Like Curry?
Why CO HS basketball needs more performances like this in 2018!

By Arzelle Lewis,
BAC Magazine Editor | We Can Play Too!

With fortunes rising and falling, sometimes in drastic ways, nothing should be taken for granted when it comes to making Colorado a recruiting hub for D1 college coaches around the country.

Daijon Smith is a senior at Overland High school and one of the most dynamic scorers and finishers currently playing in the Box State.  His canny ball-handling and ability to make clever decisions on the fly sets him apart from other players at his position.  And although he has the ability to play at the level, his chances of getting signed to a mid-major program is lowered by the reputation of Colorado High School Basketball.

This doesn’t mean he won’t get a scholarship offer to play at the next level, it just means he and other basketball players from Colorado won’t get the same exposure to college coaches as kids from other states.

It’s obviously wrong to say that D1 college coaches don’t recruit from smaller cities like Denver, because that may not be entirely true. But, it may be safe to say that those same coaches overlook smaller cities and hubs for large cities with established pipelines and simply, more pickings to choose from.

If you’re reading this as an experienced basketball player, ex-player, coach, or parent. You’re probably asking yourself, “isn’t that the reason why kids play on AAU and club basketball teams?” And the answer to your question is, yes.

Here’s the problem with that, Denver is a smaller city in comparison to larger cities like LA, Dallas, Houston, and Seattle. So when Colorado teams travel out of state to compete with other programs from other cities, they usually don’t make it into the preliminary rounds where the majority of the college coaches are watching and scouting players.

This is primarily due to the oversaturation of club teams and coaches. The better players from Colorado never get a chance to play on the same club team. Good players are spread thin amongst the numerous amounts of club teams available to them. Making it nearly impossible for the Colorado teams traveling to these national tournaments to compete at a high level. Especially when teams from other states have stacked rosters with top players from their respective areas around the country.

Either way, performances like this are electrifying for one to watch, and it only adds to the message we are sending to the basketball world from right here in Denver, CO.