College basketball coaches receive hundreds of recruiting videos every year. How do you make a professional basketball recruiting video to stand out? If you want to play basketball at the collegiate level, there are a number of things you should include in your video to grab a coach’s attention.
A Professional Basketball Recruiting Video Showcases a Variety of Skills
The most common mistake that people make when creating a basketball recruiting video is focusing too much on scoring. You want to showcase all you can offer on the court, not just your scoring ability. Depending on the position you play, this can mean showing a number of different things in the videos. If you’re a post-player, you might want to focus more on blocked shots, rebounds and how you defend in the post. If you’re a guard or small forward, you might want to focus on steals, assists/passes, and how you move without the ball, or quickness.
When I make a basketball highlight reel for my clients, I almost always lead with a defensive play. That’s because most people lead with scoring. That simple change can help immediately draw a coach into your video. Remember, even if you’re the leading scorer on your high school team, the transition to the college game might mean you will need to offer something other than your ability to get buckets.
Your Basketball Video Should Show Different Scoring Abilities
In the world of analytics, you need to show coaches that you can score in a variety of ways. Are you a big that can hit a 3? Are you a guard that can penetrate the lane, and hit the mid-range? All of these should be present in your highlight video. The more well-rounded the player is, the better chances they can make a collegiate team. Mix your best scoring plays up in the video, rather than showing a string of 3-pointers, following by a string of drives to the basket to keep coaches engaged.
The Best Basketball Highlight Video Will be to the Point, but not too Short
It can be easy to get carried away when creating your video. But keep in mind, coaches receive a lot of videos, and they’re not going to watch 100 different highlights from a single player. Condense your best plays to around 20-25, and don’t send coaches a basketball recruiting video that’s longer than 4 minutes. Any company trying to sell you on making a video longer than 4 minutes, does not have your best interests in mind. Recruiting video companies typically charge per highlight, or for the length of the video. The longer the video, or the more highlights, the more money we make. However, work with a company that understands that coaches will typically stop watching within the first 3-4 minutes of your video. Don’t end up paying for highlights that no one watches. While I love money, my goal is to guide you in the right direction, and that usually entails creating shorter videos.
If you’re struggling to pick out the best 20 (or so) highlights, this is something we can do together. Using an outside professional to condense your video can often take one more thing off your plate.
A Proper Basketball Recruiting Video Should be Filmed from Above
You should try to avoid filming your basketball video from the floor. Ideally, you want to film from a height. I’ve found even just a few steps up the bleachers can make a difference than just shooting from the ground. If you film from the floor, you’re likely going to deal with obstructions, like people walking in front of the camera. Filming basketball from as high up as possible allows coaches to see play development, and can allow us to see the players better. For this reason, it’s also important to zoom out a bit, when necessary, so coaches can see the entire half court where the play is taking place. Use a tripod, if you can, even if you’re using a cell phone. Speaking of which, these days newer cell phones are perfectly fine to film with. Most can record video in 4k, as long as you’re able to keep the video stable with a good tripod.
A Phone Can be Used to Film, However……
Speaking of cell phones, it’s great to use them to film so you don’t have to invest in a camera. However, never edit your video on a phone. These days you can do almost anything on a phone. But phone editing apps are often limited, especially the 3rd party apps. Those 3rd party apps usually only allow you to export the video in 720p. Why record beautiful footage only to send out less-quality clips? If you do not know how to use proper editing software on a desktop or laptop, you might want to think about hiring a professional to make your video.
Keep it Simple: the “Extras” Aren’t Necessary
Many basketball highlight videos contain music. Generally, I do not recommend putting music in your video. There are a number of reasons why. First, most coaches watch the videos on mute, so it’s not really necessary. The music, if copyrighted, could get your video taken off YouTube or other social media, if you want to post it there. And, if a coach does listen with the sound on, the music could end up sending the wrong impression. I also see a lot of videos with over the top slow-motion and other unnecessary features. Remember, we want to show we value the coach’s time. Adding these kinds of features makes the video longer, which might frustrate the coach.
If you’re struggling to create your best basketball recruiting video, I can help! I have worked with college basketball coaches since 2001, and I know what they want to see in a video, and what they don’t. Learn more about my sports highlight video services and contact me today to create a video that will help your future athlete improve their recruiting chances!