Coaches' plans to start contact period

The first day of the contact period tends to be busy, but not every program employs the same strategy. While one would think the head coach would visit his No. 1 target all the time, that's not always the case, as multiple factors go into the planning of a coach's schedule.

For instance, not every prospect is working out Sept. 9 or inviting coaches into his home for visits. Some prospects are on official visits themselves or packing up for prep school in another state, such as T.J. Warren (Durham, N.C./Brewster). Plus, many coaches do not like to do in-home visits on the same day as other schools, so you'll see kids staggering their in-home visits. Some top players will set fixed workout dates when coaches can come see them.

Other players, such as Gary Harris (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton SE), Willie Cauley (Spearville, Kan./Olathe NW) and Shaq Goodwin (Decatur, Ga./SW Dekalb), are playing football, and basketball staffs often go to watch them on the gridiron.

Head coaches typically like to be out seeing their key targets as soon as possible, but they don't necessarily do it on the first day. Programs that host official visits this weekend will keep the coach close to campus, but within 10 days, a head coach who is on the ball will have seen his top-tier targets.

Programs that don't have a lot of scholarships to give out or have a high number of senior commitments often use the first day of the period to make impressions on juniors. If a coach visits a major metropolitan area, there's a good chance he will opt to make numerous stops during the first day. Coaches from schools in these areas have inherent advantages because they can be in front of a lot of talented prospects in one 24-hour period.

The following list is where 48 Division I head coaches will be Sept. 9. It's likely two assistants also will be canvassing other areas or accompanying the head coach. Where the head coach is on the first day of the period does not always mean the player is the program's top target. It merely means the schedule worked out this way on opening day.

Arizona Wildcats

Sean Miller will be flying to Oakland, Calif., Las Vegas and Los Angeles to see Brandon Ashley, Gabe York and Grant Jerrett, all committed prospects.

Arizona State Sun Devils

Herb Sendek is flying to see junior forward Stephen Domingo in San Francisco before returning in time for the Sun Devils' home football game against Missouri on Friday night.

California Golden Bears

Mike Montgomery is flying to see PG Tyrone Wallace in Bakersfield, Calif., and C Landen Lucas in Portland, Ore.

Connecticut Huskies

Jim Calhoun will fly to Canada to see PF Anthony Bennett and his family.

Charlotte 49ers

Alan Major will be taking an in-home visit with local commitment Shawn Lester.

Clemson Tigers

Brad Brownell will drive in the morning to see in-state PF Brice Johnson workout.

DePaul Blue Demons

Oliver Purnell is staying in Chicago to see PG Billy Garrett Jr., SF Jabari Parker, PG Jaylon Tate, PF Jermaine Morgan, C Thomas Hamilton Jr., Paul White, C Jahlil Okafor and C Cliff Alexander.

Duke Blue Devils

Mike Krzyzewski will be hosting an official visit with PF Mitch McGary.

Florida Gators

Billy Donovan will be flying to see C Willie Cauley in Kansas.

George Washington Colonials

Mike Lonergan will be driving over to Montrose Christian for PF Michael Carrera.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Brian Gregory will be staying in Georgia to see SF Marcus Hunt, SG Chris Bolden and PF Robert Carter.

Georgetown Hoyas

John Thompson III will be taking a mix of flights and short drives to see SG D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and PF Brandon Bolden in Virginia and junior PG Nate Britt in Washington, D.C.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Mark Few will be checking in on in-state junior guard Zach Levine.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Bruce Weber will be getting behind the wheel to see numerous in-state juniors such as Malcolm Hill, Cliff Alexander, Jabari Parker, Larry Austin, Paul White and Jahlil Okafor.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Fran McCaffery will be visiting with in-state recruit C Adam Woodbury.

Kansas Jayhawks

Bill Self will be flying to see C Kaleb Tarczewski in the Northeast and then back to Kansas for PF Perry Ellis.

Kansas State Wildcats

Frank Martin will be flying to see Malcolm Hill in Illinois and then back to Kansas for junior SF Semi Ojeleye.

