Top 3 Ways To Maximize Your Exposure During Travel Ball Season
Travel ball is an excellent way to gain broader exposure. AAU (short for Amateur Athletic Union) gives players the opportunity to connect with others and play on a regional and national level. This is important because it allows a student athlete to gauge where they rank - not just in the immediate vicinity of their hometown - but in the sphere of people they will be competing with for scholarships.
Plus, playing in various circles - AAU, Nike Youth Leagues, high school season, summer camps - will diversify who you get to meet, and who gets to meet you. Scouts and recruiters frequent all different playing environments so the more you diversify where you play, the better chances you have for
Get good exposure: sometimes it doesn't matter how talented you are. If your attitude on the court is disrespectful and seen as a problem, you risk getting not taken seriously as a prime contender for recruiting consideration. If you look good and have a professional attitude to match, you have a much higher chance of getting noticed and remembered. It is never good to be remembered as the player who had an inappropriate exchange or serious meltdown. Those are considered red flags. To be clear, we are not talking about playing with no emotion - but getting into fights, excessive yelling, tense exchanges with coaches, taking a loss really poorly, berating officials or other players - all actions that pose a problem. One way to pick up momentum with exposure during travel ball season is to avoid these mishaps. Make sure you give observers the chance to retain positive recollections of you as the excellent player you are! That way anyone who sees you play remembers your skills - not an unfortunate outburst.
Interact: polite interactions still go a long way! Introduce yourself, stay engaged, remember names and faces. Scouts and recruiters will observe enthusiasm. If you act like you’re too cool to talk to anyone...don’t expect to make significant connections. Connections and networking in scouting and recruiting are everything, so if you pass on those opportunities you will not be making the most of your time on travel teams. Also, have your film and stats available to share easily with anyone who asks!
Stay connected: Like we mentioned, connecting and networking is everything when we are talking about scholarships and recruiting for college basketball. Work to stay connected to and in touch with coaches and other players from your seasons, in addition to scouts and recruiters. Expanding your network is the easiest way to increase your exposure. This is essentially the reason we created The Players Circle - to make connecting with other players, scouts, recruiters, and coaches simple and straightforward. If you feel like you could use more exposure, we highly recommend joining The Players Circle community to ensure you remain connected with everyone you meet during your travel ball seasons. Download the app today.