Braiden Bates '26 Recruiting Profile

In life I have never fully understood what I wanted to do/be. I have played baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. With soccer i have a different feeling while on the pitch. Its something i have always loved every since I was 5 years old. I would always look forward to when the season starts. Currently I am 17 years old playing on the Ponchatoula High school team as a senior captain as well as a starting goalkeeper. Now with my commitment and love for the game and teammates i have it is finally time for me to look for a team I will play for in collage. A coach may ask why you? Why would I want you as my starting keeper? I would respond with how I can maintain a 3.7 GPA while being a captain of a team, The technique I play with, and finally the desire i have for the game. With the title of captain I have a surplus of responsibilities: looking after my teammates making sure they go to practice, making sure they all get 3.5+ GPA's, talking to my coach's on my off time making sure we all have the most improvements, and putting them first and catching up after. My techniques i play with allow me to be better then the people that are much taller then me. I have lots of plyometric drills allowing fast movements and great hands to help keep the ball in my hands in bad/awkward situations. Finally, the desire i have for the game allows me to always be on time 10 minutes or earlier for practice and 2 hours early for my games even though i am supposed to be an hour early. I hold myself to a higher standard to make sure I get the best results.