Everything college coaches are looking for in a recruit's game film
Zach Mason, director of communications, The Basketball Embassy
@ZachMasonSports
For many aspiring college basketball players, finding out what exactly coaches are looking for in a player can be a bit of a mystery.
While every coach values certain skills slightly more or less than others, most have a general consensus on what makes a competent basketball player, or at least a player with potential. This post aims to highlight some of the skills college coaches desire most, and we talked to a few current assistants and head coaches about how recruits can best showcase their abilities.
The advice in this post applies to both highlight videos and game film, although many coaches have mixed opinions on highlight tapes in general. While some are fine with checking them out, others, like a Division I head coach in the Big South Conference we talked to, prefer not to watch highlights at all and are only interested in scouting full games. So, while it’s OK to send in a highlight tape, make sure you also include at least one full game—preferably two.
In any case, here are some tips we received from current college coaches (we’ve kept their identities anonymous) on what specifically you should try and reveal about your game, whether you’re sending a highlight tape or a full game to any school you want to play for:
Assistant coach, Division I school in the American Athletic Conference
This is a coach from a highly successful program in a strong basketball conference who was not under any obligation to help out with this, yet was gracious enough to provide four things he’s looking for when reviewing film:
Game moves against good competition
A game move is any basketball play that helps your team put points on the board on offense or prevent the other team from scoring on defense. While you can get away with fancy crossovers or ballet-like layups in pickup basketball, those moves rarely prove successful in a real game against legitimate competition. Game moves can include:
A simple, yet effective crossover that allows you to get by your man and into the lane
A hard backdoor cut that leads to a layup
An accurate feed to the post
An offensive rebound, where you come down with the ball and go back up strong rather than trying to tip in the missed shot
Making the extra pass that leads to a quality look for a teammate
Drawing fouls
Diving after lose balls
Boxing out bigger defenders
The important thing is that you're making basketball plays against competitive opponents. Coaches aren't interested in seeing a 6A player drop 25 points on a 2A team. They'd rather see you hit four or five quality shots in an entire game against the best team in your district.
Game-speed shooting
Anyone can set up a camera in an empty gym and knock down 25 consecutive 3-pointers. That's not a highlight. This coach wants to see game-speed shooting, so make sure your film includes footage of you knocking down shots in actual games, coming off pick and rolls, setting up on the perimeter during a fast break, or creating space off the dribble and hitting a mid-range jumper. Practice footage is not the same as game footage. Coaches want to see what you can do when the pressure is on and time speeds up. Can you get a shot off with a defender closing out on you? Can you hit an open three on a fast break when you're exhausted late in the fourth quarter? These are the kinds of questions coaches want answers to when they review your tape.
Ability to pass
This doesn’t just apply to guards. There isn’t a single coach in the country who would turn down a post with the passing ability of Nikola Jokić or Draymond Green, and elite court vision can make up for lack of athleticism or size as it does for those two NBA stars.
Don’t confuse great passing with fancy passing. The legendary Pat Riley had to reign in Jason Williams when they brought him to Miami because he was turning the ball over too much, as dazzling as his passes may have looked. Coaches want to see players make fundamental passes without turning the ball over, like:
Feeding the post
Outlet passes
Inbound passes
Backdoor bounce passes
Hitting an open man on the perimeter who has established shooting position and not forcing them to have to move much to catch the pass
No free throws, no warm-ups, no dunk contest highlights
While it’s certainly OK to include a dunk or two to showcase your athleticism, don’t turn your film into a dunk contest highlight reel, especially if all of your dunks are in warm-ups. There’s a lot more to the game of basketball than throwing down an uncontested windmill on a fast break.
Free throws also don’t belong on a highlight tape. There’s a reason even the worst shooters in the country make half of their attempts. It does nothing to separate you from anyone else, so replace that footage with something more productive.
Assistant head coach, Division I school in Southland Conference
This coach placed a heavy emphasis on versatility, which is absolutely vital for players looking to get recruited. No one wants one-dimensional players in the modern game of basketball.
“I would say show a variety of how you score, defend, and pass,” he said. “Then provide two games where a coach can watch you live.”
There’s no reason to show clips of you hitting the same shot against different opponents over and over. These days, coaches want players who can do a little bit of everything. It’s wonderful that you can hit a corner three, but can you finish in the lane? How’s your mid-range game? Can you score one-on-one in a fast-break situation? Can you catch and shoot coming off of a screen? Can you score without the help of a screen?
Same goes with defense. In a world of positionless basketball, coaches want to see you guard multiple areas on the floor. It’s one thing to be able to guard the perimeter, but what happens when a wing sets a screen and you’re forced to switch, and now you have someone four inches taller than you trying to get to the lane?
For bigs, it’s great that you can body up against someone in the paint, but what if your man can stretch the floor? Are you able to contest shots from the perimeter while also being able to stay with him if he tries to attack the basket?
This coach is OK with highlight tapes, but he also wants at least two full games so he can review every aspect of your abilities and playing style.
He also made a great point about the things recruits should send him in addition to highlights and game film, which include:
Your full name
Date of birth
Cell phone number
Email
NCAA eligibility number
Transcript
S.A.T./A.C.T. scores directly from the testing sites
If you include all of these things when you send your film over to any coach, you’re making the coach’s job that much easier. They don’t want to have to work tirelessly to find this information. Just send it to them. It will increase the chances of them at least taking a look at your footage, which is obviously the first step in finding your way onto a college basketball roster.
NAIA head coach
There are more than 200 NAIA basketball programs in the country and they follow a different set of eligibility requirements than the NCAA. If you’re interested in playing for one of these schools, make sure you register for PlayNAIA and send any pertinent eligibility information to the coach of the school you’re contacting.
The NAIA head coach we spoke to also stressed the importance of providing full game footage when reaching out to coaches.
“The thing complete game film allows coaches to see is response,” he said. “Response to a mistake, response to a great play. We want to see how seamlessly a player's transition is from one play to the next, from the bench to the court and vice versa. Certain film will also allow us to gauge behavior on the bench and give us an idea of what type of teammate they are.”
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