Indiana becomes a D1 recruiting hotbed
by the Region Roundball Review

From the East Coast to the West Coast, from the Big East to the Pac 10, Indiana high school girls basketball is making its way into the minds and itineraries of some of the top D1 programs around the nation.  What do Indiana college coaches think about this recruiting hotbed right in their own backyards?  The RRR finds out.

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What are these coaches looking for?  Besides the obvious athletic talents, the player must have the mental toughness to survive at the D1 level.  She must understand the meaning of "adjusting to her role."  She must be able to complete her class work successfully and maintain her grades, all while going through the major adjustment of being away from home for the first time.  She absolutely must possess a meaningful work ethic and above all, be coachable.

There are many good basketball players around the country, but the top programs are looking for the "total package,"  the player who has it all -- athletic ability, intelligence, basketball fundamentals, work ethic (on the floor and in the classroom), leadership skills, a strong family base and more.  With good reason, the Hoosier State has been high on the list of some of the top college programs in the country, which are courting "total package" players here in Indiana.  In this year’s Class of 2001 alone, there are several blue chip players who are some of the most sought after recruits in the country.  

Ben Davis 6'2 senior forward Shyra Ely was so impressive as a sophomore, that she was named the #1 player in the country for her class by Sports Illustrated.  Ely was recently invited to the Junior Olympic tryouts in Colorado Springs, and appears at the top of almost every powerhouse program’s recruiting list, including Purdue, Tennessee and Ohio State.  A top student and all-around athlete, Ely is definitely "total package" material.

South Bend Washington senior Jackie Batteast, a 6’1 smooth-as-silk scoring and rebounding machine lives a hop, skip and jump from the Notre Dame campus, and Coach Muffet McGraw is hoping this young lady stays close to home.  But Purdue, Georgia, Ohio State and many of the nation’s other top programs are pounding on her door just the same.  An excellent student with a quiet but incredible work ethic, Batteast fits the bill for success in college.

Shyra’s teammate from Ben Davis, Ashley Allen, who rallied her team to a last-minute win at the Indiana State Championship and garnered 4A MVP honors in the process, is also one of the nation’s top recruits.  Allen, a 5’9 guard who can jump out of the gym, was also named the Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year after her performance at last season’s state tournament.  She will most likely land with an up-tempo national program that can take advantage of her unbelievable athleticism and exciting moves near and far from the hoop.

Highland's Jenny DeMuth, who was named an AAU All American this summer and just recently committed to Indiana University, also has what it takes to compete at the D1 level.  She should be an impact player for the rebuilding Hoosiers her freshman year.  

And we can't forget Indiana's leading player in the Class of 2002 - 5'10 guard Shanna Zolman of Wawasee.  Our best guess is that the postman delivering to her house will be filing for disability soon, due to carrying around all that recruiting mail that started coming in on September 1.

There are many, many more players we haven’t mentioned, such as 6'4 West Lafayette senior guard/forward Ebba Gebisa and Evansville Memorial 6'0 senior forward Kate Endress, both excellent student athletes who will receive a good amount of national D1 attention of their own.  Many say that the Class of 2001 is the most talented class to come out of Indiana in quite a long time. With so much talent in Hoosier Land this year, there has also been an upswing of interest from the top, in-state D1 programs, such as Purdue, Notre Dame and Indiana.  These schools usually have more of a national recruiting base, but if you follow the recruiting tabloids, you’ll find Indiana girls at or near the top of their lists.

This upswing of interest by the big D1's in Indiana could spell trouble for some of the smaller D1 schools like Ball State, Evansville, Valparaiso and Indiana State.  Naturally the No. 1 goal of every coach is to get better each and every year.  All of these smaller D1 schools are getting better, but how?  One reason is that they have recruited the best talent available, and if you look closely at their rosters, you’ll find most of them are chock full of Indiana players.  That says a lot about the level of talent in Indiana high school basketball.   But in the future, will recruiting in Indiana become more competitive?  Are the smaller D1 schools in Indiana prepared to compete with the new interest of the in-state, high-level programs which have larger recruiting budgets?

Although the players mentioned above are enjoying high-profile national attention, not all players in Indiana can attract this type of recognition.  There is a "halo" effect for some players when the talent level is higher than usual.  They happen to get noticed by coaching staffs when recruiters are there to see -- or be seen by -- the top talents at a tournament or exposure event.  (Always play your best. You never know who may be watching!)  However, many players and their parents have struggled with the recruiting process.  Many wonder what is the best way to be noticed by college recruiters, and if they are not being recruited, how is the best way to contact colleges or take steps to be noticed by recruiters. Whether a player is D1 or NAIA material, the key factors in the recruiting and decision process are similar. 

