53 college coaches, representing 40 programs, pour into The Burlington School basketball workouts during NCAA live period
David Kehrli
Times-News
Well before the sun rises, an alarm awakens Ryan Bernardi at 4:30 a.m.
“These early morning workouts make 11:30 a.m. feel like 4 p.m.,” the third-year boys’ basketball coach at The Burlington School said, laughing.
It’s all for good reason, though.
About every other weekday, his Spartans players make their way out of bed and head off to 6 a.m. workouts at The Burlington School, where possibilities of their individual futures serve as a natural, early morning pick-me-up for a group of players with dreams of playing on the college level.
These workouts at The Burlington School have come with plenty of reasons for Spartans players to get up and go. Chief among them, the college coaches in attendance, eager to check out the talent on display, searching for potential additions to their respective squads.
The NCAA’s live period began Sept. 9, allowing college coaches to once again hit the recruiting trail and visit high schools for workouts. That was good news for the Spartans, the reigning NCISAA Class 2-A state champions.
“I think it's an unbelievable experience because you are going through a practice, in an environment that you're very comfortable with, with a row of Division I, II and III coaches sitting there evaluating,” Bernardi said. “I think there's been a lot of intensity, a lot of enthusiasm, but in games, there's officials, there's the other team, there's so many factors that can go into you not performing at your best.”
An influx of coaches from the Division I, II and III levels have poured into the gym at The Burlington School over the past two weeks. Fifty-three coaches, representing 40 different college programs, have been on hand as of Wednesday, Bernardi said.
“Practice is the best setting for coaches to come watch you because you're never on the bench, you're never in foul trouble, you're always showcasing your abilities during that one-hour practice,” Bernardi said. “It's been great for our guys. After practice, we go outside, so that they can safely interact with these coaches and have had some really good talks. They have to go around and introduce themselves to all the coaches. So, it's a good experience for every single one of our guys, no matter how much you've talked to a coach before, so that you get comfortable talking to coaches.”
So just why have so many coaches made The Burlington School a popular destination?
Beyond just the high level of talent within the Spartans program, there are several reasons, Bernardi said.
“First, we're lucky enough to have a database with every Division I, II and III’s emails in the country. So, we send out our schedule to every school in the country, and some respond and some don’t,” he said. “Social media is a huge way — putting our schedule times out on social media for coaches to be able to see. Then, we’ve had a lot of kids recruited over the years, so just relationships and people that have been here before, reaching out for the schedule. That's been a huge part of the last month is just communicating our schedule with as many people as possible.”
The list of visitors and potential suitors includes college programs like Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia, Providence, Purdue and Vanderbilt, among others. From the state of North Carolina are: Appalachian State, Elon, High Point, N.C. A&T, N.C. Central, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest, among others.
“Every single one of our guys has had a coach be interested in them and have had a coach put them on a list,” Bernardi said. “So, it's been really, really positive for our players. We’ve had over 10 scholarship offers earned during this first two-week workout period.”
At one point in time, Bernardi said he was concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recruiting.
“Definitely a huge concern, because I know how important this September is,” he said. “But, credit to our administration. Mr. (Ronnie) Wall, (The Burlington School’s Head of School) recognized how important this was for our students. I think we have a plan that's safe, but also helps them get seen.”
While recruiting returns to a model similar to pre-COVID times, plenty of precautions are still in place.
“It’s still tricky with COVID,” Bernardi said. “These coaches have to wear masks. Coaches have to enter through the back door, we only interact outside. Less handshakes after practice. We used to have all our kids go and shake hands with all the coaches; there's less of that. So, there's still some COVID protocols, but we're super, super grateful for our players that this is something that's been able to happen.”
Preparation for these opportunities goes beyond just the work on the court. Bernardi said the Spartans staff spends a chunk of time preparing players to represent themselves in a professional manner that is attractive to coaches.
“A huge part of it is how you how you come across,” Bernardi said. “One big thing we always instruct our guys to do is have questions to ask. Because coaches are going to recruit players that are interested in their program. So, ask questions about their school and their team.
"You've got to know the answers to common questions. What do you think about majoring in? What's important to you in the school? Are you interested in traveling? There's nothing worse in a conversation than a prospect saying, ‘I don't know.’ Just emphasizing eye contact, emphasizing ‘Yes, sir. No, sir,’ and our guys do a great job of that.”
Here's a look at Spartans players and where their individual recruitments currently stand, per Bernardi:
Seniors
Kheni Briggs, guard
The 6-foot-4 guard is taking official visits to Appalachian State, Charleston Southern and N.C. A&T.
Kendrell Brooks
Averett, Mary Baldwin and William Peace are “very interested” in the 6-foot-3 guard.
Amare Miller
The 6-foot-7 forward has offers from Presbyterian and UNC Pembroke.
Shane Petterson
The guard and transfer from Western Alamance holds offers from Bridgewater and Mount Olive. He's also receiving interest from Mercer, Sienna and Virginia Military Institute.
Juniors
Myles Hooker
The guard transfer from Williams High School has interest from Mount Olive, VMI and UNC Pembroke.
Michael Nwoko
The 6-foot-10 post player has offers from Elon, Harvard, Houston, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others.
Avion Pinner
Offers include Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana State and Texas A&M, among others for the 6-foot-7 forward.
Sophomores
Kobe George
The 6-foot-4 guard holds offers from Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, Rice, Wake Forest.
Josh Randolph
The transfer from Eastern Alamance is receiving interest from Elon, Liberty and Radford.
Zion Walker
The 6-foot-2 guard has offers from Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky and N.C. A&T. Wake Forest is "really high on Zion."
