How closely do players pay attention to college coaches watching them?
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Some of the top players from around the country were on hand to compete at the NBPA Top 100 camp last weekend. Rivals.com caught up with a handful of players and asked a few different questions surrounding their entire recruiting experience.
With hundreds of coaches being able to watch players during the live period, we asked recruits if they notice who is sitting courtside at games and does it impact the way they play?
"It definitely impacts my game. I just use the adrenaline to go out there and play harder and play better. You can’t be tired when the college coaches are watching." - Jaemyn Brakefield
"During the warm-ups I’ll look over and see who’s here and I’ll be like, ‘oh wow that’s cool,’ because there are some coaches sitting there that you only see on TV, so to see them sitting there all casual watching us play is crazy. It’s cool to be here and see guys like Roy Williams, Bill Self, Chris Beard, Shaka Smart, Buzz Williams and of course my dad Juwan Howard (laughs)." – Jace Howard
"I glance around for sure. It just makes me want to play harder and be consistent. Anyone can have a good game here and there but my goal is to be consistent every time a coach watches me so they know what kind of player they’re getting in me." – Michael Foster
"When I’m on the court I don’t try to let it distract me but when I’m sitting on the bench, I’m looking around like, ‘Oh my gosh, so-and-so is here and he’s here,’ and so on." – Efton Reid
"We’re all kind of used to it by now and I’ve been around college programs my entire life with my dad being a college coach so I don’t really get nervous or anything." – Patrick Baldwin Jr.
"It’s a blessing to be honest. When you look over to the sidelines right before tipoff and you see the coaches that are taking time to come watch you play, it’s amazing. Not a lot of players get the opportunity to play in front of all these coaches so I’m just trying to take it step by step and not let it get to my head. I still have a lot of work to do. I know I’m not a finished product so anytime I can show improvements to my game to a coach that’s recruiting me, I’m going to take advantage of it." – Jamal Mashburn Jr.
"You always want to perform at a high level regardless of who’s there. I’m always trying to play my hardest and it doesn’t matter if there’s two people in the gym or 200." – Zach Loveday
"It doesn’t really elevate my game at all when the coaches are watching; it just reminds me that I have eyes on me and I have to do me and play my game." – Justin Lewis