RECRUITING THE
RIGHT FIT
By Ron Everhart, Duquesne
There are
so many key elements involved in the recruiting of a
student athlete. Whether or not he can play at the next
level is obviously among the most important questions to
be answered, but it certainly extends well beyond just
talent.
One thing that I have always looked for is personality.
You often hear coaches talk about character as it
relates to the success or failure of a team. I don’t
think there is any question that the type of person you
are goes a long ways in determining the type of player
you will become.
When I was at Northeastern we were interested a 6-foot-9
kid that wasn’t being highly recruited. At the time it
was evident that he had a lot of potential, but it might
take time for him to develop into a good player.
Ultimately it came down to the fact that we really liked
him as a person. He had a contagious personality and was
just a really good kid.
That kid we signed is Shawn James who had two great
seasons at Northeastern and will play his final two
seasons here at Duquesne. At the end of the day his
talent on the court is exceeded only by Shawn James the
person. And that is as much of a factor in why he has
developed into such a nice player.
Somebody did say that nice guys finish last so it is
important to combine that with talent and a good work
ethic. In short, your most talented player should also
be your hardest working player. You can’t teach height
and you cannot teach desire.
Identifying that in the recruiting process has always
been a high priority for my staff and me. When you
combine some talent with hard work and desire you have
the makings of good things.
Another key element is whether or not an individual will
be a good teammate. You can have an abundance of talent,
but there is a long list of guys that scored a lot of
points on bad teams. Furthermore, a lot of players are
diligent in their work ethic as it relates to their
personal game, and not necessarily the team concept.
Take a quick look at the professional ranks of any sport
and you will find athletes that work extremely hard, but
are ultimately only interested in their own success.
Working hard as it relates to “the team” is essential.
Being a good teammate also extends beyond the court.
Assists on game night are one thing, but will the player
assist his teammate off the court. And perhaps most
important, will that person be a good role model on and
off the court? As a coach with young children this is
especially important to me because my kids will be
growing up around the players.
Still so much comes down to dumb luck. Had others known
how immediate of an impact Shawn was going to make, they
undoubtedly would have pursued him much harder. Then
there is the case of Juan Barea, who just finished a
remarkable four-year career at Northeastern.
Like Shawn, Juan was not highly recruited. Many felt he
was not big enough or physical enough, but most never
really had an opportunity to see him play. The fact that
he never participated in AAU events was much to our
advantage. All of the above applied to him, in terms of
personality and work ethic, but it really came down to
being a little lucky. Had he gotten more exposure, it
would have been much more difficult for us to recruit
him.
So much goes into the evaluation process, but I have
always felt good that my best players have also been
hard workers and personable kids. Sure you have to put
talent on the floor, but the personality and character
combined with work ethic really super seeds all in the
recruiting process.
