Austin Burnette: HC of Hargrave Basketball | Development Through Elite Basketball Competition

Development through elite basketball competition is central to Austin Burnette’s philosophy at Hargrave Basketball. Austin explains why practicing against talented teammates, earning playing time, and facing strong competition can prepare players for the demands of college basketball.

Austin Burnette, head coach and former Hargrave Military Academy player, joins Cory Heitz to discuss basketball development vs. playing time, deep roster basketball exposure, military structure, college placement, and what coaches expect from prospective college players. He also explains how Hargrave works to bridge the physicality and speed gaps that often challenge college freshmen.

Players and parents will hear practical guidance about choosing the right prep environment, competing for minutes on a talented team, creating recruiting opportunities, communicating with college coaches, and deciding between reclassing and a post-grad year. The conversation also examines how parents can support or potentially damage a player’s recruitment.

⏰ Timestamps:

2:07 - Austin’s Basketball Journey
3:43 - Competing With D1 Talent
5:57 - What Makes Hargrave Different
7:02 - Life and Fit at Hargrave
10:04 - Hargrave Player Development
12:20 - Earning Playing Time
14:35 - College Placement
15:48 - What College Coaches Look For
16:49 - What It Takes to Be a D1 Guard
18:27 - Getting College Coaches’ Attention
20:21 - Recruiting Successes and Misses
21:54 - Recruiting Mistakes and Parents
25:13 - Reclassing vs. a Post-Grad Year
28:10 - Hargrave vs. New England Prep Schools
29:23 - Quick Hitters
31:00 - Wrapping Up

📌 Key Topics:

• Development through elite basketball competition
• Basketball development vs. playing time
• Deep roster basketball exposure and college placement
• Preparing for college basketball speed and physicality
• Military structure, discipline, and player development
• Earning minutes on talented basketball teams
• Reclassing compared with a post-grad year
• Parent behavior in the recruiting process

🏀 About Austin Burnette:

Austin Burnette is the head coach of Hargrave Basketball and a former Hargrave player and assistant coach. After playing college basketball at Campbell, he gained experience as a Division I assistant coach before returning to lead his alma mater. His perspective combines experience as a prep player, college player, recruiter, assistant coach, and head coach.

🔗 Contact Austin Burnette:

Twitter / X | https://x.com/CoachABurn
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/coachaburn/
Team IG | https://www.instagram.com/hargravebasketball/
Team X | https://www.instagram.com/hargravebasketball/

🏆 About PREP Athletics:

At PREP Athletics, we help young athletes and their families understand the prep school path and how it can create better opportunities in the classroom, on the court, and in the college recruiting process. We talk about prep schools, post-grad years, reclassing, recruiting, academics, AAU, NCAA updates, and the decisions families need to understand before choosing a path.

Our goal is to help players find the right fit, not just any placement. We share honest, experience-based guidance for families navigating prep school basketball, college recruiting, exposure, development, and the steps that can help student-athletes move closer to their goals.

Learn more about the prep school pathway at PREPAthletics.com. If your family needs help evaluating schools or navigating the placement process, contact PREP Athletics and subscribe for more prep basketball and recruiting guidance.

🔗 Connect with PREP Athletics:

Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Email | support@prepathletics.com
X | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@prep_athletics
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/prep-athletics

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#PREPAthletics #HargraveBasketball #PrepSchoolBasketball #BasketballDevelopment #CollegeBasketball #BasketballRecruiting

🔗 Connect with Cory:
 
Website | https://www.prepathletics.com
Twitter | https://twitter.com/PREP_Athletics
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prep.athletics/
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/PrepAthletics
Email | coryheitz@gmail.com
Phone | 859-317-1166

