On the Radar: McLaughlin set to make his mark with recruiters

It's a fact that hasn't really left Douglas senior James McLaughlin's head since school let out several weeks ago.

The next month, more specifically how he plays during the next month, will most-likely decide his athletic fate for his college career.

"I try not to think about it too much, but at the same time I know it's coming," McLaughlin said. "It helps that I'm kind of an unknown right now. I don't have anything to lose at these camps. It's a great chance to get noticed."

McLaughlin will be playing at the Double Pump West Coast All-Stars Camp (the same camp where he was named among the top 20 juniors last year) through next week and at the Eastern Invitation Camp in New Jersey later this month.

Between the two camps, it's possible that more than 600 college coaches will see McLaughlin play in some form over the next four weeks.

Although he is only rated a one-star recruit by several online recruiting Web sites, his smooth outside shot and his acrobatic vertical skills in transition are sure to turn the head of at least one coach.

Not that he's had any trouble before.

As a sophomore, coaches from UC Irvine came to town to look at an upperclassman, but it wasn't long before McLaughlin's shot drew their attention.

Similarly, former Tiger standout Keith Olson, who now plays for Northern Arizona University, told McLaughlin about a conversation he'd overheard after NAU coach Mike Adras' trip up to watch Manogue's Josh Lepley last year.

"Keith said his coach was talking to the team about Lepley (who ended up signing with Northern Arizona) and mentioned that he'd seen a guard from Douglas that had impressed him."

He also won over at least two of them at the Double Pump camp last year.

The University of Montana and Yale have been in consistent contact with him over the past year through the mail and he received a phone call from Montana coach Wayne Tinkle last July.

He's also been getting a steady stream of mail from some other schools, but with the active period of recruiting going live this past Tuesday, it stands to reason the interest could grow.

"These camps are funny, because you are obviously hoping to get noticed," McLaughlin said. "But what they're really for is for you to get better. The clinicians there are really awesome and you really have to remove yourself from the idea of being recruited because they are really a great opportunity to get a lot better.

"You play against better players there than you would see in Northern Nevada. The competition is better and that makes you better as a player."

Still, though, one just can't get too far away from the idea that the camps are more or less a fishbowl for coaches at the next level to take a look.

"During the all-star game down there, they just had chairs set up around the entire border of the court," McLaughlin said. "There a coach from a big college in each one of those. You see Nevada, UCLA, all these coaches you see on television and they're sitting there watching you. I got a little shaky."

McLaughlin hasn't ventured too far outside his normal routine in preparation for the camps. While some prospects seek out lucrative traveling teams to play for during the summer, McLaughlin stuck around town to play with his Douglas teammates through their summer schedule.

"It's been fun," he said. "I've just been trying to contribute to the team and hopefully we keep getting better as we get closer to the season.

"Coming into this camp last year I was really intimidated. I wasn't sure how I was going to do. This year, I'm feeling a lot more confident heading in. My goal is to make the all-camp team."

While many prospects will focus in their efforts on one sport heading into their senior season, McLaughlin chose to branch out.

He'll be playing football for the Tigers this season after not having played since his freshman year. He's expected to line up at wide receiver.

"I was just talking to coach (Ernie) Monfiletto about not having any regrets," McLaughlin said. "Sitting in the bleachers the last two years, I kept thinking I could be out there. I just decided to come back and give it a try."

He's running about four hours three times a week with football workouts and two hours three times a week with basketball.

"Some days it's overload, but in the end it's all for the good," McLaughlin said. "Football will only make me stronger for basketball."

He first got the inkling that he had a shot at the next level when former Douglas coach Rob Streeter pulled him aside as a freshman and told him he had special talent.

"He said I had an opportunity to play at the next level and that's when I started getting serious about it," McLaughlin said.

More than anything, though, McLaughling said he wants to make his senior year a fun experience.

"You make good friends playing multiple sports," he said. "It's a small town, so you play with a lot of these guys growing up. You want to make good memories during your last year and that's what we're going to try to do."