LACEY LOWDOWN

A prominent United States basketball scout will be returning to New Zealand next week on a talent drive offering young basketball players exposure to colleges in the U.S.

Shane Howard, Chief Executive of Custom College Recruiting, specialises in recruiting athletes outside the U.S. Last year Custom College Recruiting partnered with Basketball New Zealand to help 13 New Zealand players receive basketball scholarships at U.S. colleges. Another 14 are in talks about offers for 2016. Mr Howard says that number should more than double in the coming year or two, as New Zealand produce basketball athletes that fit well with U.S. colleges across all basketball divisions.

“New Zealand fosters smart and talented basketballers. The sport is increasing in popularity there and Kiwis are starting to realise that basketball offers great opportunities for them in the U.S. Our business is helping those players to get noticed by college coaches, which often leads to scholarships at colleges that suit their ability,” says Mr Howard.

During the free seminars, Mr Howard will cover the traps that people can fall into when chasing scholarships. He says players need to be careful when they enlist private operators to help, particularly if there are guarantees or promises that might seem too good to be true.

“There’s lots of private academies out there that charge the earth for a trip to play in scouting tournaments in the States. Many people don’t realise that those tournaments can have hundreds of teams participating, and they can end up being a small fish in an ocean of players. Also college coaches will most likely have no idea that the player is there, or who that player is, so people can depart U.S. shores feeling disappointed and dismissed.

“There are never any guarantees with the college recruiting process, but if players and their families are armed with the right information, they can navigate the process well. We will give them the facts about what opportunities are available in the U.S. and the truth about what they should stay away from.”

Basketball New Zealand Chief Executive Iain Potter says U.S. based colleges are increasingly interested in New Zealand talent, and he agrees that players and their families need to be careful about how they chase that dream. Mr Potter says it is for this reason Basketball New Zealand invited Custom College Recruiting to New Zealand.

“We endorse Custom College Recruiting because they are upfront about what people should expect and they know what U.S. colleges are looking for.

“Custom College Recruiting are experts in assessing the talent of our players, and they know the academic requirements that players need to meet. They can then reach out through their extensive contacts to approach colleges that are the right fit for those young basketballers. Best of all, it doesn’t require players and their families to invest heavily. Custom College Recruiting negate other privateers that can run-up expectations by over-promising, but then under-delivering,” says Mr Potter.

Custom College Recruiting has a network of over 7000 college coaches from every level throughout the U.S. and Canada. They’ve helped aspiring college athletes from about 30 different countries connect with these coaches and, in the process, helped provide almost $40 million in college scholarship opportunities.

To register for the Custom College Recruiting New Zealand Seminars, click here.

·      Christchurch. Saturday 31 October. 7pm – 8:30pm. Middleton Grange School.

·      Wellington. Wednesday 4 November. 6pm – 8pm. ASB Sports Centre (Kilbirnie, Matairangi Room).

·      New Plymouth. Thursday 5 November. 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Yarrow Stadium.

·      Cambridge (Waikato). Date TBA (7 or 8 November). Time TBA. St Peter’s School.

·      Auckland, North Shore. Monday 9 November. 6pm – 8 pm. North Shore Events Centre (King’s Lounge).

·      Auckland, Central. Tuesday 10 November. 6pm – 8pm. Auckland Grammar School.

Media Contact

Shane Howard will be available for media interviews during his time in New Zealand.

For more information contact Joe Wallace, Communications Manager, Basketball New Zealand

Phone 021 246 4814. Email joe@basketball.org.nz