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Transcript

Introduction

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Friends, hey, I'm glad you're here. Welcome to the Prep Athletics Podcast. I'm thrilled to have you joining us today. It's your first time joining us. We talk to prep school coaches, recruiting experts, college placement guides, and we give you the information you need to help you on this journey in the prep school basketball world, which can be very confusing at times. So thanks so much for tuning in today. Um be sure to subscribe on all the podcasting platforms into our YouTube channel and our website at prepathletics.com. You can sign up there for a newsletter to make sure you stay up to date on everything. Today we've got a great episode with Coach Austin Burnett of Hargrave Military Academy. I met Austin when he was a player there, and his team at Hargrave had 14 players. That year they won the national prep school championship, and 14 of those 14 players went division one. So I actually stopped by the gym that year for the first time and watched their practice, and it was like a knife fight happening on every single play. And those guys got got really, really good, really fast every day in practice because of just that talent. He talks about, you know, the decision to go to a school with a lot of talent versus going to a school with a place you can get maybe more playing time, but it's not as talented. And I know that's an age-old question families have. After that, he went to uh play at Campbell, and then he's been in a D1 assistant coach. He's been an assistant coach at Hargrave, and now he's coming back sharing everything he's learned from his time at the collegiate level and what he's going to do to incorporate that into Hargrave. So thank you so much for tuning into this interview with Coach Austin Burnett of Hargrave Military Academy here on the Prep Athletics Podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Welcome to the Prep Athletics Podcast. This is Corey Heights. If they did, maybe you will get better as a player during that year.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

So it was kind of exciting. Like, oh yeah, somebody wants me.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

Austin, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

Corey, I appreciate you having me on.

Austin’s Basketball Journey

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Yeah, well, first of all, tell us where you grew up and what got you into basketball.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Yeah, I'm from Raleigh, North Carolina. Growing up, you know, it's a big, big basketball state. Um, I was fortunate enough to grow up around David West and, you know, stuck around the game long enough and was fortunate enough to play college basketball.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Yeah, and after growing up in Raleigh, you decided to leave there to go to Hargrave Military Academy. Um, what led to that decision? Was it a coach? Was it a parent? Was it driven by you? And why did you choose Hargrave?

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Yeah, uh I committed early in high school to Rutgers University. Uh, due to a coaching change, I decided not to go. It was a little bit later in my high school career. Um, you know, being around David West, like I mentioned, he's a Hargrave alum. So, you know, bouncing ideas off of him and talking with Coach Hamilton and Coach Martin at that time, you know, he said it was a great opportunity, came up toward campus, and that was a decision I made to further my career.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Gotcha. So NBA All-Star David West connected you. That's pretty good. It's a pretty good reference right there. And when you got on that hardgrave team, one of my clients and a kid I used to coach was actually on it. And your hardgrave team was special because one, you guys did end up winning the national championship that year. And two, of your 14 players on your team, 14 went D1. And I remember going to your practice, and it was a knife fight because you've got, you know, uh nine guys on the bench that are D1 players not getting the play, and they're they're not happy about it.

Competing With D1 Talent

SPEAKER_01 3:43

So tell me what it was like there during that year with all that talent on one prep team.

SPEAKER_02 3:49

Every single day, like you said, was a knife fight. Every single day we were coming in, battling it out. Coach Hamilton did a great job of keeping us honest, making sure that we earned everything we got. And truly, we we got better every single day. It prepared everybody for the next level. Um, everybody's gone on and had great college careers. Um guys are still playing professionally. So it's been great, you know, staying connected with those guys and seeing what everybody's doing now.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

Yeah, and you're a former D1 assistant coach, and this is a question I want to ask that families ask me, which is should I go to a team for prep school that's got a lot of talent on it, where I might not play as much, or should I go to a team where the roster might not be as strong and get more minutes on the court? What's your opinion on that decision?

SPEAKER_02 4:37

I think you should go somewhere that is very talented. You know, a place like Hargrave, you have guys that are talented, and then you also have the history that's behind it. So you have college coaches that understand the rigorous schedule that every student goes through here, and they know when you go to practice every single day, you're playing against other Division I guys, other scholarship level guys. So you're gonna get better from the skill development standpoint, you're gonna get better in practice, and then you're gonna play the top-level competition. So I think it's it's best if you go somewhere that has a ton of talent.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Gotcha. And then you decommitted from records, went to Hargrave, and you ultimately chose Campbell. What led to that decision?