To get a little insight into the current state of recruiting in Indiana, RRR contacted three college coaches for some comments -- Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw, Indiana University Head Coach Kathi Bennett, and Ball State Assistant Coach (and former Crown Point Lady Bulldog) Tracy Roller. All of them offer up some thoughts on the upswing of recruiting in Indiana, as well as advice for players and parents on the recruiting process, regardless of playing level.     

INDIANA UNIVERSITY - Kathi Bennett
Coach Bennett's profile at the IU women's website

RRR:  Will Indiana University be taking a more aggressive stance toward bringing high-level, in-state recruits to the Hoosier lineup?

COACH BENNETT:  We certainly want to bring the best players in Indiana to IU and will work as hard as we can to do that.

RRR:  What have you found to be the benefits of recruiting in-state?  And what have been the drawbacks, if any?

COACH BENNETT:  The impact of having in-state players on our roster brings immediate enthusiasm from our fans … to see local players they are familiar with definitely is a draw.  We also believe that being close to home is such a benefit … student-athletes can still be their own person but have family and friends able to see them play.  Another benefit is Indiana girls basketball players ROCK … the coaching is so good!  As for drawbacks, I really don’t see any!

RRR:  What is the toughest position to recruit within Indiana?

COACH BENNETT:  Since I’ve been in the State of Indiana coaching, it seems that Indiana has consistently produced great guards … along with all of the other positions, but lately it seems that the number of big forwards/centers has been down.

RRR:  What suggestions would you have for Indiana players, coaches, and player parents who wish to facilitate the recruiting process?

COACH BENNETT:  We believe it is so important to get to know the players we are recruiting.  If there is an interest in a particular school -- go check it out -- go see it – go on an unofficial visit and get to know players and coaches and the school.  See what the school has to offer academically as well as athletically – see if it is a fit!  Communicating early is always good!!  At Indiana we want to be as accessible to parents, coaches, and players as much as possible.  We welcome calls at any time.
    

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY - Tracy Roller
Coach Roller's profile at the BSU women's website

RRR:  With Notre Dame and now IU stepping up their in-state recruiting efforts, does Ball State anticipate a tougher time recruiting in-state talent?

COACH ROLLER:  For Notre Dame to be competitive in the Big East, and IU to compete in the Big 10, they both will need to recruit the best possible players that they can get.  Granted, the state of Indiana has some great talent the next couple of years, but only a handful will really be able to help those two programs. Therefore, they will have to continue to recruit nationally to be successful.  Most people forget that not only are in-state universities recruiting those quality Indiana players, but so is everyone else!!  Notre Dame, Purdue, and Indiana are recruiting out of state too!  They are trying to get those quality “best of the best” in Indiana, but they have to compete against the Tennessee’s and UConn’s of the world!!  They must have backups as well.  As a new program at a quality MAC school with a new coaching staff, we feel we have a lot to offer Indiana players.  We have gone after the players that we know can make us better, and we targeted Indiana players first, and Midwest players next.  Going head to head in recruiting wars with those state schools continues to say something about our program.  We welcome the challenge.

RRR:  What have you found to be the benefits of recruiting in-state?  What have been the drawbacks, if any?

COACH ROLLER:  Because I am from Indiana, and played high school basketball here, I must say that I am partial to Indiana players.  I compare the other athletes to our Indiana talent.  So, I might be a little biased to answer a question like what drawbacks might there be from recruiting an in-state player.  I have a difficult time seeing any.  The advantages seem so numerous.  Much of the talent in Indiana has been fortunate to have quality high school and summer coaches that have made them fundamentally sound.  Many do not realize what an advantage that is to your next step to college.  Many come from hard working family backgrounds.  Also, fans follow their hometown hero’s to college.  Our freshman, Amy Zercher, has had many of the Northwood faithful at our Ball State games this season.  That is also true of Laurie Kitts and the Eastbrook fans.  That is an advantage for our program as well.  I’m sure with the addition of Amy Lindsay (Union HS), Jessica Reiter (Penn HS), and Johna Goff (Mt.Vernon HS) our attendance may double!!  As I mentioned earlier, those of us who are in-state recruiters are not the only one’s who appreciate what Indiana players have to offer.  So many out of state colleges come into Indiana to STEAL away our talent.

