SHOWCASE vs AMERICAN LEGION

Holiday Inn frequent guest

Plate Dad: what do you think about the above comment?

 

Got laped

in this one. Got a bad set of tires. I'm going to let Collin (Little E) and Pastime (Kyle Bush). Battle this one out. Braves do not move or lock this is good. Not sure if it will be a one car deal or the big one.

 

Would have love to see a baseball hero instead of basketball. But, if you are that close to him. Live and let live.

 

As long as no names are called, I'm going to let this one fly. There is a lot of meat in this thread to discuss.

But if you are going to discuss this with Collin, you would be better off not making a statement, "I heard...in my opinion....I think...." I know many posters will disagree with some of his statements, but either ignore it or come with facts for your reasons.

BTW, pasttime is not a showcase "promoter"

 

This has been a great thread, I enjoy reading what both Collin and Pasttime are both writing. They both make good points and they have reasons for what they say.

Collin like him or hate him, will make his point and I have seen him make some people look pretty dumb on this board. I'm not saying this is the case right here in this thread but if your going to argue with Collin, be careful with what you say or how you say because he will rip you apart.

I say let this thread fly also, neither one are getting out of control or getting to personal. I see where both sides are coming from which makes reading this thread even better.

 

showcase? Legion?

Which is better? Who cares!

Be thankful of the opportunities to play in the "off season" 25 years ago most high school kids in our neck of the woods were lucky to play 16 games during the regular season and then it was off for 11 months until next high school season. Now some kids will play 100 or so games in the course of a year. WOW, how lucky are our kids!

 

Let's play two

Very lucky especially the ones that love the game.

 

Agree or disagree, I gotta give Collin style points,,, specially for this one...

That is classic,,, sorry Pasttime...

 

You may 'know' scouts and associates or whoever you claim to know, but A) how do we know that's true that you actually know them, and B) how do we know they're telling you the truth. What if I was to say that I believe I know the recruiting process better than you because I've actually been through it personally in the past two years? Just because you throw personal insults towards me in to your posts and brag about who you know, that doesn't make your claims any more accurate.

A typical scout does see more high school games that he does showcases per year, but that's because at high school games he's there to look at one player and must bounce around from game to game. I'm not sure which showcases you've attended, but the scouts that attend showcase events are not always just there to see one player. Coaches come and watch the games because there are a collection of good players on the field at one time and it's quite possible someone will catch their eye. Way more players signing D1 deals get seen by a school for the first time at showcases (be it tournaments, ID camps, state games, etc) than they do by lacing it up for their high school team and getting seen that way.

It's laughable that you think I work for some sort of showcase organization. I've said many times, I think it's sad the way college recruiting has changed in NC. I'd rather it be all about how the player performs, under pressure, in the Spring for his high school team when the games really matter. But if that's not the way it truly is, and you want to get seen so you can play at the next level, you must conform and put yourself in a position where you can be seen at showcase events. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I'm not even a player who played exclusively showcase ball. I played Legion during the summer and Showcase in the fall.

If it wasn't easier to get seen at showcase events.....and if players who have talent will get signed to big deals even if they don't play on showcase teams....then why do kids like Garrison Lassiter, Tyler Hanover, Levi Michael, Brian Goodwin, LJ Hoes, Will Myers, Brian Litwin, Jeff May, Pratt Maynard, Michael Roth, etc etc etc, all play for the Dirtbags? Why don't they just tear it up in the Spring and hope somebody notices? Because that's not how it's done around here anymore. They put their skills on display at showcases in front of the scouts, and they perform, and they land the bigtime college deals that they deserve.

You may not think that performing well at a Showcase event can make a school have interest in you, but that's simply not the case. I know a player that had no college interest late into his senior year, and then hit a big homerun at the right time at a showcase event, and wound up signing with Duke. I know other players on my showcase teams who lit it up at the right time with the right people watching, and sparked interest from these schools. This was the way they gained their first contact with the schools that many of them eventually signed with. I understand that some baseball recruiters go by the philosophy of only paying attention to size and projectability, but believe it or not some people look for guys that can actually perform and put up numbers and get it done on the field, too.

You think you really have something with this Anthony Hewitt kid. From day 1, I've stated that I'm not talking about freakish athletes that will go in the 1st round out of high school. Guys like him are the select few that will be seen and heard of no matter where they play. However, it's interesting that for some reason a player with his extreme talents fell for the "scam," and played on the "meaningless" showcase circuit anyways, huh?

I played with a kid on my high school who didn't wow anybody with his size. He was 5'9, 155, and threw in the low to mid 80's. He was an ace though, and a big game performer for us. He didn't have any offers from D1 schools even at the end of his senior season, in which he was selected to the All-State team for the 2nd straight year. He was lined up to go play at GTCC, but instead, he had an awesome weekend at a Showcase in the summer after his senior year. He was getting ready to sign with GTCC later that week. He wound up getting some last minute interest from App State and UNCG, and since UNCG had a pitcher get hurt, they offered him a scholarship. He is now a D1 pitcher in one of the better conferences in America, the SoCon.

There was another kid on my same high school team who was our #5 pitcher, couldn't find the strike zone, and never pitched in any big games or playoff games for us. However, he wore the prestiged Dirtbag uniform. Because of that, he too signed a D1 scholarship to UNCG, despite not being half the pitcher as our #1 guy who had to scratch and claw so much to get this same offer. This is a first hand example of how it does indeed sometimes matter what jersey you wear, as sad as that is.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is not the case with Garrison. He obviously gets promoted more due to the fact that he plays for the Dirtbags, but he has enough game to sign a big deal either way. Garrison has always been a stand out player. You made the point that he played legion ball while in middle school, and thats true, but that was JUNIOR legion for post 87. Just thought I needed to point that out, because it seems like you were trying to suggest that he may have been first noticed by UNC at his legion games, which was not the case.

When I used the example about Garrison having a bad season as a sophomore and then signing with UNC shortly after, that was simply an example that it's not all about what you go out and do in the Spring for your high school team. If Garrison wasnt doing other things like the Dirtbags to promote himself and get himself noticed, that one bad season could have hurt his recruiting. However, he put himself in the position to be seen by college and pro scouts, and once he broke out of his sophomore funk he has showed everyone what he can do the past 2 years.