How to become a scout for basketball

How to Become a Basketball Scout (6 Things You Need)

Are you a basketball junkie? Do you love to watch basketball at any level? When you watch a basketball game do you find yourself keying in on particular players and seeing their specific basketball abilities? I love to watch a basketball game where I am not familiar with the teams or any of the players. It is kind of fun to see if you can pick out each players’ role on the team.

If you do enjoy watching basketball at any level and you have an eye for talent, you may want to consider becoming a basketball scout. Becoming a basketball scout could be your dream job. You will get to watch all kinds of basketball and discover the newest up and coming talent. Who knows, it could lead to higher up executive jobs in basketball.

So, what is a basketball scout? And how does someone become one? Let’s take a look at what a basketball scout is, the benefits and drawbacks and what a person needs to do to get started in this type of career.

Contents

• What is a Basketball Scout?
• Benefits of Scouting
• Drawbacks to Scouting
• Steps to Become a Basketball Scout
  • What you will need
• Final Words

What is a Basketball Scout?

A basketball scout is usually a person who looks for and evaluates young and talented players and may try to persuade them to play for the particular team they are working for. They also will need to persuade the team they are working for that the player they have found will be a good fit for their organization.

Another type of scout may be someone who watches and evaluates another team in preparation for playing a game against them. This type of scout would try to find information on how the other team plays in order to help their team beat the other team.

Benefits of Scouting

If you love to watch basketball, this could be the perfect career for you because you will get to watch plenty of it. It will be your job to watch games, evaluates players or teams, take notes and give your professional opinion to the team you work for.

If you like to travel, you will most likely get to do a lot of it. You will be going to lots of tournaments and schools all across the country and, in some cases, the world. You will also get to talk to and interact with many different people, including coaches, players, parents and more. So if you are a social person that enjoys traveling and talking to people, you will probably enjoy this type of job.

Drawbacks to Scouting

If you don’t like to travel or socialize, this may not be the career for you. You will also be working lots of late nights and weekends since that is when games are usually played. While it can be great for some who do not like working an average 9 to 5 job, you may have to spend a fair amount of time away from your family and friends.

Steps to Become a Basketball Scout

Like most careers, you won’t be able to just jump into the scouting arena. There are some qualities and skills you need to have to be a good scout and there are some steps that you will need to take in order to get started in this field.

• Love the game of basketball
• Good basketball knowledge
• A natural ability to spot talent and leadership
• Good communication skills
• Marketing and sales skills
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to changes in the game

1. Learn the game

You will need to know the game of basketball very well and understand more than just the basics. You will also need to know the game from more than just a fan’s point of view. Learn all aspects of the game from rules, playing, coaching, history and more. You should know the game inside and out.

2. Get an education

While a degree is not necessarily required, it will help to open doors and get you started. Just about any degree can help, but if you are planning to get one for this purpose, you might want to look at physical education, sports sciences, business, marketing or those types of degrees.

There are other training and learning programs available that are not traditional college programs and those can also help get you started. The main thing is that you have some tools to help give you some of the skills and abilities listed above.

3. Get experience

Get experience anywhere you can. Whether it is volunteering to help a coach or a team, or taking an entry-level position to get your foot in the door. The idea is to work with anyone you can who is involved in basketball even if it is taking a job as a team equipment manager.

Volunteering and taking entry-level jobs not only give you experience from the ground up, it is where you start making contacts and networking with important people in the business.

4. Watch games and footage

As a scout, this will be one of your main activities. You should start watching as many basketball games as you can, at all different levels. Watch them in person, and on video. Try to figure out what makes certain players stand out and how they fit in with their particular team. How will they fit into certain offenses and defenses that you have learned about?

Ask questions and take notes. If you are watching a game in person, don’t be afraid to ask the fans who regularly attend the games, questions about players on the team. If there are coaches or players available, don’t be afraid to talk to them after the game and see what you can find out. Then find a way to efficiently record and organize your notes.

5. Networking

Try to make as many contacts as you can. A lot of scouting is who you know and the relationships you have with those contacts. Try to never burn bridges with the people you meet and work with. You never know when you might capitalize on an opportunity from a contact you made years prior.

6. Always continue learning

This is something that applies to life in general. You should never stop trying to learn. It is very important in basketball scouting because the game of basketball is constantly changing. The coaching, the players, the style of play are all evolving. If you do not keep up with the changes you will never be able to spot the talent that will match the team you are scouting for.

It is important to keep up with the game by reading books on basketball, watching videos, talking to coaches, players and staff and anything else that you can find. Be open to new techniques and ideas. Even if you don’t agree with them, you need to know the direction in which the game is heading. If you don’t, it will quickly pass you by.

Final Words

If you love basketball, a basketball scouting job could be the job you have always been looking for. Getting paid to watch basketball and give your opinions on players and teams could be the career for you. If you begin to excel at it and people in the business begin to respect your word on players, you never know how far you can go.

Do you think you would make a good basketball scout? We’d love to hear from you, so please leave your comments.

