Last weekend, while most others were sitting in front of their TV glued to college football for the day, the Lady Crusaders were partnering with Jamy Bechler, the Head Women's Coach at Martin Methodist College, to put on a showcase for the locals.

            It's called Hoops Plus.  It seeks to serve athletes, coaches and those associated with sports in achieving excellence on and off the playing field. Hoops Plus, LLC will motivate, inspire and improve life skills and athletic abilities through a number of distinct and productive avenues.

 

This was the 3^rd year in a row that this event was held in Chattanooga, and this year the site was at Tennessee Temple under Coach Kenrick Liburd. This year it averaged just over 100 kids.

            We asked Coach Bechler how this event helps high school girls: It provides a great opportunity for players to be seen by a bunch of college coaches at one time. The Hoops Plus recruiting showcases are designed especially for players that may go to small schools. So much emphasis is on Division I, but more players go to smaller schools (NCAA D2, D3, NAIA, Junior College and NCCAA) each year than D1. 

            These events are helpful for college recruiters because they are able to get more bang for their buck. They see a lot of players at one time. With smaller budgets and less assistants, these events are a more efficient use of resources for many coaches.

            "As far as Temple is concerned, having 100 players on campus is a positive from a recruiting standpoint. Coach Liburd's players did a great job coaching the teams and interacting with the participants last year when the event was at a local high school.  They did an equally good job last Saturday," said Bechler

 

More info about Hoops Plus can be found at http://www.hoopsplus.org/  or on twitter at http://twitter.com/CoachBechler.