July 15, 2003

In some ways it is the most unique month in college basketball: July. With two "live" periods in the month where coaches are permitted to evaluate prospective student-athletes, July becomes a whirlwind of planes, bleacher seats and automobiles.

For the second consecutive year the Villanova's men's basketball coaching staff will offer periodic updates from July's Journey at villanova.com. Please note that NCAA rules prohibit the coaches from commenting on any individual high school player or team.

Today's Traveler: Fred Hill

Friday, July 11

Teaneck, N.J.

I am in the very fortunate position of being able to again open up the July period essentially in my own backyard. As you may recall, I served alongside Tom Green as an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University, which is the site of the Adidas ABCD camp.

I probably know the Rothman Center as well as anyone.

But it's more than simply being at home that makes this a great spot. This is always one of the best run camps in the country and it's a pleasure to be in this environment. The event is well organized and you can move easily from one court to the next.

The camp this year is little bit different than last year. A year ago, LeBron James drew a whirlwind of media interest here and didn't even play. Cameras and reporters trailed him when he was here and everyone in the building knew whom they were interested in.

This time, it's a more balanced camp and the coverage isn't quite so intense.

Yet the difference between now and when I first entered the business in the mid-1980s is striking. At that time these events were populated only by college, high school and AAU coaches and a few family members. Seldom did you ever see a reporter, with the exception of my friend Dick "Hoops" Weiss of the New York Daily News.

Now there are a number of reporters. All of the metropolitan dailies are represented and writers from all across the nation are on the scene. Plus, every major scouting service is present and usually has reports filed on the internet by the time a session is complete.

Everything is now more public. A great performance by a player may label him an instant star while a subpar effort can have the opposite affect.

For a coach, it's important to keep your perspective. Fortunately, by the time we are watching a young man here, we have usually seen him play for a period of several years. Recruiting is about establishing relationships and that's something our staff aims to do early in his high school career so that the people helping the young man make his decision can learn about us.

At night's end, I head for my car in the Rothman lot.

It was a productive and enjoyable four days.

Saturday, July 12

Neptune, N.J.

My good week keeps getting better.

The next event on my calendar is the 3-Stripes Classic in Neptune, N.J. It's a two-day AAU tournament featuring many of the same individuals we saw at ABCD, only this time with their AAU teams. It's a good way to see the same players in a slightly altered atmosphere, surrounded by players they are familiar playing with.

Of course, this also means some of my coaching colleagues are gaining an introduction to the beauty of the Jersey Shore.

Hoops and the Shore - how can you beat that?

The quality of the action is good here as the young guys settle into the roles they play on their AAU team. Obviously you are, in most cases, still watching the same player you were a few days earlier but you might pick up a nuance here that you hadn't seen in more of an all-star atmosphere.

Obviously talent and upside are a major part of what we are evaluating. But we also want to get to know as much as we can about a young man and his family. The quality of people you bring into your program cannot be underestimated.

We have been very fortunate in that regard. Two years ago, we landed a class that was ranked as one of the best in the country by every scouting service. We landed four great players in Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter, Randy Foye and Jason Fraser. You would have taken those four in any year.

Yet these guys are not only terrific players but tremendous young men.

Then we added two more who fit that bill last year in Mike Nardi and Will Sheridan. So now those six provide a wonderful foundation in terms of both their talent and their quality as people that can set the tone for our program.

That combination of talent and class serves as a great lure to prospective student-athletes as we move forward.

Sunday, July 13

Neptune, N.J.

One thing we can count upon when traveling the high school and AAU circuit along the Eastern seaboard is that we will encounter a ton of Villanova fans. We run into a lot of people who are alums and can't wait to get out and take a peek at what the future might look like.

Most of the fans usually come by to say hello. A few try to glean a few tidbits from us.

Usually, though, it's a game of follow the leader.

As soon as one member of our staff takes a seat or a spot along the baseline, you'll see some of the same Villanova fans find a spot at that game too. They'll watch the game and maybe sneak a peak over at us, especially if Coach Wright and I are watching together. The list of players considering us is fairly well known thanks to internet sites so the fans can draw their own conclusions about young men we may be watching.

We're evaluating kids.

And the Villanova fans are evaluating us evaluating the kids.

You have to give those fans credit though. Their love for Villanova basketball brings them here and as coaches we know how important that kind of passion is to our program. We're grateful for it, even if we know that our opinions of prospective student-athletes may differ.

Debate, though, is what helps make sports great.

Well, it's been a terrific week here in New Jersey. I have a day off scheduled for Monday as Brett Gunning and Ed Pinckney will be our coaches on the road that day. Then it's off to New York City for an event there.

I appreciate your taking the time to check in with the Villanova basketball staff here at villanova.com. Thanks and see you on the trail.