Learn How to Become a Basketball Scout from SMWW

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^{In just eight weeks you can learn the scouting and organizational abilities needed to launch your career in Pro & College Basketball.}

Mentors

Learn What NBA Teams Want in a New Hire

When professional basketball teams post a job opening they are bombarded with people looking to break into the industry. Hundreds of resumes flood into team offices from people with all levels of education and backgrounds.

Sounds depressing, doesn't it? Well, it doesn't have to.

Even with hundreds of people applying, we can help you stand out from the crowd by teaching you the skills NBA teams need, skills most of the other people applying don't understand.

This 8-week online course taught by the former NBA GM's Rick Sund & Mark Warkentien will open NBA doors for you by teaching:

• Video scouting techniques and software
• Traditional scouting, player evaluation, ratings, and in-depth analysis
• How to properly craft an NBA scouting report
• College and International Scouting
• Collegiate basketball scouting versus high school players
• Basketball contracts, negotiation, trades and acquisitions
• Responsibilities of a Basketball GM
• How to run the front office of a basketball franchise
• NBA Draft preparation and free agent signings
• Introduction to Synergy Sports Technology, used by all 30 NBA teams
• Relationships with those at the highest level of basketball
• Relationships between the NBA, CBA, NBDL and overseas basketball leagues
• Opportunity to work as an SMWW Basketball Scout (details below)
• Opportunity to work with NetScouts Basketball (details below)

Upon successfully completing the course, you will be able to add Rick Sund and Mark Warkentien to your resume as a reference. As the saying goes, 'it's not what you know but who you know'… and you're about to know NBA executive Mark Warkentien!

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Sports Careers Our Basketball GM and Scouting Course Prepares You For

Learning from a respected NBA executive like Rick Sund & Mark Warkentien will give you a leg up against the competition for jobs in professional basketball. Basketball management requires a versatile skill set, not just evaluating players and creating a competitive team and not just budgeting, operations and marketing. 

This cutting-edge course will prepare you to enter the world of basketball scouting and management with a diverse array of skills that will qualify you for any of these roles in the NBA, FIBA, International Leagues or NCAA:

• Basketball Player Personnel
• Basketball General Manager
• Basketball Agent
• Basketball Scout
• Basketball Management
• Basketball Front Office
• Basketball Game Operations
• Basketball Operations
• Sports Marketing
• Basketball Media & Community Relations 
• Basketball Account Manager
• Basketball Internships

Learn More About Course Mentors Rick Sund & Mark Warkentien

Rick Sund, former NBA GM

Rick Sund has more than 40 consecutive years of managerial NBA experience spanning five decades. The longtime league executive was the Atlanta Hawks Executive Vice President and  General Manager from 2008-2012.  Prior to thd Hawks, Rick was the GM of the Seattle Sonics from 2001-07, Sund and the Sonics were the inaugural champions of the Northwest Division in 2004-05, advancing to the semifinals in the  Western Conference.  Sund held titles with the Detroit Pistons organization as Vice President of Player Personnel, and worked his way up to Executive VP and GM of Basketball Operations. Prior to his time with the Pistons, he served in several executive capacities with the Dallas Mavericks. Sund was part of their expansion season in 1979 until his final season as their Vice President of Basketball Operations in 1994. Sund began his NBA career in Milwaukee under the tutelage of famed basketball executive  Wayne Embry, spending five years with the Bucks after graduating with a Master’s in Sports  Administration and Management. Rick is excited to share his 40 years of wisdom with you and help you grow in your career.

Mark Warkentien, former NBA GM

With over 35 years' experience working in basketball, including his current position with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Mark Warkentien is one of the most respected executives in the NBA. Prior to the Thunder, Warkentien was Director of Player Personnel with the New York Knicks and General Manager of the Denver Nuggets where he was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2009 for his work helping the Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals.

Warkentien has held other executive positions with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was Director of Player Personnel and interim GM for the latter half of the 2004-05 season, and the Portland Trail Blazers, where over a ten year period he was a Scout, Director of Scouting, Assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel. His career in the NBA started as a scout with the Seattle Supersonics in 1991.

Before the jump to the NBA Warkentien had a very successful career in college basketball, coaching several Southern California college basketball teams before joining the staff of UNLV as an assistant coach under the legendary Jerry Tarkanian. During his time with the Running Rebels, the team advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight four times, the Final Four three times and won the 1990 NCAA Championship.

Warkentien graduated with his Sports Leadership Masters degree in May 2014 from Concordia University Chicago, a partnership program with Sports Management Worldwide.

In the Basketball GM & Scouting course, you will speak directly each week with Mark Warkentien. Mark will teach you what you need to know to jump to the front of the NBA hiring line and be a reference on your resume for future employment.

Carl Berman, NetScouts Basketball Managing Partner

Carl Berman is Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball, an industry leader in International Basketball and one of the largest basketball scouting companies in the world. With scouts all over the world, NetScouts Basketball recruiting services are utilized by NCAA when recruiting college basketball players around the globe. In addition, NetScouts are consultants for professional teams internationally and domestically. Carl has studied and analyzed players, coaches and situations from the grassroots level to the highest tiers of NBA basketball. 

