College coaches discuss changing recruitment landscape

Bellmore-Merrick forum features coaches from various universities, more

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For high school athletes seeking to compete in college sports, coaches care about other things besides scoring — “If we’re gonna make them part of our family for four years—first we … look at their SAT scores, then do a character check, (and) then see if they can play,” Chris Re, assistant football coach at Gettysburg College, said at a panel called, “Does Your Child Dream of Playing Sports in College?”

Dozens of parents and students from the south shore attended the Feb. 8 discussion about the college recruitment process, hosted by the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, Community Parent Center and Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads, at Kennedy High School in Bellmore.

Reaching out to the coaches  

Similar to the standard college application process, according to Re, students must start preparing to play a sport in college and enroll in the National Collegiate Athletic Association by their junior year. 

“The biggest mistake they can make is waiting for coaches to contact them,” said Re. Nevertheless, he said there is a middle ground between waiting and sending a generic e-mail to dozens of coaches — which he said are usually deleted. 

Re and his fellow panelists agreed that having a high school coach reach out to the college counterpart is a smart idea. A high school coach must be honest with students and their parents no matter how hurtful it may be, added Craig Papach, athletic coordinator at Kennedy High School in Bellmore. If the coach agrees the student can play a Division I sport in college, then that coach will be their best advocate.

Re said that a poor method of reaching out to a coach is by sending a recruiting video. “We want to see more than just the highlights,” he added. “We want to see how the kid acts when he misses a catch.” 

Determining whether a player is a good fit for a team requires more than looking at their statistics, according to Kevin Leighton, head baseball coach of Fordham University in Manhattan. He said that it involves assessing their grit, sportsmanship, passion and simply guessing whether they will be a good player.

The Recruitment Landscape

As athletic director and coach of the Division II softball team at Molloy College in Rockville Center, Susan Cassidy said that she starts recruiting students in June of their sophomore year. At Fordham, however, Leighton said that they wait until September of a student’s junior year.

Coaches can look for talent in younger individuals by directing them to camps and tournaments, Leighton noted. College coaches attend these events seeking names that they might eventually recruit. When students reach the eligibility age, coaches can then reach out to them directly. This happens during “contact periods,” where coaches are allowed to visit high schools. During “quiet periods” they must refrain from such networking.

In addition to the age at which coaches begin to look for future athletes, Leighton said that other aspects of the recruitment landscape have changed. For example, coaches used to be admonished for texting prospective athletes, but now this form of communication is accepted.

Social media has thrown another curveball into the process. “We can find more about your son or daughter in five minutes than you would ever want to know,” said Seth Tierney, head coach of the men’s lacrosse team at Hofstra University in Hempstead. He urged the parents in the audience to watch carefully what their child is posting on social media accounts. Even if students use a fake name, coaches can see what they are doing by looking at accounts of friends.

Despite this, social media can help coaches when they are recruiting. As Tierney said, “We need to be in contact with just about everybody [the student knows.]” He added that he reaches out to prospective students’ high school coaches, parents, friends and employers to paint a better portrait of whom he will be recruiting. If he hears that a prospective player was a disloyal employee, it could change his mind, no matter how much talent the player might have on the field.  

Scholarships and Financial Aid

“If someone tells you their kid is getting a full ride, they’re lying,” said Tierney, and added that athletes rarely earn more than $5,000 to play. Out of 45 players on his lacrosse team, only half have received this much. Also, Division III sports don’t offer scholarships, but instead give financial aid. Re said that finances shouldn’t concern a player though because if they have the grades, talent and enthusiasm then the school will help.

The panel also featured Simon Riddiough, head coach of the women’s soccer team at Hofstra; Joe Patrovich, head coach of the wrestling team at LIU Post; and Carol Murray, guidance counselor at Mepham High School in Bellmore. Eric Caballero, the district director of physical education, health and athletics, moderated and Wendy Tempfer, the Parent Center’s executive director, arranged the discussion.

“I was curious as to where I stand in the [recruitment] process,” said Azaria Vargas, a junior at Kennedy who hopes to play softball in college. After the panel, she said that she learned to find a school that fits her academic pursuits just as much as her athletic goals.  

For information about the NCAA’s recruiting rules and a complete listing of NCAA schools by division, check out NCAA.org.