Wednesday is the signing date which for many is more important than Christmas or their birthday.
Recruiting is difficult, far more difficult than the average fan realizes. So much time is spent forming relationships with coaches, parents, friends and anyone you think might help that young man make his decision. Remember the relationship on just one player may be formulated years before he makes his decision. Most of you think football recruiting is tough. But I promise you that as difficult as it is, there was nothing more difficult than basketball recruiting. Why? You can't cover up your mistakes with numbers. Sign 25 and you might get by on making a mistake on 2 or 3 each year. Sign 6 like basketball and miss on 2 or 3 two years in a row, you are out of the basketball business.
Remember in just about every case, there is a key that opens the door. Your job is to find it, get it and use it. Oh, I know it is easier to recruit football players to football schools and basketball players to so called basketball schools but the coaches doing the recruiting don't look at it that way. They are all determined to work as hard as possible to get that kid in their program.
I can't give all of the reasons that a kid makes a decision about a school and it won't always be in this order. Here are some important reasons: 1. a chance to play now as a freshman in other words playing time 2. type of offense or defense 3. the relationship with the assistant coach and his feelings about the head coach from he and his parents 4. having a chance to go to the NFL or the NBA based on pass players 5. playing at a home state university 6. in many cases acadamics plays a major role 7. facilities are becoming more and more important and there many more that I'm not going to name.
Remember 4 years from now many won't remember who had the best recruiting class in 2012. They will be happy or complaining as to how their team is doing. It is a fascinating , demanding, frustating business and oh so nerve wracking. I did it 37 of my 38 years, 20 as an assistant. The tales get bigger and the stories funnier, especially if you got the kid!