Carl has over 30 years of business, financial and operational management experience as well as significant experience in the basketball industry. In addition to finance, he has long-term experience in contract administration, negotiation, and marketing. He holds degrees from the University of Rhode Island and the University of Southern California and earned an MBA certificate from the Tuck Business School at Dartmouth College.

Carl oversees all media and business operations for NetScouts Basketball. He scouts college basketball extensively on the west coast, mainly the Pac-12, and takes several scouting trips to the east coast each season that includes coverage of prep school events and high school All-Star events. Carl is NetScouts Basketball’s representative in our partnership with Universal Hoops LLC, in organizing and managing the National Prep School Invitational, the oldest prep school tournament in the nation, held each February in Rhode Island.

Carl is one of the top experts on International Basketball in the country and has been a featured columnist for over a decade on International Basketball for Basketball Times. He has coordinated all the international NBA draft profiles for Turner Broadcasting on NBA.com. NetScouts Basketball’s NBA Mock Drafts are featured among the best mock drafts in the world on NBA.com.  Carl is excellent in talent evaluation and has worked representing overseas teams. He is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and has had his work featured in a host of publications and websites. Prior to starting NetScouts, Carl was the General Manager as well as Interim Head Coach and Assistant Coach for the Eugene Chargers of the International Basketball League.

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Our Basketball GM & Scouting Course Is For You

To the untrained eye, basketball can appear as a series of random movements where the best overall athletes prevail. To the trained eye, the game appears as an orchestra, where each individual step, movement, and angle is perfectly planned and executed for a positive team result.

At SMWW, we'll teach you how to see the game through a trained eye, able to analyze skills and weaknesses, project player development, build a team, organize a draft and much more

This course is perfect for those who wish to pursue a career as a:

• NBA Player Personnel
• NBA Operations
• NBA Scout
• NBA Management
• NBA Front Office
• NBA Agent
• NBA Game Operations
• NBA Sports Marketing
• NBA Account manager
• NBA Media & Community Relations
• FIBA Jobs
• NBADL Jobs
• Basketball Internships

Why our Basketball GM and Scouting Course is Your Perfect Match

The journey to the front office of your favorite NBA team starts with mastering the process of player evaluation. Scouting basketball is an art form, meshing statistical and video analysis with a deep understanding of the game to evaluate an athlete’s true professional impact.

At SMWW, we’ll teach you the skills NBA teams want in a new hire!

Led by Oklahoma City Thunder executive and 2008-09 NBA Executive of the Year Mark Warkentien, this 8-week online course delivers a targeted basketball education, focused on scouting, team management, and basketball operations.

Unlike most online classes, our 8-week course focuses on interactive zoom video chats directly with your course mentor, Mark Warkentien, allowing you the opportunity to build a personal relationship with a veteran NBA executive. After completing our Basketball GM & Scouting course, we will help you redesign your resume to highlight your new skills and include that you have been taught first-hand by Mark Warkentien. Now that is powerful!

With graduates currently working in the NBA, NBADL, FIBA, NCAA and USA Basketball, the proof is out there, hard at work!

The Future of Basketball Scouting & Sports Video Editing

Synergy Sports is the video scouting technology used by all 30 teams in the NBA and many college basketball programs and high-level international leagues. Students enrolled in our Basketball GM and Scouting course will be provided access to Synergy Sports Technology and complete video editing exercises.

Synergy captures every NBA game logging each possession into a searchable database allowing NBA teams to recall specific plays based on situations and/or player attributes. With a few mouse clicks, a team could see every example of Steph Curry running a pick and roll on the left side of the formation and taking a mid-range jumper.

Powerful stuff!

Familiarizing yourself with video scouting using the latest technology is your front door into the industry, as many SMWW students have been hired by Synergy upon graduation.

"The Synergy program is your ticket into the game," says Warkentien. "The older NBA guys aren't interested in the video side, the technology scares them. Video is where a mere mortal can get into the game. Knowing Synergy inside and out will more than help you with your first job."

If you discover you have a real passion for video scouting, we offer a Digital Video and Editing course where Synergy is covered in even greater depth.

I had an amazing experience taking the Basketball GM and Scouting Course with SMWW. My dream and passion has always been to work in the NBA and be a GM but I did not know the steps to take to get there. With this course, I was able to learn, make contacts in the industry and receive the necessary encouragement and motivation to pursue my dream. I am now working for the Portland Trailblazers!!! 
- John Ross, Portland Trail Blazers Assistant Video Coordinator

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FAQ

Course Details

Weekly Interactive Zoom Video Chats: A unique aspect of each 8-week course is the opportunity for students to participate in weekly, live interactive zoom video chats with fellow students, former NBA GM's Rick Sund and Mark Warkentien, NetScouts Managing Director Carl Berman, SMWW President Dr. Lynn Lashbrook and renowned guest speakers. This is a tremendous opportunity to network within the professional and collegiate basketball industry by getting to know your instructor Mark and fellow students personally via the internet. This is available via any online computer.

