Expert: Tony Fryer - 3/11/2004

Question
Hi Tony,

I work for an NBA Draft site called www.draftcity.com it is affiliated with a fairly well known site called www.realgm.com . I'm a college student at the University of Florida.

Anyway, I am very interested in becoming a scout for the NBA one day. I was wondering if you can look at some of the scouting reports I have up and tell me what I need to work on to make that happen. I know what people on the internet like to see in scouting reports, but I'm sure that working for the NBA is quite different. Do you know anyone I could contact that might be able to instruct me on what I need to do to get my foot in the door with the right people?

Thanks,

Jonathan Givony

Answer
Jonathan,

A few weeks after the season is ends, go over to the UF basketball office and introduce yourself to the assistant coaches. Offer to work coach Donovan's summer basketball camp - and/or - be a volunteer office aid. As an office aid/student manager you might get the opportunity to work with(do the typing of)/see the assistants as they actually put scouting reports together! You are sitting on an apprenticeship gold mine. FYI - the current head coach of the New Jersye Nets was never a great player - he started out by doing these very same jobs as a college student at Indiana University!

Good Luck - Keep me posted!