ESPN Women's Basketball Recruiting

Updated: November 4, 2009, 5:16 PM ET

Watch out for recruiting's politics

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By Mark Lewis
HoopGurlz
Archive

During last year's presidential election, it was so easy (and so much fun) to find political analogies to apply to the recruiting process. It helped that the two fields already have much in common. After all, they don't call it the "political arena" for nothing. Ultimately both politicians and coaches are looking for the same thing -- a commitment. Whether it be a voter or a recruit, the goal is to get him or her on board in November.

Glenn Nelson/HoopGurlzThere's no way to put a spin on solid recruiting procedures.

It doesn't have primaries, but recruiting still has plenty of politics. Coaches can "spin" situations and answers to recruits, their parents and coaches. Politicians could learn a thing or two from a good recruiter regarding the presentation of facts and the art of rationalization. Only a coach could proudly talk about his or her team averaging 83 points a game while downplaying the fact that the team gave up 85 per game to its opponents.

It's been said that you know a politician is lying if his lips are moving. For the most part, coaches won't outright lie to prospects. They can't afford to. When an athlete becomes part of a program, there has to be a trust and reliance with the staff.

Student-athletes want to get the most out of their college career and reach their goals. It's a little tough to do that when, from day one, the reality of a college choice doesn't match up with all the athlete was told during the recruiting process.

Every program has some weakness that coaches must explain or defend to recruits. Faced with questions about weaknesses or failings, some coaches respond honestly. Others get creative and evasive. Watch out for these spin tactics.

Won-loss equals never lose. Sometimes you need an interpreter to decipher the won-loss record of a struggling program. Coaches will tell you how many losses were by a certain number of points or fewer. They'll tell you how tough their schedule was and how many of their opponents went on to postseason play. You'll hear about how young they were or how many injuries they had over the course of the season.

In the end, a loss is a loss, and 15 or 20 of them isn't a pretty thing. You have to appreciate the coach who simply says, "We weren't very good," and then goes on to focus and explain how you could be part of changing that.

College town meets big city. The size of the town a school is located in often gets a twist depending on where the recruit is from and what she might be looking for. If the athlete is from a bigger city, a smaller town is often sold as the "true college experience." As if it's not possible to get that in a larger setting.

A less populated location will also be presented as having fewer distractions. That's a good way of saying fewer options when it comes to your personal life.

On the other hand, the big towns can be intimidating to an athlete who hasn't lived in or experienced all that comes with life in the city. Coaches will tell you it is only as big as you choose to make it.

Apparently the rest goes away if you choose not to be part of it. They claim you find your niche among all that surrounds you. Recruiters portray all their town has to offer as an opportunity to expand your horizons and get more from your college experience.

None of that changes the size of the town and the inherent concerns that might come with it. No matter the size, you can't make it bigger or smaller. Each end of the spectrum has its good and bad points.

Cozy gym takes on glitzy arena. Recruiters are great spin doctors when it comes to a school's facilities. Play and practice in an older or smaller arena and you'll hear that it's cozy and has character. You'll hear about how much more involved the crowd is, how much better the atmosphere is for games and how they wouldn't trade places for anything. But it's hard to imagine they'd pass on some of the bigger, newer, more sterile facilities that are out there these days.

Meanwhile, a newer, state-of-the-art, 15,000-seat arena is sold to you as a sign of commitment to the program. The fact that only 17 Division I programs averaged more than 5,000 fans per game and only two of them came in above 10,000 doesn't matter. All the electronic video and scoreboards, high-tech locker rooms, player lounges and first-rate sound systems are presented as the "little things" that make life easier for an athlete. They don't make you a better student or player, but they are good marketing.

Sales pitches are not facts. Enrollment and racial diversity, dorms, conference, shoe contracts, team travel, you name it, a recruiter will sell it. Most college coaches could sell ice to Eskimos.

But keep in mind that not everything is spin. Examine the facts, not the recruiter's perception or the presentation. A prospect's perfect program isn't perfect. No matter which school you choose, there will be things you wish were a little different than they are.

College coaches do their best to identify what a recruit might be looking for. They then shape the strengths and weaknesses of what they have to offer in hopes of it being the best fit in her eyes. It's up to the athlete, her family and coaches to look beyond the words, the sales pitch and the spin.

Athletes need to see each of their concerns and issues for what they really are and decide if and how that might fit into their academic and athletic plans.

In politics, they say that campaigning is about promise while governing is about achievement. In athletics, recruiting would be about promise, while educating and coaching should lead to achievement. You don't have to spin that any other way.

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Mark Lewis is the national recruiting coordinator for ESPN HoopGurlz. Twice ranked as one of the top 25 assistant coaches in the game by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, he has more than 20 years of college coaching experience at Memphis State, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Western Kentucky and, most recently, Washington State. He can be reached at mark@hoopgurlz.com.