Online Education: This innovative academic course is facilitated through a web-based educational delivery system. You will enjoy the online discussion boards, weekly readings, weekly quizzes, course projects, and interaction amongst fellow sports business-minded students and faculty. All course materials and textbooks are included in the course fee.

Global Participation: SMWW students participate from over 162 countries. Courses have an international influence and instructors will cater assignments to specific countries or leagues. Countries with economic challenges are eligible for economic discounts.

University Credit Available: For additional fees to Fort Hays State University in Kansas, you may receive graduate or undergraduate university credit for Sports Management Worldwide's courses. Click here for more information.

Optional Annual Basketball Conferences: All SMWW students are invited to attend the annual Summer League Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada and/or the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament Conference in Virginia.  All SMWW Students receive a huge discount and are encouraged to attend to utilize their skills and network within the industry.

Advanced Certificates: Want to take your career to the next level? Our Advanced Certificates have been hand-selected by our team of sports industry experts to put you on a path to success. These bundles allow you to take advantage of our biggest discount available, by bundling multiple courses and becoming an expert in that field. Learn more about our Advanced Certificates here.

Military Discount: For those individuals who represent their country in military service, (active, reserve, or retired) we offer a discount. Thank you for serving your country! For more information on the Military Discount please Click Here.

Tax Write Off (For USA Citizens): SMWW course tuition, books, and supplies can be used for education tax credits. Save your receipts and consult with your tax advisor on how this applies to you.

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What Happens After I Complete the Course?

Upon successful graduation of the Basketball GM & Scouting Course you'll have many options:

Become an SMWW Scout

Graduates will be invited to join SMWWscouts.com, our network of professional scouts working across all sports and in all countries

You will advertise yourself as a certified scout and trained evaluator. Teams, coaches and agents use this service to find qualified talent evaluators in areas they need them.

We become your match-makers!

The site will include your own webpage with your picture and biography and samples of your best scouting reports. As a graduate of the Basketball GM and Scouting course you are eligible to apply for acceptance as an SMWW scout and be featured on this website

Work for a Team

Our goal is to see all Basketball GM & Scouting graduates gainfully employed in basketball worldwide. SMWW will customize a basketball portfolio to assist you with your career, and Mark Warkentien will be a reference on your resume.

Through our extensive network of professional basketball teams and organizations worldwide, basketball departments, and basketball non-profits, our objective is to prepare you for when the right job opportunities become available. Numerous people that have gone through our programs are now employed in great positions and you could do the same. We want to help you launch your basketball career and help you find a position where you can be the most successful and satisfied.

Scout with the Best

As a Sports Management Worldwide's graduate of the Basketball General Manager and Scouting course, you will have the opportunity to be trained in NetScouts Basketball's scouting process and given on the job training. This training will allow graduates to be credentialed for college games and will give you experience providing scouting reports on several players from each team. These scouting reports will be critiqued by NetScouts Basketball's Managing Partners. 

NetScouts Basketball, "The International Basketball Connection"™, provides consulting and scouting to basketball teams worldwide. They have the largest database of collegiate and International U20 scouting reports and are the expert on International Basketball. 

Resume Redesign Service

Acquiring the skills necessary for your dream sports career is only one part of the employment journey. Even with the required skill set, you still have to market yourself properly to attract the attention of sports industry employers. 

At SMWW, we’ll teach you the skills you need to thrive AND help you redesign your resume for optimal impact in the sports industry. We’ll help you craft a resume to include your new skills in Basketball Scouting and Management, include a reference from Mark Warkentien and Dr. Lynn Lashbrook while optimizing it to reach hiring managers searching online. 

We want you to become the next SMWW success story and will go to great lengths to help you get there!

Course Certificate & Resume Reference:

Successful graduates of the Sports Management Worldwide courses will be sent an SMWW Certificate of Accomplishment. This certificate represents not only your achievements in the course but also demonstrates your personal commitment to self-improvement and the ability to "self-train" yourself for higher positions within the sports business industry.

How to Become an NBA Scout (With Steps & Tips) • BUOM

Posted by the Indeed Editorial Team

August 26, 2021

A National Basketball Association (NBA) scout is looking for potential members of his basketball team by traveling and analyzing the performances of different players. There are many roles and responsibilities in this position, such as learning Scouting tactics, communicating with coaches and other Scouts, and providing incentives for new recruits. If you are interested in pursuing this career, you may want to know what steps it can take. In this article, we'll discuss the steps involved in becoming an NBA scout, explain what they do, and give tips on getting started.

Who is an NBA scout?

An NBA scout is an experienced professional who evaluates basketball players to find people to play for their team. They are keen to make sure these potential players are talented, and if they want to hire them, they may have to convince the players to join their team. Basketball scouts also judge whether potential recruits can work well with an existing team. Some basketball scouts may analyze other teams to learn about their strategies.

What does an NBA scout do?

