Biancardi raising educational awareness
It takes talent to win. After a coaching career that included a Final Four appearance with Ohio State in 1999, Paul Biancardi now uses his skills as an evaluator in his role as recruiting director for ESPN.
But it isn't just talent that can help prospective student-athletes change their financial situation by getting into college. In the era of the transfer portal, immediate eligibility and name, image and likeness rights, there are multiple other factors that can influence whether someone is able to play college basketball.
It's for that reason that Biancardi has partnered with Honest Game, a technology company that helps prep athletes become NCAA academically eligible, on presentations to raise awareness for all the different avenues available to high school athletes hoping to continue their playing careers at the next level. Biancardi's primary message: talent matters, but so do character and academics.
“With the portal, the high school athlete has really taken a big back seat, so they're not getting opportunity like they used to,” Biancardi said. “That's No. 1. No. 2, if you have the talent that's appropriate for any sport or university at all levels, to have your academics in order, it just gives you a better chance to get looked at and it gives you a chance to earn a spot on a roster.”
It's a lesson Biancardi said is frequently overlooked at the prep level, especially by players who are not immediately headed to Division I. While the spotlight might not be the same, the ability to have education at least partially paid for is available at other collegiate levels.
Honest Game CEO and co-founder Kim Michelson said the process of creating the software began after seeing a pattern of high school athletes who were missing opportunities to play at the collegiate level through a lack of understanding the details necessary to do so. That confusion has only grown in the era of the transfer portal, which has resulted in fewer opportunities for high school student-athletes as colleges devote more time to recruiting transfer players.
“This is the next generation,” Michelson said. “With the price of college growing and kids defaulting on their loans, we have an obligation to invest in those students. There's a lot of confusion because the space is littered with so much misinformation. (Paul's) a trusted, respected voice. He has the experience to back up what he's saying.”
Leaning into Biancardi's background adds a level of credibility to Honest Game, Michelson said. In late April, the two combined for a virtual webinar titled “From Court to Campus: Unlocking Recruiting Success with ESPN'S Paul Biancardi.” Geared toward high school administrators and coaches, the webinar covered topics such as how to actively contribute to off-court success for student-athletes, understanding the nuances and skill sets needed for each level of college basketball and the importance of achieving and maintaining academic eligibility.
All of it is geared toward putting the most kids in position to continue their careers and hopefully save some money while doing so. As a former Division III athlete who played at Salem State for Tom Thibodeau before getting into coaching, Biancardi knows the situation firsthand.
“To have Honest Game focus in on the academic piece, I just think helps more kids get into college with the opportunity to play,” Biancardi said. “In Division III you have financial aid based on your academic background, or you can have merit money based on your academic performance. That's where Honest Game can not only help kids academically to get into schools but earn merit money, which saves families hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
After leaving St. Louis University in 2008, Biancardi has been ESPN'S national recruiting director for more than 15 years. He was the Horizon League Coach of the Year at Wright State in 2004 and also helped Boston College reach the Elite Eight in 1994 as an assistant to Jim O'brien.
ajardy@dispatch.com