SPEAKER_02 5:26

You know, Coach McGean and Coach McPaio, they recruited me very, very hard, and Coach Smith that's on staff at Fordham with Coach McPio. And one of the things that they really harped on was a family atmosphere. And at that time, I grew up with the lead guard, Chris Clemens. So when I took my visit, you know, he was my host, and it was like we were back home. Uh it was a kid, a guy I grew up playing with, and it was second nature for me.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

No, that's great. That's

What Makes Hargrave Different

SPEAKER_01 5:57

great. Now, you are now uh got hired this summer to be the new head coach at Hargrave, and we've had Hargrave head coaches on before. We've worked with the school in you know a lot of respects with a lot of families over the years. Um tell me about Hargrave as a school and and a program and what makes it unique.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

I think the unique part about Hargrave is the military aspect. Um, the school uses the structure that the military uses from all branches to prepare these young men for their next step. Um and for my program specifically, it's for that basketball level, you know, moving on to college basketball and the the history of it, you know, having the 31 NBA players, having the four McDonald's All-Americans, having the three national championships, um, having over 100 guys go Division I in the last decade, I think it speaks to how the schedule helps these young men be prepared and how it helps them develop in such a short amount of time.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Yeah. Now,

Life and Fit at Hargrave

SPEAKER_01 7:02

the question families always ask me, and I'm sure they ask you, is how military is it?

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Um I you know, it's life skills. It's, you know, waking up, making your bed, um, waking up, making sure you go eat breakfast, making sure in your untimed places, making sure that you're well groomed with um, you know, a clean haircut, clean shave, and and making sure your uniform is aligned. But it's it's all life skills that whenever the ball stops bouncing for that young man, he's gonna have to turn to those skills and and make sure when he goes into whatever Fortune 500 company he's interviewing for, he he's prepared for what's coming his way.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Yeah, and look, I've said this a thousand times. I'm gonna say it again to those that haven't heard before, but I went to a military prep school at the U.S. Air Force Academy's prep school in Colorado Springs. I played at the Air Force Academy, I served five years as an officer, and it's not that scary. Like my dad, I grew up on a farm, big Mike, you know, the the prep athletics OG used to yell at me, you know, I had demanding coaches. And the military is not too far from that, is it, Austin?

SPEAKER_02 8:11

No, not at all. And, you know, it the way that our guys they go through everything, it's not bad at all. You know, they they have that stigma, they think it's it's boot camp before they come, and then by the time they finish seeing campus and talking with everybody, they they're it's an eye-opening experience and they're ready for what's coming their way.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Yeah. And guess what? You know, if you play in college, you're gonna have to wear uniforms, right? Whether it's a track suit, whether it's something else to travel. Bill sell famously has a boot camp every preseason. That's probably way harder than the basic training I went through or you know, what you guys do. So, like if you do want to play at the college level, you shouldn't be scared of this. You shouldn't be scared of a little bit of uh wearing a uniform or you know, keeping up certain grooming standards. So, and if you don't want to do that, don't go to Hargrave. But I mean, it's got you know, when I talk to families, there's certain kids I know could handle this and certain that I don't don't even recommend it to. So it's got to be the right kid that's got a little bit of grit, um, that's not afraid of a challenge. And and you know that too, being in the recruiting spot as well. And you you're a former assistant at Hargrave. So not only are you a player, you've been there on the assistant side too. You know the hardgrave kids pretty quickly, don't you?

SPEAKER_02 9:25

Absolutely. And one of the other things that I've been able to sit down with families and talk to the young men about through this cycle has been, you know, they they get a little weary with with the grooming standard. Well, you know, the when you get to the college level, everybody wants a little bit of NIL or wants those opportunities where you can't go in front of a camera unless, you know, your hair cuts right or you're you don't have hair, you know, going growing wildly all over your face. It's it's just making sure that you're well kept and you're ready for anything that comes your way.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Yeah. Yeah. Gotcha.

Hargrave Player Development

SPEAKER_01 10:04

The question every family asks me, and I'm sure they all ask you, is how do you at Hargrave develop your players to be prepared for the next level?

SPEAKER_02 10:15

Yeah, we use that academic structure that Hargrave provides, and you know, we're able to get in the gym two to three times a day. Um we we are able to get in the morning and we're able to get in the afternoon. And for me, coming from the college level, I think those college freshmen, there's two ways that you that you struggle. It's either the physicality piece, so we're living in the weight room here, trying to make sure that we bridge that gap. And then it's also the speed of the game. So everybody knows, and it's through through the grapevine. We play fast here at Hargrave. So we we want to make sure that we're able to prepare these young men for what's coming their way by bridging those two gaps so they can play as freshmen.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

Yeah, love that. And specifically, what do you do develop me? Like you mentioned the way you mentioned the academic schedule, but on the court, like what's your all's um what's your all's theory on player development?

