AMHERST — Even if she’s not on the road, Candice Walker is swamped in recruiting during July.
On Monday, it was a call with a coach checking in on UMass’ needs in the upcoming cycles. Then it’ll be finalizing the staff’s plans for next week’s evaluation period when coaches have a final chance to watch the recruits play until Sept. 30.
Walker was named UMass’ newest recruiting coordinator in May, and in her fifth year at the school, she’s in a position to help organize the Minutewomen’s recruiting goals under fourth-year coach Tory Verdi.
“I’ve always been good at recruiting,” said Walker, who was the director of basketball operations for a season before being promoted when Verdi was hired in 2016. “I can relate to those kids on a level most coaches can’t. I’ve been here going into my fifth year, I’ve been able to build relationships with coaches over those years that they trust what we’re doing here and that they can bring their kids here and their kids can be successful.”
Walker inherited the title at a time when UMass is having its most success in recent recruiting history. The Minutewomen are actually done with the 2020 class — per NCAA rules, no member of the UMass staff can comment on specific players — and focusing much of their attention on the 2021 recruits during the final evaluation period.
Verdi said despite a more limited recruiting schedule implemented this season, UMass was able to hone in on its targets early in the process, allowing the coaches to get recruits to Amherst quicker, which helped win over many commitments.
“We did a really good job at identifying talent and getting talent up here to campus,” Verdi said. “The biggest thing is getting people here and letting them see it and feel it.
“You have multiple times when you can see them in April, so that allows us to get out there and see them really early in the spring,” Verdi added. “And then we’re getting those commitments because we’re getting them back to campus in May and they’re committing before the July period.”
The work on those recruits isn’t over, however, as nothing is official until recruits sign their letters of intent in November. For a school like UMass, all it takes is one great weekend from a commit that sparks interest from bigger schools and the commitment could be wavering. It’s why UMass, like most schools, still sits and watches every game of its committed players as a continued sign of support.
“It is a risk you take, but it all goes along with trust,” Walker said. “You make a commitment because you trust that staff and you’re putting your four years of college (basketball) and four years of being a student in this program and in the coach’s hands. It has to go the same way for us, we have to trust those guys will be loyal to our program and they’ll abide by their commitment to us.”
With the 2020 class complete, Walker has turned most of her attention to the 2021 class. It’s a luxury afforded to the Minutewomen because of the success they have had with their previous classes of freshmen.
Walker said one of the main attributes UMass was looking for during the first three recruiting classes was how much that player could impact the team immediately. Each of the last two seasons, one freshman has made an immediate difference.
First it was Bre Hampton-Bey, who averaged 11 points and 4.3 assists per game in her first year back in 2017-18. Last season, it was Destiney Philoxy, who averaged 10.8 points and shot 48 percent from the field as a freshman.
Even those who didn’t make the splash of a Hampton-Bey or Philoxy have all helped raise the level of the team. It’s enough that Walker sometimes reflects on the journey when she’s around the team.
“That just shows how Coach Verdi, how his staff, how all of us have worked hard to get to this point,” Walker said. “I sometimes go into practice now and I look on the court, and I get emotional. We’re at a height right now that we’ve never been before, and I’m really excited.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.