As travel stalls, connections key for coaches
As the executive director for elite travel program Florida Girls Basketball, Kenny Kallina is more focused on connections than the court right now.
Kallina said he’s not worried about providing his teams with workouts right now. Instead, he spends most of his days reaching out to college coaches on behalf of players. Last week, for instance, that meant connecting a Seminole High School point guard to a University of California coach through a video conference.
With showcases shut down and games canceled, Kallina said most of recruiting is now centered around who knows whom.
“You didn’t sign up to play for me because we were going to do great Zoom workouts,” Kallina said. “You did it because the end game of all this was getting a college scholarship.”
The recruiting calendar for girls basketball rotates around monthly NCAA evaluation windows during which teams travel to elite tournaments hosted by adidas, Nike and Under Armour.
The coronavirus pandemic already forced cancellations of two of those windows — April 23-26, and May 15-17. It eliminated key opportunities for high school players to improve their stock, particularly among Power Five recruiters.
However, Seminole coach Shenique Gilbert said most of her top players have already received offers. They are now waiting until recruiting picks up again before making a commitment.
“There is no true panic right now,” Gilbert said. “Once we know for sure, we’re going to have to be a little more aggressive reaching out to coaches for certain players. Some players just have to narrow down their choices.”
Lake Highland Prep coach Al Honor is most concerned for mid-range players who haven’t received top offers yet. These players were most likely to benefit from being scouted during spring and summer travel tournaments.
Some of these players have yet to receive an offer. Others have received mid-major offers but could have used the exposure to get higher profile opportunities.
Honor also worries college coaches might look to recruit transfers rather than take on these midrange high school recruits due to a lack of dependable scouting.
“If the kids can’t be evaluated because of the pandemic, of course college coaches will go to the transfer portal and get kids,” Honor said. “At least they know they have already been in the college system, they know how to play the game and they’ve been acclimated to college basketball.”
As concerns about the spread of coronavirus continue until a treatment or vaccine is developed, many coaches expect future windows in June and July to be closed as well. But even if the NCAA decides to leave the summer evaluation windows untouched, it’s likely many coaches and scouts won’t be willing to risk cross-country travel that soon.
To Kallina, there’s no reason to travel to tournaments if the full slate of coaches won’t be present.
“Even if there is a certified time for college coaches to come out, there’s no guarantee coaches will actually come,” Kallina said. “Why would I be encouraging parents to travel all over the country and spend their money when the college coaches aren’t going to be there? That’s why we do this.”
High school and travel team coaches are similarly reticent about their future travel plans. The nature of basketball recruiting has shifted, with most competitive teams attending several elite tournaments each year.
In the first decade of running Florida Girls Basketball, Kallina’s teams never got onto a plane. Instead, they drove to tournaments and games every other weekend. Now his teams participate in six to eight elite showcases each year in locations such as Indianapolis and Las Vegas.
Top level high school teams also travel crosscountry for competitive games. For instance, Lake Highland Prep is scheduled to travel to Hawaii for a tournament next season.
But in the wake of the pandemic, Honor plans to put safety first.
“I’m the one taking people’s kids and traveling to different locations to play basketball tournaments,” Honor said. “If I’m taking a young lady and she gets sick, if there isn’t a way I can get a cure or something that’ll help her right away, then I’m really not willing to accept that risk.”
All three coaches acknowledged uncertainty surrounding the future is the greatest concern among players, coaches and parents.
Although this period has heightened anxiety, Kallina is confident he can help players connect with appropriate schools. He added the one-time transfer allowance created by the NCAA will help players who don’t receive an offer at the caliber they deserve.
“At this point, my philosophy is it’s better to have a scholarship than not have a scholarship going into the high school season,” Kallina said. “The opportunities to get to the level that you belong at are going to be there. I think it just may be a less conventional way.”