It must be said and will be said many times, the future comes quickly; “the future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Our elementary school and middle school kids are tomorrow’s varsity players and we must win them over while they are young and hold onto them. The following ways are how we will accomplish this…

First Summer Camp: Camp grants us many different opportunities in one week. The young camp participants get to interact with our high school girls, the high school girls get to teach our way of doing things, coaches begin making relationships with future players, and we get to understand our team makeup with eight-year vision in mind should we pay attention to who is ahead of the curve at various grade levels. It is here that we win players to the basketball program and make them feel special as young as third grade.

Camp to Skills/Conditioning Pipeline: Camp affords us contact with our definite blue chips at the younger levels. It is at camp that we can invite players to our skills and conditioning sessions that we hold all summer. Not only do skills compound as they spend more time with us coaches and the high school players, but their interest will compound because their investment of time will increase. Naturally we will be better able to foster a relationship with these players we want to hold onto but will learn how they like to be coached.

Tryout Rehearsal: Before tryouts, we will host a rehearsal run by our high school players to go over the drills and skills that our prospective 7^th and 8^th graders through. Not only is this a way for our high school girls to commit themselves to the act of service for our own future, but they get to develop those relationships, and learn by doing. We want our program from top to bottom to connect and feel seamless.

Middle School Open Gym: In the spring when the season has ended, we will host middle school open gyms for our 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders. Not only will we continue our relations with our youngers, but our high school girls will also come to these and compete and grow chemistry with their future teammates. As much as possible, we want it to be natural and normal for our high school and middle school girls to interact and for the intimidation of the age difference be a non-issue. We are always fostering a hospitable, welcoming environment easy to join.

Middle School Practice/Game Visits: Throughout the year, coaches will come to the middle school practices and games. It is absolutely vital that we know we are invested in them but also that we actually invest in them instead of just being seen doing it! We will participate in and help coach the middle school players during their practices. At games we can attend, we will make sure our high school girls come and support as well. We will continuously support our youngers with a united and welcoming front year round.

Blue Chip 5 Star Treatment: As early as 7^th grade, if we can get our middle school players invested enough to commit to us for four years at the high school, we are celebrating that with a signing day in the spring the same time that the high school players commit to play at the collegiate level. Our program branding is about treating our kids as if their participation is important and that they are stars to us. Players who commit to us will have a signing day, pictures, and be posted on our social media for all to see how lucky we are to have them.

Gear, Gear, Gear: We will flood the high school, middle school, and the city itself with our brand. We will make sure at every turn that we get to provide our program gear to teachers, parents, students, and fans at a major discount or free of charge. In advertising, one of the most basic principles is simply familiarity. We will provide low cost, comfortable shirts with timeless branding in a variety of colors.