There are so many showcases and camps held by colleges and companies these days that it can be impossible to navigate them all and know which ones you should go to during your recruiting process. Here are things to consider and what makes camps and showcases not only worthwhile but necessary to go to.

Are You Even Interested?

Focusing on camps first, it is slightly obvious but needs to be said: The camps that you should attend should be the camps held by schools that you are actually interested in. There is no point in going to a camp that you have no interest in. 

Are They Interested in You?

With that said, whoever holds the camps should be interested in you as well in the ideal situation. If you are interested in a program and have reached out and they haven't shown any interest back, it's probably not the best use of your time or money to go to that camp. However, you never know, so if you have the time and money, why not. 

Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities, and Campus Visits

Is the Camp a Good Fit?

For everyone else, the program should have interest in you and you should have interest back. In addition, you should make sure that it's the right camp. If it's just a youth camp to make money, you don't want to be put in that category. Find the camp dates that specify they are for recruitment purposes and that will be high level so you can show what you can do. The best camps with the greatest upside if you don't have a specific interest from a school, are the camps where multiple coaches from different schools attend. These camps are usually high-level and can be a great way to get your name out there and show what you can do. 

Related: Recruiting Advice: College Showcases vs. ID Camps

Is it Too Crowded?

Lastly, when it comes to camps, you want to make sure the athlete-to-coach ratio isn't too high if it's a multi-college camp. Some camps have an unbelievably high ratio of athletes to coaches and it just shows they are only holding it for the money and you likely won't get too much playing time to show what you can do.

Showcases: Make Sure They're At Your Level

Moving on to showcases. How do you know what showcases you should be attending with your team? Usually, the well-known ones are the higher levels with more coach attendance and you can usually follow that general rule. Any showcase with more coaches and higher levels of play is always going to be a great option when deciding which showcase your team goes to. 

Are You Going to See Some Action?

Furthermore, you want to play. The showcases with a minimum number of guaranteed games and tournament-style where if you play well, your team can advance to a semifinals and finals game are great and usually are some of the best options. If you advance to the semifinals and finals in these types of showcases, you can be sure that some college coaches will at least stop by to see if they can scout any talent and some other coaches will likely be there because of another player. It can be a great way to get a school interested and at the more well-known showcases, a lot of coaches will be there already and will be more than willing to see at least one of your games.

If you are in your recruiting process, camps and showcases can be some of your most important tools. They are great resources and can be essential in getting your name out there to a school you really like or showing what you can do in front of many coaches. It is important you pick the right ones though. If not they could simply be a waste of your time and money.
Have an idea for a story or a question you need answered? Want to set up an interview with us? Email us at [email protected]

* Originally published on October 21, 2022, by Scott Abramson