Watkins is busy recruiting, while trying to help his current student-athletes finish up classes online.
April and May are normally the months when Southeastern Community College head men's basketball coach Lorenzo Watkins would be hitting the recruiting trail, beating the bushes to find the next group of recruits for the 2020-21 season.
But this spring is far different from any Watkins or anyone else has ever seen. With the COVID-19 pandemic all but shutting the country — and world — down, Watkins has had to look for new and inventive ways to connect with prospective student-athlete.
Watkins and assistant coaches Trent Wolf and James Demopoulos have been working the phones and internet on a daily basis, not only building relationships with possible recruits, but also keep tabs on the current players, making sure they are getting their classroom work done online so they can move on to the next level.
It is a strange, new world for Watkins, one that presents myriad of challenges. But the coaching staff is adapting and finding a way to map a course in uncharted waters.
"We are still going about doing what we are supposed to be doing. The hardest thing right now is not being able to bring kids on campus," said Watkins, who led the Blackhawks to a 22-9 record and a runner-up finish in Region XI last season. "We have really been working the phones. I am not a big video guy, so luckily we got to see quite a few kids before the whole lockdown thing went into effect."
Watkins said the biggest holdup in the recruiting process is the NCAA's freeze on recruiting. That leaves a lot of student-athletes in the transfer portal and those waiting to see how that plays out in limbo.
So for now, Watkins is playing the waiting game while still working to fill out his roster for the 2020-21 season.
"It's kind of a domino effect. The NCAA transfer portal is holding everybody up that we want to recruit. We are kind of at a standstill while those kids are waiting to see if they get a one-year transfer waiver to play right away. So now the prep school guys are waiting to see what is going to happen with the guys in the portal or if they should go the Juco route. We are waiting for the NCAA to make a decision on the transfers to see if they can transfer right away.
"On the other hand you have kids who are scared right now because they are not sure what is going to happen, so they are ready to pull the trigger and sign. Some kids are waiting and some kids are ready to go. Right now we are trying to sift through our top guys. We have to do what is best for us."
At the same time, Watkins and his staff are trying to make sure the current group of players finish up their necessary classwork online, something Watkins is finding is easier said than done in some instances.
"Some of these kids don't have laptops or access to the internet. These things are difficult to figure out. We have been talking with our staff at SCC and trying to figure out how they can get their work done online," Watkins said. "Some of these kids get here and things like the internet and cable TV are a luxury to them. A lot of these kids are the first generation in their family to go to college. They are trying to get through college and they have no real reinforcement at home."
Watkins said the whole experience has helped him see things in a different light.
"It has really opened my eyes that this is really not about basketball anymore," Watkins said. "Right now we've got kids who are frustrated because they want to get their classwork done but can't because they don't have laptops or internet. We have been on the phone with them, trying to calm then down. We are getting a lot of support on campus from the rest of the staff and administration. We are trying to get to them. Some of these kids are trying to take care of themselves and their family and trying to figure it all out. We'll get through it."
