By Dave Bollwinkel, Boston Celtics Scout
Courtesy of NorCalPreps.com
"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
Why does Kent State make it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2002? Can you explain the reasons behind Gonzaga making it to the Elite Eight? Why does a first round pick like Steve Nash end up playing at Santa Clara? More often than not the answer to all three of these questions is the same. The ability to evaluate; the ability to project where a player will be two to three years down the road.
Why did Steve Nash end up at a mid-major instead of playing in the PAC-10? I doubt that the Oregon and Washington schools didn't know about this guard from British Columbia. It's more likely that Dick Davey did a better job of evaluating his potential and projecting how his game would develop. The same could be said for Gonzaga's Casey Calvery, and I'm sure that some schools in the Big Ten would like to have a player or two from Kent State.
In medicine, the diagnosis is often more difficult than the cure. In sports, the equivalent of diagnosis is the evaluation. True genius lies in identifying those players who are on the rise and projecting their level of play a few seasons hence. Bill Walsh's genius lies not just in the West Coast Offense, but also in evaluation of talent, in seeing that up-side. Who else saw stardom in the future for Jeff Garcia?
In evaluating basketball talent, there is no denying the importance of size. In playing basketball, it is nice to be tall, and long arms are a great asset. Although you have no control over it, you would like your length to be in your legs, not in your trunk or neck because being "long" can greatly benefit your game. If you play inside, having some "junk in the trunk" can be a great help as it is nice to be wide. At the same time, don't let a lack of height or bulk discourage you. Many coaches have no problem winning with one or even two little guards. There are plenty of undersized inside players making an impact on college teams, especially at the small college level. Charles Barkley was a power forward and he's taken his undersized wide body to the Hall of Fame. Why? Because although Sir Charles was short, he had size in a more important part of his body; in his heart. As we look at size, the heart is the most important place to be big, and the hardest for coaches to evaluate. If we continue to use the body to evaluate athletic potential, body size is far less important than are hand skills and/or foot skills.
Hand skills are obvious, they are what you can do with the ball and more often called ball skills. For our conversation, foot skills are all areas of athleticism: speed, lateral movement, hand/eye coordination, quickness, jumping ability, reactions, footwork, and even strength. To be an effective basketball player, you need a combination of foot and hand skills. Tim Montgomery may have just set a world record in the 100 meters, but I doubt he has a handle which means despite having great athleticism in the form of speed, he probably has no game. On the other side of the coin, I have seen hundreds of great middle age shooters who have no wheels and would get most college coaches fired.
The best ratio of hand to foot skills varies from position to position. Speed may kill, but quickness and lateral movement are the best athletic traits to have as a guard. As a coach, you want post players who have good reactions, strength, and understanding or footwork in the low post, and hand/eye coordination so that they can catch the ball. "Bad Hands" is a life threatening disease if you are a center.
When it comes to ball skills, most coaches will wait on the inside player to develop. It is important to remember that inside players do not need a million moves. If you bring a drop step, jump hook, and a counter to the game, you're in good shape. Beyond that, it is nice but just icing on the cake.
As a perimeter player, the most valued skill is the ability to shoot. If you can get your shot off quickly with range and accuracy, coaches will find a place for you. Plus, they won't have to go to Europe to recruit a shooter. When it comes to your handle, forget fancy. Be efficient. This means as often as possible play on two feet, with two hands, because this will minimize turnovers.
Let's go back to Charles Barkley's heart for a moment. The two most undervalued and difficult traits to evaluate are, "Does he/she care?", and work ethic. Caring is synonymous with heart and when you put this together with great work habits, you can overcome shortcomings you may have in hand or foot skills.
Recruiting doesn't take place all the time, but evaluating does. High school players often ask when they are being evaluated. The answer is always. Someone is always watching you. Someone who may say something nice about you or your game to a coach. So when you are in the gym, whether you are shooting by yourself, in pre-game warm-up, during practice, or in the biggest game of the year, put your best foot forward by focusing and working hard on your game.
Remember, evaluation and recruiting are part of the same process and if you don't qualify through the first, the second will never take place. Keep in mind that:
"Success doesn't come to you . . . you go to it. - Marva Collins
Dave Bollwinkel is the founder of Coach On and Off the Court and TEAM Workshops. He can be reached at COACHOnandOff@aol.com.
