Colleges will find top HS athletes

During this week in which we celebrate the power of love, perhaps we should also take a moment to celebrate the power of intelligence as well.

Around national signing day every year, emotions can run a little hot because of a belief in some circles as to what factors are used to determine what high school athletes are recruited and where. Some of it is justified. If someone can clearly perform in their sport, it should be about that and not about prototype.

But some of it is silly, and assumption of incompetence attached to those factors needs to stop.

Because it’s disrespectful to people whose livelihood and success depends on knowing better.

One aspect, for example, that has never ceased to amaze me is the importance placed on stats in the quest for a scholarship.

There are people out there who honestly believe recruiting decisions are made by coaches purely by going online to a database such as MaxPreps or to the local media, and they say, “Wow, this person has (20 goals/averages 25 points per game/is hitting .450). I should recruit them.”

If that information is

not disseminated to someone’s liking, then it means an athlete is losing a chance at a scholarship or looks from “big schools.” That’s just plain wrong. College coaches and recruiting coordinators get it. In order for their programs to succeed, they need the athletes to push those aspirations forward.

It’s common sense, of course. It would be career-endangering to not pull out all the stops to make that happen.

They’ll show up at schools. They’ll network with and trust the word of high school coaches. They’ll come and see for themselves and be able to drown out the noise. They’ll talk to athletes themselves and gauge on

merit as a performer and person whether or not they’re the right fit. It’s not about a number. It’s not about public praise.

It’s not about any external factor beyond someone’s philosophy on whether an athlete can perform and be a positive contributor for their school.

By the way, so much is made about location of athletes and getting the word out, too — and the counterpoint to the stats and praise argument is the only way to get the attention of colleges is through that avenue.

But by that same token, do you honestly believe if the best girls basketball player in the United States lived and played at Put-inBay, that coaches wouldn’t know about it and get on the nearest ferry to see it for themselves?

If the premier middle linebacker in the Class of 2019 lived in the middle of the desert, that assistant coaches and recruiting coordinators wouldn’t figure it out and get on the nearest plane and rent a car?

The idea athletes are dismissed because they’re not deemed “five star” or don’t fit a certain physical expectation — like a 5-foot-9 point guard dominating high school hoops in New York City or a 5-4 midfielder in soccer — that’s a reasonable point.

It is no secret there’s only so many spots to go around at the college level.

In turn, there’s only so much scholarship money to go around as well.

That said, there’s only so much time for coaches to right the ship or continue to build success.

These people aren’t lacking in intelligence. If they can’t find it within themselves to go to a certain place or not recruit a certain athlete despite what those people could do for them and their school, then they likely are in the wrong line of work.

As an athlete — and by extension, this is for the families of athletes, too — if you honestly think you’re fighting an uphill battle for attention, show your prowess, in every practice, every community function and every competition.

Make them listen, because they have to listen. A resume is great. But so is every instance of when an athlete defies the odds in some respect, comes from nowhere or has a unique story of how they got into their sport and still makes it to the biggest stages.

That will still outweigh — and it will always outweigh — any other nonsense that seemingly dictates that path.

The power of intelligence — and the power of survival — at the college level will never fail to make that so.

Chris Lillstrung