Attitude Can Be the Linchpin During the Recruiting Process

Being Recruited by a College is a Privilege Few Kids Experience

Several years ago one of the top softball prospects in our state lived nearby.  She was a multi-talented player with all five tools to play at the highest Division I level.  She had excellent foot speed and terrorized defenses on the base paths.  She would give up her body to go after any ball hit her way.  Her arm strength and accuracy were superb.  And, she could hit for both power and average.  There was only one down side to this kid and that was between her ears.  She thought that she had hung the moon. 

This attitude came back to bite her in a big, big way when the first DI coach called her.  The kid was at the local mall with friends milling about, not doing much of anything when her cell phone rang.  She answered and said hello.  When the coach introduced herself to the prospect, the kid said in response, “Hey.  Could you call me back later, I’m at the mall right now.”

That was the last attempt the coach made to contact the kid.  Moreover, she told other coaches about the experience.  Soon, the hottest prospect in our area was only hearing from DII and DIII schools.  The DI path had dried up completely. 

It didn’t help that the kid’s father called the local newspaper and announced that his daughter was being pursued by an ACC school even though it was untrue.  In fact, the father had called the school and talked to an assistant coach about his daughter.  The coach, of course, said they were interested, as would any coach regarding kids with outstanding stats and qualifying grades.  But, what the father didn’t know was that the school had long ago completed their recruiting class and had no real intention of evaluating or recruiting the man’s daughter.  And, as you might expect, there was no follow-up from the staff.  But, there it was in black and white in the newspaper for everyone to read. 

That first phone call had set the stage for a whole string of miscalculations by the prospect and her father which led to her being pushed aside by practically every DI softball coach in the region which had originally shown interest in recruiting her.  Their cocky attitude and sense of entitlement had destroyed her chances of securing a DI level scholarship offer.  The word had quickly spread that this was a family to avoid. 

High school student-athletes get one chance to be recruited.  Mess up like this kid and parent did and college coaches will leave a family in the dust without a second thought.  The competition for scholarship offers is extremely tight.  There are literally hundreds of quality prospects and parents available to coaches.  They do not have the time or patience to deal with people who believe they are God’s gift to colleges.   

Families should discuss how they are going to approach talking to and communicating with coaches.  And, families should understand that behind the smiles and compliments, coaches are carefully watching to make certain that the kids they bring aboard are good fits for their teams and their schools.  Approaching phone calls and one-on-one conversations with anything other than a grateful and humble demeanor could be a critical and costly error. 

Treat the recruiting process as a unique opportunity that few kids in America get to experience.  Understand that recruiting is a two-way street with coaches and prospects going and coming on the same street, meeting and getting to know one another with the ultimate goal of both making the very best decision.