- Feb 3, 2011
- 1,880
- 48
I finally got the chance to sit and listen to a coach talk candidly about the recruiting process. Over the years, I've gathered plenty of secondhand info, but having the chance to hear a D1 coach (from a Power 5 conference school) speak in her own words was a pretty eye-opening experience for me.
One of the things she stressed is that the process is a family affair, and that parents should be involved and helping to provide guidance. Parents shouldn't be writing emails, but during recruiting trips, parents should be asking tough questions. As a result, one of the realizations I came away with was that parents should probably be asking those types of questions when helping their players select a TB team. I know that coaches lie, but it's better to ask certain questions than to merely leave them in the ether when deciding to join a TB team. The head coach acknowledged that certain TB teams have strong brand names, but also noted that those organizations who have tons of franchises don't have the appeal at the lower levels. "I listen to the travel coaches I trust". (exact quote)
It was refreshing to hear the coaches, players, and academic advisor speak so much about academics...not just about what's required of the players once they're on campus, but about what HS student-athletes should be doing in order to better position themselves for the admissions process. There are D1 schools where contending for a national championship is a regular part of the program, but the vast majority of D1 and D2 schools aren't in that category. She stressed that planning for life after softball should be the priority for any softball player seeking an athletic scholarship.
There was a lot more discussed, but I just wanted to say how thankful I was for the experience and hope that others will get to enjoy similar breakout sessions with the coaches your daughters are auditioning for this summer.
One of the things she stressed is that the process is a family affair, and that parents should be involved and helping to provide guidance. Parents shouldn't be writing emails, but during recruiting trips, parents should be asking tough questions. As a result, one of the realizations I came away with was that parents should probably be asking those types of questions when helping their players select a TB team. I know that coaches lie, but it's better to ask certain questions than to merely leave them in the ether when deciding to join a TB team. The head coach acknowledged that certain TB teams have strong brand names, but also noted that those organizations who have tons of franchises don't have the appeal at the lower levels. "I listen to the travel coaches I trust". (exact quote)
It was refreshing to hear the coaches, players, and academic advisor speak so much about academics...not just about what's required of the players once they're on campus, but about what HS student-athletes should be doing in order to better position themselves for the admissions process. There are D1 schools where contending for a national championship is a regular part of the program, but the vast majority of D1 and D2 schools aren't in that category. She stressed that planning for life after softball should be the priority for any softball player seeking an athletic scholarship.
There was a lot more discussed, but I just wanted to say how thankful I was for the experience and hope that others will get to enjoy similar breakout sessions with the coaches your daughters are auditioning for this summer.
