I wanted to get your opinions on this because I think there are some pretty good players in southern ohio that have a lot of potential at the next level but get overlooked by colleges.
What do u guys think?
Are southern ohio players overlooked by colleges?
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Hitchbone64
- All Conference
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They are not overlooked intentionally. I believe a few things happen.
1) Kids that don't play the spring/summer AAU circuit, don't get the exposure.
2) Teams that don't play in medium to large summer camp events don't get the exposure.
3) Be default it is easier to scout the big city areas (travel, # kids to see, etc).
4) Program in the South has to be a winner and coaches have to be networked.
A kid in the southern part of the state can and will find a place to play, but I believe it is tougher, unless the kid has done the things above and/or he is an exceptional talent on a very good team.
GO CAVS!!!
1) Kids that don't play the spring/summer AAU circuit, don't get the exposure.
2) Teams that don't play in medium to large summer camp events don't get the exposure.
3) Be default it is easier to scout the big city areas (travel, # kids to see, etc).
4) Program in the South has to be a winner and coaches have to be networked.
A kid in the southern part of the state can and will find a place to play, but I believe it is tougher, unless the kid has done the things above and/or he is an exceptional talent on a very good team.
GO CAVS!!!
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ManitouDan
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College recruiting is a big business. Kids now-a-days have to do their own promoting be it travel teams, camps or sending letters out to colleges. They have to be pro-active in their own future. Colleges have no way of knowing who is out there unless they see them play some where or have had a kid contact them. Most colleges have a prospective student athlete questionnaire on their websites for kids to fill out if they are interested that school.
With all due respect ManitouDan, how's the college team with the most local talent, Rio Grande, doing? They have six or seven kids on their roster from southeast Ohio and they're 8-17. Right now, Rio is 3-8 in the AMC (0-2 vs. SSU) and won't even make the conference tournament. SSU is 13-12 overall. Their AMC record is 7-4, which is good enough to put them into a tie for second place with nationally ranked Cedarville and MVNU (who is receiving votes). All this after losing three starters, including their leading scorer and third leading scorer, half way through the season.
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ManitouDan
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I'm open for discussion on this ---I don't follow the conference closely but I know by looking at the roster most years there are few local kids on SSU's men's team. I'll own up to why it hacks me off--had an friend of a friend within the last couple years who was 16th region MVP (ky) . best kid in the entire 16th region. His coach pushed SSU to take a look at him , they would'nt even consider it. Totally blew him off.
Anyway overall , say last 10 years has Rio had more sucess than SSU ? I don't know , I'm open for learning. Can't overgeneralize by saying this year Rio is down b/c of local kids.
saw last week where a kid from Valley came in and lit SSU up --was he recruited by SSU? MD
Anyway overall , say last 10 years has Rio had more sucess than SSU ? I don't know , I'm open for learning. Can't overgeneralize by saying this year Rio is down b/c of local kids.
saw last week where a kid from Valley came in and lit SSU up --was he recruited by SSU? MD
Liberal:(n) A person so open minded their brains fell out .
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eagles73Taylor
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Players around here arent overlooked, they are just not pushing themselves on colleges. Like digger said, you have to get your name out there. Heck, Notre Dame College in Cleveland was down in podunk Piketon watching players from Huntington Ross high school. You have to get your name out there! AAU, summer camps, and heck take the time to fill out those internet recruit forms that are on just about every college athletic website from major D-I to small NAIA teams. Dont wait for your senior year either!
First there is so much coaching turnover in this area that there is no chance to develop a relationship with college coaches. Also and must importantly there just isn't that much good college talent in southeastern Ohio. The talent in southeastern sports is so watered down. it gets old hearing about how colleges don't pick our kids. If the kid is good enough someone will find him. The problem is the parents, fans and the players think they are DI players and they are not.
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eagles73Taylor
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freethrow, I respectively disagree that there isnt college talent in SE ohio. Just look at the players that do make it out, in a lot of sports. There are D-I players in sports like football, bball, baseball and track from around here. Just watched Dante Jackson on tv the other night, Aldrigde is going to Cincy, several players at Marshall in football, sorry cant remember their names and others that are playing at some level. The difference is you dont see them going to the premier college teams like OSU, Florida and such. That doesnt mean they arent college material.
Also, many around this area look at Shawnee State and Rio as second rate basketball. Let me tell you, it is not. The AMC currently receives 3, count em 3 automatic bids to the national tournament. That is unheard of. It is widely regarded as one of the elite NAIA conferences in the country from top to bottom. If some of our locals would go watch a game at Shawnee or Rio once in awhile, they would see that there is some very good talent on the floor. Most everyone playing on a consistent basis were stars on their respective high school teams. It seems our locals view it as a slap in the face to go to Shawnee or Rio and instead end up going to a school in the very same conference.