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Yeah, we think if we're able to get you better as an individual, and then we we bring everybody in collectively, then we're gonna be better as a team. So we're gonna go in the weight room three to four times a week. We're gonna shoot every single day. Um, and then you come back in the afternoon with practice. We're gonna do a little bit more small group things in the beginning of practice before we work on our team concept things. Um, and then when you're able to come back at night, we got the shooting machines. Our coaches are right here on campus. I'm right here off campus. So we're always hands-on around our guys, whatever they need to help them get better.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Yeah, you know, we had a young man that went there a few years ago named Benson Lin. He was the top player in Taiwan. And when he was there, um I know your coaching staff had to get on him because he was doing too much training, right? So he's coming in early, he was staying later, he was coming in his free periods, and they had to say, look, look, my man, you've got to recover and let your body heal a little bit. But that just says, like, if you want the opportunity, hardgrave has it for you. And a lot of prep schools do as well. Um, but yeah, I know that's a fun antidote there.

Earning Playing Time

SPEAKER_01 12:20

Talk to me about this too. You know, families are always concerned about going to prep school, making the investment, and trying to figure out what the playing time is going to look like, how many minutes they're gonna get, and you have to deal with this when talking to families. How do you answer that question when a family asks about playing time?

SPEAKER_02 12:38

You know, I I talk to them about nothing's ever promised to them. And everybody it believes they're a college scholarship player. Well, there's 15 guys when you get to college. And every single day you got to come in, you have to work, you have to compete every single day to earn those minutes. And that's essentially the same thing that I expressed to them. Um, nothing's promised to anyone on the roster. And when they come to campus and we get to work, that's when you're gonna start earning your playing time. Um and you know, you earn it on and off the court. You earn it by making sure that you're you're being a good person off the floor and and being a person of integrity, and then you're a good teammate in the locker room, and then you compete when you're on the floor. It uh it all goes hand in hand together.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

I love it. And guys, post grads have to play too, because coach here has to get film on everybody to send the college coaches. So it's just a matter of how many minutes you're you're gonna play, right? Um how do you handle Oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

No, you know, we play we play so many games, just thinking back to when I was a player here, we played 49 total games. Um and the way Coach Hamilton, you know, worked it out, some guys knew you're gonna play these games, and you may not play the second half, or you know, we we talked about it, but the you maybe you go up by a bunch of points. So some guys don't play a little as much as they do they're used to. That way you can work on it. But you know, the landscape now with having all these fall events, we're able to, you know, go out and put multiple teams to in there, you know, split it down the middle, have eight and seven, and allow guys to play in front of coaches, allow guys to get a ton of film like you alluded to. That way we can, you know, fire it out and pepper it to all these college coaches.

College Placement

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Well, that's my next question is how do you approach college placement and getting your kids at the right programs at the next level?

SPEAKER_02 14:43

Yeah, you know, a lot of coaches come into the gym, into Walter Davis. It it is one of the best, most historic gyms in prep basketball. And we we get a ton of film, we we send it out, and the best thing that I think from my perspective is for me coming from the college level, I kind of have an idea of how every most teams play in college basketball. Um, so just thinking about some of the guys coming in, you just know roughly where they would have the most success. And you have those one-on-one meetings with them. Um, they're gonna go on those visits, and you know, the staff obviously ultimately has to do their job and um make sure they're they're telling those families and the players this is what it's gonna look like, and you can go back and watch the film and make sure of it. But they also have myself and the rest of the staff to lean on to help shed light on what's the best situation for them.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

Gotcha. Yeah, makes sense. Then,

What College Coaches Look For

SPEAKER_01 15:48

you know, you're coming here from being a former D1 assistant coach, right? And um, what are college coaches now actually looking for with the game getting older, with the transfer portal, with NIL, what are college coaches looking for currently in high school basketball players?

SPEAKER_02 16:04

They're looking for guys that are a little bit older, like you said. Um the the college landscape is older. So if you can come in just a little bit older as a freshman, um, a little bit stronger than you would out of a public school per se, or or a not great situation, um, it it helps. The these college coaches are looking for guys that are hungry, ready to work, um, ready to compete, not looking for something that's handed to them and and they understand that you gotta earn it every single day. And and when if you come in with that mindset, ready to work and and not looking for a handout, you're gonna be able to go in and have a successful freshman year.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Good.

