2008 Woodie Awards
SCSU active in Division II recruitment
Travis Weldon
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Sports
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Players from across the country come to SCSU to play basketball at Halenbeck Hall to give fans the enjoyment and thrill many look forward to.
You may be witnessing a few seconds of what they can do on the court, but what had to happen to bring them to the Halenbeck hardwood took a much longer period.
"Most of what we do is over a two-year process," said SCSU men's basketball coach Kevin Schlagel. "It's based on kids we have seen in person, whether it be in summer camps or summer leagues."
Coaches at SCSU spend many days conducting research on players they are thinking about bringing to campus.
"My staff and I were basically on the road throughout the course of the year," Schlagel said. "There is a couple of times throughout the course of the year that is ruled as a dead period. That means we can't leave campus. Other than that, we are free to look at kids, and we are constantly looking at people."
Schlagel said he and his coaching staff start with a list of about 250 kids going into their junior year of high school. After the list is compiled, the list gets shorter depending on what positions need the most attention.
"You just take a look at your seniors. Our No. 1 priority this year is to replace David (Dreas) and Dusty (Wabiszewski), seeing how that is our two seniors," Schlagel said.
The coaching staff travels the Midwest area looking for talent. But, depending on the players available, the coaches travel to larger tournaments.
"There is one in Las Vegas, one in Indianapolis and one in Kentucky," Schlagel said. "Depending on what our needs are in a given year and depending how many kids playing at those sites that we have a legitimate chance to recruit, we might go to one or two of those sites."
Since SCSU is a Div. II school, the probability of making a career out of playing basketball is relatively small.
"I try to sell first and foremost on the idea that you are going to college to get your education and further your career once you graduate," Schlagel said. "With that, St. Cloud State is an easy school to sell from an academic standpoint."
You may be witnessing a few seconds of what they can do on the court, but what had to happen to bring them to the Halenbeck hardwood took a much longer period.
"Most of what we do is over a two-year process," said SCSU men's basketball coach Kevin Schlagel. "It's based on kids we have seen in person, whether it be in summer camps or summer leagues."
Coaches at SCSU spend many days conducting research on players they are thinking about bringing to campus.
"My staff and I were basically on the road throughout the course of the year," Schlagel said. "There is a couple of times throughout the course of the year that is ruled as a dead period. That means we can't leave campus. Other than that, we are free to look at kids, and we are constantly looking at people."
Schlagel said he and his coaching staff start with a list of about 250 kids going into their junior year of high school. After the list is compiled, the list gets shorter depending on what positions need the most attention.
"You just take a look at your seniors. Our No. 1 priority this year is to replace David (Dreas) and Dusty (Wabiszewski), seeing how that is our two seniors," Schlagel said.
The coaching staff travels the Midwest area looking for talent. But, depending on the players available, the coaches travel to larger tournaments.
"There is one in Las Vegas, one in Indianapolis and one in Kentucky," Schlagel said. "Depending on what our needs are in a given year and depending how many kids playing at those sites that we have a legitimate chance to recruit, we might go to one or two of those sites."
Since SCSU is a Div. II school, the probability of making a career out of playing basketball is relatively small.
"I try to sell first and foremost on the idea that you are going to college to get your education and further your career once you graduate," Schlagel said. "With that, St. Cloud State is an easy school to sell from an academic standpoint."