I AM CHICAGO BASKETBALL Mag JAN/FEB 2017 | Page 33

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PARIS PARHAM Not being a good teammate . I check for body language . When I visit a school I take note to how the people around the school treats you and vice versa . I check for how the teachers , teammates , coaching staff interacts with you . Q . WHAT ’ S THE SAYING YOU HEAR ABOUT CHICAGO BASKETBALL RECRUITS AS A WHOLE IN YOUR RECRUITING CIRCLES ? WILL BAILEY One thing you hear is that Chicago kids are tough . They get after it . They gritty ! They Ballers . RONALD ‘ CHIN ’ COLEMAN A lot of coaches know they are getting some toughness when they recruit a Chicago kid . It ’ s a winning trait and coaches want that toughness inside their locker room . ROBERT JETER How tough Chicago kids are . You also hear that Chicago point guards and how high their IQ for the game is . PARIS PARHAM That Chicago toughness . Q . HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE AAU SYS- TEM ? WILL BAILEY I like it but it ’ s also too long . It starts as soon as the school season is over with and I feel it doesn ’ t give the young athletes enough time to work on their skill sets because they are playing games in the spring and summer ..... But on the other hand I like seeing the competitive play on a national scale for recruiting purposes . RONALD ‘ CHIN ’ COLEMAN I ’ m pro AAU . I ’ m a product from that circuit . It help me get to where I ’ m at today and if it wasn ’ t for the AAU system it ’ s a good chance you wouldn ’ t be here interviewing me today . I think the shoe companies caught a bad break being involved with grassroots ball clubs and put a premium on winning . AAU basketball is about competitive play and winning and coaches are into that .

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ROBERT JETER Its very necessary in today ’ s game . That ’ s the best way I can put it to you . This is where colleges coaches and recruiters do their catchup work . But on the flip side some kids just need to be in the gym working on their game . I really would like to see the young ball players go back to playing some serious pick up games in the parks . Kids don ’ t play this game anymore without a grown person involved . A coach , a referee , a trainer .... An adult is always involved now . Show some dedication and passion for the game PARIS PARHAM Some AAU coaches are hard to deal with but I don ’ t mine the system . My son plays AAU ball . I also get a chance to see how the kids act off the court through those AAU weekend events . It helps in recruiting kids . Q . WHO IS THAT ONE RECRUIT YOU WILL NEVER FORGET ? WILL BAILEY I have a lot of them but the one that sticks out is Billion Sneed from Gordon Tech HS . He became the leading rebounder in the Atlantic Sun Conference . He ’ s currently playing professional ball overseas . RONALD ‘ CHIN ’ COLEMAN I will never forget Josh Cunningham from Morgan Park HS . He was my first top 100 player in the country recruit .... Not too many get the chance to land a top 100 recruit .... And I had to battle with all the Big name schools and he still decided to roll with me . He definitely gave me my confidence in recruiting players . ROBERT JETER I remember certain recruits for certain reasons , some negative and some positive . But the ones that I appreciate are those who come in the program full of talent and be a little lost in the beginning , but dedicate themselves to learning the system and put in the work to do so .... No quit in them .... And when I see that recruit finally gets it . That ’ s what I remember the most about a recruit . PARIS PARHAM CLIFF ALEXANDER ! The time he faked us all out