What It Takes to Be a D1 Guard

SPEAKER_01 16:49

Here's a question I ask every coach, Austin. You're gonna you're the perfect person to answer it. What does it take to be a division one guard in this 2026?

SPEAKER_02 17:01

To be a division one guard, first you gotta be able to guard guards. Um I think for any position, if if you're gonna say you're a point guard, you gotta be able to guard point guards. Um But then right now, a lot you gotta be able to shoot the ball. Um a lot of schools are are looking for guys that can guard their position, that can stretch the floor and then make the right decisions, especially from that guard spot.

SPEAKER_01 17:33

I love it. And how important is playing time at a prep school? Like, you know, your team that had 14 D1 guys on it, they all weren't getting the playing time they wanted. But like now you might not have a team with that much talent. So when families are concerned about playing time, how important is that for actual college placement?

SPEAKER_02 17:52

That's the the double uh that's the double-sided quarter right there. You know, it's important that way you can get the film to send out to these schools and you know, post the highlights on Twitter and and other social media outlets. But at the same time, it's also just as important to make sure you're you're getting better every single day. And it goes back to when we initially spoke about you know making sure that iron's sharpening iron every single day. And I think that's the the positive and the plus that we have here at Hargrave.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Yeah.

Getting College Coaches’ Attention

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Now, you being a former D-1 coach, um, you had to look at JUCO players, you had to look at keeping your current players, you had to look at the transfer market, you had to look at uh international players, prep school players, high school players. So I'm saying that because there are families out there and players that want to reach out to college coaches and get their attention. And what's the best way in doing that? Is it, are you as a former D-1 assistant, were you sitting back and calling your contacts that you know and trusted? Were you looking at your emails? Were you blindly going on social media and looking? Were you looking at your DMs that were coming in? Like, talk to me about your experience there because I think it's valuable for coaches, kids that aren't working with an advocate like yourself or a college consultant or another prep school coach. Like, how do they get in front of a prep school coach or a college coach? And how are you handling that on your end, especially in this market where there's just so much information coming your way?

SPEAKER_02 19:18

No, that's a great question, Corey. And, you know, when I was at the college level, I really, really relied on my network, guys that I trusted. Um, you know, a lot of guys have agents now. A lot of agencies are they may be trying to get sign a kid and they're like, hey, I think you this guy fits your system at what you guys are building. Um there was times where, you know, you're sitting in the office, you may not have a ton of film to watch on your current roster. So you go through those emails and you're making sure, okay, and my is a diamond diamond in the rough slipping slipping through. Um you get so many DMs, it's hard to cipher through them all. Um, but I think relying on those, your network and and those that you trust was huge for me. Um it helped me continue to excel. And then just making sure that no, I didn't let any diamonds go through those emails. Just gotta watch them.

Recruiting Successes and Misses

SPEAKER_01 20:21

I got a question, a follow-up on that. Are there any kids that you got emailed to you or someone told you about that you missed on that ended up becoming really good? And you're like, you know, you're mad at yourself for missing.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

During my time at Oh, yeah, it did. Um the one that comes to mind during my time at North Alabama, we were really looking for a young big. We wanted to bring in a freshman big. Um, and there's a young man by the name of Nehemiah Turner. Uh his him and his brother were emailing us. I they were emailing everybody. He ended up in our conference at Central Arkansas, and he was unbelievable as a freshman. We were like, oh man, we got to deal with him. Ended up, he was at Minnesota this past year, and um that was one that that we let slip through the cracks.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

Okay, how about on the opposite side of that? How's about an email that came in that you looked at and um no one else told you about him, and then he ended up being a good player for you guys. Did did that ever happen?

SPEAKER_02 21:18

It actually happened my time here at Hargrave. Um there was a seven-foot young man out of Florida named Elijah Holsway. Um he came in, just needed an opportunity. And he ended up at Bethune Cookman out of here, and now he's at Central Florida, you know, played in any South Boy tournament last year and looking to have a great year this year.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

I remember Elijah. We talked to his family, and uh yeah, I didn't connect him to Hargrave, but I'm glad he ended up there, and I remember that. Yeah, it's that's that's a great one. I think yeah, absolutely. Okay, perfect. Um what

Recruiting Mistakes and Parents

SPEAKER_01 21:54

are um some of the biggest mistakes families make and players make with the whole college recruiting process?

