By MAX ROOSEVELT
Published: October 1, 2008
A couple of hundred fans were on hand in Weston, Fla., in
2006 to see April Carson break the Tequesta Trace Middle School record
for 3-pointers in a game. But her father posted an Internet video of the
performance, which has been viewed more than 11,000 times by people who
have joined that small crowd in watching April sink seven 3-pointers.
Among the expanded audience
were representatives of women’s college basketball programs across the
country. Baylor, Clemson, Princeton and Yale have sent recruiting
questionnaires and e-mail messages to April’s family.
Now a 15-year-old high school sophomore, April is among a growing group
of young athletes to benefit from the growing influence of Internet
video on sports.
“Originally, I just wanted to make a highlight reel as a keepsake,” said
Billy Carson, April’s her father and A.A.U. coach.
But after his homemade highlights of April drew a following, Billy
Carson changed his approach. He and his daughter sent YouTube links of
their videos via e-mail messages to college programs.
“You have to be aggressive and seek out colleges that you are interested
in, especially today,” Billy Carson said.
For their part, recruiters use the Web to find prospects they might
otherwise have missed, without leaving their desks. Players, coaches and
athletes have long sent videotapes to recruiters, but online highlights
have added ease and immediacy to the process and helped lower the age at
which recruiting begins.
Chris Gobrecht, the Yale women’s basketball coach, said it was now
common for coaches to receive e-mail messages with video links.
Recruiting rules prohibited Gobrecht from commenting specifically on
Carson. But she described online highlights as “a good place to start”
in scouting talent.
“The problem is that you can’t see well or judge if someone will truly
help your team from just a video,” Gobrecht said.
April’s teammate Jasmine Bradley also posted highlights on the Web in
her search of a college offer. It worked, and she will attend Rollins
College on a scholarship next year.
