It’s not like your prospects will be playing on their phone instead of practicing. …Or will they?

The newest app to capture young basketball players’ attention isn’t Snapchat. It isn’t something that lets them swipe right on potential dates, or even communicate with their friends.

 

You’ve probably heard of Pokemon Go.

 

Just to make sure we’re all on the same page: The app tracks where players are, using phones’ built-in GPS, and based on particular locations, players can capture digital sprites.

 

Here’s why you should care about this craze.

 

Basketball players are on their phones all the time

 

Young players often write that basketball is life on their social media accounts, but as it often comes to our attention, that’s fairly hyperbolic.

 

Back in February, Bobbie Kelsey, the head women’s coach for the Badgers, complained about a lack of dedication to skills-based training.

 

In particular, Coach Kelsey said that distractions, like from cell phones, were detrimental to her players’ development.

 

“You need to put the phones down, stop Facetiming, stop tweeting, and get your butt in the gym,” she said in a press conference. “It doesn’t have to be an hour, two hours — twenty minutes every day.”

 

Although — is it really reasonable to expect that young athletes will stop using their phones?

 

Statistically, young athletes use apps like Pokemon Go crazy often

 

There are way too many articles on this to link to, but in short, the adoption rate at which young athletes downloaded and became avid users of Pokemon Go rivaled any top app, like Facebook.

 

Not that your recruiting should suddenly include electricity-shooting mice or fire-breathing lizards.

 

We’re not going to be able to change the amount young athletes use their phones. But maybe we can use it to our advantage.

 

Coaches need to meet kids where they are

 

Once you’ve [potential link to build a profile]found basketball players who meet your program’s needs, remember that young athletes always have their phones on them.

 

Whether it’s under the auspices of click, don’t type, or at a stage where you can directly write to your prospective players, write to your top athletes with quick, timely, friendly messages. If you happen to know he has a game coming up, shoot him a quick text.

 

If you’re really interested in seeing fresh video from this season, an email will go a long way. (We’ve read the marketing studies so you don’t have to: This generation doesn’t like to pick up the phone.)

 

After all, if we can’t beat ‘em–

 

Whether it’s reaching out to your next basketball players or managing your searches, favorite filters, and lists of prospects in one place, NCSA Athletic Recruiting for coaches can help. Create a free account or learn more about how NCSA helps coaches.