An NBA scout travels to different locations to watch future basketball players during a game. There are different scouts for different levels of basketball, so NBA scouts usually look for college-level athletes. College basketball scouts typically evaluate high school basketball players for hire. They study different players and watch them play multiple games to gauge their talent and skills. If they want to recruit a player, then the scout prepares an offer for them. Some of their other roles may include:

• Creation of basketball strategies

• Estimation of the strengths and weaknesses

• Preparation of its current command

• Visit of basketball matches

• 9000

• Creation

  How to become an NBA scout

  Here are four steps to become a basketball scout:

  1.

  Learn the rules of basketball

  To discover talent, it is important to understand how the game works in order to gauge the skills of the players, so you may need to take time to learn the rules of the game. As a basketball scout, you can also create game strategies and analyze other teams' strategies, which may require you to learn the rules. You can start by learning the basics, but over time you may need to know more advanced rules and strategies to be successful. Besides the rules, you can learn how to coach and the history of basketball. To learn the rules, consider playing basketball on your own and practicing some games.

  2. Graduate

  Depending on the level you work at, earning a degree to become a Scout is not always a requirement, but having a degree can help you get on the field and advance your career. Many college and NBA level scouts have a four-year bachelor's degree. You can specialize in exercise science, sports science, sports management, marketing and sales, or related areas of study. In these specialties, you can take courses such as nutrition, intelligence tactics, sports marketing, or kinesiology. You can also continue your education by obtaining a master's degree.

  3. Gain experience

  After completing your degree, you can start gaining work experience. You can do this by taking a job or volunteering as a basketball coach or scout. Consider applying for entry level scouting positions. This can be helpful as you may have little professional experience after college. Another option is to work as a part-time scout. This may allow you to gain professional experience without having to settle for a permanent job. You can even work part-time as a volunteer to gain additional experience. You can start by looking for an amateur level of basketball and work your way up.

  4. Networking

  As you work and gain experience, you can start making connections. Networking is important to building your career as a basketball scout because it can help you get to know many people such as coaches, players, and other scouts. This can help you find new talent and get information about different players. One aspect of the search is getting to know many people so that you can find resources such as colleagues or mentors. To network, try attending basketball-related events such as conferences, seminars, or workshops. You can even chat at scouting or recruiting events.

  NBA Scouting Skills

  Here are some skills that a basketball scout can use:

  Communication

  Communication refers to conveying a message, which requires clear language either orally or in writing. Basketball scouts often use communication when talking to their team, rookies, other scouts, or coaches. For example, they can talk to their team to strategize and train new hires, negotiate incentives, or offer them a job. Basketball scouts can talk to other scouts to discuss different recruiting tactics. They can communicate with coaches to ask questions about their players in order to inform them of intelligence decisions.

  Interpersonal Skills

  Basketball scouts use interpersonal skills when communicating with their team, recruits or coaches. Interpersonal skills are the ability to interact with others through body language, communication, and understanding verbal and non-verbal cues. This can mean active listening, where someone shows that they are listening or paying attention to the speaker. Interpersonal skills help Scouts build respectful relationships with others, which can help them find new players.

  Adaptability

  This skill refers to being flexible or adapting when something new happens. Adaptability can mean the ability to adapt well to changing or unpredictable events and adapt to new circumstances. Basketball scouts often use adaptability while on the job, as scouting is an industry that changes frequently. For example, if a scout's best choice rejects their offer, they can adapt to this change and choose a different recruit or make a new plan. If their recruiting strategies don't seem to be working, they may need to rethink their tactics.

  Leadership

  Basketball scouts use leadership to make informed decisions about their team and who to hire. They often help decide which players to pick, which can be an important part of building a successful team. To do this, they need leadership skills to maintain control and make valuable decisions. A successful leader can also help you communicate with potential recruits. Scouts can show that they are strong and reliable leaders, so recruits can feel confident in their team.

  Tips for getting on the field

  Here are some tips for getting on the field as a basketball scout:

  • Watch videos of games. To help you learn about basketball and learn new strategies, consider watching a lot of videos of basketball games. You can learn from staff by strategizing different teams and even learning from other teams' past mistakes.

  • Have contacts. This means that you have contact information for many basketball professionals such as coaches, scouts or players. Having contacts can help you attract team members because they know you have connections to the team they want to play for, which can increase your credibility as a scout.

  • Keep learning: Because basketball is an evolving industry, it's important that you keep learning so you stay up to date with new information and resources. This can help you advance your career as you can learn new resources to build and develop your team, which can improve your scouting skills.

  How the scouting system works in the NBA - Metta Physics - Blogs rookie drafting process. After that, the Summer League kicks off, training camps are waiting for us in the fall, but let's look back. The draft itself is preceded by a mandatory "fortune-telling" ceremony called draft mocks. predictions of who will get into which team and for what qualities. Sometimes such reports from eminent resources, like DraftExpress, paint a newcomer from all sides, even finding similar players in the history of the league.

