nike camp
Coaches need to be seen, too
By Terry Hutchens
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Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim loves the trifecta of summer basketball camps that will take him to Indianapolis, Teaneck, N.J., and Suwanee, Ga., over the next six days.
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"It's great from an evaluation standpoint for a head coach because you can see so much talent in one place,'' Boeheim said Thursday during a break at the Nike All-America Camp at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport.
"When we go to places like Las Vegas for summer camps, they'll have kids playing in 15 different gyms in 15 different areas of town. And that's just crazy. Last summer, we put 600 miles on a rental car trying to see about 20 kids.''
So why is it so important for coaches to knock themselves out in the name of summer recruiting? As Boeheim is quick to point out, a big part of summer basketball is coaches looking to be seen.
"With the upperclassmen in particular, this is all about being seen. We've already got the majority of our commitments in those classes, and the kids want to be able to look up in the stands and see their coach.''
Boeheim was part of a Who's Who of college coaches at Nike Camp.
Arizona's Lute Olson, Kansas' Bill Self, Kansas State's Bob Huggins, Wisconsin's Bo Ryan and UCLA's Ben Howland were among more than 50 coaches in town.
Purdue coach Matt Painter thinks summer basketball is good because you're seeing recruits perform against top competition.
"I think with the younger players in particular, it's good to see them playing against this caliber of competition because you get to see how they're going to react,'' Painter said. "By the time they're going into their senior year, you're pretty much here so that they can see that you're here.''
The kids notice.
Jon Diebler is a member of Ohio State's 2007 recruiting class. He was well aware Thursday that Ohio State coach Thad Matta wasn't at NIFS. He also knew Matta planned to make it to Nike Camp.
"It always means a lot when your coach comes to see you play, but I think it's really impressive more than anything else, when you realize how busy these coaches are today,'' Diebler said.
Indiana University was represented at Nike Camp by assistant coach Rob Senderoff. Assistant Ray McCallum was in New Jersey, and assistant Jeff Meyer was in Georgia.
Because of NCAA recruiting sanctions, coach Kelvin Sampson is not allowed on the road.
E'twaun Moore, ranked 30th in the nation in the Class of 2007 by rivals.com out of East Chicago Central, has IU on his list of potential schools. He said it doesn't bother him that Sampson isn't watching him.
"I know he's really interested in me, and that's all that matters,'' Moore said. "We've talked in the past and I know he would be here if it were possible.''
Call Star reporter Terry Hutchens at (317) 444-6469.
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