(Photo Credit: adidasgauntlet.com)
With the college basketball offseason in full swing, recruiting takes the front page as team staffs from around the country work to finalize their rosters. Since the FBI investigation into the “dark underbelly” of college basketball, new rules and governance around recruiting have been instituted by the NCAA. The landscape of the high school recruiting scene has been altered. Here, we breakdown what has changed and what will happen this upcoming offseason between April and July of 2019.
Key NCAA Recruiting Events and Dates for the Summer of 2019
- April 11th: Dead period ends and Recruiting period begins
- April 17th – May 15th: Regular signing period when players can sign their National Letter of Intent, effectively selecting a school and ending their recruitment.
- April 26th – April 28th: Numerous non-scholastic events that will be held across the country, including events from adidas, Nike, and Underarmour.
- May 14th – May 19th: NBA Combine in Chicago, Illinois
- June 11th – June 19th: NBPA Top 100 Camp at the University of Virginia (June 13th to June 14th has been reserved as an evaluation period for coaches during the camp)
- June 20th: 2019 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York.
- June 21st – June 23rd: First weekend for certified June scholastic events hosted by high schools and high school organizations.
- June 28th – June 30th: Second weekend for certified June scholastic events hosted by high schools and high school organizations.
- July 11th – July 14th: Certified non-scholastic events will be open with an evaluation period. Certified NCAA events will allow coaches to watch prospective students. Typically these include the finals of events such as the the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in North Augusta, South Carolina, and the adidas Summer Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.
- July 23rd – July 28th: New youth development camps hosted by the NCAA at schools.
- South Region: University of Houston
- Midwest Region: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- East Region: University of Connecticut (Storrs)
- West Region: Grand Canyon University (Phoenix)
What has changed since last year’s recruiting calendar?
There are three key differences that change the way coaches and staffs approach the 2019 summer recruiting period.
1. Rules about declaring for the NBA draft and when players can return back to school.
Most everyone knows that now players are able to declare for the NBA, receive feedback from NBA scouts and coaches, and afterwards they are able to withdraw from the NBA draft before a deadline. By doing so, they will retain their eligibility to return back to their school and continue to play in their collegiate career. For 2019, that deadline is May 29th, which is exactly 10 days after the conclusion of the NBA Draft combine event in Chicago, Illinois taking place between May 14th and May 19th.
College basketball players who request an Undergraduate Advisory Committee evaluation, participate in the NBA combine and aren’t drafted can return to school as long as they notify their athletics director of their intent by 5 p.m. the Monday after the draft.
This change is effective if/when the NBA and NBPA make an expected rule change, which would make undrafted student-athletes who return to college after the draft ineligible for the NBA until the end of the next college basketball season.
NCAA Clarification on September 20th, 2018
New for this upcoming draft: The players that decide to remain in the NBA draft, but are not drafted by any teams in the 60 player NBA draft, are eligible to return to their school or university. They have to inform their school’s athletic director by 5 pm on the Monday following the draft. By doing so, they are also letting go of their ability to play in the NBA that upcoming season.
There has been discussion around players’ ability to sign an agent. In an NCAA clarification, high school players will not be able to sign an agent and still be NCAA-eligible until the NBA and NBPA remove the one-and-done rule. (Updated April 18th, 2019 to be more specific)
Depending upon future action by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association to permit high school students to enter the draft, high school basketball players can be represented by an agent beginning July 1 before their senior year in high school, provided they have been identified as an elite senior prospect.
NCAA Clarification on September 20th, 2018
The effective date will be decided if/when the NBA and the NBPA permit high school students to enter the draft.
College basketball players can be represented by an agent as soon as any basketball season is over if they request an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee. These agents are required to be certified by the NCAA by 2020, in the meantime an NBPA certification is sufficient.
College basketball players can be represented by an agent beginning after any basketball season if they request an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee.
This rule change is effective immediately.
NCAA Clarification on September 20th, 2018
In a different memorandum, the NCAA also explained the process of terminating an agent to remain eligible to compete in another year of collegiate basketball. In short, a player can terminate their agreement with an NCAA-certified agent after the NBA draft, and still remain eligible to compete in college basketball. This is yet another new rule for 2019.
If a student-athlete does not sign a contract with a professional team, the agreement between the student-athlete and agent (including permissible expenses) must be terminated before the student-athlete enrolls full time in the ensuing regular academic term.
NCAA Memorandum on March 13th, 2019
Players can now also receive benefits from NBA teams as well as agents. Specifically if a player wants to travel and try out for a professional team, the team or an agent can cover expenses as long as the player does not miss any class and the tryout does not take longer than a 48 hour period. Additionally, the player does not have to pay back these expenses if they decide to return back to college basketball. Besides the tryout, an agent or a professional team cannot pay for any expenses related to training and preparation for the tryout.
In addition to being able to participate in the NBA Draft Combine and/or G League Elite Camp in May, a student-athlete may also participate in a tryout with a professional team, provided he does not miss class. The student-athlete may receive actual and necessary expenses from the NBA team in conjunction with one 48-hour tryout per team. The 48-hour tryout period begins when he arrives at the tryout location. At the completion of the 48-hour period, the student-athlete must depart the location of the tryout immediately in order to receive return transportation expenses. A professional team may not pay for a student-athlete’s training in preparation for his tryout with the team.
