SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Can A Recruiting Service Help?
Maybe. . .Ask Bob Gottlieb --(Dec. 27, 2000)

At SoCalHoops, we don't "endorse" anyone's services, nor do we sanction recruiting "services".  In fact for some, a recruiting service is just exactly what they do not need. . .  However, our task, at least the way we view it, is not to unintentionally make decisions for others about what's right for them and what's not by screening information, i.e., by  not letting you know about something.  Instead we view our task as instead disseminating information about what's available, what's out there, so you will all know what choices are available.  That way,  in the event you feel the need to take advantage of a service someone is offering, you'll at least know that it's out there. . . This isn't advertising, and we don't receive any consideration for letting you know about Bob Gottlieb's recruiting services, so take what we're about to say with a grain of salt in that respect. . . .

For many, recruiting services are entirely unnecessary, a complete waste of time.  But if you are in your senior season, and are fairly certain that colleges don't know you are alive, you have a shrinking window of opportunity to sell yourself to those same college coaches who are looking for players at your position.  What to do?  You can take the "bull by the horns" so to speak and do as we've advised thousands of others, and handle your own recruiting.   Get on the phone and call the coaches yourself, write to them, e-mail them, send tapes (only if solicited), and in general promote yourself.   Or, if you are unsure, as many are, you can retain the services of someone who does the job of getting players placed for a living.  There are many such recruiting services out there, some good and some bad.  Many people feel it's an unnecessary evil, that someone is going to be paid a fee to help a player land a college scholarship; others disagree and say, why not, why shouldn't someone who performs a valuable job be fairly compensated?  We make no judgments on this subject, just be aware that nothing in life (including a college scholarship, even one earned without the help of a recruiting service) is really "free".

But again, if you are a high school senior who is currently unsigned, and feel you are not getting the kind of recruiting attention you want or deserve, and don't feel comfortable handling your own recruiting or feel that it's not been effective, there are many options out there, including Bob Gottlieb's Recruiting Assistance.  Gottlieb also runs the Branch West Academy (which is a basketball skills workout every week in Orange County), and he also coaches several travel teams which play at some of the high-profile adidas events, like the adidas Las Vegas Big Time and the Double Pump Best of Summer, and occasionally, he's had teams in the Rockfish Spring League as well.   As Bob Gottlieb will tell you if you ask, he's a former Division I coach, and he's helped literally hundreds of kids with their recruiting, some to Division I programs and others to D-II, D-III and NAIA.  He charges a fee, no doubt about that (although we have no idea what it is), but that's something anyone who wants to use his services will have to negotiate.  He's told us though that unless he places a player, he doesn't charge a fee (likewise, just be aware that the NCAA also prohibits a recruiting service from charging a "percentage" fee which is based on the value of the scholarship).

Can his services be of value an unsigned senior?  We don't know.  There are a lot of people out there who will no doubt give you their opinion of such services, and of Bob Gottlieb's services in particular. We make no value judgments.  Some of those with opinions are no doubt college coaches who talk to Gottlieb about players; there's no doubt that some college coaches respect his opinion, value it and will listen if he's the guy doing the talking.  No doubt there are also some who won't listen, but like everything in life, college recruiting is often about who is listening and who's doing the talking.

Gottlieb has been at this business for a long time.  There are others who can also help with recruiting.  We'll also be featuring some of them here at SoCalHoops as well.  But this one is about Gottlieb's recruiting service.  Bob sent us an e-mail recently with a list of some of the many players he's helped, either directly or indirectly.  Here's the list:

Some of these names will be familiar, some won't to those of us in SoCal.  Some have obviously signed at "big time" programs, others at some programs that are obsure.   Again, we make no judgments. 

If you think Gottlieb can help, give him a call. If not, take a pass.  If you just want to talk to him about what he can do and what he can't, or ask him why he thinks he can help with your recruiting, give him a call, and he'll discuss it with you.  And believe us on this one, having made Bob's aquaintance several years ago and having dealt with him around the travel circuit for the past four years, if you as a player or parent can successfully negotiate a deal with him,   we feel certain that you have a bright future as a politician, a union labor contract negotiator, or perhaps an attorney. . . he can be a tough nut, but then sometimes recruiting is a tough business, a time when things for unsigned high school seniors come into sharper focus and reality begins to take hold.  If you do call Bob, just be sure to understand that he will more than likely be brutally frank with his opinions.  You may not like them, or you may disagree.  But that's the beauty of free enterprise and choice:  No one has to use his services.   Make up your own mind, investigate and ask questions.  But if you are convinced after all that Gottlieb can help more than his services will hurt, then go with that decision. . .

Oh yeah, the phone number. . .

Bob Gottlieb can be reached at (714) 997-0380.

 
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