Prep School Basketball Recruiting: What Every Athlete and Family Needs to Know
In prep school basketball recruiting, one truth stands above the rest: what you do when no one’s watching determines where you end up. Talent might get you a spot on the roster, but it’s the unseen hours—the early mornings, the solo workouts, the relentless pursuit—that separate the recruited from the forgotten.
We touched on this topic when we sat down with Alan Stein Jr., a veteran performance coach with decades of experience at powerhouse programs like DeMatha and Montrose Christian. Alan has worked with some of the best—including Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant—and his own story as a former Division I player offers a cautionary tale every student-athlete and parent should hear.
A Cautionary Tale: Why Alan’s D1 Career Fizzled
Cory:
Now you graduated high school in ’94, a year before I did, and you decided to play at Elon. Where did you grow up, and how did you get so good to play guard at a D1 school?
Alan:
I grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland… played at public school, Watkins Mill High School. Had a decent enough high school career to be able to play at that next level. Elon was a great fit… But I didn’t have a very good college career. Mostly it was because I stopped working on my game, and everybody else passed me. I stopped getting a lot of playing time. And I chose the route of blaming the coach and making excuses… instead of actually getting in the gym and working and trying to earn more playing time.
Alan Stein Jr. blends athletic insight with leadership as a top performance coach.
The Danger of Getting Comfortable Too Early
Cory:
When you were there and decided you didn’t want to work hard, what was the voice in your head telling you?
Alan:
I worked really hard leading up to going to Elon. That spring and summer I really dedicated myself. And when I got to Elon, that paid off. I played a lot as a freshman… But I allowed myself to get complacent. I just figured, hey, if I’m playing a lot as a freshman, I’m just gonna ride this out… I joined a fraternity and was partying a lot. I stopped continuing to be in the gym working on my game.
How Others Passed Him By
Alan:
We had a really good freshman class… but as you know, at the college level, coaches are always trying to out-recruit the previous class. The coach wanted to bring in even better players the year after. So you combine the fact that I stopped working, my teammates kept working, and the class coming in was more talented—yeah, no wonder I found myself at the end of the bench with my shooting shirt on, rarely playing.
Excuses or Effort: Which One Are You Choosing?
Alan Stein Jr. pictured with LeBron James at the Nike-run LeBron James Skills Academy.
Alan:
There was a distinct fork in the road. And instead of saying, “You know what, I’m going to earn my time back,” I decided to have a very bad attitude… blame the coach, blame politics, complain and make excuses. I never quite recovered from that.
When the “Unseen Hours” Disappear, So Does the Opportunity
Alan:
That’s also one of the things that led me to strength and conditioning… I stopped working on my basketball game and was getting burnt out on basketball. But I started to fall in love with weight training and agility. So it all ended up working out—but that is certainly a cautionary tale of, you know, when there’s a fork in the road, I don’t suggest choosing the one that I took.
Alan Stein Jr. with Kevin Durant at a Nike EYBL event, highlighting his work with elite-level players.
Burnout or Just Bad Habits? The Truth Hurts but Heals
Cory:
What led to your burnout? Was it just the grind of playing D1?
Alan:
The burnout was more along the lines of the bad attitude… I’m not playing, so why should I give all of this effort? I started to lose my love for basketball. There had always been this reciprocal relationship: I work hard, I play. But now it was like—I’m working, but I’m not playing, so I don’t even feel like doing the work.
A Wake-Up Call for Every Young Player
Alan:
I realized everything I said and did back then is 180 degrees from what I believe now. But that’s where I was. It also gives me empathy for young people. When we’re 18, 19, 20 years old, we often think we know more than we do.
Cory:
So if 48-year-old Alan could talk to 18-year-old Alan, would it matter?
Alan:
I don’t think the 18-year-old would listen… That bad attitude I took then, it was all driven by fear, by insecurity, by ego. I was embarrassed that I wasn’t playing much… Almost every poor decision I’ve ever made was driven by fear, insecurity, or ego.
Unseen Hours: A Reality Check for Players and Parents
Alan Stein Jr. with NBA point guard Chris Paul during a Jordan Brand basketball event.
Alan:
I’ve told my kids: your current level of commitment is not good enough to play college basketball… Going to practice and games? That’s just the ante to sit at the table. It’s the unseen hours—when no one is watching—that determine whether or not you can play at the next level.
Final Take: No Shortcuts, Just Reps
Alan:
If you want to be a college player, you need to recommit. You need to pursue that goal with everything you’ve got… But I will not let you straddle in between and have the delusion that you’re going to be a college-level player when you’re only giving a mediocre commitment.
Final Buzzer: Choose the Right Fork in the Road
This is Cory again. Alan’s story is a powerful reminder that getting recruited isn’t about what you post on Instagram—it’s about what you do when nobody’s watching. The unseen hours are the separator.
If you’re looking into prep school, reach out to us at PREP Athletics. We’re here to help you explore your potential and make choices that align with your athletic and academic future. We’ve also got a long list of resources to get you started in the right direction, so check out our latest prep basketball updates on YouTube or our podcast to dive deeper.