This is Part 2 of our series compiling recruiting advice from women's college basketball coaches. Read Part 1 about making an impression at an AAU showcase, and Part 3 on how to reach out to coaches via email.
The high school mixtape has become a defining cultural component of basketball in the 21st century.
But for the vast majority who won't go viral like Zion Williamson or Paige Bueckers, highlight reels are for more than clout. They're a growing part of the college recruiting process.
With film more accessible than ever due to HUDL and other video platforms, and a growing network of creators at all levels, players can easily find, clip and promote their best moments. Social media feeds are chock-full of highlights from high school and grassroots seasons. College coaches sift through thousands of potential recruits. Can a highlight reel make a difference?
I discussed the topic with five women's college coaches: a Division 1 head coach, a Division 3 head coach and three Div. 1 assistants. They were granted anonymity so they could give their more honest thoughts. Here's what they had to say.
What part do highlight reels play in the recruiting process?
A highlight reel is very rarely the initial attractor for a recruit. College coaches are not scrolling on social media looking for standouts.
Most of the time, they'll hear about a prospect through a connection to a high school or AAU coach. Highlights are typically the second step for a college coach to validate the hype.
"They allow me to see if I need to look deeper," a Div. 1 assistant said. "You don't make decisions off of a highlight reel, but you can tell certain things, and then you dig deeper to kind of get a truer look to see if this is something we need to pursue as a staff."
As the recruiting process continues, coaches will gravitate towards watch full games of film to get a more complete understanding of a prospect. But they're also combing through hundreds of potential recruits at a given time. Highlight reels act as the first filter.
"We watch the highlights to see, what does she look like?" another Div. 1 assistant said. "But again, that's only going to get us to the point where we need to see her play live or we need to see full game film."
What should go into a highlight reel?
The purpose of highlight reels is to show off players' best moments. But if everyone looks good in a mixtape, how do you stand out?
Some traits, like athletic tools and shooting form, are harder to be cherry-picked and upsold on film.
"I think you can still see the level of a player's athleticism and their highlight reels, and you can see their shot mechanics in a highlight reel," our Div. 1 head coach said. "Do they play intensely? Do they have athleticism and can they shoot the ball, or do they have post moves — the basics you can definitely get out of a highlight."
Different coaches are looking for different skills that fit what their program values on the court. Some coaches mentioned they want to see shooting versatility. Others said high-level assists jump out. One mentioned throwing in the occasional drawn charge or hustle play.
At the same time, coaches have their highlight-reel pet peeves. Two said they've watched too many free throws in tapes.
"It's a thing, and I don't understand," the Div. 3 head coach said. "(Also), unless it's a last second shot, or unless you're like, Tim Duncan, I don't want to see a bank shot. Sometimes they just look lucky, and that's not really what you want to be giving out. I think you can tell which ones are meant to happen and which ones aren't."
The Div. 3 coach added one more nuance he likes to see: reactions.
"I actually like to see it not cut right away if somebody else scores off your pass, and see the celebration between players, weirdly enough," he said. "For me, it's so much more than just — you're a basketball player. ... (It's) who you are as a person, who you are as a teammate."
How much does the actual film production matter? College coaches aren't likely to be impressed by an extra artistic, creative highlight tape. But there are some preferences that help and hurt.
The Div. 3 head coach, for example, said he likes to see the entire court during a play for added context, though it's not a major deterrent to him if filmed otherwise. One Div. 1 assistant said that identifying a player's number and uniform color can help them know who they're watching for. Lastly, our Div. 1 head coach emphasized that the quality of the footage is only moderately important, but the quality of competition in the highlight reel tells a lot more about a prospect.
"Sometimes we'll see videos, and it's really hard to judge a person's talent because the competition they're playing against isn't very good," she said.
The bottom line: there are ways to make highlight reels more helpful for college coaches who might watch them. But they ultimately can't substitute for a more in-depth scout coming down the road.
"It's just a nice little snapshot before you start digging deeper," the Div. 3 head coach said. "At least you get an idea of what kind of a play style (they have), and their range and just some basic basketball ability."
