YOU AND YOUR COACH
Your high school coach will be a very important part of the recruiting process. Not because you should rely on them to get you recruited. Your high school coach is most important near the end of the recruiting process- when colleges coaches contact them as a reference check on you.
As a college coach, Ive called hundreds- or maybe thousands- of high school coaches about kids I had been looking into. What they have to say about the athlete Im recruiting is often times the deciding factor on whether or not I choose to continue the recruitment. Why? Well, Im going to have to coach this kid, so if they like him, then I probably will. If they dont, I probably wont!
Very rarely would a coach come out and tell me not to recruit a kid. However, college coaches know how to “read between the lines”…
For example, a high school coach might say, “Yeah, hes a good kid. He always shows up on time and Ive never had a problem with him. He could play in college in the right system.”
That might sound good, but its not. It is coachspeak for, “I have nothing good to say about this kid but I cant say anything bad because I dont want to be the reason he doesnt get recruited. Or maybe I dont want my comments to come back to me and have the parents mad at me.”
Or a coach might say, “You need this kid! Most hard working kid I have coached in 20 years as a college coach. You cant miss with him. I guarantee he will be great for you. You will love this kid. He is the heart and soul of my program.”
Anything less than that is not good for you!
Why so harsh? You have to remember, you are not competing for scholarships and recruitment with the other kids in your school or even conference. You are competing for scholarships and recruitment with the best player to come out of all these schools around the country and all these coaches favorite players theyve ever coached. If your coach just has “good” things to say about you, how will that compare with “great” from your opponents?
What will your coach say about you?
How can you help make this better?
#1. Go to talk to your high school coach right now! Tell him or her that you are interested in playing in college and that you are using CPOA to help make that happen. Let them know that you are 100% dedicated to your high school team, you just love the sport so much you dont want your career to end when high school does. You realize you have alot to accomplish yet at the high school level, you just want to cover your bases so hopefully you can play for four more years. Maybe even let then know that they are a big part of your desire to play in college. If they get a call from a coach and you havent told them you are desiring to play in college they might assume your priorities lie with college ball and not with them. Remember, all coaches have egos…its part of our DNA!
#2. Go above and beyond for your coach! You probably are more dedicated than most of your teammates. Some of them probably dont want to play sports in college, or have another sport they like better. You are not competing against them. You are competing against every kid your coach has ever coached and the other players in your region, district, state, and nation who desire to play in college. Remember, you need your coach to say you are the best kid theyve ever coached and that you are like a son or daughter to them!
You might think your personal instructor, travel, club, or AAU coach is better suited to help with your recruiting because they have more connections with college coaches. That may be true. They might help you get looked at. However, dont plan on using them in lieu of your high school coach. College coaches are smart enough to know the simple fact that….YOU ARE PAYING YOUR PERSONAL INSTRUCTORS AND CLUB COACHES TO LIKE YOU AND HELP YOU! So, their word is not as important. College coaches use AAU coaches to get connected with the good players. However, college coaches want to know what the high school coach has to say about your work ethic and commitment level. The high school coach has a job to do- win games! Just like theirs. The personal instructor is paid, by you, to help them get recruited. This is the same reason why college coaches dont want to hear from your parents or CPOA about how good you are. Its our job to help you!
TIP OF THE MONTH
In addition to being a great leader and teammate, offer your coach your services to get involved with the coaching side of things. Let them know you are willing to watch some tape with them or ask them to show you their philosophy on coaching. Tell them you want to understand the game better as it will help you perform better. Coaches like athletes who want to be coaches and are coaches on the field or floor. If you understand where they are coming from, they will better understand you. Show them you care more about just playing for yourself. Take an active role in making THEIR program better and they will take an active role in making YOUR future better. Remember, you need them more than they need you!
