The Recruiting Challenge

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by Carla216

 

 

 

 

  The Recruiting Challenge

Dr. Greg Domecq

Recruiting is the life's blood of any college program. It is the driving force behind most assistant coaches' existence. Many of us spend our days latching on to rumors and speculation about what a 17- year old high school senior is going to do about his high school career. We endlessly write notes that we hope will be read and make an impression. The recruiting process dominates our thoughts.

There are three areas that all assistants at each level must consider within the recruiting process. We first must be comfortable in evaluating players, well-versed on the NCAA rules that govern the process, and able to understand the psychology behind the job.

Identifying players for your school is certainly more of an art than a science. Having coached in the ACC for four years, I was able to gain valuable insight into the evaluation process. Simply stated, if you are employed by an ACC school, you best be able to recruit the best players in the country or you will certainly perish. When I got my first full-time job at Winthrop University of the Big South Conference, it was obvious that the evaluation process had drastically changed. It didn't take a "rocket scientist" to identify those players who could play at Virginia. However, at Winthrop the numbers of players we recruit drastically changed as well as the measuring stick we used to evaluate them. The questions we like answered is how the player being evaluated performs against the best. Although he may not be listed in the top 100 players, does he compete rigorously against those highly ranked individuals? If he doesn't back down against superior competition, he will be further evaluated by our staff. At Winthrop over the past four years, we have played Virginia, Wake Forest, Connecticut, LSU, Georgia, Clemson, NC State, and Miami. Knowing who will compete gave us valuable information.

The second criterion we evaluate is the players' ability to be successful academically at our institution. We certainly use the academic averages and core course work mandated by the NCAA, but we do not rule out what guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators say about the young man too. If he is an academic risk, you must determine if he is a "Can't" or a "won't." Because of small classes at our institution and an excellent program for students-at-risk, we have found a great deal of success with students who have, in the past, been labeled "can't." Our philosophy has been to stay away from those who "won't," but work with those who try hard to reach levels of success they have never achieved before. At Winthrop we have gone from a dismal graduation rate to having graduated 12 of our last 13 seniors. Our thirteenth senior will graduate in December. A plan is only successful if it shows results, and we are encouraged by the results of our academic evaluations.

The third and final part of our evaluation is determining the type of character the young man possesses. We try to observe more than just his "game." How does he communicate and interact with his teammates? We try to talk to several people about his character. Junior high coaches, high school coaches, AAU coaches, and elementary school teachers can almost always shed some light on the personality of the player in question. We also learn a lot about the young man on the home visit. How does he respond to his parents? Does the way he dresses and respond indicate a respect for you as the coach? The personality of the player you recruit is important in building your team chemistry and should never be overlooked.

Once you have determined those individuals you want to recruit to your institution, it is important that you understand the "ins and outs" of the NCAA manual. We have found that July is the most critical month. We believe that establishing a relationship with the player you are recruiting is paramount to signing him for your university. Obviously, if you see the young man play in the spring or summer before his senior year, it maximizes your opportunity to establish your relationship with him.  We try to educate our recruits to NCAA rules as well. I don't want him to think that someone who calls him three nights per week is working harder than I am. I do, however, want him to know that the person who is doing that is simply breaking the rules.

Keep your word in recruiting. If you tell a player you will call every week, do it. If you say you will write every day, do it. The best way to establish a relationship is to be honest about your intentions. Kids who are being recruited will talk to each other and find out what you say to other guys. It is almost inevitable.

So what makes a good recruiter?

The two most important traits of a good recruiter is to be realistic and consistent. You must be realistic enough to know who you have a true opportunity to sign, and once you have made that determination, you must be a "bulldog" in your work ethic.

You must avoid the trap of sounding like the caricature of "the used car salesman" portrayed on television sit-coms. Your job is not to convince the athlete that your school is the only possible place he can be happy. Your job is to give the player all the information possible (in the best possible light, of course) so that he can make the best decision for him and his family.

Many are under the impression that in order to be a good recruiter you must be a great talker. True, you must be able to communicate the values of your program in a way that can be understood by the families you recruit, but perhaps even more important, you must learn to be a good listener. You will be surprised how much you can learn in a recruiting situation if you will just listen. This will help you to spotlight those parts of your program that are most important to the family being recruited.

One of the most sensitive issues that a recruiter must handle is the role of the high school or the AAU coach. In some situations the high school or AAU coach is comparable to a  to a particular family. In other situations Sadaam Hussein would have more influence than the high school or AAU coach. Even though the player and/or the family may not want the high school or AAU coach involved, that does not mean that the coach sees the recruiting picture in the same light. Often your availability to evaluate that situation may mean the difference in your signing a particular prospect. In all cases, however, you should speak to the coach about his opinion of the young man's attitude and abilities. A good recruiter must be able to identify all of the people who will have a major impact in the decision-making process.

 Once a player makes a decision, there are two results that are sometimes difficult to handle. The first involves the player you have signed. Now you must go about the business of "un-recruiting" him. Even though you truly believe all of the compliments you gave him during the recruiting period, you know that he must continue to work hard for those dreams and aspirations to come true. Sometimes young men feel that all they need do is appear and "Rookie-of-the-Year" honors will arrive. Those special players must know that their work ethic will go a long way to making them theplayers you know that they can be. The second problem when a player signs is telling theother guys on your list that they are no longer being recruited. Because I believe establishing relationships with recruits is the key ingredient in recruiting, it is very difficult to sometimes so abruptly end that relationship. The business side of recruiting is certainly a reality.

 Recruiting is the life's blood of any college program. We must not, however, view it as the "fix it" to all your program's problems. You must not fall into the trap of thinking recruiting is the answer over the fundamental development of your current players. Remember that the team you are working with this season is the best team you will coach all year. Make sure you concentrate some of that energy and enthusiasm you put into recruiting into the most important recruits you have…those who are already on your team.

 

 

Greg Domecq is in his eighth year as the Associate Principal at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet, Virginia. In May of 2009, Domecq was presented the Alton L. Taylor Award from the University of Virginia Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa naming him the outstanding administrator in the region. Domecq's current responsibilities at Western include support for the English and Special Services Departments as well as the collaborative initiative, coordinating substitutes, the honor council, transportation, and 10th & 11th grade discipline. Over the years at WAHS, Dr. Domecq has also had oversight of the athletic department, Physical Education Department, textbooks, and teacher duty. On the county level, Domecq served on several committees including the School Business Alliance, the high school discipline steering committee, the behavior management committee, the International Baccalaureate Exploratory team, and the Teacher Performance Appraisal Steering Committee. He is credited with writing the TPA Process Manual, a user-friendly handbook that outlines the implementation of the Teacher Performance Appraisal model.

During Domecq's tenure at the Crozet school, the Warriors have been recognized for several outstanding accomplishments. A few of these accolades are as follows:

In 2004 Domecq earned his doctorate in Administration and Supervision from the Curry School at the University of Virginia. His minor areas included Curriculum and Instruction as well as Social Foundations in Education. His dissertation topic, "A Ninth Grade Transition Program, " studied the results of the Summer Leadership Academy at Monticello High School. Domecq has given numerous presentations in the Charlottesville area including visits to the University of Virginia, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Mary Baldwin College, State Farm Insurance, and the Waynesboro Kiwanis Club.