NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

What is your NCSA story? How did you start working here?

AE: When I first interviewed with NCSA it was for Rachel Clark’s position, which at the time was in finance.  Rachel beat me out for the position though, which was probably better because I didn’t have any accounting or finance background!  I just thought NCSA was a cool company and wanted to work here in any capacity.  So about 3 months later I received a call from NCSA that they had a position open for a Head Recruiting Coach in Volleyball, Track, Cross Country, and Tennis.  This was right up my alley given I had high school/college experience in 2 of the three sports. 

What were you hired to do? What is your current position?

AE:  As a Head Recruiting Coach I worked with all families in the sports mentioned above.  Back then, we didn’t have any Recruiting Coaches or customer service – only Head Recruiting Coaches.  I would make the initial call to the family and introduce them to the program.  The student-athletes and families would fax in changes to their profiles to us to make the changes and then do a final “sign-off” before they were distributed to college coaches.  We didn’t offer video services back then, so we would evaluate them just based on their paper profile.   After that, they would fax in correspondence logs (all written!) once a month which we would review.  I would answer any incoming calls from families and make outbound calls from a list of my clients.  I kept a folder for each client on my desk.

I am currently the Director of Recruiting Development here at NCSA.  I work on development based projects that span almost every department.  I put a focus on improving our offerings to student-athletes and coaches.  Lately, I have focused on managing the development of the College Coach Recruiting Management System and the High School Coach Recruiting Management System.  I am also working on a partner related project and possible new program offerings for different groups such as clubs or junior colleges.  I also assist the Recruiting Coach Department with efficiencies, marketing and structure.  I wear many hats!

How long did it take for you to reach your current position?

AE:  4 years.

What was the biggest challenge or frustration along the way?

AE:  I became very frustrated at my 2 year mark because I felt like things weren’t moving as fast as they should.  The most frustration I have encountered was because I was feeling held back or limited in my role, but I chose to stick it out through those hard times.  I felt that I outgrew my position well before I was able to move out of it, but it was just about putting in the time where NCSA needed me.  Bottom line, it has to be good for the company.  I spoke with people like Amanda, Sara, Lisa and got their feedback when I was feeling frustrated.  We all have to step back and remember why we are here sometimes. We are in a unique position to actually do what we love.    That always helps me get through the tough times.  

What do you think was most integral in your success up to this point?

AE:  I never wait to be asked to do anything.  If I see a weakness, a hole, or something that needs to be fixed – I just do it.  My feeling is that we are growing so fast there is no way our managers and leaders can keep up with everything that needs to be done.  New problems or opportunities arise every day.  I just take them, regardless of whether it’s my department or not or whether it’s my job.  My position was created because of all these little projects I take on.  Sometimes I overstep my bounds though and not everything I do works out.  When an idea stinks, I chuck it and move on to the next one that is going to be better.

Did you have any mentors throughout your career?

AE:  My grandmother and mother have been mentors.  I lost my mom last year to cancer, but until that time she was a huge help with everything work related.  She would always give me great advice about how to deal with certain situations.  She managed the University of Iowa bookstores and Iowa Hawk Shop so she was used to resolving management issues.  I really miss her guidance.  My grandmother has also been a mentor.  She went back to school at 40 to earn her master’s, was a high school teacher at age 19, and ran her own consulting company as an adult.  She always gives me great advice and brings me back down to earn when I am frustrated.     

What is your why? Why do you work here?

AE:  First and foremost, because of the opportunity it provides athletes.  This is a community I really relate to and love.  I also love the opportunity NCSA gives us to grow as business people.  I love seeing this company succeed and the leaps we make every year. 

Any advice they would give to those trying to grow in the company?

AE:  First, focus on mastering the position you are in.  If you can’t do that, then you are moving too fast.  Once you have that accomplished I encourage you to step outside of your normal day to day and try to think big picture.  If you have an idea, really think it through and then run with it.  Don’t wait for someone to ask you about it.  Ask to present it, find people who can help you develop it.  Many times ideas are thrown out there and they are great, but we aren’t in a position to move on them.  If that is the case, then try again in a year.  Most of my ideas take about two years to actually come to fruition.  You have to be patient, but keep after it.

Although the month can be a busy one on both sides of the fence, families from across the country have indicated they feel a loss of connection with the schools they are most interested in during August, and more importantly a fear they are no longer being recruited. We explore the top things to consider in August with this month’s edition of In the Mind of a Student Athlete.

Losing Contact:

Unfortunately, most recruits are not well versed in NCAA rules and regulations and may be unaware of the built in roadblocks preventing coaches from contacting recruits throughout the late summer. Often, athletes tell NCSA they start to plan past any school with which they have lost contact. Preemptive or not, if a recruit senses you are no longer interested they will work toward scheduling visits and applying to other programs that are actively recruiting them. Today’s recruit is used to a 24 hour news cycle and almost unlimited access to communication and information. For them, it is difficult to comprehend a 30-45 day break in communication. As a coach you have to look for ways to connect with recruits to keep their interest.

True Level of Interest:

Whether you are close to the end of your recruiting cycle or not, athletes heading into their senior year are going to be anxious about the college selection process. If you have not given feedback to the players on your recruiting list it would be advisable to put their mind at ease and communicate where they stand with your program. If the recruit is not making the cut this will allow them to have sufficient time to move on to the next option. If they are one of your top recruits, expressing sincere interest will allow the player to start planning out the applications and admissions process and start to move toward a decision.

