College Coaches Provide Insight into Recruiting Process and What They Expect
During a National Fastpitch Convention seminar/clinic several college coaches were asked to provide their insight in a Q&A about different aspects of recruiting and how players/parents should handle the process. Here is what they said:
5 things I wish I could communicate directly to every travel ball PLAYER…
Tim Walton (Florida)
- Your freshman year of HS matters – take care of your grades
- Social Media Matters – be careful
Jen McIntyre (UConn)
- DI Schools have 12 scholarships – not everyone is on a full ride
- There are lots of other places to get aid – look for it
- Study hard – good grades optimizes your options for athletic scholarships
Larissa Anderson (Hofstra)
- Go see, watch college games – All levels
- Find a good fit – intersection of your needs, abilities and program fit
- Avoid the generic email
Randy Simkins (Dixie State)
- It’s the kids job to communicate, not the parent
- Teach the kids how to play the game
Keith Parr (Christopher Newport)
- Find a good fit
- Visit lots of schools
Pat Reardon (Central Methodist)
- Don’t Forget the non DI Schools – there are lots of levels out there
- Look for an academic fit first
Darci Brownell (Sierra College)
- Respect the game
Joe Yegge (Kirkwood CC)
- Good Students can play JUCO too
- Be an athlete – play other sports
5 things I wish I could communicate directly to every travel ball PARENT…
Tim Walton (Florida)
- Parents, we are watching you
- Let the kids play – take the pressure off them
- Roll players are a priority
- Understand what you can afford – there are not a lot of full scholarships
- Understand what an offer means
- What are kids goals
- Can your athlete handle the school work
- Understand how a scholarship works – semester to semester, year to year
Jen McIntyre (UConn)
- Education kids on how to make a call to a college coach – have a plan. One word answers are not optimal
Larissa Anderson (Hofstra)
- The way your athlete communicates to You matters – we are watching
Keith Parr (Christopher Newport)
- Schools are in the process of eliminating – don’t give us a reason to eliminate you
- We want to see athletes fail – and how they react after they fail
Pat Reardon (Central Methodist)
- NAIA has no recruiting rules so the coaches can talk to athletes and parents at any time
- We’ll go anywhere we need to in order to see recruit athletes.
Athletes are arriving in college unprepared. How are they unprepared?
Tim Walton (Florida)
- Need to understand Arm Care
- Life skills are lacking
- Poor base runners and bunters
- Mental training is crucial
Jen McIntyre (UConn)
- Athletes don’t know what it means to work hard or practice
- They struggle to coach themselves
Larissa Anderson (Hofstra)
- Instincts are lacking
- Don’t understand game management
- Club coaches need to do a better job teaching the game
Randy Simkins (Dixie State)
- Teach them how to fail and how to recover
- Teach them how to be a role player
Keith Parr (Christopher Newport)
- Not ready for academic load
- Be ready to seek help with studies
Pat Reardon (Central Methodist)
- Time management
Darci Brownell (Sierra College)
- Understand the pace of practice
- Time management is a challenge
- Arm Care
Joe Yegge (Kirkwood CC)
- Not ready for practice
- Like skills
- Courtesy & manners