  I've always been interested in the other side of Scouting reports - namely Scouts. Who are these people who reveal all the secrets?

  Scouting has been called "the toughest job in the NBA." It's intense, grueling, and extremely difficult work behind the scenes in the league. Exclusively for basketball geeks, for whom this is just a celebration of the soul.

  It is not uncommon for a scout to finish work at 2:30 in the morning and wake up at 4:30 and gallop to another city on the other side of the country. So you can discard the stupid idea that this job is akin to a vacation. But the other side of the coin is that it's hard to complain about life when you can watch the game of the world's great athletes almost every night. Even if it is accompanied by a fairly severe lack of sleep.

  What is the NBA scouting system?

  The game scouting system in the NBA is currently undergoing a major transformation…gone are the old days of digital video and game cataloging was a newfangled concept where scouts relied more on individual analysis, experience and instinct. Today, with the advent of the SportVU camera system, much of the work that Scouts used to do is now done virtually, through software.

  But that doesn't mean that NBA game scouts will be replaced or relegated to the dustbin of history by fancy cameras - it just means they can spend less time on the hard and routine work and more time on direct analysis.

  The role of scouts in the structure of the club is rather different. Somewhere - they are part of the "family of coaches", in other teams they are treated as interns, trainees.

  So you've decided to become an NBA scout

  Do you see yourself only as a basketball scout? Here is your professional mantra:

  Relationships. Hard work. Relations. Victims. Relations. Organization. Relations. Confidence. Relations.

  The above are some of the key phrases from last year's July session of the Professional Scout School hosted annually by TPG Sports Group. Led by former NBA executive and NBA scout Pete Philo, who was recently a member of the Pacers coaching staff, the school is designed to educate its members in the process of scouting and front office management, and allows them to start building business relationships by arranging meetings with various NBA personalities. and beyond.

  When Philo was asked why he organized the Professional School of Scouts, he replied: “When I was a Scout myself, I was often asked about three things: “What does a Scout do? What are you really looking for? And how can I become a scout?” I realized that there is practically no open information, and I could help people understand this issue.”

  After a few days of intensive lectures, workshops, and business networking and relationship building, the participants leave the Scout Professional School with the answers to the above questions, but more importantly, with their own business connections that will allow them to start a career in basketball.

  Relationships are marked in a noticeable way throughout the entire life of the School. Not just in terms of who you know, but mostly in terms of what your knowledge is. Almost anyone can turn on the TV or go to watch a match, and over time you will develop some understanding of how to watch players. But all you will see is their actions on the floor. All speakers of the School tirelessly emphasize that in order to be a truly successful scout, you need to dig a little deeper.

  Scouting components include:

  1. Basketball and measurements : The obvious key is to identify if a player can "play" or not. But you definitely have to consider different scenarios and situations. What is the level of competition? Who are his teammates? And you can't make a sudden verdict by seeing the player just once. And you should also be careful with height, weight, wingspan and other measurements. Often in media guides, a couple of centimeters are added to the player’s height, and the scout should be the first to check the accuracy of these data.
  2. Medicine : What is the player's medical background? Are there any issues you need to be aware of? What about his family's medical history? All of these are important factors in compiling a complete picture of the player in question.
  3. Background and interview : You need to work with the player. What is the life of his family like? What is he like off the basketball court? What's on his mind? The attitude to the game is no less important than the set of skills. Nobody wants problems in the locker room.
  4. Analytics and latest technology : Two new but equally important aspects are the translation into the working language of player statistics. For example, Tony Ronzon of the Dallas Mavericks noted, “Pass passes are counted differently in Europe than they are in America. In the US, a guy can pass and the other player hits the ball eight times, crosses, scores, and it counts as a pass. In Europe, a pass must result in the ball directly hitting the basket. " It's important to keep this in mind when looking at statistical comparisons of players. Also, against the backdrop of the popularity of Moneyball, almost everyone believes that the key to creating an ideal team is calculated by some kind of formula. In fact, this is another important part of the puzzle, but not the final answer to it.

  How can relations be applied to all of the above? You must have a good, reliable, trusting relationship with the people you receive information from. A good scout must be able to navigate a vast sea of ​​information in order to get really useful information out of it. Sometimes a brief commentary on a player's work ethic is far more valuable than a monologue on how good he is with his footwork on defense.

  It is also important who you build relationships with. Coaches are a fairly obvious group that you should know and trust. But other team members are just as important. It is possible to collect a good pool of information from both the general manager and the equipment manager. Your goal is to learn everything you can about the players. How do they treat people? Do they participate in social activities? What is their daily life like? The scout also needs to build relationships with the players' agents, families and friends.

