When I started scouting basketball in 2012, I didn’t expect much.
Nor did anyone expect a lot from me.
I was a 5’6″ kid who hadn’t played organized basketball above my CYO B-team, where I once scored four points … in a season.
As longtime scouts and famous coaches said to me more than once in the bleachers at basketball tournaments…
“James, you don’t exactly pass the eye test.”
Nevertheless!
I found ways to take the knowledge I absorbed as a hardcore basketball fan and turn it into useful basketball scouting chops.
And I’m not alone.
What this means for you
Look, I think I’m a damn good scout, but there’s nothing magical about me.
I don’t know that I have any predestined gift for evaluating basketball players.
If I can go from anonymous newbie to getting paid scouting work with college and NBA teams in a single year, it’s not unrealistic to think you can, too.
I’ve been putting my story out there and sharing lessons learned over the last decade. Other people have been able to follow in my footsteps (and frankly, take the ball even further).
- I did a series of basketball Q&As that garnered thousands of responses on NBA reddit.
- My free basketball scouting guide The Basketball Scout’s Cheat Sheet has been downloaded thousands of times.
- I teach the Digital Video Editing with Synergy course at Sports Management Worldwide. Students range from college freshmen to data analysts to former pro players.