Zbynski Takes, Showcases
Fall Showcases and other events. As the Summer ends, travel ball starts wrapping up and school starting is around the corner. There is an annual lull in events and girls’ basketball activity. Most players in high school, generally, either use…
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Continue ReadingFall Showcases and other events.
As the Summer ends, travel ball starts wrapping up and school starting is around the corner. There is an annual lull in events and girls’ basketball activity. Most players in high school, generally, either use August to rest and recover or train. This is a gap between when the high School season starts. During this period, there are many Showcases and team camps. Here are some of my personal thoughts on these types of events.
Due diligence
This means, do your research. Contact the event director, to see which media personal will be there, if any. Find out if any local or out of state colleges are planning to attend, get the list of colleges attending. Find out if the event is going to be streamed, or recorded at a minimum, and which company will be providing this service to check cost.
Invited versus not being invited
It’s not the end of the world if you are not selected or invited to a certain event. College coaches will still watch whoever is there and evaluators will still evaluate any player that deserves the recognition. Being selected or invited means one of two things, either someone saw you play and wants to see more of you or a coach wants to get an even better look. Also, haven spoken to many College coaches, there are many kids that are offered at college elite camps. So, it might be in your best interest to attend as many as you can, within the budget. Disclaimer, just because you are invited, doesn’t mean the camp is good for you.
Prep-work
If you plan to attend any fall showcases. Make sure you get back into the gym to get some workouts in prior to the event. It would not benefit any player to pay the money, travel to an event, and not perform at the highest level. Another area that should be considered, when attending any showcase is to email or communicate that you are attending these events. Specifically, if it’s a college elite camp, you should email the head coach and assistant coach letting them know you will be attending, you look forward to meeting them and especially thanking them for allowing you to participate. Posting on social media, especially Twitter that you will be attending, is another good marketing strategy.
Post-event
After the event has concluded, make sure to thank and shake the hand (if you can) of the event director or coaches. Another thing that can be done, if possible, is to take a picture with the event director or coach, then post to social media. It’s very impressive to have a young person understand and be thankful for opportunities. After the event is over, it is wise to send a follow-up email to the event director and coaches, thanking them for allowing you to participate, telling them you enjoyed the experience, and that you look forward to future events.
With the cost of travel, cost of event registration, spectator entry or other cost. It is important that each player gets the bang for the buck. There is nothing wrong with spending a day in the gym getting training from a trainer or college coach, the only message is to be mindful of attending events, just to attend events.
This is just my opinion and im only trying to help, hopefully giving some guidance along the way.
Luke Zbynski is the Orlando area Prep Girls Hoops Florida writer. For more story ideas or general basketball information. Please message him at zbynskiprephoop@gmail.com and follow-on Twitter @zbynskiprephoop.