CHICAGO — Last weekend, I got a brief glimpse into the long days on the recruiting trail for college coaches. Let’s just say, 12 hours on metal bleachers is not for the faint of heart.
From about 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Friday through Monday, some of the top players in the country descended on Chicago to play in the EYBL Nike Nationals. In a room filled with 32 basketball courts, I had a chance to catch up with college coaches and assistants from across the country, catch games featuring some incredible players and meet some who are likely to be the future of women’s college hoops.
The four main courts featured some of the top 2024 talent and younger players competing up, but it was fun to also follow the hordes of coaches around to the other 28 courts, which featured younger players, to see which 15U and 16U games were also drawing 10 to 15 college coaches courtside. Every coach will tell you that relationships are the key to recruiting — a field which is otherwise an inexact science — so having longer-standing relationships with those 14- and 15-year-olds can be the difference between a commitment and a “thanks, but no thanks.”
I was pretty fascinated with the evaluation process. And since I haven’t had a chance to be at any of these grassroots events over the past…
