<p>Just though I'd share a how not to approach the recruiting process. I've heard much of this story living in CT but a lot's probably still speculation -- if someone knows better please say.</p>
<p>Last summer, Jacki Gemelos (from Stockton, CA) became the youngest ever recruit to verbal to Uconn women's basketball. She said Uconn had been her dream for as a long as she could remember. She hadn't even visited the campus. The Uconn community was pretty thrilled -- Jacki is very very good and her in combination with the other recruits of '06 would make a pretty amazing team. Recruit spots were full, and Geno Auriemma stopped focusing on recruiting guards for a year. Recently, Jacki decided that she was having second thoughts and wanted to be closer to home. She retracted her verbal and almost immediately verballed to USC. A lot of people were disappointed and upset, especially when rumors started circulating that a high school coach had encouraged this decision -- a coach that may soon be accepting a position at USC. Recently, rumors again have begun that Jacki's having second thoughts about her USC commitment.</p>
<p>I don't mean to post this to criticize Jacki Gemelos (and wouldn't be using names if it wasn't very public knowledge) but to demonstrate how important it is for athletes or anyone making early commitments that they very carefully weight decisions. Making a commitment at 15 as to where you'll spend the next four years is a very tough decision and it doesn't hurt to wait a little while. Regardless of what you think you know about the program, visiting and researching other programs before committing is probably wise.</p>