I do not need to tell everyone how significant the impact COVID-19 has been on the club basketball world. My daughter has been unable to work out with her personal basketball trainer due to the limited gym space and fears over the disease. Collegiate viewing periods have been eliminated. We have been unable to visit colleges that have expressed interest in her. She has missed opportunities to play in Portland and Atlanta this year. With all of these disappointments, I am glad that she has had a long three-month break from the constant pounding on her body from basketball games and volleyball matches. I am also secretly happy about all the money that I have saved in travel expenses and thankful for the extra time that I have been able to spend with my daughters.
Let’s take a peek at the changes that have been brought on by the appearance of the COVID-19 virus.
1. The Focus on Video Recruiting
The elimination of the regular viewing periods forced college coaches to utilized video footage of players to assist them in their recruiting efforts. In a time where the organizers of recruiting events are already financially stressed, the inability of coaches to attend their events removes a significant source of revenue for them. It is my thought that the focus on video recruiting will help some players get seen by college recruiters that otherwise would go under the radar. It is of utmost importance that your basketball club takes the time to record as many games as they can for the players in the program. After all, we would not want to see ten parents with their video cameras battling for the best video position at a summer club game.
Will the focus of video recruiting place more of an emphasis on parents have an online recruiting profile? My initial thought is a resounding, “Yes.” I have posted new video footage to my daughter’s site, and I am in preparation to put together a new highlight reel for her. I have recently worked with my daughter to send out around 30 emails to colleges in which she has an interest. We have seen a fair amount of video views from the emails.
Please keep an eye out for an article that I am writing on the recruiting platform that I use for my child.
2. Zoom Meeting Offers
In my conversation with Coach Lance Randall from Saint Leo University, he told me how much of his recruiting process was based on sitting face to face with a recruit and have the opportunity to “stare into his soul.” Of course, today’s circumstances have required him to utilize Zoom Meetings to have conversations with and offer scholarships to players in which he has an interest. He described Zoom Meetings as “cartoonish,” but he knows that they are a necessary evil in today’s environment.
Without the ability for your child to connect face to face with a coach, it places great importance on their strength to be able to communicate well over the phone calls and zoom meetings. My daughter and I have created a system to make sure that she consistently reaches out to the schools in which she is interested. We do short prep sessions to come up with a few conversation starters from recent events in her life to bring up with the coaches to keep it fresh.
3. Compressed Schedule
When the stay at home orders were issued, all I could think about was getting to the point where we could get on the road and start playing again. Well, be careful what you ask for. As I write this article, we have had four straight weekends of tournaments culminating with two back to back tournaments the week after Independence Day. It has been quite busy. I believe that the club directors want to provide enough value for the parents by getting them enough games and also to give the players the chance to create as much tape for the coaches as they can.
It is essential to mention that a big part of the revenue of many clubs is the ability to operate their tournaments over the summer. The COVID-19 restrictions and lack of being able to secure gym time have placed a financial strain on many clubs. For this reason, I believe that you will see many clubs extend the season into the fall in the attempt to put on their tournaments in the hopes of securing the revenue that they are used to getting in the summer.
4. Restrictions at Tournaments
The tournament directors have instituted COVID protocols for players and spectators at the events this summer. They actively encourage the use of face masks, but they are not required. Players can typically enter the facility 20 to 30 minutes before the start of their game. Parents can enter the facility 10 to 15 minutes before game time. Both teams do not shake hands after the game, but will typically raise their hand an look toward the other team after the game has ended. All in all, it has not been that bad. I believe everybody is just happy to be back on the court.
Conclusion
I expect changes to take place later in the summer since the media is reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases around the country. I am very concerned about the Bluestar event coming up in July will be canceled. In the end, it is what it is ((Yahoo deleted all my emails – and there’s nothing I can do …. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/10/yahoo-deleted-all-my-emails-and-theres-nothing-i-can-do-about-it)). There is nothing we can do about it. I am thankful for my daughter having the opportunity to play this summer.
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