George Johnson and G-VisionSports

Here's a note from George Johnson on the new business venture he has established. His intent is to offer custom athletic profile web sites for male and female athletes in all sports:

As a former high school basketball player graduating in 1990 from Mt. Diablo High School, I remember what I had to do to get recruited. Back then, we didn’t have all the AAU teams and tournament options that the kids have now. We didn’t have the internet either.

For me, basically my club team coach wrote me a basic form letter and told me to send it out to the coaches and schools of interest to me. So I took the letter and put together a few games on a VHS tape and send it out to several schools. Many schools just sent back basic form letters but a good handful were really interested.

I eventually went to Oregon Tech (NAIA school, Klamath Falls , OR ) on a basketball scholarship to play for Hall of Fame Coach Dan Miles. The second year I got homesick, transferred and finished playing at Cal State Hayward but the point is I learned how to market myself.
    
And it worked.

A few years later, I graduated with a Marketing degree from Cal State Hayward.

Today, with the internet, YouTube, all the AAU teams and so many tournaments, it would seem to be easier than it was 20 years ago to get seen. But instead, it’s just way more competitive than ever before with so many athletes and events.

Using the same basic sales techniques as before, along with more advanced technology including desktop publishing, web design, and experience from both playing and coaching, I’ve started G-Vision Sports.

My aim is to help high school athletes and their parents with the process of earning a scholarship. If you’re 6-foot-6 then you may not have to market yourself, but if you’re smaller, there’s a lot more competition.

You can visit G-VisionSports for a basic breakdown of the marketing concept that I’m promoting.

These websites can be used to store your child's athletic career photos, internet articles, YouTube videos, honors, academic scores, as well as high school program and AAU team information (schedules, current coach phone #’s, mailing address, etc.). It’s a good idea for several different reasons.

1. A site can be used to assist with college recruitment -- a portal that you can provide to potential coaches so they can go to see your entire athletic profile, in one simple location. This can be a very useful resource to allow additional visibility -- a good marketing tool.

2. It's a great way to archive your son’s or daughter's entire athletic career -- a professionalized “ONLINE SCRAPBOOK”, so friends, family and the athlete himself or herself can always keep up, or look back on personal accomplishments.

3. Each year as the player gets more photos, articles, accomplishments (all league, all tournament, etc.) or new video footage, just add it to the site.  It is creating an organized library so your memories are arranged and safe.

    Prices are reasonable and service is excellent. Website domain names can be personalized to the athlete himself or herself and the overall design theme can be personalized towards a high school or AAU team, making it an attractive option. We can tailor it for all sports, boys and girls!

Kevin McCarthy: The one absolute in recruiting but also just in gaining recognition is accessibility. A number of times, I have become interested in following a high school player in order to determine if a full-length article is warranted only to find the information on Player X is miniscule to non-existent. Locating contact information sometimes is even a more difficult task, especially during spring and summer when club basketball play is happening but it's not clear who is playing for what team. I don't have any financial interest in George Johnson's venture but I urge prospects to take a good look at the benefits. Make sure you control your future.