Gauging A Coach's Interest: STACK Magazine - Exercises, Training, Nutrition, High School Athletes

To give yourself the best chance of playing your sport in college, you need to evaluate two factors before choosing a school: (1) your athletic ability, and (2) coaches’ degrees of interest in you. Measuring your ability will help you decide what division or association best fits your game. Observing how seriously a coach is pursuing you will help you determine his or her level of interest.

Self-Assessment
Say you’re a 5’9” guard who shoots under 50 percent from the field. A MAC school offers you a partial scholly, while a D-II extends a full ride. Would little playing time at the bigger D-I school and paying for some of your education be enough for you? Or, are the full scholarship and substantial playing time more attractive?

According to legendary Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, you need to answer that type of question and gauge your ability before contacting potential schools. “Talent is always going to be important when it comes to being a college basketball player,” he says. “Size is important, but it isn’t the only thing, and [size] is not the determining factor to whether you can be a good college player.”

Use each school’s website or media guide to measure your physical tools against the school’s current roster. Check out each player’s age, position, height, weight, athletic profile, home town and high school highlights. Comparing yourself to current players will show you the type of talent the team recruits.

To assess your ability, The High School Athlete’s Guide to College Sports: How to Market Yourself to the School of Your Dreams recommends asking yourself the following questions:

• How have you performed at major events, such as showcases, tournaments, meets and state or national championships?
• Do you know of any college athletes with abilities similar to yours?
• Do you possess impressive physical attributes? A coach might recruit you if he/she believes that you’ll develop into a great athlete within a few years.
• Do you possess the leadership skills necessary to compete in college?
• Do you play in competitive summer or club leagues?

Coach’s Interest
Every athlete wants to be pursued by top-tier schools. But sometimes—just to leave you with a positive feeling, or because they don’t want to see you go elsewhere— coaches will mention the opportunity to walk on. Make sure you know the coach truly believes in your ability before picking his or her school. Measure each coach’s commitment to you.

They’ll send you questionnaires, call you, text you, etc. Boeheim says, “There are so many different factors that figure into the process. Unofficial visits are one small part of it, and home visits are also important to show a kid you’re interested.” Generally speaking, the more a coach personally contacts you, the more serious he or she is about recruiting you.

DEGREES OF COACH INTEREST

Coach Notices You If

• Mailed a questionnaire for you to fill out and return
• Mailed a summer camp application
• Put you on the school’s athletic mailing list

Coach Is Interested If

• Does all of the above
• Calls your high school coach
• Comes to see you play
• Emails you regularly
• Mails you a media guide and school information

Coach Is Very Interested If

• Does all of the above
• Sends you text messages
• Sets up a phone conversation with you
• Sees you play more than once

Coach Is Committed If

• Does all of the above
• Sets up regular phone calls
• Invites you for a visit
• Offers you a scholarship

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