game on recruitment
7
THINGS
PARENTS
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
ATHLETIC RECRUITMENT
BY ANGIE HAYDEN
It’s what every parent of a gifted student athlete
wants to know: How can I help my teen have the
best chance at being recruited? We’ve put
together a list of things you need to know.
Don’t be a helicopter parent!
Of course your teen still needs you to mentor and guide
them, but if you find yourself hovering over every
practice or beginning sentences to the coach with “we”,
you may need to step back and reevaluate. Remember,
don't do the coach’s job. Even if you disagree with a decision,
it is usually best to let your child learn from the
experience rather than coming to the rescue.
Be your teen’s communication coach.
Much like the previous point, this is about letting your
child take the lead. Your teen, not you, should be
handling contact with college coaches. Your job is to
help your teen prepare for these interactions rather than
handling them yourself. Role playing is a good way to
help prepare for an important phone call or meeting
with an interested coach so that your teen feels
comfortable and prepared.
Interactions with college coaches
should be treated like a job interview.
First impressions matter, so athletes should understand
the importance of dressing appropriately,
making eye contact, and giving a firm handshake.
Help them prep by making sure they have questions
to ask about the program to show that they
are interested and engaged, and encourage them to
give more than one-word answers in return.
Know that college coaches probably
aren’t coming to your athlete’s games.
The bottom line is that most college coaches don’t
have time to show up to high school games to see
your athlete play; they’re too busy running their
programs. If you have concerns about your teen’s
visibility to college coaches, you can increase your
chances of being seen by playing club ball, or by
having your athlete self-promote. Where to begin?
Athletes should start by contacting the coach by
phone to express interest, and then following up by
sending more information via email.
20 | Fall 2020 www.potentialmagazine.com