MD -
I can understand why you'd be a little ticked. And I didn't mean for it to sound like it's the local kids fault that Rio is down this year. I was trying to use it as an example of what freethrow said. The talent around southern Ohio is not as great as people make it out to be. Also, NAIA basketball is a lot better than many people realize too. For example, SSU had 3 players on their roster that played at the DI level. And I believe that the AMC's leading scorer, Ben Falkenberg, is also a DI transfer. The past couple of years, I know SSU has gone after Waginger and Gagai. I'm pretty sure they went after Cam Miller as well. Look where those three went. Waginger and Miller go to a small DI school. Gagai goes to WVU, then transfers to a pretty good DII school in NKU. So part of the reason you don't see many local kids on SSU's roster is because the ones who are good enough to play for them, simply go somewhere else.
I can understand why you'd be a little ticked. And I didn't mean for it to sound like it's the local kids fault that Rio is down this year. I was trying to use it as an example of what freethrow said. The talent around southern Ohio is not as great as people make it out to be. Also, NAIA basketball is a lot better than many people realize too. For example, SSU had 3 players on their roster that played at the DI level. And I believe that the AMC's leading scorer, Ben Falkenberg, is also a DI transfer. The past couple of years, I know SSU has gone after Waginger and Gagai. I'm pretty sure they went after Cam Miller as well. Look where those three went. Waginger and Miller go to a small DI school. Gagai goes to WVU, then transfers to a pretty good DII school in NKU. So part of the reason you don't see many local kids on SSU's roster is because the ones who are good enough to play for them, simply go somewhere else.
college talent
The AMC has three teams currently ranked nationally in the top 25 (NAIA). Rio and Shawnee have a good mix of local players. The talent level in this league is incredible.
I know that Rio has 2 JV teams which gives a lot of kids the opportunity to play college ball if their ego does not get in the way.
As far as scouting/recruiting local talent, if you go to any of the tournament games at Jackson High School this weekend, I bet you will see at least one coach from RIO taking in some games...
I know that Rio has 2 JV teams which gives a lot of kids the opportunity to play college ball if their ego does not get in the way.
As far as scouting/recruiting local talent, if you go to any of the tournament games at Jackson High School this weekend, I bet you will see at least one coach from RIO taking in some games...
A couple other influences:
1) Lack of school size, for the most part. This eliminates the big time matchups that get the pub. Whom outside of SEOP knows that Vinton County has a team, or Fed Hock was 18-2? No One!
2) News media Circulation, Which Newspaper are the recuiters going to look at, The Athens Messenger or The Columbus Dispatch?
3) Overall Talent, It takes alot less to be a Star in the TVC (either division) Than in the Columbus city.
4) Alot of the kids I have known over the years have been satisfied to be recruited by small colleges, kids need taught that D1 is possible with the right promotion, work, and dedication.
1) Lack of school size, for the most part. This eliminates the big time matchups that get the pub. Whom outside of SEOP knows that Vinton County has a team, or Fed Hock was 18-2? No One!
2) News media Circulation, Which Newspaper are the recuiters going to look at, The Athens Messenger or The Columbus Dispatch?
3) Overall Talent, It takes alot less to be a Star in the TVC (either division) Than in the Columbus city.
4) Alot of the kids I have known over the years have been satisfied to be recruited by small colleges, kids need taught that D1 is possible with the right promotion, work, and dedication.
Whoever said, "It's not wether you win or lose, it's how you play the game," was a
LOSER!!
LOSER!!
RANDOMGUY wrote:Oh yeah and walking on is not degrading, how do you know if you don't try.
You are absolutely right. Walking on is a viable option as long as the player understands that he may not ever play at that level. Just depends on if you want to chance it and see, or maybe play somewhere smaller right away. All depends on what you want.
i think that it has happened in the past that a kid gets overlooked, but in this day and age where the internet is so readily available to people its getting harder to be overlooked.
just think of how much recruiting has changed in football over the past few years, and i'd have to imagine that basketball will see the same thing happening over the next couple of years.
and it will always be up to the kids as to how much time and effort they put in to it as well. you have to somewhat promote yourself year round and hope that your current head coach is willing/able to help you out as well. if not your going to fighting an up hill battle.
just think of how much recruiting has changed in football over the past few years, and i'd have to imagine that basketball will see the same thing happening over the next couple of years.
and it will always be up to the kids as to how much time and effort they put in to it as well. you have to somewhat promote yourself year round and hope that your current head coach is willing/able to help you out as well. if not your going to fighting an up hill battle.
Aldridge will not make it at Cincy either. The kid doesn't look like he likes to follow rules.
