The Offering: Part 1
Nowadays a high school player being recruited to play major college basketball probably has tons of scholarship offers from many different schools in various conferences and states across the country……..but, when a school “offers” a potential student athlete, what are they really saying to that individual & to his or her family, and how is that message supposed to be interpreted. There’s a bunch of questions that need answers when it comes to this topic:
-Is the talent of the athlete equivalent to the level of the schools supposedly offering the scholarship?
-Are there any stipulations or conditions that would prevent that offer from being fulfilled?
-Can publicizing too many offers scare the right school away?
-Does having an offer from a particular school guarantee success at the next level?
Jarrett T. Lockhart starred at Mount St. Michaels in the Bronx, NY. in the mid 90’s. (Photo courtesy of J. Lockhart)
I recently heard the father of a kid at an AAU tournament proudly say that his son had 35 offers; which is a great accomplishment, don’t get me wrong, but as far as I know it’s only physically possible to attend one school at a time. I mean, it’s extremely important to be wanted and sought after, but I think as you start to go through the recruiting process a kid has to understand that everyone that may have offered you a scholarship doesn’t necessarily want you at that school genuinely and sometimes offering a player becomes political and very strategic. A coach at a University might offer a kid a scholarship to appease a High School or AAU coach just to get in good graces regarding a future prospect or player they want to eventually recruit; knowing at the end of day, they wouldn’t be able to accommodate the current athlete if he or she really wanted to attend that specific school.
Don’t get caught up in the number of offers you may have currently or going into your senior year of high school.
Many times offers become favors to improve the Basketball image of a potential student athlete, without any validity or substantial credibility behind them. And, say a coach gets fired or leaves a particular school after offering a potential student athlete…..are those player-offers still valid when the new coaching staff comes to that school? Many players and families believe this to be the case, but in all actuality, that new coach is under no obligation to any commitments of the previous coach even though the offer was from the same school. An offer can also be pulled off the table at any moment; meaning today you might hold a certain school’s interest, but tomorrow that same college or University might see a player that they like even more, and you can either be removed or become a second or third option on the recruiting depth chart.
Lockhart matriculated to the University of Pittsburgh where he went on be one of the best players in the conference. (Photo courtesy of J. Lockhart)
When I was getting recruited in the mid 90’s as a top 30 player nationally I obviously had my pick of schools, and back then the mail and letters would come by the boxes……..but, for me even at a young age I continuously looked at the reality of the business. And the scenario was always: What if any of those 29 guys above me on the list wanted to attend one of the schools that offered me, and there was only one scholarship left? There would obviously have to be some quick decisions made in that situation, and one player would eventually be chosen over the other. So, for me it was about being realistic. I could have probably gone to a hundred different schools, but I was always good just saying “I’m getting recruited at a high level”, or “I’ll probably play in the Big East or the ACC”. With statements such as those, people could eventually draw their own conclusions as to how many schools I could possibly be involved with, without me-myself necessarily putting an actual number on it.
Lockhart has played at a high level professionally and even has authored a book. He’s gone full circle and commits his time to coach and mentor the next generation of student athletes. (Photo courtesy of J. Lockhart)
It’s a different day and age now, though……..the OFFER is what seems to motivate a lot of kids……and with the rise of social media every offer is publicized and “posted” on some platform. It’s ultimately good publicity for the kid as well as the college or University, and draws attention to both. I think it becomes misleading when people start to believe that the more offers a student athlete has, the better of a player he or she is. When coaching in college, I was personally asked numerous times to offer a kid; either from a player’s parents or HS coach, without even seeing the individual actually play, which most certainly compromises my beliefs. I’m old school, and a firm believer in showing your skills on the court, and I’m always honest with today’s young athletes. If you can’t play at a certain school or level, there’s really no need for me to sell anyone dreams or be dishonest about an offer that I wouldn’t be able to fulfill at the end of the day anyway. The truth will always be respected in my book; and I would be doing a player and his family a disservice if I wasn’t real about my evaluation.
MY ADVICE:
Don’t get caught up in the number of offers you may have currently or going into your senior year of high school. Ultimately, there are guys in the NBA that only had one or two scholarship offers when they were coming out. And, on the flip side, there are guys that have had 50 plus offers in high school and couldn’t get off of the bench when they got to college. It’s about the work you put in, staying humble, and how you handle yourself off the court. All of the little things that make you a complete player as well as a complete person……..being coachable, being a good teammate, having integrity, keeping your word; etc. These are the things college coaches look for, and to ultimately be offered a college basketball scholarship, you too have to be willing to offer something of yourself to a program. What’s important to YOU…….the Offer or the Outcome?
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Jarrett T. Lockhart
*Author of the new book “Cheers To Fears”
*NYC Basketball alum
*Former Division 1 College Basketball Assistant Coach
*Former University of Pittsburgh Men’s Basketball player
*Retired European professional Basketball player