Prospect Rankings: Do They Matter & How Are They Done
Nothing drives page views, reader interaction, and online discussion like rankings update season. Prospects eagerly await seeing where their name falls in the latest ranking. Parents look for confirmation that their son or daughter improved over the summer and that it was seen by area scouts. However, for the rest of us, the prospect rankings process is honestly a giant pain. As a perfectionist who takes this “job” very seriously it is by far the most stressful time of year because I do not want to miss anyone. My biggest fear is releasing a list and forgetting someone that I KNOW I should have included. So, please know that countless hours have gone into scouring notes, double-checking names, and trying to put out the most complete product you will find anywhere. I don’t say that to try and deflect criticism or try and act like mistakes won’t happen. The criticism will come regardless, and that is fine, and I know mistakes are almost inevitable when dealing with hundreds and hundreds of talented prospects. However, this isn’t something I put out lightly or without a great deal of thought and work.
To begin breaking down prospect rankings and the questions surrounding them, let’s begin with some bullet points.
RANKINGS DO NOT MATTER! I’ll admit that I don’t love saying that often used phrase because I know they DO matter to many of you out there. I get it. They are something quantifiable to look at and compare yourself, or your son/daughter, to peers around the state/region/country. However, college coaches are not interested in your ranking. They are not used in recruiting meetings or when deciding to offer one player versus another. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t talk with at least one college basketball coach. Regardless of the level, I have never once been asked about where a player is ranked. Additionally, I never once look or refer to my own rankings when talking about or referring a prospect. That is always done on a case by case basis for the specific program. So, while they may matter to you, they aren’t something college coaches or myself think about beyond the second they are released.
Rankings are an inexact science. I’ve been doing this long enough that I have no problem being more blunt and honest than some others may be. There isn’t an evaluator in the country who really knows if you should be ranked #71 or #93. It is completely splitting hairs at that point. For the older classes, the Top 50 I would put up and “argue” against anyone as being pretty darn accurate and sound on a spot to spot basis. For the younger classes that would be more like just the Top 20-25. Beyond that, what “tier” you are in is much more important. Usually, being ranked #71 and #93 is probably about the same thing. The same type of schools are recruiting both of those players based on their own opinions, what they need, etc. You can even drill that down further and compare say #63 and #66. Again, nobody can really sit there with a straight face and say they know FOR CERTAIN that #63 is a “better” prospect than #66. There is essentially no difference other than it being a numbered list. This is proven by the fact that in my private scouting service for college coaches I do not send my prospect database out in a ranked list. It is ONLY tiered for high-major, mid-major, low-major, Division II, etc. etc. The players within those tiers are essentially the same and from there the college coaches can figure out who they want.
Rankings are a subjective opinion. They generally are just one person’s opinion and are based on varying amounts of information. Even between fall leagues, high school, camps, showcases, and AAU ball it is still impossible to see every deserving prospect. It is even more impossible to see every deserving prospect enough to have a completely solid evaluation and feel for exactly the player that they are. I can confidently say that I am at more games than anyone else in the state of Indiana. However, it is still absolutely true for me. Some players I’ve seen dozens of times. Some players I’ve only seen a couple of times. That isn’t always fair, but it is the truth and hopefully completely understandable. I simply can’t see everybody so there will be names “missing” because I have never seen that prospect play. Or, someone may be ranked “too low” because I simply have only seen them play a few times and it wasn’t their best performance. That is why we update a few times a year and why, again, rankings do not matter.
PROSPECT Rankings not PRODUCTION Rankings. Probably the most popular email I get from parents goes something like this “My son averaged 15.3 points per game for ABC High School, but is ranked behind this prospect who did not even play varsity at XYZ High School.” That is an understandable point of confusion and frustration. However, the answer is that all schools are not created equally. There are players at some high schools who literally might not play varsity until their senior year who could have started since they were a freshman at other schools. There are players who average 7 points per game as a senior who could average 20+ at another school. There are also obviously small school players who would start and produce at any school in the state as well. Also, some skills and physical traits are more projectable to the next level. Sometimes a long, athletic 6’6″ defender with little to no offensive skill is going to be a much better college prospect than small guard who averages 20 points per game but isn’t a three-point shooting threat.
At the end of the day I wanted to put this out there to try and give a peak behind the current as to what goes through my mind when putting together our prospect rankings. I know they can be a point of contention and I am honest enough to admit that sometimes I am wrong. Again, that is why we update a handful of times per year and why I also stay active on Twitter, write articles every single day, and always work the phones with college coaches. Just because you aren’t in the rankings doesn’t mean you won’t get covered or talked about. If you are good enough, I will eventually find you and you will get your shine. I take a lot of pride in what I do and take it very seriously because I know how confusing, frustrating, and difficult the recruiting process can be. My goal is to give the state of Indiana the best possible coverage and shine a light on as many prospects as possible. I will ALWAYS answer every DM and/or email regardless of how angry or confrontational it may be. I believe that if I put out a product that I should be tough enough to take the criticism and answer any and all questions that come my way. So, feel free to DM me on Twitter @BRAMSEYKSR or email me at coachbrandonramsey@gmail.com with any comments, questions, or concerns.