I agree with the talent at the NAIA level. Remember the requirements aren't near as hard to get into them as a NCAA DI school. Most of the NAIA schools have DI transfers on them. Normally there is a reason for that (grades, personal issues, legal issues) which keeps them from playing in the NCAA.
There are a lot of NAIA schools such as Mountain State and Georgetown which has a whole teams full of DI transfers and would give a lot of DI schools a run for their money
There may be a lot of kids on DI teams but none making any waves or headlines. Most are on scout teams and don't get to travel.
I agree with the talent at the NAIA level. Remember the requirements aren't near as hard to get into them as a NCAA DI school. Most of the NAIA schools have DI transfers on them. Normally there is a reason for that (grades, personal issues, legal issues) which keeps them from playing in the NCAA.
There are a lot of NAIA schools such as Mountain State and Georgetown which has a whole teams full of DI transfers and would give a lot of DI schools a run for their money
There may be a lot of kids on DI teams but none making any waves or headlines. Most are on scout teams and don't get to travel.
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BLUEGRASSVIKE
- Varsity
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freethrow wrote:There are a lot of NAIA schools such as Mountain State and Georgetown which has a whole teams full of DI transfers and would give a lot of DI schools a run for their money
This is true. I can speak Georgetown(KY). They scrimmage Louisville every year and make it a tough game. They have a great program there.
There is a lot of things that come into play with kids in the Southern Ohio area getting exposure to colleges. A large amount of kids who choose to play basketball in college played travel ball and went to summer camps to get exposure. Now, not all kids choose to take that route. Some kids just play high school ball, which isn't going to get you as much exposure to college scouts. As far as kids in the Southern Ohio area getting overlooked, it may be a possibility. Contacting the coaches also has a lot to do with it. Getting started early with your college search/visitation is also important. I think that quite a few colleges in the Southern Ohio area do a very decent job of recruiting local talent.
Hitchbone 64 hit it on the head. Pay attention to what he has said.
Also, a lot of players in southern Ohio simply aren't as good as their local community thinks they are. They need to get out of the shallow pool for themselves and see, and the only way to do that is to play at a national level. Local and area/regional AAU just doesn't do that for them. It's a tough world out there, and it takes a LOT of work and dedication and pure sacrifice. Just playing in a little local gym in southern Ohio sure ain't gonna do it for you. Nobody comes to see anybody play there, nor do they want to. The want to see you play against the best THEN see if you are any good. and if you aren't dedicated enough to do that, then they don't want you much anyway. Layups and put backs are easy against weak players.
Finally, it IS college, and coaches say they have on an info sheet, your age, position, ranking on a national level, ACT score, gpa, and class rank on their clipboards when they scout. Shock shock. Those last two do matter. It's too much money to risk on a mid-level, low level DI player who is a loser and who cannot make it b/c they cannot take coaching or are a "head case". Some can be practice dummies, but they don't usually last long, so those who want to be noticed have a lot of their plate for kids.
That's the reality. Basketball is probably the toughest sport of all to get DI recruited. It's also a numbers game. Most D1 collesges have one or two (and that's it!) scholarships a year. Football has a lot more., about 20 Baseball usally divides up its scholarships (about ten of them) , AND offers more players less money in scholarship But, a lot of players get partials in that sport. Baskeball is tough! You get it all, but only a very select few get D1 offers in the state. It is truly a matter of only five need to play.
Also, a lot of players in southern Ohio simply aren't as good as their local community thinks they are. They need to get out of the shallow pool for themselves and see, and the only way to do that is to play at a national level. Local and area/regional AAU just doesn't do that for them. It's a tough world out there, and it takes a LOT of work and dedication and pure sacrifice. Just playing in a little local gym in southern Ohio sure ain't gonna do it for you. Nobody comes to see anybody play there, nor do they want to. The want to see you play against the best THEN see if you are any good. and if you aren't dedicated enough to do that, then they don't want you much anyway. Layups and put backs are easy against weak players.
Finally, it IS college, and coaches say they have on an info sheet, your age, position, ranking on a national level, ACT score, gpa, and class rank on their clipboards when they scout. Shock shock. Those last two do matter. It's too much money to risk on a mid-level, low level DI player who is a loser and who cannot make it b/c they cannot take coaching or are a "head case". Some can be practice dummies, but they don't usually last long, so those who want to be noticed have a lot of their plate for kids.
That's the reality. Basketball is probably the toughest sport of all to get DI recruited. It's also a numbers game. Most D1 collesges have one or two (and that's it!) scholarships a year. Football has a lot more., about 20 Baseball usally divides up its scholarships (about ten of them) , AND offers more players less money in scholarship But, a lot of players get partials in that sport. Baskeball is tough! You get it all, but only a very select few get D1 offers in the state. It is truly a matter of only five need to play.