How Shaka Evaluates Recruits

[vcu_dan]

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1197

Interesting blip on "the system" Shaka uses to evaluate our future Rams.

VCU head coach Shaka Smart uses a unique scorecard when he or one of his assistants evaluates a prospect. In addition to the usual blanks for points, rebounds, and assists, Smart’s staff checks off whether a player exhibits a series of more nebulous qualities, from competitiveness and motor to unselfishness and toughness. While this card is the only one of its kind I’ve encountered, Smart’s valuation of intangible relative to tangible skills is, if not necessarily a majority opinion, widely accepted in the coaching and scouting community.

The article also mentions Will Wade.

VCU assistant Will Wade agrees with me. He says that their coaching staff believes that if they can find kids willing to work and willing to learn, they can mold those players into the pieces needed to win. Smart describes it like this: If you ask a kid to rate the kind of season he wants to have from 1-10, obviously everyone says he wants a 10. But if you ask how much effort they put in over the summer from 1-10, it usually isn’t a 10. High character players are the ones most likely to be putting in “10” effort, and therefore the most likely ones to end up getting “10” results.

 

[mike7842]

No word on academic potential other than being eligible by NCAA rules?

 

[VCUFTW]

We've recruited some highly academically motivated players recently which I'm sure is not just a coincidence

 

[ram4life]

No word on academic potential other than being eligible by NCAA rules?

Good point, Mike. However, I believe two of our guys are going for an engineering degree. Says a lot about our basketball academics. I think our coach is on target with his pursuit of strong academic players. We sometimes forget that basketball is second to academics.