TALKING TO COLLEGE COACHES
Plain and simple- you will not get a scholarship or get recruited to play college sports if you cannot communicate effectively with college coaches. Using CPOA will help you get exposure- but it’s the communication between the student-athlete and the coaching staff that will get you recruited. We open the door. I can tell you from experience being a college coach for eight years- I really don’t care too much what the parents have to say about their kid- I want to talk to the student-athlete. That’s why most college coaches get in to college coaching. It’s not high school coaching. They don’t want to hear from the parents too much. A little is ok- but not too much!
Talking to a college coach is a critical part of the recruiting process. Unfortunately, many recruits “freeze up” during those interactions. How can they calm their nerves and impress the coach?
It is rarely easy for a high school student-athlete to communicate effectively with an adult – I am sure the parents reading this can attest to that. It becomes even more difficult when that adult happens to be a college coach and the student-athlete is nervous. Making matters even worse is that communicating with a college coach is a critical part of the relationship building process for a student-athlete. So, what can an athlete do? What can a parent do to help their athlete?
Here are two steps that will help:
1) Start early. It might sound cliché, but the earlier an athlete begins to work on their communication skills with a college coach, the better they will be. The first step is to understand what might take place during a conversation with the coach. Mostly, the discussion will involve questions from the college coach. Preparing answers ahead of time might alleviate some of the nerves. (Try to avoid sounding scripted though!) Here are some questions they might receive…
How are you doing in school?
What is your favorite subject? Least?
What about my college interests you?
What are you looking for in a college?
What other colleges are you looking at?
What other colleges are recruiting you?
Have you visited our campus?
Do you plan to come visit?
What do you consider to be your strengths as a player? Weaknesses?
What is your upcoming schedule?
What do you look for in a coach?
Also, recruits should prepare a list of at least 15-20 questions that they can ask a college coach. Having a list of well thought out questions will go a long way towards impressing a coach.
HINT #1- IF THEY ASK YOU IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AND YOU SAY NO, YOU ARE TELLING THEM YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT THEIR PROGRAM. YOU MUST ASK QUESTIONS!
HINT #2- DON’T ASK QUESTIONS THAT CAN EASILY BE FOUND ON THE SCHOOLS WEBSITE! If you ask a college coach what city their school is in or what conference they play in you are telling them you know nothing about them. Remember, coaches want to recruit those who show interest in them. When possible, try to know a little about that school before talking with them.
Here are some questions you may wish to ask…
What positions/role do you envision I will play on your team?
What are the physical demands of each season?
Describe the typical day for a student-athlete.
How would you best describe your coaching style?
What are your expectations for the upcoming year?
Describe the walk-on situation and scholarship program.
How strong is the department in my major and will it mix well with athletics?
What is the graduation rate?
Describe the typical class size.
Describe your academic support program such as mandatory study halls and tutor availability.
What are the residence halls and dining services like?
Will I be required to live on campus throughout my athletics participation due to scholarship requirements?
What are the details of financial aid at your institution and how do injuries play a role?
What are my opportunities for employment while I’m a student?
Can I “redshirt” my first year?
What does off-season training entail?
How many freshmen on average go on to play all four years?
Is there financial aid available for summer school?
What is your policy on studying abroad?
What, in your opinion, is the best thing about coaching at this school?
Remember, athletes are allowed to call a college coach at any time – even as early as freshmen year. Take advantage and start early!
2) Practice. Again, this advice might not be groundbreaking, but it WILL help. How can you practice? Two ways:
Mock Phone Calls with Parents – Parents should play the role of the college coach and actually go through a fake phone call. Parents can use the questions above and conduct a mock phone call with your athletes. You can even do this on your cell phone if you really want to replicate the situation. I would recommend throwing a “curve ball” or two at your athlete to see how they think on their feet and react. Also, make sure you ask your athlete asks you questions and provide answers as though you are a college coach. Pay attention to their introduction and closing to give some advice about making sure it is mature and effective.
Real Phone Calls with College Coaches – As we mentioned above, recruits can all a coach WHENEVER they want…so try it out. Pick a college close to home, preferably a DIII school since they are not restricted as to when they can talk with recruits on the phone – and give it a whirl. It does not have to be a coach at your dream school which should help limit the anxiety. If you call them at an early age, they most likely are not going to cross you off their list and might even been so impressed that they ADD you to their recruiting board. However, if you wait until you are a senior, it could be too late.
Recruits are always being evaluated by a college coach – even during a simple phone call. If a coach is talking to two athletes with similar athletic and academic ability, a phone call could make a big difference. Who is going to leave a better impression: The recruit who starts practicing college coach phone calls freshmen and sophomore year or the one who waits until second semester senior year to even think about it? Start early and practice. Simple, yet effective.
As always, you can ask me advice on talking to college coaches anytime!
TIP OF THE MONTH
Make it personal when talking to college coaches. Let me give you a real world scenario that happened many times during my coaching career.
Athlete #1 calls me and says, “Hey coach, I want to play college basketball- do you have any scholarships available?”
Athlete #2 calls me and says, “Hey coach, I saw you guys lost a tough one to Averett last night. Can you still win the conference title? How is the team looking down the stretch? I see your point guard is a senior, Are you looking for a point guard this year?”
Now both athletes are definitely doing the right thing by calling the coach, but who makes a better impression? Athlete #1 comes across as a kid who wants to play college basketball (any there are plenty of those). Athlete #2 comes across as someone who is interested in MY school and may fill a need. When possible- make it personal! It makes a big difference.