SPEAKER_02 22:02

I I think one of the things that a lot of families are doing now is they're trying to rush the process. And it's tricky because like we all know that, like you said, this transfer portal and and everything else in the springtime. But when it's the right fit, it's the right fit. And and coaches know. If you're a freshman and and you can play at that level and you fit their system, it doesn't matter the transfer portal. It doesn't matter the junior college level. They're still going to recruit you. They're still going to bring you in and have you compete for those for those minutes. It's not a process that needs to be rushed. You still take your time and make sure that you're making the right decision.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

Yeah, yeah. Agree with that. And what is there something um what role should parents play in their in their kids' recruiting process?

SPEAKER_02 22:55

You know, and I think that's huge. Um you can't, you know, be overbearing a little bit. Um, but you know, some some parents have done that in the past. But I think, you know, being there supporting your son or daughter, um, making sure that, you know, they're they're seeing the total picture. They're not seeing it from a basketball lens. Okay, does this school have what I'm wanting to do academically? Do they have the support that I need for whatever uh you may need off the floor? Um are you a family-oriented person? Are you okay being away from home? Do you need to be a little bit closer? All those things I think fall on the parents, you know, helping um your son or daughter make sure that they understand that and and factor it all into their decision making.

unknown 23:47

Aaron Ross Powell Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:48

And you as a as a former college coach, have you seen a parent's behavior, interactions with them, and you just didn't like it and you stopped recruiting the kid based on that? Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 23:59

You know, I think one of the things that you can really tell when they come to campus is that respect factor. Um, because once you get to a college level, you're an ambassador of that program. When you get to the prep level, you're an ambassador of that school. So uh a staff really wants to make sure that you are gonna make sure you're gonna uphold those standards and you're gonna carry yourself in a way that sheds positive lights on the program, on the school. And if you're having a negative uh encounter with your family, your parents, it it's not gonna it's not gonna be good for you. You know, a lot of a lot of families and schools, they'll just part ways if that happens.

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Gotcha. That's a valuable thing families need to hear. All right. I think you're, you know, you we all have seen that dad in the gym just yelling at his son on the sidelines from the sidelines. And I guarantee college coaches are noticing, no matter how talented they are, these college coaches are trying to figure out is this player worth the bandwidth of this family member who we're gonna be hearing from and who's in his ear, probably telling him to transfer, probably telling him to get more money, um, things college coaches need to think about, right? So yeah. Absolutely. Um a big

Reclassing vs. a Post-Grad Year

SPEAKER_01 25:13

question families have is that should they reclassify their kid in high school or should they stay at their current high school and do a post-grad year after they graduate? Um what are your thoughts on this? Because I know it's a case-by-case situation, but generally, should kids reclassify or should they do post-grad? Is there an advantage of doing one or the other? How would you answer that?

SPEAKER_02 25:37

Um, I I've been answering it, you know, this whole cycle a little bit. And I, like you said, it's case by case. I think for each young man is right now with this age-based model, it's going based off your your age. Um, you don't want to graduate too early, and you also want to make sure, for from my perspective, the the high school that you're at, does it have what you need to help you develop to where you're trying to go? Or you do you have the resources that you need to progress that way when even if you did a postgrad year, are you still a step behind? Um I have a couple young men that are coming in that did reclassify. They reclassified because they would have graduated at 17. And as as we know, the college game's a little bit older. Graduating at 17 is is just a little bit harder to get recruited. Um, and you know, they're great academically. So it would have had nothing to do on the academic side. It was just their age, and they preferred to reclass versus graduating and doing a postgrad year. Um their high schools allowed them, you know, to get to where they are now and they needed an extra push, um, and they came in and reclassified and they'll be here for two years.

SPEAKER_01 27:02

Yeah. But doing two years as a reclassified junior versus graduating and doing a postgrad year. If you're a college coach and it's the same kid, right? This kid did three years of high school, then reclass and did two years of Hargrave, or this kid stayed four years at that same high school and did one year of postgrad, right? If you're a college coach and that player is the same talent, right, do you care if he did reclass or did postgrad as a college coach? Does that matter at all?

