Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Raiders finding new ways to evaluate players
5/4/2020 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
There has been a great deal of unknown with the coronavirus and the substantial impact it has had on professional and amateur athletics nationwide.
Perhaps the greatest current impact in regard to collegiate sports has been in regard to player evaluations. Coaches are having to become more innovative in their approach to reaching prospective student-athletes.
The NCAA initially halted evaluation periods through the end of April and later extended its dead period of recruiting through May 31 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The dead period doesn't prohibit coaches from communicating with recruits or vice versa; however, it does mean no on-campus visits and no opportunity for coaches to visit recruits.
"I think the biggest change is the lack of 1-on-1, face-to-face contact," Lady Raider assistant coach Matt Insell said. "I have seen so much change in my 13 years of coaching, but this has been one of the biggest changes I have seen."
Adjusting to the new normal is imperative for coaches to stay ahead of the game, and Insell said the Lady Raiders' staff has found new ways of utilizing technology to their advantage.
"One positive factor is we have been able to get (Head Coach Rick Insell) on the phone with more recruits than in the past," Matt Insell said. "We have utilized Zoom meetings, and they have been huge for us. It allows us to get our entire staff on the call together. We can all get on the call and talk to the student-athlete. It's very similar to an office setting in that regard. We won't stop using Zoom when this goes back to 'normal.' We have been able to do so much with it."
The NCAA dead period impacted many traditional spring evaluation periods for men's and women's basketball coaches as certified events were canceled. This moratorium means no live evaluation of players in amateur tournaments.
Rick Insell generally spreads his staff out to different AAU events during the evaluation periods, preferring to see the players in competitive settings before bringing them onto campus.
"I prefer to watch a player with my own eyes in a game and see how they interact with their teammates and coaches, things you don't see on a highlight video," Rick Insell said. "When we are going to evaluate a player, there is so much that we are watching, and that's what we are missing with the dead period. It has changed how we communicate as we try to build a roster for now and into the future.
"Our staff does a great job in recruiting, and a big part of that is the relationships our coaches build with the young ladies and their families. Matt, Kim (Brewton) and Shalon (Pillow) are excellent recruiters. They do a great job building those relationships. Right now, we are having to find different ways of doing it."
More than ever, relationships with coaches at the high school and junior college levels are critical.
"For me, personally, it's very difficult not being able to watch the players and visit with them," Matt Insell said. "When I can see them face to face, I can pretty much tell how they will fit in with our program and players, or not. Now, we are relying more on relationships with coaches. We have to rely heavily on their insight in regard to how the player is as a teammate, off the court, in the locker room, in the classroom. The big thing is seeing how these ladies fit."
Of the many qualities the Lady Raider program has going for it in the recruiting game, the overall university, campus life and the people are at the top.
Lady Raider coaches have been utilizing videos of campus to give prospects a different view of what Middle Tennessee has to offer away from the basketball court.
"One thing that separates Middle Tennessee is the people," Brewton said. "When we bring prospects on campus and they see everybody working as one and on the same page, they are impressed. It excites them to see the emphasis that is placed on women's basketball, and it goes all the way to the top with President (Sidney) McPhee and (Director of Athletics) Chris Massaro."
Matt Insell has found himself incorporating campus into his daily exercises.
"Our campus is one of the most beautiful anywhere, so how can I currently show prospects without them coming to campus?" Matt Insell said. "One way is through video. I find different places on campus, and I will do a FaceTime video in front of buildings or open areas so they can see how great it is."
Time is of the essence because players are making their collegiate decisions earlier than later these days, and that isn't lost on the Lady Raider staff.
"Ten years ago, players were taking all five of their official visits and then making their decision," Matt Insell said. "With this pandemic, we have prospects in the 2021 and 2022 classes making decisions now. They are making decisions earlier and earlier. We have to stay on the forefront, and we are."
Perhaps the greatest current impact in regard to collegiate sports has been in regard to player evaluations. Coaches are having to become more innovative in their approach to reaching prospective student-athletes.
The NCAA initially halted evaluation periods through the end of April and later extended its dead period of recruiting through May 31 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The dead period doesn't prohibit coaches from communicating with recruits or vice versa; however, it does mean no on-campus visits and no opportunity for coaches to visit recruits.
"I think the biggest change is the lack of 1-on-1, face-to-face contact," Lady Raider assistant coach Matt Insell said. "I have seen so much change in my 13 years of coaching, but this has been one of the biggest changes I have seen."
Adjusting to the new normal is imperative for coaches to stay ahead of the game, and Insell said the Lady Raiders' staff has found new ways of utilizing technology to their advantage.
"One positive factor is we have been able to get (Head Coach Rick Insell) on the phone with more recruits than in the past," Matt Insell said. "We have utilized Zoom meetings, and they have been huge for us. It allows us to get our entire staff on the call together. We can all get on the call and talk to the student-athlete. It's very similar to an office setting in that regard. We won't stop using Zoom when this goes back to 'normal.' We have been able to do so much with it."
The NCAA dead period impacted many traditional spring evaluation periods for men's and women's basketball coaches as certified events were canceled. This moratorium means no live evaluation of players in amateur tournaments.
Rick Insell generally spreads his staff out to different AAU events during the evaluation periods, preferring to see the players in competitive settings before bringing them onto campus.
"I prefer to watch a player with my own eyes in a game and see how they interact with their teammates and coaches, things you don't see on a highlight video," Rick Insell said. "When we are going to evaluate a player, there is so much that we are watching, and that's what we are missing with the dead period. It has changed how we communicate as we try to build a roster for now and into the future.
"Our staff does a great job in recruiting, and a big part of that is the relationships our coaches build with the young ladies and their families. Matt, Kim (Brewton) and Shalon (Pillow) are excellent recruiters. They do a great job building those relationships. Right now, we are having to find different ways of doing it."
More than ever, relationships with coaches at the high school and junior college levels are critical.
"For me, personally, it's very difficult not being able to watch the players and visit with them," Matt Insell said. "When I can see them face to face, I can pretty much tell how they will fit in with our program and players, or not. Now, we are relying more on relationships with coaches. We have to rely heavily on their insight in regard to how the player is as a teammate, off the court, in the locker room, in the classroom. The big thing is seeing how these ladies fit."
Of the many qualities the Lady Raider program has going for it in the recruiting game, the overall university, campus life and the people are at the top.
Lady Raider coaches have been utilizing videos of campus to give prospects a different view of what Middle Tennessee has to offer away from the basketball court.
"One thing that separates Middle Tennessee is the people," Brewton said. "When we bring prospects on campus and they see everybody working as one and on the same page, they are impressed. It excites them to see the emphasis that is placed on women's basketball, and it goes all the way to the top with President (Sidney) McPhee and (Director of Athletics) Chris Massaro."
Matt Insell has found himself incorporating campus into his daily exercises.
"Our campus is one of the most beautiful anywhere, so how can I currently show prospects without them coming to campus?" Matt Insell said. "One way is through video. I find different places on campus, and I will do a FaceTime video in front of buildings or open areas so they can see how great it is."
Time is of the essence because players are making their collegiate decisions earlier than later these days, and that isn't lost on the Lady Raider staff.
"Ten years ago, players were taking all five of their official visits and then making their decision," Matt Insell said. "With this pandemic, we have prospects in the 2021 and 2022 classes making decisions now. They are making decisions earlier and earlier. We have to stay on the forefront, and we are."
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