In my fifteen years of coaching experience I have seen quite a few things and run across many different players. Some guys have a lot of talent and equal amounts of baggage to go with it. Others may not be as gifted athletically, but they set themselves apart with their work ethic and leadership. Of course what every college coach is looking for is the player who has both the head and the talent all in one package.
During these years I have always picked other coaches brains and ask them what the look for in recruits. Most recently I spoke with Dave Altopp, who will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame this January, and he told me what he would ask a high school coach when inquiring about one of their players. By the way, the questions would almost always fall in this order.
1. Describe to me this young man’s character.
2. What is his work ethic like?
3. How are his grades and standardized test scores?
4. Can he play at the collegiate level?
Notice that the person’s talent fell last in this line of questioning. Heck, most anyone can see talent once you go watch them play on the field. However, the coach has been around this young man for possibly a number of years and he knows how he reacts to pressure situations and if he’s a leader. Also realize that their are tons more academic scholorships available than athletic ones. If a collegiate program is strapped for money, but the kid’s got brains, they can still bring them on to help build the program.
I believe that Character, Work Ethic & Academics will most always be in the forefront of a coach’s mind when he is going to sucessfully build a program. The question I have for you is are you focusing on what’s important to them or are you focusing on something else? I always like to hear feedback from you so if you are a current or former player or coach please leave a reply below and I will post it on the website under this article.