  Structure of the Scouting System

  There are several types of Scouts:

  • University Scouts. 99% of people associate the term "scout" with these comrades. For the most part, each of them is responsible for a whole region of the country, but this varies from team to team. This work consists of a huge number of flights and work with the background of the player.
  • International Scouts. The work of these scouts covers the entire globe. Because basketball is a global game, most teams have scouts on every continent, except maybe Antarctica. The scope of these scouts' assignments is quite complex, because a large amount of personal and medical data has to be collected, and it is not always easily accessible. Besides, traveling abroad is an adventure in itself. The key to the success of such scouts is building relationships with people.
  • Personnel scouts. These guys are focused on working with the NBA and the G-League. As a rule, they are actively involved in preparation for trades and the free agency market, their focus is on players who are directly in or near the league. These scouts are already in the arena hours before the game, watching the players in the warm-up, sometimes without seeing a minute of the actual game. They also linger in the arena after the game, waiting for the media to finish their work in order to collect the necessary information. Building relationships with other scouts, coaches and front office staff is important here.
  • Analytics department. As analysts become more important in the team building process, most teams have their own analytics department. (thank you, Manibol!) These people are usually responsible for preparing analyzes and reporting to the general manager on given topics. A high level of technical skills, knowledge of both mathematics and programming is required. These comrades rarely travel and for the most part do not participate in the traditional scouting system mentioned above.
  • Game scouts. Do you like to watch basketball? Are you so focused on it that during basketball season the rest of your life is just background noise? Do you like charts and graphs? Then this job is for you. A little later, we will dwell on this position in a little more detail, because it is considered one of the most interesting and exciting in the entire system.
  • Video department. The video department, like the game scouts, is also part of the coaching staff. They work in tandem with game scouts, collecting information and flavoring it with a good portion of up-to-date videos. They also prepare video cuts for coaches. It can be players, individual game tactics, specific scenarios. The video department is working hard, cutting video into short segments almost 24/7. There is not much travel here, but the work requires a high level of technical skills, not only for direct installation, but also for the competent presentation of the finished product to the coaching staff, players, front office.

  Game Scouts.

  Game scouts are at the bottom of the coaching totem pole in the NBA. The task of a game scout is to follow the upcoming opponents of his team before a personal meeting, it is advisable to see at least 3-4 games of the opponent, and the last viewing is a week or two before the match. Then, based on the scout's observations and data, a scout report is prepared and sent to the assistant coaches responsible for pre-game planning.

  Each assistant coach is expected to come up with a basic strategy/plan for the upcoming game based at least in part on the work of the game scout. Then the assistant gives the plan to the head coach a day or two before the game. The head coach leaves his own mark on him, and then manages the game based on the results of the overall work.

  Players also receive information from the game scout. Depending on the player, a scout report can range from a series of simple notes like "he likes to fake a 3-pointer before going to the left" or "don't trust fake shots after hard passes" or look like a complete scout report that is received assistant coaches ... it all depends on the player's intelligence, the task that he faces, etc.

  Scouts are usually allocated decent (but not excellent) places to play on a barter basis, ie. The Pacers will give the Nuggets a free ticket for their scout if the Nuggets reciprocate. The scout will try to outline the whole game, then jump on a plane to another city, or go to a hotel and write a report. Scouts travel a lot, don't sleep much, and watch too much basketball (both live and on video).

  To be honest, there aren't many obvious reasons to become an NBA scout. It's too difficult, it's a thankless job, and it's not like watching games as a regular fan.

  Anyway, here's a sample to-do list for a game scout:

  1. They have laptops with software that helps to mark the plays that the players have made for notes during the game. They try to mark every play/action that both teams have made during the game. Keep in mind that during the possession of each team there are several such events ... and there are as many as 200+ such possessions per match.

  2. Also included on these laptops is software capable of recording the sound inside the arena, digitally separating the conversations of the players, and then recording the chatter, the names of the schemes played, etc. The scouts then compare the audio to the pranks they've flagged and try to compile what they call "cheat lists" of game tactics. That is why such reconnaissance should be carried out a week or two before a personal meeting - the teams change "passwords and ciphers", i.e. names of their game schemes, on a regular basis.

  Note: If you watch NBA games closely, you might notice someone (perhaps a head coach or an assistant) yelling at the players on the floor after every play signaled by an opponent. This is due to the fact that the coach remembers the names of the schemes from the "cheat list" mentioned above (or quickly looks through them), and thereby tries to tell his team what to expect.

  3. Scouts use video replays, their notes and observations to provide an in-depth analysis of the opposing team. This analysis may include references to the weaknesses of certain players in defense or attack; certain plays that the opponent has problems countering; the plays they use after the timeout; the tactics they use when their top scorer is on the bench; typical mistakes that the opponent makes during certain actions, etc., etc. etc.

  4. The Scout compiles all his notes into a report, catalogs the video fragments (which act as footnotes in the report), and then sends it all to the trainer's assistants.

  And then it goes to the next command.

  Scouts usually watch at least one game a day, and that means daily flights, you know, and you barely sleep in your own bed. It's not uncommon on the weekend to watch an "early" game and then try to catch a late game in a nearby town...you can watch the Lakers and Raptors play in Toronto on a Saturday afternoon and then fly to New York for a Nets game and "Oklahoma" late at night.

