Ricky Yahn

College coaches receive hundreds of recruiting emails every month. And email is still the best way to get on their radar. The problem? Most are poorly structured and make it harder, not easier, to evaluate the player. The best emails do one thing well: They incentivize the coach to click and watch the video. In your first message, include the relevant, necessary information. Nothing more. Nothing less. #recruiting #collegebasketball #collegerecruiting #recruitingtips #recruitment

It’s also more difficult to get a D1 offer out of HS than ever before. And, it’s more common to transfer from non-D1 ➡️ D1 than ever before. Somehow the collective talent in D2/D3/NAIA/JUCO has risen, yet a lot of uninformed people don’t seem to appreciate that.

Real confidence doesn’t come from the last shot going in. It comes from seeing yourself do difficult things well. The best shooters, players, and teams trust the work they’ve put in.

This kid loves basketball. Since before he could walk, he’s wanted to have a ball in his hands all day, every day. Walking around. In the car. On the couch. Sleeping. Once the weather was nice enough, he wanted to shoot hoops while we wait for his sisters to get off the bus. And now the kids on the bus cheer for him everyday. The kids are alright.

Do you care about winning? Great teams have great teammates. Being a great teammate doesn’t require any skill or talent, but it has a big impact on winning. Celebrate your teammates. Be engaged in timeouts. Accept coaching. Be an energy giver on the bench.

Something a D1 coach said in a recent conversation really stood out. A lot of players who are good enough to eventually play D1, won’t get a D1 offer out of high school. That means D2, JUCO, NAIA, and D3 recruiting is more competitive than ever. The path might look different now… but decisions in the recruiting process matter more than ever.

WembanMAMBA!!

Even if you make some nice plays in front of college coaches, these are some reasons they still won’t be interested. Coaches are evaluating more than just scoring during the live period! #aau #ballislife #recruiting #collegerecruiting #recruitingtips

@CoachJohnson82 👊

@CoachYahn Thanks for helping my son Julius Johnson

100 days ago, I decided to start sharing what I’ve learned from over 20 years in college basketball. The best part hasn’t been views or followers… It’s been connecting with other coaches, players, and parents. Appreciate everyone who’s followed along, commented, shared videos, or reached out. If you’re in Buffalo looking for player development… or anywhere looking for recruiting guidance… Shoot me a message. I’d love to see if I can help. #ballislife #recruitingtips #collegebasketball #buffalo #coachingtips

Here are some recruiting do’s & dont’s based on mistakes I’ve seen in 20 years as a college basketball coach. ❌ Don’t wait until May of senior year to contact non-D1 schools ✅ Do contact schools from all levels early so you understand where you realistically fit ❌ Don’t send a 5-minute highlight video with every made shot from the season ✅ Do organize clips by skill-set and only include plays that show transferable skills ❌ Don’t cross a school off your list after 1 unanswered email ✅ Do follow up at least 2 times with each coach If the recruiting process feels frustrating or overwhelming, comment “PLAN” if you want to make sure you’re headed in the right direction. #recruitingtips #recruiting #ballislife #collegebasketball #collegerecruiting

I hear you! It’s definitely a challenge because it’s not a 1:1 relationship. I hear that frustration from HS coaches… but I also hear similar from some really good club coaches that HS coaches won’t respond to them. Like a lot of relationships, we only have control of our side of it… and it’s frustrating when if it’s not reciprocated.

@CoachYahn In 25 years of coaching I have reached out to almost a hundred club coaches with whom I shared players to open lines of communication about schedules. I can count on one hand how many were even willing to talk to me about it. I don’t get it.

Is AAU or High School basketball more important? Most college-level players play both for a reason. When HS & AAU coaches work together instead of competing for players year-round… players benefit. #basketball #aau #highschoolbasketball #recruitingtips #coachingtips

If I’m being honest, I was much better at growing as a coach when I was younger. When I became a head coach, I thought the best thing to do was to pour all of my time and energy into helping the team win. But the best coaches are lifelong learners. That’s something that required focused, intentional effort as a head coach. It’s helped me be become a better coach, which is what our teams need. #coaching #coachingtips #basketballcoaches #ballislife

For sure. It’s a balance. I’ve been in both kinds of leagues and it’s very hard to compare which is “tougher” or “better”. IE: 2 teams that can legit win the title, but no one else capable of winning a tournament game VS. 4-5 teams who could all win a game, but maybe no true title contender. And definitely not suggesting MEC is the best conference in the country… just have a hard time believing there have been 10 better over the last 5-10 years. Going forward? Maybe so. Time will tell.

@CoachYahn I hear your point. To me it’s more about which leagues have the most teams that can compete on a national level. You’re right there are very few whose 6-7th place teams can do that, but there are a few (i.e. MIAA, SAC, LSC).

In the last decade, the MEC has produced an NBA head coach, an NBA player, multiple D1 head coaches, D2 National POY, National Runner-up, etc. etc. There’s a lot of great leagues out there, and hard to define what’s “best”… but my metric is always how good do you have to be to WIN the league?

Fair. If the conversation is what leagues are likely to be the best over the next 10 years, or if it’s a micro view of a single year. I’m not familiar with every single league, but what you’re describing is the reality facing ~60-70% of colleges right now. There’s a growing gap between the haves & have-nots. Are there still 10 leagues out there that are 7-8 deep where the 8th best team is legitimately right there with ~top 5 teams in the country year in, year out? Otherwise, to me, how good you have to be to beat the top 2-3 teams makes a league “harder” than who’s 7th place team is better.

@CoachYahn You’d have a point if this were 10 yrs ago. Many MEC schools are facing financial struggles. West Liberty and FSU are still national players, the rest of the MEC is very weak. Shepherd and UVA Wise left. Charleston, Concord, Wheeling and Glenville have fallen off significantly.

Where that dataset can be helpful is… Coaches, admin (and even some of the highest ranking university officials) are usually kept completely in the dark until a public decision is made. How to make decisions off that data is tricky because… Concordia Ann Arbor is/was actually in a stronger position on that axis than a LOT of Michigan small colleges.

Careers and teams are shaped by more than just what happens in games and the locker room. I’ve seen teams fall apart and playing careers damaged from a cycle of negativity and blame. If it’s always someone else’s fault, you’re probably wrong more than you realize. #ballislife #basketball #sportsparents #youthsports

30k followers tweeting this, and then we get upset when kids make bad decisions. 1st sentence & overall sentiment is correct. But it’s beyond irresponsible telling people if you’re 6’8 220lbs, average 7 & 5 at a D2 that the WORST case is you’ll get 700k.