Summer camp craze: welcome to the whirlwind known as the July recruiting period, a month-long traveling circus in which everyone is out to make an impression

Sporting News, The, July 19, 2004 by Mike DeCourcy

July used to be about lemonade, fireworks, grilled hamburgers and the baseball All-Star Game. Then it was about scouting high school basketball players and trying to find the next guy who'd lead his team to the Final Four. Now it's about NBA teams looking for preps who might be draftable and Division I coaches trying to keep their committed recruits from straying to the pros or another college team.

There you have it: the Cliffs Notes version of summer recruiting's evolution.

If you are working from a really ancient calendar--from 2002, for instance--you might be under the impression July is the second--most important month on the college scene, trailing only March. That was before the NCAA passed new recruiting rules, particularly one permitting junior prospects to make official campus visits. So the process of evaluating players and offering scholarships has been accelerated, with several high-profile spring events open to coaches. "April is the new July," says Ohio State coach Thad Matta.

Before this year's elite talent camps opened for business last week, 40 of the nation's top 100 senior prospects already had made public commitments. Of course, last year Al Jefferson committed to Arkansas and Josh Smith chose Indiana before the July period got hot; both instead wound up as NBA draft picks.

"I think what we've got now is a revolving 12-month recruiting period," says ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, a veteran of three Division I head coaching jobs. "This period is more important for mid- and low-majors than it is for the high-level schools. In many cases, the power schools are winding down much of their recruiting. Like buzzards on a summer day, the low-majors and mid-majors are looking for the pickings."

So why will everybody in college basketball and dozens of NBA scouts be jetting across the nation this month as though they're auditioning for the next running of The Amazing Race?

That's just one of many issues you can find addressed in this comprehensive examination of the 2004 summer basketball recruiting scene.

How long does this go on?

For coaches, the recruiting period began July 8 and continues until the end of the month, with a four-day break in the middle. The players can compete all month, but most will attend one of the shoe company camps in the first week, then two or three club tournaments in such cities as North Augusta, S.C., Indianapolis, Orlando, Las Vegas and 2Los Angeles. Those who want to learn more about the game still have the option of attending an instructional camp.

Notre Dame already has four commitments. Louisville has four. Duke has two. Why do so many schools need to be in so many gyms if so many players are spoken for? Some call it "baby-sitting."

Are three shoe camps one too many, two too many or three too many?

Sonny Vaccaro was working for Nike in the 1980s, trying to expand its basketball profile, when he recognized an opportunity to connect the company to the best young players by staging a camp that would be free to all participants. He classed it up by offering academic skills workshops and guest lecturers presenting lessons in life, but afternoons and evenings were occupied with basketball games. The ABCD Camp was born in 1984.

As Vaccaro moved from Nike to Adidas and now to Reebok, he took the ABCD concept along with him. That left his prior employers to start new camps to fill the void, which is why there were three elite camps going on last week: Reebok ABCD in Teaneck, N.J.; the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis, and the new Adidas Superstar Camp in Suwanee, Ga. They ran concurrently, which meant the talent level was depleted.

Vaccaro's early ABCD camps featured 120 players, the best in the nation. Competition has meant more players get invitations; there were nearly 600 at the three camps last week. Most of the players were recommended by a club coach, a talent scout or a high school coach. Some are invited, honestly, because they are friends or teammates with the most coveted prospects.

"The No. 1 thing is more kids have an opportunity for exposure," says David Pump of Adidas. "I think the whole shoe war has helped the kids more."

How can you be in three places at once?

The addition of the third shoe camp this year placed head coaches in a quandary. Few assistants felt the need to visit more than two of the three camps. But a head coach recruiting players spread among Indiana, New Jersey and Georgia faced a brutal travel schedule.

"We've got guys we're recruiting at all three camps, and it's not like they're right around the corner," says Kansas assistant Joe Dooley. "Some of the kids weren't sure what camps they were going to up until the last minute.

"You used to go to Nike for two days, ABCD for two days and really sit and watch. Now you've got a lot more to factor in."

Does which camp a player attends determine which college he'll select?

Charlie Villanueva camped at ABCD when it was sponsored by Adidas, but he chose to attend Connecticut, a Nike school. Chris Duhon played at ABCD in the summer of 1999 but went to Duke, which is sponsored by Nike. UCLA wears Adidas, but guard Cedric Bozeman is a former Nike camper.