IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT SIZE, QUICKNESS AND SKILLS – OTHER WAYS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION ON UNIVERSITY COACHES
With the high school season set to start this week, College and University coaches will also begin to observe and identify potential athletes to recruit for their programs. So what are coaches looking for in these potential recruits? What are some things you can do as an athlete to make an impression on University coaches? We asked legendary coach Allison McNeill to give her thoughts on this subject.
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By Allison McNeill
It was 1982 and I was sitting in a high school gym in LA with my new black skirt and blazer on while watching Cheryl Miller dunk! I was on my first big recruiting trip for my alma mater, The University Of Oregon.
I had just finished my playing career at Oregon and now I was an assistant coach for the Ducks. This was my introduction to recruiting! If you don’t know who Cheryl Miller is look her up. AMAZING!
Recruiting is the life-blood of any successful university program. The competition for top athletes is fierce!
So… the question always comes up… what do coaches at the next level look for in the athletes they recruit. I suppose there are as many answers to that question as there are coaches!
Obviously, coaches are searching for sport-specific attributes, such as size, quickness, agility, and basketball skills. The specifics depend on the current strengths of their teams and their personal coaching philosophy.
Skill evaluation can be very subjective, as a university coach may only see an athlete on a single day in a single game. But once coaches identify prospects based on those sport-specific attributes, they begin to get more serious about the athlete and they begin to look at other factors.
Here are a few that were important to me in 1982 and still are 35 years later!
1. Do you have the Grades/SAT score to get into and be successful academically at their school?
2. Do you have good character? Do you have integrity, will you represent the team and university with class, will you treat your teammates with love and respect, can the coach count on you to do the right thing.
3. Are you a competitor? Do you compete ALL THE TIME – in games and in practice?
4. Do you play hard all the time? Both ends of the court? When you don’t have the ball in your hands?
5. Do you have a growth mindset? Are you excited about getting better? Do you LOVE the process of getting better, of being in the gym and working on your game?
6. Are you coachable? Can you take some constructive criticism? Will you allow a coach to push you?
7. Can you ‘see’ the game? Do you have a strong Basketball IQ? Are you a student of the game?
8. Do you put the TEAM first? Can you accept a role to help the team be successful?
9. Are you resilient – can you bounce back from setbacks? Do you have some toughness to overcome obstacles?
10. Are you passionate about the game? Are you driven to be a player at the next level or are you just happy to get a scholarship?
11. Are you relentless in your pursuit of excellence?
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