David Kehrli
Times-News
Well before the sun rises, an alarm awakens Ryan Bernardi at 4:30 a.m.
“These early morning workouts make 11:30 a.m. feel like 4 p.m.,” the third-year boys’ basketball coach at The Burlington School said, laughing.
It’s all for good reason, though.
About every other weekday, his Spartans players make their way out of bed and head off to 6 a.m. workouts at The Burlington School, where possibilities of their individual futures serve as a natural, early morning pick-me-up for a group of players with dreams of playing on the college level.
These workouts at The Burlington School have come with plenty of reasons for Spartans players to get up and go. Chief among them, the college coaches in attendance, eager to check out the talent on display, searching for potential additions to their respective squads.
The NCAA’s live period began Sept. 9, allowing college coaches to once again hit the recruiting trail and visit high schools for workouts. That was good news for the Spartans, the reigning NCISAA Class 2-A state champions.
“I think it's an unbelievable experience because you are going through a practice, in an environment that you're very comfortable with, with a row of Division I, II and III coaches sitting there evaluating,” Bernardi said. “I think there's been a lot of intensity, a lot of enthusiasm, but in games, there's officials, there's the other team, there's so many factors that can go into you not performing at your best.”
An influx of coaches from the Division I, II and III levels have poured into the gym at The Burlington School over the past two weeks. Fifty-three coaches, representing 40 different college programs, have been on hand as of Wednesday, Bernardi said.
“Practice is the best setting for coaches to come watch you because you're never on the bench, you're never in foul trouble, you're always showcasing your abilities during that one-hour practice,” Bernardi said. “It's been great for our guys. After practice, we go outside, so that they can safely interact with these coaches and have had some really good talks. They have to go around and introduce themselves to all the coaches. So, it's a good experience for every single one of our guys, no matter how much you've talked to a coach before, so that you get comfortable talking to coaches.”
So just why have so many coaches made The Burlington School a popular destination?
Beyond just the high level of talent within the Spartans program, there are several reasons, Bernardi said.
“First, we're lucky enough to have a database with every Division I, II and III’s emails in the country. So, we send out our schedule to every school in the country, and some respond and some don’t,” he said. “Social media is a huge way — putting our schedule times out on social media for coaches to be able to see. Then, we’ve had a lot of kids recruited over the years, so just relationships and people that have been here before, reaching out for the schedule. That's been a huge part of the last month is just communicating our schedule with as many people as possible.”
The list of visitors and potential suitors includes college programs like Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia, Providence, Purdue and Vanderbilt, among others. From the state of North Carolina are: Appalachian State, Elon, High Point, N.C. A&T, N.C. Central, UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest, among others.
“Every single one of our guys has had a coach be interested in them and have had a coach put them on a list,” Bernardi said. “So, it's been really, really positive for our players. We’ve had over 10 scholarship offers earned during this first two-week workout period.”
At one point in time, Bernardi said he was concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recruiting.
“Definitely a huge concern, because I know how important this September is,” he said. “But, credit to our administration. Mr. (Ronnie) Wall, (The Burlington School’s Head of School) recognized how important this was for our students. I think we have a plan that's safe, but also helps them get seen.”
While recruiting returns to a model similar to pre-COVID times, plenty of precautions are still in place.
“It’s still tricky with COVID,” Bernardi said. “These coaches have to wear masks. Coaches have to enter through the back door, we only interact outside. Less handshakes after practice. We used to have all our kids go and shake hands with all the coaches; there's less of that. So, there's still some COVID protocols, but we're super, super grateful for our players that this is something that's been able to happen.”
Preparation for these opportunities goes beyond just the work on the court. Bernardi said the Spartans staff spends a chunk of time preparing players to represent themselves in a professional manner that is attractive to coaches.
“A huge part of it is how you how you come across,” Bernardi said. “One big thing we always instruct our guys to do is have questions to ask. Because coaches are going to recruit players that are interested in their program. So, ask questions about their school and their team.
"You've got to know the answers to common questions. What do you think about majoring in? What's important to you in the school? Are you interested in traveling? There's nothing worse in a conversation than a prospect saying, ‘I don't know.’ Just emphasizing eye contact, emphasizing ‘Yes, sir. No, sir,’ and our guys do a great job of that.”
Here's a look at Spartans players and where their individual recruitments currently stand, per Bernardi:
Seniors
Kheni Briggs, guard
The 6-foot-4 guard is taking official visits to Appalachian State, Charleston Southern and N.C. A&T.
Kendrell Brooks
Averett, Mary Baldwin and William Peace are “very interested” in the 6-foot-3 guard.
Amare Miller
The 6-foot-7 forward has offers from Presbyterian and UNC Pembroke.
Shane Petterson
The guard and transfer from Western Alamance holds offers from Bridgewater and Mount Olive. He's also receiving interest from Mercer, Sienna and Virginia Military Institute.
Juniors
Myles Hooker
The guard transfer from Williams High School has interest from Mount Olive, VMI and UNC Pembroke.
Michael Nwoko
The 6-foot-10 post player has offers from Elon, Harvard, Houston, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others.
Avion Pinner
Offers include Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana State and Texas A&M, among others for the 6-foot-7 forward.
Sophomores
Kobe George
The 6-foot-4 guard holds offers from Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, Rice, Wake Forest.
Josh Randolph
The transfer from Eastern Alamance is receiving interest from Elon, Liberty and Radford.
Zion Walker
The 6-foot-2 guard has offers from Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky and N.C. A&T. Wake Forest is "really high on Zion."
