College Coaches Confidential: The significance of the June 15 call day
June 15th is a big date in the basketball recruiting process. It is the first day that a college coach is able to call a prospect in the rising junior class directly. No third parties, no campus visits; as of midnight on June 15, college coaches can directly call or text the player.
A lot goes into this date. A quick search on Twitter, and you will see lists of schools that have contacted various players. However, on this day, schools handle it differently. We are seeing a lot from the players, the schools who have contacted them. But I wanted to talk with the coaches to see what they get out of the day. It is always interesting to hear their perspective.
I spoke with coaches throughout the ACC and SEC landscape, and, as expected, many of the coaches view the June 15th call day differently. Some see a lot of value, and some do not participate at all.
Read what programs have contacted top prospects
June 15 call day
Leading into June 15, you see a lot of people on social media talking about recruits charging up their phones and making sure to respond to everyone who reaches out. It is a scenario that the recruit has not been through before. Per the NCAA rules, college coaches are not permitted to contact the recruit directly until this date. Many coaches like to be first in line right as the clock strikes midnight.
“June 15 is very significant with having the opportunity to start communication with that upcoming class and beginning the process of building that relationship,” an SEC coach told On3.
As the old saying goes, you always remember your first. A look through social media as early as 12:15 AM on June 15 and players were already posting offers and scouts with lists of schools. But, as many of the coaches we talked to pointed out, for the most part, this is not the first contact these coaches have had with the players.
“I don’t think the timing is as much of a deal as it used to be. Because with unofficial visits, school visits, and third-party conversations, it wouldn’t be the first, second, or third time that the recruit and coaches have spoken, in most cases,” an SEC coach said.
A coach in the ACC had a similar thought, “We have already talked to most of the kids already, by them calling us and being on our campus. So the timing of the call on the 15th just lets the kids and parents know, ‘here we go.'”
So, what is the significance of the June 15 call date? As the coaches above pointed out, they have already had contact, and started to build relationships with these prospects.
“Just need them to know you’re there thinking about them on day one,” an ACC coach plainly stated.
The significance of the call
Not every call is built the same. As some coaches stated, not every contact is a call. These coaches have to go through this process with a plan. They want to touch as many of the prospects as they possibly can, but they also want to make sure the prospects they are prioritizing know where they stand at the top of the list.
“We want to make sure the head coach touches those who we either have offered or want to offer,” a coach in the ACC said. “Those calls must come based on who you are most excited about. The calls will probably be shorter than normal just because of the sheer volume of calls the prospects are receiving.”
While just another step in the process for many of the coaches, the excitement of the day for the prospect is not lost.
“It’s an exciting day for the prospects to finally have the opportunity to get their recruiting process started,” a coach from the ACC said. “The significance of it on our end is it lets a player know that they are on our radar on some level (we know about them, we’re close to offering, they have a legit offer).”
One SEC coach told me, “I think the timing of the call is insignificant. I don’t believe the players will remember exactly what time you called. It will more be so how consistent you were throughout the process.”
This is also interesting because…
Not every program is the same
Many coaches find great importance on this day. However, not all programs see the same value in the June 15 call day. Multiple programs I spoke with said their school simply does not place an emphasis on the day and/or the timing of the call.
“We don’t do the whole call at midnight thing,” one coach in the SEC said.
To many coaches, recruiting is an entire process. A process that is about taking the time to build real relationships around the prospect and the family. Coaches are also realistic in the fact that these players still have two full years of high school remaining before they graduate. And they are 17 months out from their first signing day.
“It’s nice to be the first coach to reach out to a prospect. But the reality is our recruiting board will probably change a ton from the first contact day until the initial November signing date. Especially now with the transfer portal. No one will truly remember when that first contact occurred,” an ACC coach said.
“In reality, anything that occurs today has little to do with the ultimate outcome of the decision-making process,” one ACC coach said.
Another ACC coach noted, “We don’t really call on June 15 here.”
There is a lot of hype around the June 15th call day. Many of the players in the rising junior class are getting phone calls. However, there is a lot of time to go in the recruiting process, and players can only choose one school.