What the basketball prospect wants to know about you.

The five most important and five least important factors in a recruit's choice of college

The recruiting process in the competitive world of college basketball takes hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to organize, effect, and follow through.

Practically every coaching staff has a pretty good idea of what the young "shoppers" are looking for. The writer, as part of his Master's research project, compiled a lot of relevant statistical data that can be of use not only to the colleges but to the high school and junior college coaches who are called upon to help their athletes choose a school.

The study was conducted by questionnaire among all the 1992-93 basketball recruits in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The questionnaires were sent to the head coach at every school, with directions on how to administer them. Only the most recently recruited athletes were surveyed in order to make certain that the recruiting process was still fresh in their minds.

The states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho were selected because of the researcher's familiarity with many of the coaches and the fact that their schools represented a broad range of schools for comparison, ranging from NCAA Divisions I and II to NAIA Divisions I and II schools, junior colleges, and community colleges.

The 39 schools that returned the questionnaires provided a sampling of 219 athletes, who were grouped by their levels of competition in the 1992-93 season, namely: 18 community colleges, two junior colleges, 10 NAIA Division II schools, 3 NAIA Division I schools, and 6 NCAA Division I schools.

Note: No NCAA Division III programs were available in the three-state area and the one NCAA Division II program did not respond.

The research indicated that the most important reasons in choosing a school were: (1) "coach's commitment to the program" and (2) "player-coach relationships."

The least important reasons in choosing a school were: (1) "private school" and (2) "area planning to live in after graduation."

Although the level of competition had some bearing upon the respondents' choices, the great majority of the respondents followed a constant pattern.

The research clearly demonstrated the impact of the coach and his commitment to the players.

It also indicated the lack of emphasis on the school itself. Of the five most important considerations, four were based on the coaching staff and the team's style of play, and the fifth on athletic scholarship money.

Conclusion: The factors we'd ordinarily believe would be of most interest in picking a school - academic reputation, cost, and small class size - were not considered the most important factors by the college basketball recruits.

The writer, after two years of recruiting basketball players at the community college level and two years at the NAIA level, believed that "total cost" would prove to be the most important consideration in choosing a school.

It was a miscalculation. "Total cost" turned out to be only the 10th most important factor. In fact, it did not even make the top five factors at any level.

However, the cost factor did receive considerable attention in that "athletic scholarship money" was the fourth most important over-all factor, indicating that although the recruits were concerned with the "athletic money available," they were not as concerned about the overall cost of the education.

This finding lends credence to the belief that recruits are more interested in being "on scholarship" than in the actual monetary reward provided. Conclusion: Athletes are not looking for the "best deal," the best school, or even being "on scholarship," but for the coach and the basketball program they will feel most comfortable with while pursuing their college education. In short, a coach who gets on with his players and who is committed to the program.

THE QUESTIONNAIRE

Listed below are the major factors involved in your choice of a college. Please read each question and circle the appropriate number (1 to 5) at the end of the question, indicating its importance to you, 1 being the least important and 5 the most. If you have any question, ask your coach for assistance.

Academics:

1. Graduation rate of past players 2. Academic reputation 3. Small class size 4. Distinguished alumni 5. Basketball program academic help provided 6. Basketball study halls and tutors 7. High team grade point average 8. Availability of your chosen academic field 9. Reputation in your chosen academic field

Athletics:

10. Basketball tradition 11. Athletic facilities 12. Basketball team's style of play 13. Past won-lost records 14. Coaches' commitment to the program 15. Opportunities to play after college 16. Good returning and recruited players 17. Opportunity for immediate playing time 18. Redshirt year options available. 19. Player-coach relations 20. Assistant coaches 21. Travel 22. Fan support 23. Shoes, uniforms, warmups, travel sweats etc.

Location:

24. College town 25. Major city location 26. Social and recreational opportunities 27. Housing 28. Close to home 29. Away from home 30. Climate 31. Area where you plan to live upon graduation

Cost:

32. Athletic scholarship money 33. "Full ride" athletic scholarships 34. Work opportunities 35. State school 36. Private school 37. Your total cost 38. Financial aid available 39. Academic scholarship aid available 40. Financial commitment for length of stay

List in order the 3 most important factors named above in your decision to attend this school:

Five Most Important Factors

1. Coaches' Commitment to Program (4.7) 2. Player-Coach Relations (4.49) 3. Team's Style of Play (4.26) 4. Scholarship Money (4.21) 5. Assistant Coaches (4.14)

Five Least Important Factors

1. Private School (2.41) 2. Area Planning to Live in After Graduation (2.49) 3. Away From Home (2.58) 4. State School (2.76) 5. Redshirt Year Options Available (2.77)

Keith Cooper Asst. Basketball Coach Pacific Lutheran University (WA)