Kentucky Wildcats

John Calipari and his staff are in Argentina coaching the Dominican Republic's national team for the upcoming 2011 FIBA Americas tournament.

LSU Tigers

Trent Johnson will be hosting an official visit with SG Malik Morgan.

Marquette Golden Eagles

Buzz Williams will be flying to see commitments in three states: SF Steve Taylor (Illinois), SG T.J. Taylor (Texas) and SF Jamal Ferguson (Virginia).

Memphis Tigers

Josh Pastner will be staying in Memphis to see local prospects and conduct a 12:01 a.m. visit with PF Jarnell Stokes at his home.

Michigan Wolverines

John Beilein will be hosting an official visit with commit SF Glenn Robinson.

Michigan State Spartans

Tom Izzo will be driving to watch SG Gary Harris play football in Indiana and possibly taking a trip to Chicago to see junior SF Jabari Parker.

Mississippi Rebels

Andy Kennedy will be going to see commit Martavious Newby in Tennessee.

New Mexico Lobos

Steve Alford is in Las Vegas to see SF Winston Shepard.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Roy Williams will be flying to see PF Brice Johnson in South Carolina and commit PG Marcus Paige in Iowa.

NC State Wolfpack

Mark Gottfried will be having an early morning workout with SG Rodney Purvis in Raleigh and juniors SG Allerik Freeman and C Kennedy Meeks in Charlotte before flying to see PF Amile Jefferson in Philadelphia.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Thad Matta is staying on campus to host PF Tony Parker for an official visit.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Travis Ford will be hosting official visits with SGs Marcus Smart and Phil Forte.

Oklahoma Sooners

Lon Kruger will be in Dallas, likely looking at SG Marcus Smart and various underclassmen.

Oregon Ducks

Dana Altman is recruiting in Las Vegas.

Oregon State Beavers

Craig Robinson will be hosting an official visit with SF Langston Morris-Walker.

Providence Friars

Ed Cooley will be driving to check on recent local commit SG Ricardo Ledo and PG Kris Dunn in Connecticut, and visiting the Tilton School in Boston to check on sophomore Wayne Selden and others.

Purdue Boilermakers

Matt Painter will be traveling to see SG Gary Harris in Indiana and C A.J. Hammons in Virginia.

Seton Hall Pirates

Kevin Willard will be driving over to see local recruit SF Kyle Anderson.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Darrin Horn will be seeing in-state prospects PF Brice Johnson and sophomore SF L.J. Peak before flying to Florida to check on commits SG Carlos Morris and PG Ian Baker.

Stanford Cardinal

Johnny Dawkins and his staff are still in Spain for a preseason schedule of games against teams from the ACB, one of the top pro leagues in Europe.

Syracuse Orange

Jim Boeheim will be conducting an in-home visit with SF Jerami Grant in Maryland.

Tennessee Volunteers

Cuonzo Martin will be traveling to Memphis and Atlanta.

Texas A&M Aggies

Billy Kennedy will be traveling to see in-state prospects junior PF Julius Randle, PF Chris Washburn and C Prince Ibeh.

UCLA Bruins

Ben Howland will be flying to Nevada to meet with SF Shabazz Muhammad and PG Dominic Artis.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Kevin Stallings will be hosting an official visit with SF Alex Poythress.

Virginia Cavaliers

Tony Bennett will be staying local to see underclassmen and conduct player workouts.

VCU Rams

Shaka Smart will be flying to Georgia to see C Justin Tuoyo.

Virginia Tech Hokies

Seth Greenberg will see numerous players including in-state SG Andrew White.

Washington Huskies

Lorenzo Roman will be flying to spend the day in Northern California, likely to see juniors SG Jabari Bird and PF Aaron Gordon.

West Virginia Mountaineers

Bobby Huggins will be flying to Virginia to see SG Andrew White.

Xavier Musketeers

Chris Mack is seeing junior Malcolm Hill and going to Oak Hill Academy.

Dave Telep is the senior basketball recruiting analyst for ESPN.com. His college basketball scouting service is used by more than 225 colleges and numerous NBA teams. He can be reached at espndt@gmail.com. Don't forget to follow him on

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