TJ PEATROSS – FOUNDER OF NEO SPOTLIGHT SCOUTING SERVICE – EPISODE 783

Website – https://www.neohiospotlight.com/home

Email – peatrosstj@gmail.com

Twitter – @NEO_Spotlight

T.J. Peatross is the sole owner of NEO Spotlight which provides the most complete coverage for high school basketball in Ohio and surrounding areas, covering both the top caliber players as well as under the radar recruits. NEO Spotlight also includes team rankings, prospect databases, and event recaps while working dually as a scouting service for college institutions across all levels in Ohio and throughout the country.

After graduating from the University of Mount Union in 2014 where he majored in English and AYA Education, T.J. combined his passion for high school basketball and writing to become the lead beat writer for 3rdCoastHoops prior to launching NEO Spotlight. When he isn’t in the gym, T.J. is a teacher here in Northeast Ohio.

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Grab your favorite journal and take some notes as you listen to this episode with TJ Peatross from NEO Spotlight.

What We Discuss with TJ Peatross

• The different services NEO Spotlight offers
• “I just didn’t think that I would be happy if I wasn’t doing something involving basketball.”
• Getting his start working as a beat writer for 3rd Coast Hoops
• Why he abandoned his original plans to become a high school coach
• ” These coaches don’t necessarily pay you for your information. They pay you for the connection.”
• “It is a very, very, very short list of people who make a full-time living, doing anything involving high school basketball.”
• The challenge of making money as a high school scout
• Sending out personalized letters to high school coaches to build relationships
• “My goal has always been to see the kids more than anybody else.”
• “When you stop going to college games, you lose some perspective on just how good those levels are.”
• “If you don’t go to college games, then you have no business trying to evaluate high school players in terms of their college potential.”
• “I really value kids who compete, guys who talk, guys who make other people better.”
• “I feel like passing is just such a lost art in today’s game.”
• What does a player do when they’re not scoring?
• “The value of high school basketball players is the lowest ever in the history of the game.”
• “This year I talked to a ton of division two and division one coaches who aren’t going out to watch high school kids in the spring because they’re hosting transfers on visits.”
• “Coaches need guys that can play right away. And just to be completely honest, there are not a lot of high school kids who are able to contribute and play right away at the collegiate level.”
• “I think one thing that gets really overlooked is how well coached that kid is at the high school level.”
• “I like kids who come from winning programs come from winning cultures, come from coaches that have discipline, have structure that play within the system. Those are the type of kids that typically do well at the college level and do well early versus kids who might be more talented but don’t come from an organized or as structured high school program.”
• Evaluating players in AAU vs High School
• “It’s almost like college coaches are looking for a reason to not recruit you.”
• Why parents can adversely affect their child’s recruitment
• The unrealistic view that parents and players have entering their freshman year of college
• “I’m not going to make you any better by telling you what you want to hear.”
• “My credibility is everything in this business.”
• The diminished role of high school coaches in recruiting
• Why traveling across the country doesn’t make sense for most AAU teams
• His favorite place to watch a high school game? The Canton Field House
• The state tournament in Ohio and what could be done to make it better

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THANKS, TJ PEATROSS

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TRANSCRIPT FOR TJ PEATROSS – FOUNDER OF NEO SPOTLIGHT SCOUTING SERVICE – EPISODE 783