Coaches Corner: Newbury College – Bobby Desilets – Head Women’s Soccer Coach
March 25th, 2010 - by- How would you describe yourself as a coach?
I’m a player’s coach. My players like and respect me, and because of that I am able to push them to be better players. I understand the players’ perspective and never forget the primary reason individuals choose to play a sport, which is to have fun. Our soccer team has become very close since I became coach, and the players buy into my belief in building a program, not just a team.
2. What is unique about the experience at your school?
Although Newbury College is located in the city of Boston, its campus feels as though you are in the sub
urbs. The school is situated in Brookline, MA, in a neighborhood filled with the historic mansions of Boston’s elite. The subway is a couple minutes walk down the street, which provides students access to all the city has to offer. The student enrollment is relatively small, making Newbury an ideal place for creating great friendships and making a big impact on the college and on campus.
3. What do recruits need to know about you?
I took over a program that was two years old and was in danger of not having enough participation to be able to compete. In my first season as coach, with having a limited time period to recruit and only having 4 returning players, we were able to make the playoffs in our conference. We have a young team made up of almost all freshmen and sophomores. The program has all the potential in the world, and I continue to work extremely hard to attract the right recruits to bring us further towards our goal of winning our conference.
4. What do you look for in recruits?
I look for recruits that have a great desire to be a part of a growing program. My team needs to work together in order to achieve team glory, and that is done through communication, which is one of the main attributes I look for in a player. Leadership skills are also key; I think it is important to have 11 leaders on the field instead of 1 or 2.
5. What is the one thing every recruit needs to do with the recruiting process?
Communication is a big part of the recruiting process; sending emails to a coach letting him or her know of games and tournaments in which you are participating increases the chances the coach will see you play live. Although sending videos to a coach is also important, nothing is like being able to watch a player live. It is important for a coach to see not only what a player is doing when they have the ball, but what runs they are making off the ball and how they work for the team.
8. What do you think your program is the most successful at?
The atmosphere of our program is its biggest strength. My best recruiting tool is the players on my team; they get along better than any team I have coached and are all great individuals. When a recruit sees how close the team is, they want to be a part of it.
9. Why should a recruit consider your program?
Our soccer team is young and motivated, and a recruit should consider Newbury if they want to be a part of building a program that will make its own traditions and achieve its own accomplishments. Recruits can be a main factor in the beginning success of our program that they could look back upon and be very proud of.
10. If a recruit is interested in your program, how should they reach out to you?
The best way for a recruit to reach me is by email, Robert.Desilets@newbury.edu. The most important thing for a recruit though, which I always remind them of, is to not get overwhelmed by the recruiting process and remember to enjoy the rest of their high school experience.
