As a high school senior, I was seeking the right fit to further my education and continue playing sports. At the time, there were limited scholarship opportunities for women and I had little to no knowledge of the recruiting process. Unfortunately, neither did my family or my coaches. Even though I was successful in high school and had accumulated honors in my athletics, there were no offers or invitations for college athletics. Choosing the first college I visited, I was able to immediately play and contribute on several athletic teams (basketball, softball, track & field). Ultimately, I transferred to a school closer to home my second year because of a sickness in my family. I completed my degree with help from grants, financial aid and work-study.
As I entered the field of coaching, I soon found myself on the other side of the recruiting process. I began at the NAIA level with limited resources or help from an assistant. It took a lot of work to find student-athletes who were the right fit for our college and our basketball program. Later, moving on to coach in the NCAA Division I and II levels, I was thankful for a bigger budget and an assistant coach. However, with that, came more responsibility to find talented student-athletes from a much greater pool.
A program like NCSA offers many advantages to college coaches. The online virtual tryout is a great tool for immediate evaluation of the student-athlete and eliminates the time coaches have to wait to receive a DVD from a recruit. Knowing what college coaches are looking for in a student-athlete gives me an edge in guiding our recruits towards the next level. Having experienced the recruiting process from the perspective of both the student-athlete and the collegiate coach, I have come to value the benefits NCSA provides.