Virtual Scout School offers industry hopefuls a unique experience
Once a month, TPG Sports Group gives everyone who has signed up for their Virtual Scout School an opportunity to interact with an industry leader in the form of a video chat session.
Last month’s chat leader was Pat Zipfel, a longtime NBA Advance Scout who has a sparkling reputation in the basketball community. Those who were available to follow along live were able to learn from someone who has worked with the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls. Those who weren’t available would’ve normally had an opportunity to catch up after the fact, but a rare glitch in their software meant the recording wasn’t available to them.
How did TPG make up for it? By sending everyone two professional scouting reports — one for an NBA team that featured 11 pages worth of detailed notes and one for a G League team — to get a better understanding of this month’s topic, “Game Preparation.” Additionally, everyone was still given an opportunity to complete a detailed scouting report on Mansfield University, where Zipfel has been the head coach of the men’s basketball team since July of 2016. Zipfel reviewed each scouting report himself and selected a winner, rewarding that individual with a free ticket to TPG’s annual Pro Scout School in Las Vegas.
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Those are the types of opportunities you get when you join their program.
I recently had an opportunity to check out the Virtual Scout School, which offers a unique experience to those looking to get into the industry. Each month covers a different topic, starting with “Before You Can Evaluate” in October, extending to “Player Development” in May and ending with “Career Advice” in September. You learn things like five innovative ATO concepts, the art of developing relationships and the importance of working with agents. You then take a talent evaluation quiz at the end of each month’s topic to test your knowledge and receive a certificate if you pass.
For example, one of the lessons from January’s “Game Preparation” topic was “Travel Logistics.” In it, Zipfel shared his personal schedule to provide an overview of what an NBA team demands from an Advance Scout, such as how much traveling he does and how many games he scouts on an average week. Also included were the positives and negatives of being an Advance Scout from the perspective of TPG President Pete Philo, a 14-year NBA Executive who was most recently the Director of International Scouting for the Indiana Pacers.
That lesson was followed up with “Scouting Week,” which gave students of the Virtual Scout School a closer look at what an Advance Scout might do over the course of 48 hours, from what time they wake up, their travel itinerary and how they find time to actually do their work. None of those details were included in the quiz, but it provided an eye-opening look at the life of an Advance Scout, who spend up to 200 nights a year on the road and learn to get by on only a few hours a sleep.
The other topics aren’t quite as focused on scouting minutia. TPG’s ultimate goal is to “provide quality advice and information to help prepare you to succeed in the basketball industry” whether you are a coach, video coordinator, former player, agent or simply a basketball enthusiast. Whereas coaches might benefit the most from “Talent Evaluation,” hardcore NBA fans might be drawn to “Salary Cap” or “Draft Room/Week” because of the impact both of those have on their beloved teams.
While the Virtual Scout School began in October, you can sign up whenever and complete previous topics at your leisure. It costs $9.99 per month if you sign up for 12 months or $14.99 per month if you sign up for six months. They don’t provide refunds, so feel free to reach out to me on Twitter if you have any further questions. Otherwise check out what they’re doing via their website.