How to Film for College Basketball Recruiting: A Practical Guide
By Christopher Corbett, Founder of BasketballTrainer.com and AustinYouthBasketball.com, Co-Founder of BasketballHQ.com and CoachTube.com
I’ve helped over 40 players find homes at high-academic college basketball programs. A couple of years ago, my own daughter Ellie decided late in her junior year that she wanted to play college D3 basketball. Between a sprained ACL her sophomore year and COVID wiping out her junior season, we didn’t have much film or coach contacts in place.
We did the best we could with what we had. I led the film editing process, and honestly, I’m a little embarrassed by the quality of that video. But here’s the point: it got done. Ellie sent it to about 35 coaches. She ended up with 15 coaches consistently texting and calling her during active recruitment.
Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good. That’s the most important advice I can give you about recruiting film.
Equipment: Keep It Simple
You don’t need professional gear. Here’s what actually works:
Camera: Your iPhone is fine. Seriously. The camera quality on modern phones is more than sufficient for recruiting film.
Tripod: Get one with solid reviews for under $50. Make sure you have the right attachment to mount your phone. Film in landscape mode (horizontal), not portrait.
Lighting: You can’t control gym lighting, so work with it. When possible, choose well-lit gyms for filming. Here in Austin, the Round Rock Sports Center hosts AAU tournaments and has excellent lighting. Know your local options.
That’s it. Don’t overthink the equipment.
Where and How to Film
Position matters more than equipment. Film one game at half court, floor level. Film another game from an elevated position, also at half court. This gives coaches two useful perspectives.
Scout the gym beforehand if you can. Check for obstructions, lighting issues, and sight lines. Attend a practice or earlier game to test your angles.
Make a checklist. Write it on an index card and keep it in your gear bag. I can’t tell you how many times forgetting one thing—a charged battery, a memory card, the phone mount—ruined an entire tournament of filming. Extra batteries. Extra storage. Charger. Tripod. Mount. Check them every time.
What College Coaches Actually Want to See
This is where most recruiting videos fail. Parents film highlight dunks and three-pointers. Coaches want context.
College coaches want to see what happened before the play. How did the shooter get open? How did the player run the floor before the layup? What was their positioning on defense before the steal?
Keep your player in frame, but don’t zoom in too tight. Film the game. Coaches need to see basketball IQ, not just athletic moments.
Track movement smoothly. Practice panning your camera to follow action without jerky movements. The tripod helps here. Shaky footage is hard to evaluate.
Editing Your Film
Use iMovie on your phone or Mac. If you need something browser-based, Kapwing.com works well and is free for basic editing.
Keep it short. Coaches don’t have time for 20-minute videos. Your highlight reel should be around 3 minutes. If they want more, they’ll ask.
Trim aggressively. Cut water breaks, timeouts, and plays where your athlete isn’t involved. Every second should show something worth evaluating.
Sequence strategically:
- Start with solid plays to establish competence
- Build to your best moments
- Mix play types—shooting, passing, defense—to show versatility
- If possible, arrange chronologically to show progression
Add simple annotations where helpful. A slow-motion replay of a great defensive rotation, or text noting points and assists from a particular game, gives coaches useful context.
Getting Your Film to Coaches
Here’s where I see families waste the most time and money.
Do not pay for recruiting service upgrades. NCSA, BeRecruited, and similar platforms have free tiers—use those if you want, but don’t pay for premium services. No matter what these companies tell you, college coaches are not calling them asking for player recommendations. The paid upgrades are marketed to anxious parents, not built for how recruiting actually works.
Do not send mass emails through recruiting services. They often land in spam folders. Coaches can tell when they’re getting a form letter blast.
Build your YouTube channel instead. This is your recruiting hub. Create a dedicated channel, upload 3 full game films that showcase your strengths, and create a 3-minute highlight reel as your channel trailer.