NCAA Memorandum on March 13th, 2019
Coaches from collegiate programs can also help with securing NBA tryouts as well as plan for the players logistically. A director of basketball operations, such as Bill Comar in Indiana’s case, are able to help organize and arrange these tryouts. However, they are not able to direct or supervise a tryout.
It is permissible for a student-athlete’s institutional head coach to assist in the logistical arrangements for a student-athlete to engage in a professional tryout that occurs on or off campus and for the coach to attend the tryout; however, it is not permissible for a coach to direct or supervise such tryout.
NCAA Memorandum on March 13th, 2019
2. New camp-style events in lieu of apparel-company events
Non-scholastic events, such as the adidas Gauntlet, Nike EYBL, and Underarmour Association, will be hosted in conjunction with one evaluation period in April (the weekend of April 26th to April 28th) and one weekend in July (the weekend of July 11th to July 14th). Specifically in July, the total number of evaluation period weekends reduced from three to one for non-scholastic events.
These events will be replaced by three types of NCAA certified camp style events.
- National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp. Between June 11th and June 19th, the NCAA will collaborate with the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) to host the NBPA Top 100 Camp. The NBPA Top 100 camp has been around since 1994. On June 13th and June 14th, evaluation periods open up so that coaches can watch players. This year, the event will again be at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
- June scholastic events hosted by high school organizations. Between June 21st and June 23rd, as well as between June 28th and June 30th, there will be June scholastic events for boys basketball hosted by high schools and high school basketball organizations. These events will be certified by the NCAA, the National Federation of State High School Associations, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and the California Community College Athletic Association. For more information around the June scholastic events, see the attached flyer from the NCAA.
- Youth development camps hosted by colleges. Between July 23rd and July 28th, new youth development camps will be hosted by the NCAA across a number of college sites. There will be 2 three-day camps split during this time and as many as 2,400 students – comprised of rising seniors, juniors, and select sophomores – will be invited. A committee of NCAA and NABC members will select participants in May. The NCAA will cover expenses for the student and one guardian to attend these events. Players will receive instruction from top non-Division I professional and high school coaches. College coaches will be allowed to attend for evaluation and recruiting during this camp.
- South Region: University of Houston
- Midwest Region: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- East Region: University of Connecticut (Storrs)
- West Region: Grand Canyon University (Phoenix)
Changes in the Allowed Number of Official Visits
Previously, recruits could only take a total of 5 official visits (visits where expenses are covered by the school) and those visits could only be taken after their senior year of high school.
New this upcoming season: Players can take additional official visits and can also take them earlier in their high school careers. Now, prospective recruits are able to take:
- Five (5) official visits between August 1st prior to their junior year of high school until the end of their junior year of high school. Essentially 5 visits during their junior year of school.
- Five (5) official visits between the end of their junior year and October 15th after their high school graduation.
- Five (5) official visits between October 15th after high school graduation and the remainder of the collegiate eligibility. Essentially 5 visits post October 15th after graduation.
Additionally prospective recruits can only officially visit a school only once per calendar year.
Unofficial visits, visits where the recruits cover their own costs, are not permissible until sophomore year.
Schools and Universities can cover 28 visits over a two-year period that rolls over. National service academies are able to cover 34.
2018-2019 NCAA Recruiting Calendar
The following is the Division I Men’s basketball Recruiting Calendar for 2018 through 2019. This document was published and shared by the NCAA. The calendar provides a clear picture on the dates that coaches and players can interact, and when there are dead recruiting periods.
NCAA recruiting periods explained
In total, there are five different recruiting periods in the perspective of the NCAA. The five recruiting periods are Quiet Periods, Evaluation Periods, Recruiting Periods, Dead Periods, and Signing Periods.
Dead periods limit college coaches ability to have face-to-face contact with prospective recruits. While they are still able to write and telephone student-athletes or their parents during this time, they are not allowed to watch them compete or visit their high schools during this time.
During quiet periods, communication between recruits and coaching staffs can take place officially on college campuses. Typically you will see unofficial or official visits take place during this time. Coaches are not able to have in-home visits with recruits and they are not able to visit the schools of the recruits. They are also not allowed to have face-to-face communication with a recruit or their families.
Evaluation periods allow coaches to watch prospective recruits compete and visit their high schools. Communication via telephone, text, or writing is allowed during this period with a recruit and their families. Coaches are unable to have face-to-face contact with prospective recruits and their parents off the college’s campus during an evaluation period.
Recruiting periods or contact periods are the most lenient periods of recruiting. College coaches are allowed to have face-to-face contact with recruits and their families, watch them compete, and visit their high schools. They are also allowed to write or telephone a recruit or their family.
Signing periods enable players to sign a National Letter of Intent. By signing a National Letter of Intent, or NLI, recruits effectively select a school and end their recruitment. Once a player has signed their NLI, all other schools participating will be informed and they are prohibited from recruiting a player with a signed NLI. If for any particular reason, a player signs a NLI but decides to choose a different school, that player will lose a year of NCAA eligibility and must complete a full academic year at the new school before competing, unless an exception is granted by the NCAA.
More information can be found here on the NCAA recruiting terms page.
