[LeeCoUKFan]

Stoops focuses staff on recruiting every day

Ben Jones
CatsIllustrated.com Staff Writer

Dan Berezowitz realized how important recruiting is to Mark Stoops within hours of meeting him. Berezowitz, then working at Arizona, was the lone holdover from John Mackovic's recently fired staff at Arizona waiting at the airport in Tucson.

Mike Stoopshad just accepted the head coaching job at Arizona, bringing Mark with him as defensive coordinator. Hours later, he was recruiting.

On Mark Stoops' first night in Arizona, he and Berezowitz were breaking down film of recruits. It was late November, and Stoops would have to move quickly to make up ground in recruiting after landing on the other side of the country from Miami.

Dan Berezowitz and Mark Stoops were evaluating recruits in his first day on the job at Arizona.
"That was basically my job interview, sitting in a room while we were breaking down recruits," said Berezowitz, now recruiting coordinator at Kentucky.

Things haven't changed a decade later. Stoops sent defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot on the recruiting trail on the first day he was hired at Kentucky, and recruiting remains one of the top priorities for the entire staff.

"We recruit every single day," Berezowitz said. "Every single day, Coach Stoops focuses something on recruiting. Whether that's in a meeting, whether that be handwritten notes, whether that's who is communicating with who, evaluating film, everyday there's something going on in recruiting. Because the only way you're going to win in this conference is to have good players."

Berezowitz plays an important role in recruiting by helping to coordinate on-campus visits for prospects. He can't recruit players off campus or make contact the same way an assistant coach can, but handles most of the administrative duties that come when a player visits campus.

And a visit to campus may be the most critical part of any recruitment.

Players who visit campus get to meet the entire coaching staff rather than just their primary recruiter. They can mingle with fellow recruits, some of whom may already be committed to UK. They see the city of Lexington, and can get a better understanding of the school as a whole.

"That's our whole goal; to get kids to come here unofficially, kids to come for official visits, getting kids on campus," Berezowitz said. "Once we get them here, our staff does a really, really good job with them and we have a lot to offer."

There were about 175 recruits on campus during the Blue/White Game on April 13, Berezowitz said. Summer will bring another important time in recruiting, as players from around the country will travel to campuses for camps to be evaluated and compete against other recruits.

Recruiting efforts could expand even further when NCAA rules changes go into effect later this summer. Only seven assistant coaches are currently allowed to be recruiting off campus at a time now, meaning two coaches have to stay in the office. When the whole staff is allowed to be on the road at the same time, all nine of Kentucky's coaches -- each of which has recruiting territory and responsibilities -- could be on the road simultaneously.

Taking a few days off in recruiting can make or break a team, Berezowitz said. It's a constant battle that might require a coach to take a call from a player late in the evening when he'd rather relax. It might mean a coach spends Saturday morning at the office rather than at home to meet a player who could only visit on a certain weekend.

"It goes on nonstop," Berezowitz said. "You get out of it what you put into it. Coach Stoops has said from day one with the staff since he's been here that recruiting is going to be a big part of what we do."

It's not unlike the first day when Berezowitz met Stoops in Arizona. They're still recruiting every single day, trying to find the best players possible. Now that he's a head coach, Stoops is making sure his entire program is geared towards recruiting every single day.

"If you want to win, you have to recruit the best players," Berezowitz said. "Even the best coaches have the best players. You can be a good coach with good players and win, but it still comes down to who gets the best players and can develop them, put them in a position to be successful. That's what we're doing here."

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