Thoughts From Orlando

Phone Call and June 15th Prep

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I was in Orlando last weekend for the Sunshine Qualifier. It was a significantly better travel experience for me than the year before. I enjoy the Orlando tournament experience. Even though I'm about a mile+ away the weather is usually good and so walking to and from the convention center isn't an issue. There are also a bunch of food options, which is ALWAYS nice.

One thing stood out to me over the course of the weekend.

Recruiting lists are realistically very small.

Now why does any of this matter?

There is a lot of talent out there and college coaches ARE watching a TON of athletes, the top of their recruiting list is really relatively small.

At the highest level, these coaches are looking at a small group of athletes. 40 college coaches surrounding a court to watch 1 or 2 athletes. That's just one weekend. I talked to a coach in the P5 just this week and they only have 1 scholarship in the 2025 class. They are looking for just 1. If I had to guess - and this is just me guessing - there were 37 teams playing 16 Open? Those top schools we are talking about, 35-40 of them are realistically watching 1 athlete on each team, and 2 athletes on each team in the top half.

Coaches are spending most of their time on the courts with their top athletes.

35 schools watching about 55 athletes. Again, just my guess.

37 teams x 12 athletes each team = 444 athletes played 16 Open in Orlando

I was struck with how important it is for athletes to find where they fit. (Aim For The Middle)

Spend the majority of your time and energy pursuing the right schools and programs.

So please, before you start firing off emails to Wisconsin, Pitt, Florida, Oregon, Baylor, Louisville, Ohio State, Houston, Kentucky, or Minnesota... (just to name a few) ask if you're the reason 30 college coaches are standing around your court at a qualifier.

Have a conversation with your club coach, high school, club director or me. Let's find a great college fit for you.

Take control of your recruiting organization and save 15%!

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