College coaches value club and high school basketball in player evaluation

Loyola head coach Drew Valentine says club basketball provides a chance to see the “elite of the elite from around the country” play one another. (Tim Aylen/Bahamas Visual Services via AP)

The scene was exactly what the past two June weekends were supposed to be all about: College coaches being able to put eyes on players they are recruiting — and ones they had never seen play before — in a different type of setting and platform. 

Hundreds of coaches flocked to Illinois the past two weekends to evaluate high school players from across the state.