Email coaches directly. Send personalized emails to coaches at schools you actually want to attend. Include:
- A brief introduction (who you are, graduation year, position, GPA, test scores if strong)
- Why you’re interested in their specific program
- Links to your YouTube channel and highlight reel
- Your athletic resume
Create a recruiting-specific email address. I recommend a dedicated Gmail just for recruiting. Connect it to your phone with alerts on. Use this same Gmail to create your YouTube channel. Keep everything organized in one place.
Social Media
Instagram and Twitter can supplement your outreach, but don’t rely on them as your primary strategy. Post highlights, tag relevant programs, but understand that the real work happens through direct coach contact.
YouTube is more valuable than Instagram for recruiting because coaches can watch longer content and full games when they’re evaluating prospects seriously.
Showcases and Camps
These matter, but be strategic.
Call coaches at your target schools and ask which showcases they’re attending. Then attend those events. Before you go, send those coaches your athletic resume, highlight film, and YouTube channel link. Tell them specifically why you want to attend their school and program.
Generic showcases where you hope to “get noticed” are less effective than targeted attendance where coaches already know who you are and are planning to watch you.
Ask about film availability. Many showcases and camps offer game film for purchase. This can supplement your own footage.
Stay Organized
You absolutely need a spreadsheet—Google Sheets works great—to track your communication with each school. Log every email, call, and text. Note your next step with each program. Track upcoming interviews, campus visits, application deadlines, and prospect camps.
Share access with your parents. If you’re working with a trainer who’s involved in your recruiting process, share it with them too.
Set phone alarms for every deadline and appointment. Missing a scheduled call with a coach or an application deadline can end your chances with a program.
The Reality of Rejection
You’re going to hear “no.” A lot. Every prospect does, including the ones who end up with multiple offers.
Every rejection is just information. Maybe you’re not the right fit for that program. Maybe they filled their roster needs before they got to you. Maybe your film didn’t show what they needed to see. Learn what you can, adjust if needed, and move on.
The players who get recruited are the ones who keep reaching out, keep improving, and keep showing up.
Have questions about the recruiting process? I’ve been through it as a player, as a trainer helping dozens of athletes find the right programs, and as a dad watching my daughter navigate D3 recruiting. Feel free to reach out.
Dealing with Rejection and Adversity in College Basketball Recruiting
Rejection and adversity are inevitable in the world of college basketball recruiting, but they don’t have to define your journey. Even top prospects face setbacks, so it’s important to stay positive, maintain perspective, and keep pushing forward.
FAQs in Relation to Film for College Basketball Recruiting
Should I send my basketball film to college coaches?
Sending your basketball film to college coaches is a proactive way of showcasing your skills and increasing your visibility in the recruitment process. Here are some tips on how to get recruited.
What’s the best way to get recruited for college basketball?
Excel academically, train consistently, attend showcases and camps, network with coaches and players, and create an impressive highlight reel. It’s not rocket science, but it does require dedication and hard work.
How do you send college coaches your basketball film?
You can email embedded videos directly to coaches or upload them onto popular recruitment platforms. Don’t forget to include a brief introduction about yourself along with relevant stats. I also recommend creating a special gmail just for college recruiting. Share it only with trusted sources. Connect it to your phone. Set alerts. Create a youtube channel and address under the same gmail. Load up 3 game films in entirety that show your strengths. Load up your highlight reel. Make the highlight reel 3 minutes. and make it the trailer on the channel.
What’s the movie “The Heart of The Game” about?
“The Heart of The Game” is a documentary that follows a high school girls’ basketball team’s journey towards securing scholarships. It explores the challenges faced by student athletes balancing academics, sportsmanship, and family pressures while aiming for collegiate success. Check it out here.
Conclusion
Want to get noticed by college basketball coaches? Film your skills with the right equipment and techniques, scout out locations, and use social media to your advantage. Film for college basketball recruiting can be intimidating to gather and edit. Start, and don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good.
Don’t forget to balance academics and training, prioritize tasks, and handle rejection and adversity with grace.