  Here is an approximate daily schedule of a gaming scout, on the example of Pat Sipfel, the well -known gaming scout of the Houston Rockets team:

  (AM - until noon, PM - 9000 - 9000 - 9024 4:15 AM - rise, morning exercise

  4:45 AM - exit from the house, in the direction of Philadelphia airport0240 2:30 AM - check-in at the Marriott hotel

  2:40 PM - drive to Starbucks with laptop, statistical pre-game preparation against Warriors

  9024 PM - return at 4:40 PM - return at 4:40 PM Marriott, getting dressed before the game

  5:30 AM - drive to Oracle Arena - home of the Golden State Warriors

  6:05 AM drive to the media center for scouting credits for the game

  6:25 RM-We look at the pre-match warm-up

  7:10 RM-Dinner in the media center

  7:30 PM-the beginning RM - end of the game

  10:20 RM - we leave Orakl Arena, terrible traffic jams

  10:55 RM - arrival at the Hotel Maritt

  9000 11:10:00 RM - inclusive nutum and work with the Warriors 9 game schemes0241

  Fullly

  1:00 AM-Write instructions to the Video viewing department and coaches

  2:15 am 90

  2:30 AM - turn off and pack the laptop . .., pack things and turn off the light

  4:15 AM - the first bell of the alarm clock

  4:30 am AM - the second call of the alarm clock - the fast bell - fast - fast bells - fast bells - fast binding - fast binding shower and dress - yes, you can shower, get dressed and leave the room in less than 10 minutes!

  4:40 AM - jump in the car and go to the airport

  And so on in a circle. Fascinating, right?

  During the off-season, game scouts usually spend time researching potential draft picks, Summer League matches, internationals, and maybe some free time. But for the most part, scouts work all year round.

  The most committed (or rather, the most crazy) scouts usually work every minute, sometimes for free. But there are also happy endings. Some famous examples:

  • Masai Ujiri distinguished himself by tireless work for modest pay as an unpaid international scout for the Orlando Magic in 2002-2003. (perhaps he was not even paid for the expenses associated with the flights). It got to the point (according to rumors) that he asked the players he reviewed to take him in for the night! Of course, this story has a happy ending, and Ujiri became the GM of the Nuggets before moving on to the big money with Toronto.
  • Mike Brown started his NBA career as an unpaid video intern at 90's. At the time, video trainees would mark playlists from video compilations (just like game scouts) but also edit various video clips of a particular player so that assistant coaches could watch the player play certain formations over and over again in order to make a game plan against him. After a couple of years of unpaid work, Brown was hired as a paid Scout. He went on to become a Cavs coach, then an ESPN analyst and a whipping boy for Los Angeles and Cleveland fans.
  • Eric Spoelstra's coaching career also started in the video room, but he spent years as a Heat scout before taking the big chair. He did well, considering that his resume includes 2 championships and 4 appearances in the Final.

  There are many other examples where assistant coaches started out as scouts. Maybe that's why people become NBA scouts...if they can do it professionally for a year or two, they're probably crazy enough to become an NBA coach.

  What do NBA team scouts look for in basketball players 20 and under?

  What is it that teams look for in young talent that allows them to label players as "the new Kawaii" or "Deshaun Stevenson #2"? It is likely that in addition to height, weight, wingspan (which no longer surprise anyone), you have also heard about basketball IQ - and what lies behind this concept. This and more can be found in an NBC interview with Ryan Carr, director of scouting for the Indiana Pacers.

  “First of all, I focus on the level of skill development. I look at a player to see how his skills are developed in proportion to his basketball peers. I also pay attention to athleticism. By athleticism, I mean not only physical dimensions, but also how they can manage these dimensions. Athleticism is speed, quickness, strength, and also potential. Another key factor is basketball IQ – I want to know if they can actually understand and read the game.” Ryan says.

  What does basketball mean IQ ?

  I believe that the best teams know how to minimize their own mistakes. Mistakes are part of basketball, but the best teams work on themselves so that they make fewer mistakes than their opponents. For me, basketball IQ is a player's ability to limit their mistakes. Such a player knows at what certain moment a certain combination needs to be played without forcing events. A player with an excellent basketball IQ plays with perfect balance and timing. He can take what the game gives him and make the most of every situation.

  What role does sport professionalism play in scouting?

  Great athletes are calm under pressure. They never let their emotions take them out of the game. In some situation, they may get angry, but this is very short-term, and they immediately refocus on the next game event. I'm looking for players who can handle difficult situations with dignity. I look at how a player reacts to a dubious whistle from the referee - does it unsettle him, or can he quickly forget about it and continue playing. The referees often make wrong decisions, which can affect the course of the game, but the player's negative reaction can only increase the negative momentum. For me, sportsmanship, professionalism is the ability to control oneself under pressure and never lose one's composure. This is dignity and calmness in times of crisis. A combination of mistakes kills team success. Great athletes discard everything that prevents them from working for the result. Unsportsmanlike play leads to mistakes, bad decisions, loss of momentum and eventual defeat. Therefore, the ability to remain calm is decisive, and the player, and his parents, and the coach should strive for it.

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