The early signing period is beneficial for coaches and prospects
As college basketball's early signing period approaches, many college recruits and coaches are feeling antsy.
For coaches, the early signing period spanning Nov. 12-19 allows them to finish most, if not all, of their recruiting needs for the next season's class. It's a huge advantage when a coach can go into the 2008 season knowing that the roster for 2009 is in good shape. It allows the head coach and his staff to focus on developing their current group of players and winning games, without the stress of recruiting.
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That's not to say coaches won't be recruiting for the future. However, their mode of operation will change. They still will target some high school seniors just in case the landscape changes in their program -- if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons -- but by and large their attention goes to the underclassmen.
Meanwhile, the early signing period serves the same purpose for the student-athlete. If a player has signed with a college, he can concentrate on his basketball season and academic load, without the distraction of the recruiting process and choosing a school.
When a player signs early, it can also be a relief for his high school coach. That coach can direct his superstar player without having to worry about a major decision weighing on him. All good coaches want their players to lock into their high school season with minimal distractions.
In this day and age, with so much information available at the click of a button, the recruiting process has accelerated even more. It seems like each year there are a large number of nonbinding verbal commitments happening faster and earlier than ever before -- there are currently 81 players from the Class of 2010 who have picked a college.
Part of that can be attributed to the change in the approach coaches take. Today's unofficial visit has become much more of an opportunity to show the student-athlete and family everything that the school offers. In some sense it's almost trying to take the place of the official visit. (The biggest difference between the unofficial and official visit is that on the unofficial visit the student-athlete and his travel party must pay for everything at their own expense -- transportation, lodging and food -- with the exception of tickets to a school's basketball or football contest.)
Formerly an opportunity for a player to get a quick look at a campus and meet the coach, the unofficial visit has become a marquee recruiting tool. Head coaches and their staffs are giving recruits, families and high school coaches who are on unofficial visits more meeting time on campus with the academic departments, support staff (strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers and sports information directors), administration officials and current basketball players. If a prospect can take in a practice or a game, that makes it all the better for both parties because the recruit and his guest can see the head coach and assistants in action. By giving the recruit and his family as much information and face time as possible, it allows everyone on the visit to experience the same things.
The biggest risk for a player signing early is that there could be a coaching change prior to his arrival on campus. Although letters of intent state that a student-athlete is bound to a school, not a coach, most players choose their college because of the coach. If a coach is fired or leaves, many players on a school's roster will transfer, leaving prospective recruits in a difficult situation until the school names a new head coach. Prospective student-athletes and their families must know who is leading the program before a school will get serious consideration.
For the coaches, the downside could be that the recruit was not evaluated correctly. Perhaps the player is not quite as good as originally thought. This could mean the staff needs to find someone else to play that position, potentially creating a logjam on the roster. And in turn, problems down the road -- both for the prospect and the school -- could ensue.
For some high-major schools that have had many verbal commitments in place for months, the early signing period is more of a formality of sorts. They just continue to build on their existing strong relationships, making sure everything is in order for signing day while also getting a big head start on underclassman. Others are battling it out for the players they need, right down to the final second that the young man puts his name on the dotted line.
The mid-majors love the early signing period because it allows them to evaluate and land some recruits who have high-major potential but have not blossomed yet. Mid-majors will find some sleepers whom they may not have had a chance at in the late period.
The advantage the early signing period offers to student-athletes and their families is the assurance that the future is set. The player knows where he is going, whom he is playing for and where he fits in the head coach's plans. It's a blessing for the parents of a recruit to know their child has an education paid for in full. In theory, this is ideal, but change is always possible.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches sees a developing problem as verbal commitments to major universities come from players as young as the eighth grade. The NABC has asked its members not to offer or accept a scholarship to a player until his sophomore season is complete. The NCAA also is taking action to stop the recruitment of players in middle school. Presently a player is not a "prospect" until he reaches his freshman year in high school. That means it's OK for a college coach to watch or speak to a seventh or eighth grader and his family. The NCAA is looking at making the same rules for middle school-age players Many coaches have tried to beat their competition in getting to know these youngsters -- much was made of Kentucky's getting a commitment from a player who was in eighth grade a few months back.
I believe that the college decision is very important, and there is a point at which it can be too early for a prospect to commit. Too much can change on both sides of the equation. Remember, recruiting is a relationship that factors into the trust and comfort that people need to have with each other, and you just can't rush those relationships. If prospects and their families do their homework and make informed decisions, an early commit can be a wonderful situation. The other side of all this is that prospects who wait too long because they are getting bad advice or not giving the process enough respect can lose some great opportunities.
There are many factors that can be advantageous for prospects who sign late in the recruiting process. Sometimes they are looking for offers from bigger programs, and that can be a bit of a risky approach. Players all want playing time. They need to earn it and figure out where the greatest window of opportunity is for them.
It seems that most prospects prefer signing early -- currently 83 of the top 100 players in our ESPNU rankings have made verbal commitments and likely will sign next week. Nonetheless, some elite prospects -- including five of our top 10 players in the Class of 2009 -- likely will wait until the late signing period to pick their schools. This will give them several advantages: They can see which coaches move, and also where they could fit on a roster, based on who else was signed or who left early for the NBA.
Most college basketball coaches work diligently at recruiting everyday, and they know that by making proper evaluations and judgments on whom or whom not to recruit can make a huge difference in winning and losing. If there is a player out there who has the skills, character and academics in order, the market will sort itself out. There is no perfect strategy to the recruiting process. In the end, it's not about when you go; it's where you go that counts.
Paul Biancardi, who spent 2007-08 as an assistant coach on Rick Majerus' staff at Saint Louis, is the sole national recruiting director for ESPN Scouts Inc. He has 18 years of coaching experience at the Division I level. He was an assistant at Boston University, Boston College and Ohio State before becoming the head coach at Wright State, where he earned Horizon League Coach of the Year honors in the 2003-04 season.