Getting Hurt:

Whether it is training or preseason camp, recruits are always nervous an injury will derail their progress. Discuss this with them and it will allow you to connect better to what is important to them. If you have a background in sports training or nutrition do not be afraid to give advice which may help the athlete prevent an injury. This will establish trust with the player and their family.

Not Knowing the Next Step in the Process:

It is the end of a summer; every recruit you speak with or interact with will be confused about the next phase of the recruiting process. Bring this up, ask questions about whether or not they are clear on what your program needs from them in the fall and whether or not they understand any relevant NCAA rules and regulations.

It is important when approaching any new school year to begin identifying and categorizing recruits.  Managing all of those recruits and staying in contact with them can become an overwhelming task, which is why a recruit contact plan is so important.  Organizing recruits into different categories will allow you to come up with different contact strategies for each “Tier” of recruit, instead of having to “reinvent the wheel” for each recruit.

Here is a breakdown of a typical 3 Tier system and how you can use it to your advantage in recruiting:

Tier 1

Description: These student-athletes are the best fit for your school athletically and academically.  You usually have had the opportunity to watch film on them, evaluate statistics, and review their grades.  Your “prized-recruits” should fall in this category.

Contact Strategy: Personal weekly contact is a must for this category.  A personal phone call or email is the preferred form of contact, with an emphasis on phone calls to start building the coach-recruit relationship.  Eventually, you might want to take these recruits off of your mailing list so they feel like they are always personally interacting with you.

Tier 2

Description: You more than likely have had the opportunity to review these student-athletes as well but you may need to get more information or see improvement in some area.  These could be recruits that you are waiting on for film in upcoming years or a borderline academic prospect whose transcript you are waiting to receive.

Contact Strategy: Put these recruits on your “mailing list” but also make sure to send them a personal email/phone call once or twice a month to let them know you are still interested.  Let the student-athlete know they need to get you updated film/transcript/information so you can let them know where they stand on your board.  Being direct and honest in your communication with them will get you the information you need and build trust with the student-athlete.

Tier 3

Description: Usually these are student athletes you will need to send more information.  Film, transcripts, stats, etc., will all be very helpful in determining where they will fit on your recruiting board.

Contact Strategy: These recruits will typically be put on your “mailing list”.  Let the student-athlete know that they need to get you updated film/transcript/information so you can let them know where they stand on your board.  The mailing list provides a way to stay in touch without wasting your time to give it a “personal” touch.

Not Interested

Description: While technically not a “Tier” this category is just as important.  While recruiting is about gathering prospects, it is also about eliminating them.  These are recruits you have had the opportunity to evaluate who just don’t make the cut athletically or academically.

Contact Strategy: Be up front with the student-athlete by letting them know you have had the opportunity to evaluate them and don’t believe they are the right fit for your school at this time.  You can save yourself and the family a lot of work in the long run if you remove them from mailers and let the family know you are not interested. You will also save yourself some bad PR from the family because they will not have felt like you led them on.

As always, if we can help you in any way, from identifying the type of recruits to send you to chasing down recruits for more information please let us know at recruitinghelp@ncsasports.org or (877)849-6272.

We recently had the opportunity to discuss the recruiting process with Joyce Wellhoefer, former collegiate coach for over 20 years. Coach Welhoefer was a head coach for 18 years at various division levels including D1. She explains her strategies for recruiting in this session of the Coaches Corner.

NCSA: What did you look for when evaluating potential recruits?

Besides skill & academics, I look for intangibles: competitiveness, desire to improve, team player, leadership, loves the game.

NCSA: How did you initially reach out to a recruit?

Depending on where in the process (younger players) my initial contact was, an intro letter about my college along with a questionnaire. Then once I received the questionnaire I would follow up to see about watching the player compete or to be more personal with them.

If I got in a situation where I was recruiting seniors late, my first contact with them might be a phone call or even a face to face meeting if it was at a summer tournament after the event. During those interactions I would let them know information about my college and opportunities I had there.

NCSA: Discuss your 1st call strategy for a recruit:

First I would get a feel for where they were with their recruiting to see if we might be a good fit for them. Secondly I would attempt to get information about our program and school to them. I think you can get a good sense about the player by talking on the phone with them. You can pick up on a lot of things with how they handle themselves and how they answer questions. The questions I asked were not just yes or no questions but I tried to make them think and see how much depth they had.

NCSA: How often did you communicate with your recruits?

I definitely communicated more through email but I tried to get on the phone maybe 1x a month. Working with a recruit over the phone gave me a far better sense of where we stood and what our chances were of recruiting them into the program.

NCSA: How did you close a recruit when you wanted them to commit?

I was upfront, letting them know where they were on my list and that I wanted them to visit – if all went well we would discuss next steps after the visit or phone them with offer.  But I was prepared on the visit to see how much money I would potentially offer them if they were the right fit for us and if we were the right fit for them.

NCSA: What tips would you give coaches just getting started with recruiting?

Know what you are looking for in an athlete, then develop questions to ask them so you can gauge if the athlete will fit well in your system.  One of the things I found when I was coaching was that players who came from a background of limited conditioning and really being a good athlete would struggle with our workouts and have an attitude they were being punished because of the program or even have numerous injuries.

Some questions I would ask them would be about their HS workouts and practices or if they did anything else on their own.  Those who did some conditioning and weights or at least said they wished the team did more were much more prepared to be in the D1 realm and handle the intensity of the season compared to what they had in HS.

Another week goes by and another extremely you scholarship offer is extended.  Recruits can’t afford to wait.