Local recruits adapting to virtual visits
Kennedy Chandler's recruitment has been one of the most active and visible of anyone in the Class of 2021.
The past year for the five-star Briarcrest guard, ESPN'S 13th-ranked prospect in the country, has been a whirlwind of visits — official and unofficial in and away from Memphis — from a wide range of high-profile basketball coaches.
April has long been one of the most active evaluation periods, and it was shaping up to be exactly that for Chandler, who announced he was only considering offers from Memphis, Duke, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina last week. But coronavirus changed the game. While the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily halted all in-person recruiting visits (the NCAA dead period now is through May 30), prospects and coaches have adapted to the most effective alternative: the virtual visit.
Zoom group meetings, Facetime sessions and the like have become the norm. For a generation already well acclimated to the most cutting-edge technology, that's fine by them.
“It hasn't been frustrating at all,” Chandler said. “It's just something we've all got to deal with, so I'm just enjoying the process.”
Chandler, Tennessee's two-time defending Division II-AA Mr. Basketball, has taken virtual visits with Ole Miss, Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke, among others. He said each one is generally the same.
“They're all kind of like in-home visits,” he said. “They're all about 15 or 20 minutes and they usually just ask me how I'm doing. It's the whole coaching staff all at their (own) homes. I mean, it's not really weird. They've got to do it (this way), and they seem pretty cool about it. They just like to see my face because they haven't seen me in awhile and they want to show their faces (too).”
Houston's Alden Applewhite, a 6foot-6, three-star small forward, was visited virtually by Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis and the rest of his staff earlier this month. He said his father, Andre, did most of the talking during the half-hour meeting that included a Powerpoint presentation from the Rebel coaches.
“I would say it was a good visit,” said Applewhite, who has also taken a virtual visit with Iowa State and has scheduled others. “They told me a lot that I needed to know. I liked what I was hearing.”
Despite fielding a nice cross-section of offers, Applewhite was looking forward to this summer potentially upping his stock as a prospect. He was set to play for Memphis-based AAU squad Team Thad on the EYBL circuit. It remains to be seen whether AAU competition will be held.
"It is frustrating," Applewhite said. "It's real tough for me. I was really looking forward to this summer. (But) all I can really do is look forward to next season or whenever the next time we can play.”