Communication: the imparting or exchanging of information or news; means of connection between people or places, in particular.

– By: Robby Wilson

When you think about college athletic recruiting you like most, think about the common aspects including talent, character, academics, family support, regional preferences, intended major, “box”, etc. But without working in recruiting 24/7 like we scouts do, one of the most important aspects of recruiting that is often overlooked or not even thought of simply because you don’t know: communication. The ability to communicate effectively. This isn’t referring to one method of communication, it refers to MANY forms of communication throughout the duration of the recruiting process that is vital to the success of an athlete’s process.

Imagine this situation, somewhat similar to a situation last year: the athlete is clearly one of the best for her year/position. She’s gotten a lot of attention from hundreds of programs at her realistic level of play/study. She travels here and travels there, gets in front of the coaches, and executes to perfection when she’s on the big stage in front of them. Now fastforward to her unofficial visit or chat with the coaches at the end of camp…throughout the conversation, the coach is doing most of the talking, and only getting one word answers from the athlete or generalized answers from the athlete. The parents are doing a lot of talking, but he’s not overly concerned with WHAT is being said, he is more concerned with WHO is saying it and HOW it’s being said.

What do I mean by who and how? Let’s follow the process up til now:

• The college coach found out about the athlete from a source/scout he/she trusts.
• The preliminary info and conversations have been gathered. The talent level verified from trusted source and video. Academics and desire verified.
• The college coach determines she is worthy of his time and goes to scout/watch her personally in-person.
• The college coach communicates after scouting her and after the event that he/she wants her to come visit campus.
• At the visit, the college coach has now determined everything he needs to determine EXCEPT is she a good fit for his program altogether and does she truly want to play college ball and/or play college ball here.
  • At the visit, the kid is quiet. She talks but isn’t saying much. She finishes the visit, and her and her parents leave confused…”why didn’t we get an offer”? “So what do we do now”?
  • Speaking to the college coach after the visit he clearly says “I never got the feeling she wanted to play here. She never told me or conveyed to me that she wants it or wants to be here. I can’t offer a kid that isn’t 127% sure. I need the kid who’s going to fight tooth and nail to get a spot.”

So the “who” is the athlete…the college coach only wants to hear it from the athlete. The “how” is the simple fact that you can say the same statement, 10 different ways, and get 10 different responses. Therefore you can say “of course I want to play college ball” or “of course I want to play here”…but that doesn’t tell a coach you want it.

Being able to accurately convey your desire to play there and your desire to fight for that position, is key to success in being recruited.

But, communication is even more essential in the process in various other ways just leading up to that point in hopes of making it there…

• How well does the athlete communicate via email to the college coach?
• Is she communicating everything needed often, prior to events, after events, semi-frequently?
• Is she communicating with the RIGHT coaches of which match her grad year and position with his needs? With her talent level and his needed level of talent for recruitment? Academically a match?
• Can he communicate back? If not, who does he communicate with about the athlete? Is that person communicating to the athlete aka “relaying accurate info”?
• Is she aware of the conversations that will take place and how to handle them?
• Assuming she’s receiving emails from coaches, does she know how to communicate back? Does she know what is legitimate and what isn’t? Does she know when and/or how to reply to the coaches? Does she know what their response means, assuming they respond? Does she know why they’re not responding?
• Does she know when an email Vs a phone call is best?
• She’s calling the office with no response, so how to get ahold of the coach?
• What type of voicemail does she leave? Does she leave one?

Even starting the process, how does she determine which coaches to contact and when? How does she initiate? I could go on and on with the questions of “communication” of which are essential in recruiting success or failure. This is one of the chief reasons I LOVE being a scout, and being able to educate our families from the beginning, daily, and throughout the entire process! The college coach wants the athlete to handle their own business, to an extent. But who to target based on realistic options, how to initiate, how to respond, how to actually get ahold of coach, how to handle everything on a day-to-day basis…THESE are the things I love most about being a scout. I affectionately use the word “advisor” because aside from being the scout, the advocate, I love the part of my “job” that allows me to be the advisor. The metaphor I use literally everyday that explains is:

I can be the GPS all day long. Giving you turn by turn directions, leading you to your desired destination without fault. BUT, I cannot and will not drive the car for you. Mom and dad are going to be the supporting crew aka backseat riders…still, YOU, the athlete must drive the car.

Even if I am the scout, the advisor, the day to day guide…if an athlete does not follow those instructions and guidance, communicate effectively along the way with the college coach and/or take advantage of the opportunities I’ve set up for them…even they will find themselves unsuccessful. Communication is key in everything in life. On teams, in school, in family, in career, in church group, in business to business relations, in neighborly care, everything. This includes this topic of discussion, your recruiting process. Knowing who, what, when, where, how and why to communicate, will easily be the most overlooked yet most essential determining factor of success for failure in your recruiting process.

Request to be contacted and scouted by an NSR scout to fully understand why and how communication can ensure or destroy your recruiting process: www.nsr-inc.com/athletes