When it comes to scouting members of the Class of 2021, it’s going to be a tough summer for college basketball coaches.
While players are playing with their high schools in the winter, most head coaches are focused on their own college teams. Some can and do get out to visit prospects during that time, but by far the biggest scouting time period on the calendar has been the summer AAU circuit.
“The spring and summer are huge for coaches and for prospects,” Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said to Pittsburgh Sports Now in April. “For us, it gives us an opportunity. During the season, not a lot of coaches go out, especially head coaches, and so you don’t get to see your kid as much. During the spring and summer, that’s the offseason for us and so we do get a chance to get out, even if it’s going to watch a kid workout in his high school and watch his team practice.
“Certainly, the AAU events provide us an opportunity to see a lot of guys in one setting and to really see, go against elite competition all the time. Whether it’s the shoe circuit things with the Nike, Adidas and Under Armour, or some of these other events you get to see, really good competition.”
So far, it doesn’t seem like that circuit will be happening. The NCAA announced last week that the in-person recruiting dead period will extend through July 31, prompting Nike to completely cancel its EYBL circuit. The Adidas and Under Armour leagues have not made an official announcement, perhaps holding out hope that games can be played later into the summer.
That’s the time period that the NCAA and the National Association of Basketball Coaches are looking into for potential open recruiting weekends, according to a recent report by Evan Daniels of 247 Sports.
Daniels reported late last week that the governing body for collegiate sports and the national coaches council are looking at Aug. 6-9, Sept. 4-6 and Oct. 9-11 as three potential weekends that could be utilized for evaluation periods.
