UNLV’s T.J. Otzelberger planning for summer of recruiting uncertainty

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Sunday, March 29, 2020 | 2 a.m.

This should be the busiest time of year for college basketball coaches, and not just because the NCAA Tournament would be dominating the sports landscape in a non-coronavirus timeline.

Under normal circumstances the recruiting calendar would be wide open, with a live period running to the end of March, and April being mostly made up of live recruiting and evaluation periods. This is the time of year when coaching staffs roll up their collective sleeves and hit the road to put in quality time getting to know their prospects on and off the court.

Of course, that can’t happen now, as the NCAA has suspended all in-person recruiting until at least April 15 due to the outbreak. Coaches can’t leave campus to watch players compete in spring events and no visits are allowed, either on campus or in house. And there’s no telling how long that ban might last as the pandemic continues to intensify.

That presents certain challenges for coaches and players alike when it comes to recruiting.

One factor working in UNLV’s favor is how much time the staff has invested in recruiting locally. Otzelberger and his assistants have been able to familiarize themselves with players from Bishop Gorman, Coronado, Arbor View and other Las Vegas powerhouses more readily than other recruits who might be spread farther across the country.

Three of UNLV’s incoming 2020 recruits have Las Vegas ties (Nick Blake, Donavan Yap, Jhaylon Martinez), and the Rebels’ lone commit in 2021 is Durango guard Keshon Gilbert. The top recruiting target in 2021 is Gorman guard Zaon Collins.

UNLV has offered a number of other local players in the 2021 and 2022 classes, including the Desert Pines duo of forward Anthony Swift (2021) and Milos Uzan (2022).

“We’ve been lucky that a lot of our top recruits for those classes have been locals, so we’ve been able to see them throughout the season a fair amount,” Otzelberger said. “We’ve got a good feel for them. With the local guys we feel we’ve got good relationships in place and a pretty good understanding of what those guys can do.”

When it comes to recruiting outside the region, however, Otzelberger’s crew might have to get creative in how they build their scouting reports. Otzelberger said he and his staff feel they have solid evaluations in place for the Class of 2021, but that younger prospects are still developing and need to be scouted continuously.

With AAU events grounded or in limbo for now, that means Otzelberger will spend the upcoming weeks poring over existing film, calling coaches and other personnel who have worked closely with the players as well as considering scouting reports from trusted sources.

“Whether it’s watching more video, making more phone calls, word of mouth, with the younger guys it’s about trying to use whatever resources are available,” Otzelberger said.

As sound as that secondhand intel may be, however, there is really no substitute for a coach being able to sit in the stands and observe a player in person.

Otzelberger is a big believer in attitude (obviously, as evidenced by his deft handling of the 2019-20 Runnin’ Rebels) and often accounts for intangibles when scouting young players. Removing that from the equation won’t be easy for him.

“That’s important,” Otzelberger said. “Seeing them live, it’s how do they treat their teammates? How are they when they’re not in the game or when things are not going well? Things change rapidly at the age those guys are at, things like their body, attitude, mindset, mentality. So many things can change in a short period of time, so the more you see them the clearer picture you have of what they’re all about.”

Otzelberger isn’t panicking yet, as there is still a chance the health situation throughout the country improves to the point that the recruiting restrictions are lifted in time to salvage part of the summer schedule. But if that doesn’t happen and the virus continues to wreak havoc, canceling all or most of the summer events, Otzelberger knows he’ll need a contingency plan.

For now, that strategy is to focus on the players they know and with whom they are comfortable offering scholarships while conceding that this just might not be the year to find that diamond in the rough at an AAU event in July.

“We can’t look too far ahead,” Otzelberger said. “Right now we don’t know what will happen with July recruiting or June with the high school events. If it ends up with just April being taken away and we’re somewhat back to normal in June and July, you’ll still have a reasonable opportunity [to recruit]. But I don’t think anybody knows right now where this might head. You almost have to plan as though there might not be an opportunity to see those guys. To me, we would be more on the conservative end, where we would want to recruit guys we’ve done our homework on and seen a bunch.”

While he waits for the recruiting situation to unfold, Otzelberger and his staff have been putting their attention into the things they can control, such as the current roster and helping those players through this uncertain offseason.

Much of the country has imposed social distancing guidelines that prohibit people from gathering in groups, which, while prudent, makes it difficult to practice the game of basketball. Otzelberger’s staff has been working with the Rebels to outline workout routines as best they can.

Otzelberger has also tried to serve as a sounding board for his players as they feel their way through the crisis.

“I think first of all we want to make sure that we focus our attention on the guys in our program and just make sure they’re doing all right,” Otzelberger said. “Normally what we’re doing at this point in the offseason is talking about what they need to do to be prepared for summer and upcoming season, but now quite a few resources are taken away. Something as simple as being able to go to your high school and get shots up or going to the weight room, the circumstances are different for each guy.

“Now it’s far more about being compassionate about what’s going on,” he continued. “You want to be a great listener and do everything you can to make sure they’re safe, when normally this is a time you’re trying to drive them and tell them what they need to do before they come back in the summer.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.