SPEAKER_02 27:31

Um, I I don't think it does as much. I think what you would start looking at as a college coach is the competition level. Um, who are you playing against every day in practice at your high school? Who are you playing against every day at the prep level? And and then, you know, the once you get to games, what does your competition level look like versus, you know, are you playing at the YMCA or whatever the case may be? Um it's just making sure that those all your standards and what you're looking for align, you know, your competition levels and getting better through it all.

Hargrave vs. New England Prep Schools

SPEAKER_01 28:10

Yeah, gotcha. Now, New England is kind of the hub for prep school basketball. And you guys are down in Virginia and obviously have the track record you have. But when people are looking at Hargrave or a New England prep school, what do you say to the people that say New England's kind of got more prep schools around it? They got more colleges up there. Um, there's great competition up there. What do you say to that being down in Virginia?

SPEAKER_02 28:34

You know, here at Hargrave, we're we're 90 minutes from what people call the hoop state. Um, you know, North Carolina's got a ton, a ton of college basketball programs. Virginia has a ton of college basketball programs. Um, you know, like you said, New England, they have a ton of prep schools and schools up there as well. But we like to say this is a little bit of ACC land down here. Um, and you know, if if you can play, those schools are gonna come find you. Um the I just think with North Carolina being right there, and then you still have Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, it it's all the same. Those schools are gonna come find you.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

Yeah, absolutely. Now,

Quick Hitters

SPEAKER_01 29:23

we're gonna use some quick hitters here to finish up. All right. Okay. Who's the best player you've ever played against?

unknown 29:30

Ooh.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

Um Trey Jefferson in AAU. I don't know why. He played at Texas Southern and took him to an ACAA tournament. Five, five, eight, five, nine guard that could really fill it up.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

Okay. Who's the best player you've ever coached against?

SPEAKER_02 29:56

Um coached against? Probably.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

Someone just lit you up.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

That's a tough one. That's a really tough one. Um he came to I Gonzaga last year, was unbelievable. I mean, he he was one of those guys that understood getting to his hook shot whenever he wanted to. He he really hurt us.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

That's a fun environment to play in, isn't it? Oh yeah, it is. It was unbelievable. All right. Uh yeah. What's your favorite movie? Or one of them? The Dark Knight. I love that. I love that movie. And then um, what are your hobbies when you're not doing basketball?

SPEAKER_02 30:48

Uh I like to go fishing. Grew up fishing a lot with my grandfather and like to go out there and just get that peace of mind.

SPEAKER_01 30:58

I love it. And also,

Wrapping Up

SPEAKER_01 31:00

is there anything we didn't discuss uh during our conversation today that you want to mention before we go?

SPEAKER_02 31:06

Uh I I think that the Pep basketball landscape is it's grown a lot from when I played in it. And I think it's providing a a lot of opportunities for these young men to further their careers. Um I think when you look at it, it's not more so the financial piece or anything like that. I think it's it's a year investment that can help you get to where you want to go. Because when you get to the college level, scholarships are a year-by-year base. So it's a yearly investment by that school. So if you're in if you take that chance and have an investment one year at the prep level, you're setting yourself up for success in most cases.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

Yeah, I love it. I love it. Well, Austin, thanks so much for joining. If people want to get in touch with you, we're gonna have all the information in the show notes. But if someone's interested in Hargrave or wants to find you on the socials or via email, you would you like to share that with them right now?

SPEAKER_02 32:07

Yeah, I'm on Twitter and Instagram is Coach A Burn on both Twitter and Instagram, and then my email is AustinPeriodBurnett at Hargrave.edu.

SPEAKER_01 32:28

All right, I love it. Well, Austin, brand new coach at uh his alma manor of Hargrave Military Academy, um, shared some great knowledge today, and we will be following you uh in your first year's head. And um, thanks so much for coming on the program, sharing a little bit about you, your philosophies, and the program, and we wish you the best of luck.

SPEAKER_02 32:47

Corey, I appreciate you having me. I'm looking forward to year one and getting off to a great start.

SPEAKER_01 32:53

Yeah, and if you like, yeah, yeah, perfect. And if you like this, be sure to subscribe to the uh Prep Athletics Plat Podcast on all the major platforms, our YouTube channel, and go to our website, prepathletics.com, to sign up for the newsletter to make sure you're up to date on everything going on in the prep school world. Until next time, thanks you for thank you for joining us. We'll talk to you soon. Take care of the