PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: What College Recruiters Actually Look For
Do you have what it takes to play a sport in college? Have you put in the time to develop your skills and keep your grades up so that college recruiters are now interested?
Well, you’ve done the hard work, but there is still more that you can do to hold the attention of recruiters, and it might not be what you’re thinking.
Character Counts
If you are being recruited, your social media is being watched. So be yourself but also think twice, or three times, before you post. Think about how your post might impact your future.
Many colleges outsource monitoring of social media. These services can find those posts that you think that no one will see. The services gather all of your social media information for the college to get a glimpse at your character. Remember, what you post online can affect your recruiting process, and more importantly, it can affect you in many ways for the rest of your life. So it’s worth repeating: think before you post.
What do you want your social media to say about you?
What Coaches See
When a college recruiter comes to watch you in your sport, they already know what you can do in your sport. They want to know more about your character, if you are a team player, and if you’ll fit in with their program.
Before The Game
As a high school coach, I always reminded my recruited players that when a college coach came to watch them play, that the coach would be watching them as soon as they stepped into the gym. They would watch how they carried themselves and how they interacted with their coaches and teammates so that they could get a feel of the athlete’s overall demeanor.
A college coach will often be there earlier so they can watch a recruit […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Parents, Please Don’t Pay Your Kids To Score Points
Parents have good intentions when they pay their children to score points. They believe it will encourage them to work hard, score more and help the team win. But is it really good for the athlete or the team?
As a coach, and a player, I have seen what paying a child to score points can do to that child and the team. And I can tell you that none of it is good.
Pressure on the Athlete
Young athletes have to learn to play under pressure, but why add to the pressure. Kids already have enough to think about when they are playing.
An athlete has to run different offenses and defenses and take care of individual responsibilities on the court or field. They often think about non-sport-related issues, like their homework, a test that they have coming the next day, or even a recruiter in the stands.
I’ve watched great players struggle with trying to be a team player while wanting to score their points, impress their parents and make money.
Why add more pressure? Just let young athletes play.
Athletes Can Lose Motivation
According to Psychology Today, kids usually participate in sports because of an internal motivation to play for fun. And when a material reward like money is introduced, it can lower their motivation in the long run.
When athletes play a sport because they love it, they are more likely to enjoy the experience, points or no points.
Ruins Team Mentality
This is a big one. Coaches work hard to get their players to play together and be unselfish on the court or playing field. When a player is only thinking about scoring more and making more money, it ruins the team mentality that coaches work to build.
When I was in high school, our point guard’s parents started paying her for points, and […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: The Importance of a Practice Plan
When I was head coach I always had a practice plan. I had an overall plan for the season and then I had a detailed practice plans for each day. A practice plan is a must as it keeps you organized, keeps practice on schedule and allows you to look back and see what you have covered so that you are prepared as games start and the season progresses.
Get Organized And Stay On Schedule
Before the season starts, look over your master plan for the year. This overall plan should build upon the previous season’s strengths and your evaluation of incoming players. At our high school we had ten days of practice before our first game (three of which were tryouts). My master plan included a schedule of what I needed, and wanted, to get done before that first game, and then I built daily practice plans from there.
When you have practices scheduled out by the minute, you don’t waste time.
When I was coaching, our girls were expected to get to practice and warm up before our start time. And then when our practice was scheduled to start, we started. We often did a few drills that warmed the players up a little more (always using a basketball) and then got to work. Go into every practice with a detailed plan for the day so that you can take advantage of every second on the court.
Gym time is precious. Use it.
With your master schedule in mind, you know what offenses, defenses, inbounds plays, presses and press breakers you’ll be running, now look at what drills will prepare your players to run these with success. Each year I pulled out a giant folder that held drills that I had used over the years, and ones that I found online or picked up […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Enhance Your Coaching With Quotes
“There is not limit to the goals you can attain, the success you can achieve –
your possibilities are as endless as your dreams.” – D. Crowe
This quote by D. Crowe is one of my favorites. I first read it when I was in middle school, and since then, it has kept me looking into the future and dreaming. As a coach, I posted it on locker room walls and on journals, and shared it with many athletes because I believe it. And I hoped that with my support, the players would too.
A positive quote sends a message to your athletes that you believe in them. According to Dr. Jonathan Fader, a licensed performance and clinical psychologist, when a quote, or saying, conveys to a person they can achieve what they want to achieve, the quote can give the person the incentive to try. When a coach believes in a player, and enhances that belief with quotes, it can be a powerful part of a coach’s routine.
Also, a quote or saying can be used as a team’s theme, which makes the perfect framework for the season.
Start The Season With A Quote
I started every season with a quote or theme that I emphasized throughout the year. In my first year as a varsity coach, I started with one simple word, Believe. I talked to the team about believing in themselves and one another. I reminded the athletes that they were the start of something big at our high school. We were building a program, and to do that, the they needed to believe in the vision.
I gave the players ribbons with the word Believe on them, […]
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: What College Recruiters Actually Look For
Do you have what it takes to play a sport in college? Have you put in the time to develop your skills and keep your grades up so that college recruiters are now interested?
Well, you’ve done the hard work, but there is still more that you can do to hold the attention of recruiters, and it might not be what you’re thinking.
Character Counts
If you are being recruited, your social media is being watched. So be yourself but also think twice, or three times, before you post. Think about how your post might impact your future.
Many colleges outsource monitoring of social media. These services can find those posts that you think that no one will see. The services gather all of your social media information for the college to get a glimpse at your character. Remember, what you post online can affect your recruiting process, and more importantly, it can affect […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Parents, Please Don’t Pay Your Kids To Score Points
Parents have good intentions when they pay their children to score points. They believe it will encourage them to work hard, score more and help the team win. But is it really good for the athlete or the team?
As a coach, and a player, I have seen what paying a child to score points can do to that child and the team. And I can tell you that none of it is good.
Pressure on the Athlete
Young athletes have to learn to play under pressure, but why add to the pressure. Kids already have enough to think about when they are playing.
An athlete has to run different offenses and defenses and take care of individual responsibilities on the court or field. They often think about non-sport-related issues, like their homework, a test that they have coming the next day, or even a recruiter in the stands.
I’ve watched great players struggle […]
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: The Importance of a Practice Plan
When I was head coach I always had a practice plan. I had an overall plan for the season and then I had a detailed practice plans for each day. A practice plan is a must as it keeps you organized, keeps practice on schedule and allows you to look back and see what you have covered so that you are prepared as games start and the season progresses.
Get Organized And Stay On Schedule
Before the season starts, look over your master plan for the year. This overall plan should build upon the previous season’s strengths and your evaluation of incoming players. At our high school we had ten days of practice before our first game (three of which were tryouts). My master plan included a schedule of what I needed, and wanted, to get done before that first game, and then I built daily practice plans from there.
When you have […]
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