Jim Larranaga doesn't remember the name of every event he attends during the July recruiting period, the 20-day player evaluation marathon run at a sprinter's pace, but he doesn't forget the airports. And he doesn't forget the names of the scores of players he sees every summer.For college basketball recruiters, the two 10 day segments of the July observation periods, are a mix of red eyes and Red Bulls, but they lets coaches scout as many players as their schedule – and travel agents --can accommodate.
But, if a group of BCS coaches get their way, the July observation period may become a thing of college basketball's past.
For mid-major schools like George Mason, that would wipe out the best chance to level the playing field with their big-program brethren with athletic budgets that look like a government assistance fund.
"For a program that is at the BCS level, they have all of the resources to get the job done in the recruiting arena with less time needed," Larranaga told FanHouse. "The top players in the country know who's recruiting them, it's all the top schools. If you're a mid-major, you have to protect yourself by recruiting more candidates. And in July provides us with multiple opportunities to see large numbers of good recruits."
Currently, colleges are allotted a total of 60 man days of recruiting during two July periods, which means a staff of three coaches may work each day during both of the periods. For the Patriots staff, those 60 days turned into 10 separate events from Philadelphia to Las Vegas and enough players to roster the conference.
Events like these are the best chance for a mid-major team to identify the diamonds in the rough that might turn into the type of Cinderella run Larranaga's team managed in 2006.
For Jim Corrigan, Old Dominion's associate head coach and top recruiter, these days are essential to protect the recruiting capacity of mid-majors. "If [the end of the July period] happens," Corrigan tweeted during the end of the evaluation period, "it is very clearly the few overpowering what is best for the majority!"
To Corrigan, it's all about about playing the numbers – players seen and dollars spent.
"A very small percentage, maybe 20 percent – 60 to 70 schools – could recruit well without [July]," Corrigan told FanHouse. It's a cost benefit thing. During July you can go out and see thousands of kids, and relative to what you've have to do to see same number during year, it's a miniscule cost. Then we can decide who recruit. If you're a top five program, you don't recruit 100 kids, you recruit a handful. But the vast majority have to recruit numbers. We start with 100 and get three."
The NCAA's Men's Basketball Issues Committee discussed adjusting the period during its June meeting, citing "continuing concerns about the health, safety and well-being of participants," but recommended no action.
But Kentucky coach John Calipari raised the issue again during the final week of this year's July evaluation period.
"Among other things," the New York Daily News wrote of Calipari's stance, "he feels that would give coaches a chance to recharge their batteries, spend time with their families and develop their own players on campus. At the same time, it would limit the out-of-control influence some travel-team coaches have in recruiting and the growing infestation of agents and runners
But mid-major coaches are skeptical that closing off the period would do anything other than make life for mid-majors even more difficult..
The NCAA has already whittled away at the recruiting period, from an unlimited tenure when Larranaga first took the road as an assistant with Davidson 38 years ago, to its current form, with a system of evaluation periods, contact periods, quiet periods and dark periods. The routine volume of changes over the last three decades would make War & Peace look like a prologue, so it seems certain that some change will come.
But how much?
Last year, the NCAA eliminated the April observation period, in an effort to curtail the power of AAU teams and coaches. But fewer college coaches hasn't stopped the competitions.
"I think there are always great intentions when new rules are put into place, and I think the spirit and intent are correct," Larranaga said. "But it doesn't really have the impact that you would think. The kids who were going to play in April are still playing in April even if colleges aren't there. They're doing for the competition."
Even though coaches aren't on hand, recruiting services are, which means coaches then base recruiting targets on the opinions of analysts outside their team, making the decision of which players to recruit all the more daunting.
"The top players in the country know who's recruiting them, it's all the top schools," Larranaga said. "However, a young man that's not in the top 100, he'll have a number of schools contact him, BCS, mid-majors, low-majors, and because you know you'll be in a heckuva battle for a top player, you have to protect yourself by recruiting more candidates. Mid-majors schools have a complicated time figuring out whether to sincerely go after a player. We have to work longer and harder. And if he's not at op 100 he's a young man we'll need to evaluate over and over and over against good players. The only place is AAU ball.
If the July observation follows the April period into dormancy, coaches would then only be allowed to evaluate players during the observation period that runs concurrent with the team's own season. For college's wealthiest programs, this is less of a disadvantage, with a smaller pool of targets, larger budgets all the way up to access to private jets.
For mid-majors, it leads to a difficult decision -- hit the road to follow a single recruit for your team of tomorrow, or spend the time working on this year's team.
"It's more than just our ability to evaluate kids, it's that you have to go away from your team during the week," Corrigan said. "So you'll send three guys out recruiting instead of being there yourself, or you'll have to choose between practice and recruiting."
Player evaluations during the season are typically less reliable, watching players against uneven high school competition instead of the more talented AAU teams. Often, coaches wind up watching inter-squad practices.
Corrigan cedes that there is value in slowing down the pace of July recruiting, and wouldn't object to altering the current period to a system that would allow more off days during the current periods.
But the vital evaluation time and large tournaments need to remain.
"The power broker type schools, the elite schools would be the ones that ask for this, because they don't' need it," Corrigan said. "So, if you took a straight up vote amongst all coaches, I believe the overwhelming vote would to keep it. But people who are proposing it don't' need it. And that could be a threat to a period we vitally need."
Yet after nearly four decades on the recruiting trails Larranaga has learned to bring a healthy dose of optimism with him.
"When August comes now, it doesn't end, it just goes into a different phase," Larranaga said. "We get on the phone and try and bring our top guys to campus for an unofficial visit. So we're not traveling anymore, they're travelling to us. July is over, and then August becomes the most important month."
And, if the BCS coaches get there way, it will be even more important.
