Many of our student athletes have been visiting colleges this summer and coming back to report what the college coaches are saying about recruiting. It’s a good idea to read through this article and set up an appointment to check in at our office to ensure you are avoiding some of these mistakes.
First, coaches want you to stay in touch with them all of the time. Every athlete has a different idea of what “all of the time” truly means. I spoke with Eric Ballelos, the Assistant Coach from the San Francisco State Volleyball Program and he feels that a recruit should call or an email with an update about every 7 to 10 days. I had three other athletes come into the office this week and share the exact same information. It’s becoming clear, due to the competition you have to stay on top of your game and build relationships with coaches. They want to get to know you through this process. You need to recognize this is not all about you and your athletic ability. It’s about the whole package. Your communication skills, attitude, behavior, and how you develop a relationship with not only the coaches but the student athletes as well.
The Assistant Coach at Cal State Monterey Bay Andrew Clifton shared that they are looking for updated footage, continuous updates and most importantly they want to know that you LOVE the school! This is a big part of the recruiting process. Understand that playing at the next level is a job or your first career. Coaches want to ensure you love the school because you need to have pride or you will not work as hard on or off the court. The coaches know that if you are happy you will perform. If you are not happy, they always need to question if you are doing your best.
I had another student athlete who sat next to a top tier Division 1 college coach on the way back from Nationals. They spoke the whole time about recruiting and what you need to do to stand out. They spoke about a player that was incredible that everyone was talking about, yet this coach had already made notes about her attitude and was not interested in her at all. I say this time and time again, coaches are watching your every move. You need to look your coach in the eye when he is talking to you. Make sure you communicate on and off the court with your teammates. If you are not truly invested, the coaches will clearly see you are not that interested. Coaches do not want players with attitude. They want players who will come in, work hard and be a good teammate.
There is a lot you can learn from this article. Take some time to reflect on what kind of recruit you want to be and make sure you are doing the things you need to do to be that person. Don’t forget to work on your goals if you haven’t already. Also, schedule your appointments to come in and sit down so we can do a review.