Recruiting Advice
GETTING RECRUITED
The following transcripts originated from personal interviews conducted by JASON SPEAKS, Director of Illinois Basketball Services (IBS); and includes advice from SHANE BATTIER (Duke University; NBA), JASON RICHARDSON (Michigan State University; NBA), DAMIR KRUPALIJA (University of Illinois), RODNEY TUCKER (Florida State University; Tallahassee Community College) and DANTE ROYSTER (MacMurray College).
- - SHANE BATTIER: "Colleges are not unintelligent people. If you are good, they will find you. My feelings on becoming the best player you can be is to be is to be in the best cardiovascular shape you can be in with some weight training and identify the weaker parts of your game with individual workouts. Work to strengthen your weaknesses. Playing is good, but it is better to work on your game."
- -JASON RICHARDSON: "Hard work! Play hard. Even if you are not good, play hard and your day will come. Work hard and it will pay off."
- -DAMIR KRUPALIJA: "Work hard all of the time. That includes summer time too. Summer tournaments are usually where coaches get to look at players. My advice to all high school players looking to play at the next level is to play hard all the time, work hard on your game all year around, because it will pay off in the long run and last, but not least, study, because manypeople do not realize how many players lose their chance to play at the next level because of academics."
- -RODNEY TUCKER: "Play hard during the summer camps and clinics; also AAU basketball."
- -DANTE ROYSTER: "I think by playing in AAU over the summer and attending as many camps as possible; especially if you are from a small town. Players from small towns don't get the notoriety, so camps get them the attention. In AAU, you are playing the best of the best. It gives you a chance to compare your game to players everywhere in the nation.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WEIGHT TRAINING
- - JASON RICHARDSON: "Very important. Because at this level, everybody is stronger than you."
- - DAMIR KRUPALIJA: "It doesn't seem that important, until you get to college. In high school, athletic ability can go a long way and weight training might not seem important at all, but once a player is in college, weight training becomes a priority. So, the sooner you start, the easier it will be later on."
- - DANTE ROYSTER: "Nowadays, everybody uses weights. Basketball is more physical than ever. There is a certain level of strength that players are expected to have. Some players don't have the strength it takes, so that is why you always see these players who 'red shirt.' It is because of lack of strength."
IMPORTANCE OF SUMMER BASKETBALL (CAMPS, CLINICS, SHOOTOUTS, AAU, etc.)
- - JASON RICHARDSON: "Very important. That is how my name got out there."
- - DAMIR KRUPALIJA: "As I said earlier, team camps are where coaches get to look at players. So, I would think that they are important. Position camps such as guards and post players couldn't hurt anyone."
- - RODNEY TUCKER: "They are very important. That is mainly where you will get all your recognition."