RRR:  What is the toughest position to recruit within Indiana?  Which position is the easiest to recruit in Indiana?

COACH ROLLER:  I feel that the hardest position to recruit lately in Indiana is the five spot.  As the post coach here at Ball State, I see more and more post players who just do not like to post up!  Everybody wants to be a three point shooter on the perimeter and no one wants to bang anymore!  Although, I must say, that is a national trend and not just an Indiana thing!  Indiana always has quality guard play.  Three point shooting and great point guards are an Indiana tradition.

RRR:  What suggestions would you have for Indiana players, coaches, and player parents who wish to facilitate the recruiting process?

COACH ROLLER:  Be seen!  Be seen!  Be seen!  And be seen again!!  Get out in July to be seen by college coaches as much as possible, or write to colleges of your choice and ask them to come to your games.  My advice is to pick 60 schools that you might be interested in.  Then divide them up like this:  20 Dream Schools … schools that you would love to play at, but you aren’t sure if they are out of reach;  20 Realistic Schools … schools that you could possibly play your freshman or sophomore years of college;  20 Maybe Schools … schools that you think are below you, but if the other 40 fall through, you might still play there.  Those 20 are kind of like your insurance policy.  The other thing I would suggest is that you know the roster of the teams that you are interested in playing for.  So many times I hear a high school point guard say they are going to Indiana or Purdue, but I know from looking at Purdue’s roster that they do not need a point guard.  You can get on the Internet and look up rosters for almost any university you may be interested in attending.

RRR:  What is the number one factor you believe indicates whether or not a player will be successful at the college level?

COACH ROLLER:  ATTITUDE!!  There are many changes that are going to happen to you in your freshman year of college.  If you can adjust to those roles on your team or you can make the physical transition from high school to college you will be successful.  Once you are at college, if you can minimize the distractions and remain focused on your playing goals, that will be a plus as well.  College basketball is like a full time job for college students.  Most of your non-athlete friends will not understand why you have to go home early, so that you can get up the next morning at 6:30 am for conditioning, or why you have to do 8 hours of study tables a week.  I always give this quote to our student-athletes, “To those who have been given much, much is expected.”  If you have an attitude of winning then college will be a success.
   

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME - Muffet McGraw
Coach McGraw's profile at the NDU women's website

RRR:  Will Notre Dame be taking a more aggressive stance toward bringing high-level in-state recruits to the Fighting Irish lineup?

COACH MCGRAW:  We have definitely taken an interest in recruiting in-state players, especially when there is so much talent here.  We do have a national recruiting base so we look for the best players in the nation.  It’s great when we don’t have to look any further than our own backyard!

RRR:  What have you found to be the benefits of recruiting in-state?  What have been the drawbacks, if any?

COACH MCGRAW:  There are a lot of advantages to recruiting in-state players, but the biggest advantage is for the player.  Their families, friends and high school fans can still see them play.  From our perspective we see an increase in our fan base but the best part of that for us is that we get to know the players family better.  Sometimes the local player’s mom becomes a mom for our whole team which is really great for the kids who live far away.  The other big advantage is if you can attract the top players in the state i.e. Beth Morgan, Sheila McMillen, Ruth Riley, you hope that other great players will want to play with them.  I don’t see any drawbacks to recruiting in-state players.

RRR:  What suggestions would you have for Indiana players, coaches, and player parents who wish to facilitate the recruiting process?

COACH MCGRAW:  Parents can facilitate the recruiting process by doing their homework early on in the process.  We can send letters on September 1 of a player’s junior year.  The type of schools you may hear from can vary, so you need to ask questions about how serious the school is about your daughter.  Where does she stand on their list, and are you ready to offer a scholarship.  You may get on a mailing list from a variety of schools, but the one’s who call your coach and write personal notes are the one’s who are more interested.  Try to visit as many schools as you can and see a game or practice, so you can see the team for yourself.  Practice is sometimes better than games because you will see the whole team play.  You have to be realistic about what level your daughter is, and you can usually judge that by what schools are calling.  Don’t limit your schools until you are sure that they are interested in you.  Make as many visits as you can unofficially, and get to know the programs as well as you can.

(Special thanks to Coaches Bennett, Roller and McGraw for taking the time to share their insights with us during the busy recruiting season!)

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