What Happens When Good Prospects Have A Bad Day?

A college coach or National Scouting Report scout shows up to watch you play, but you perform dreadfully and end up having a bad day.

What do you do?

College coaches and scouts know that everyone has a bad day. The timing may not be good, but it is a natural part of athletics. Nobody escapes without having a few sub-par outings here and there.

Most coaches and scouts were pretty fair, if not high-level, athletes themselves. They know how it works. Bad days happen.

It’s not how badly you played, but what you did about it. How did you respond?

Did you sulk or maintain your competitive spirit? Crawl in a hole or demonstrate substantive character? Cry in your jersey or refuse to allow it to get you down? Feel sorry for yourself or bolster your team?

What a coach or scout wants to see is:

• An athlete who can, in spite of his or her failings, impact the outcome of a game through other means.
• Athletes with the maturity to stare down adversity and forge ahead.
• An athlete whose character emerges when others may fail them.

When college coaches are evaluating your talent, they are also assessing the depth to which you comprehend the nuances of competition and find ways to contribute. They also want to know if you value your ego above the good of the team. To do that, they envision you on their team in similar circumstances — days when nearly everything seems to go wrong, and you either push through or can’t find the courage to see it through.

Those who pass the test often receive offers. Those who don’t probably won’t. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end. College coaches understand that their recruits are young and need guidance. That’s where NSR scouts come in. They can help you understand the process and be less stressed when you’re out there competing.