it depends on the coverage. Writing a full-length feature on a kid might get him some interest at the very low levels.

But those little blurbs that mention that Little Jimmy only had 8 points instead of 10 isn't going to make an impresson on anyone.

 

[bigbadeagle]

I've had a bunch of kids in my coverage area sign JUCO and NAIA schollies. I don't think a damn word I wrote had a damn thing to do with any damn one of them getting any kind of damn ride. It goes back to travel ball or to those tryouts some of those schools get to hold because their not FBS level schools.
Besides, what I resent is a parent's insistence that's my responsibility to get their kid a scholarship. Ain't my job; that's supposed to be the domain of your coach. Tell him to start working the phones for your kid. Otherwise, get off my ass. I have strippers to put through school.

 

[Gator]

Haven't seen him in years, but Bill Wells is good, good people and damn good at his job.

 

[Alma]

Well, there's a column that would be written on the East Coast.