Prep School Basketball Recruiting: Inside the D1 Whiteboard
When talent looks equal on film, the “one little thing” a player does—or doesn’t do—often swings an offer. We dug into this exact reality when I sat down with Curtis Peery of Massanutten—a former Division I GA at Maryland Eastern Shore who now runs a demanding post-grad program in the Elite Prep League. His vantage point from D1 rooms to prep gyms delivers the kind of specifics families and coaches need.
Inside the D1 Recruiting Room: Whiteboards, Film, and the “One Little Thing”
Cory: “Walk me through this. When you’re in the recruiting rooms with the head coach and assistant coaches and they’ve got the whiteboard with the positions and names, walk me through some behind the scenes of how those conversations go… what these coaches talk like behind closed doors when it comes to recruiting.”
Curtis: “From a Division I, we got all the whiteboard and different coaches obviously recruiting different players… one assistant is really high on one kid… another assistant is really high on his kid. And so they’re all making kind of their pitches to coach and we kind of watch film and highlight tapes and it really comes down to… a couple different things that the head coach is looking for.”
Curtis: “It could be as simple as a kid not… the floor every time. It could be a guy making open shots or missing open shots. In the head coach’s mind, it’s like, ‘He should have made that,’ or ‘He should have did this.’ And one little thing can determine it for a coach.”
Curtis: “Each assistant has his own kind of guys… their job is to try to pitch them to the head coach. And ultimately, the head coach is there to make a decision… every coach is different, every coach is looking at a couple different things… if guys do those things well, they tend to get those offers… if a kid doesn’t do those things… he looks at somebody else.”
Curtis: “It’s a simple game… at the Division I level… they’re all good players. When you look at a player and look at athleticism and size and skills and ability… it’s all pretty even. But when a guy’s… diving on the floor for a loose ball or… that kid sprints the floor every time… if you’re a big and you rim run to the front every single time… it says a lot about who you are and what kind of player you can be. And ultimately whether a coach can say, ‘I can work with that,’ or ‘I don’t know if I can work with that.’”
Massanutten roster and coaching staff—official team photo.
Hustle as the Separator: Sprints, Rim Runs, and Toughness
Cory: “Let me see if I’m hearing this right. If that big man hustled and runs rim to rim… but doesn’t have the skill yet, would your staff then have taken that kid over someone who might have had more skill but not gone as hard?”
Curtis: “Yeah, because you can work with hustle. Big kids tend to develop late anyway. And so you see a lot of kids, they’ll get recruited based on potential.”
Curtis: “How is that kid getting better? Does he work hard when there’s nobody in the gym? Is he by himself? [Does] he pull an assistant coach in the gym? ‘Hey, let’s get better on skills.’ What kind of kid is he as a human being?”
Curtis: “All that’s got to show in the game in front of a coach… you still got to have results in the game… production.”
Curtis: “Everybody wants a big… what’s that separating factor? I think for coaches, if a guy’s willing to go the extra mile and play hard all the time, that’s just something you can’t teach… you gotta have a level of toughness and a level of physicality… you can take skills as kind of secondary when you’re looking at those types of programs.”
The D1 Guard Requirements: Make the Open Shot
Massanutten regroups during a pivotal timeout at a national prep showcase.
Cory: “Okay, what does it take to be a Division 1 Guard?”
Curtis: “Man, Division I guard, you gotta be able to guard your spot. You gotta be able to get guys the rock… get playmakers the rock, get shooters the rock, the bigs involved. You gotta be able to play defense and rebound and then ultimately as a Division I point guard, you gotta be able to make an open shot.”
Curtis: “If your wing is your best player, leading scorer, he’s probably gonna get double teamed. You got [a] dominant big, he’s probably going to get double teamed. And when they kick the ball back out, you gotta be able to make an open shot… have guys respect that.”
Clean wing catch under tight on-ball pressure at a national prep showcase.
Offer Room Takeaways for Players, Parents, and Coaches
Curtis: “When… athleticism and size and skills… [are] pretty even… that kid sprints the floor every time… [or] you rim run to the front every single time… it says a lot about who you are… whether a coach can say, ‘I can work with that.’”
Curtis: “One little thing can determine it for a coach.”
Closing Huddle: Turn Film into Offers
Explosive drive and finish at the cup during Massanutten vs. NMH.
In the end, it’s not complicated: coaches argue their guys, the head coach decides, and the smallest details—sprinting the floor, rim-running, and hitting the open shot—separate prospects when talent looks equal. If you’re mapping a prep path or choosing a postgrad fit, our team can help you build a plan that shows coaches what they need to see.
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.