Handling Adversity Key for College Prospects

Bouncing Back is an Underrated Trait

Marion Jones had the world eating out of her hands.  She was widely adored after having captured five medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  As the world’s premier female track and field sprinter, she received $80,000.00 fees just to show up for races. Endorsement contracts poured in.  Few women in the sports history have been more accomplished or popular.  Life could not have been better.  Then when the BALCO scandal broke and Jones decided to lie to Federal investigators about her involvement with performance enhancing drugs, Marion Jones’ perfect world suddenly crumbled all around her.  Found guilty of lying during a Federal investigation into BALCO, Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for perjury.  She was released after serving five and a half months in a Texas facility.  As critics and former fans watched, the universal question was apparent:  How would Marion Jones react?

While this example is extreme, it does directly relate to high school recruiting in a very basic way — it’s not a prospect’s mistake which interests a coach as much as how the prospect recovers from that mistake.  Regardless if the error is physical or mental in nature, on the court or off, it is more important to college coaches to see firsthand how a prospect will respond.  Therein lies a prospect’s true grit, character and competitive spirit.  Coaches want the kids with the intestinal fortitude and courage to face adversity head-on, dust themselves off and get their heads back into the moment.  Coaches will pursue prospects who put errors behind them, maintain focus and a positive attitude, and don’t allow a mishap to shape the rest of their performance.  It’s a maturity factor needed at the college level.  

Kids who fling equipment around in disgust, throw temper tantrums, bark back at teammates and coaches, argue officials’ calls, or hang their heads in shame after making even the smallest of mistakes put themselves at a clear disadvantage with college coaches.  The next level is for young adults, not younger acting adolescents.  Coaches need recruits who can represent in a positive light not only their team but also their college.  There is a much larger cause and effect revolving around sports activities which college recruits are expected to understand, yet  some youngsters simply don’t have the maturity to pull it off. 

Mature prospects get the best shots at college offers.  When coaches recognize that kid has the physical ability and athletic character to play intercollegiate sports, they go after them.  Coaches are attracted to maturity.  They can envision that athlete on their team.  Coaches can see these prospects interacting with athletic department personnel, accepting criticism in practice, and conducting themselves appropriately in contests as well as off the court in social settings.  These are the kids which get recruited.      

As for Marion Jones’ recovery?  So far she has proven worthy of our admiration once again.  Following her time in prison, Jones has put her life back together, piece by piece, and she has done it with hard work, honesty and grace.  She has fought her way back from what is perhaps the ultimate adversity to become a dedicated wife and mother of three, a community activist for young people and athletes, and she has accomplished what most people thought was impossible — she is once again involved in athletics at the highest level.  She has worked her way into a reserve role with the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock.  That’s right, Marion Jones is back.