quickndirty wrote:
This is a good thread. I wonder how much a coach could glean from it to cut down on the attrition rate, (or if that is something they even want to do?)
I've never coached in college but I would hate the idea of spending time to recruit, host, research, and invest time in a kid only to have him skip out on me and then I'd have to start all over with someone else.
Is there anything a coach can do to help screen this out, or is this just a risk of dealing with this age group? This is a time when kids are figuring this out, they are away from home for the first time, and they are often just being challenged as an athlete for the first time.
Division 1 coach to the rescue to answer your question! Screening for these kind of behaviors (if that is what causes the "quitting") depends a lot on the stances of both the athletic department and coaching staff. Some coaches and departments are trying to go after "impact recruits" only and will care about results because that is what they are ultimately judged on. This can lead to some killer teams if done right, but the team culture will never be consistent because you are not recruiting off of character. Most high-level distance programs that go this route AND are still successful year in and year out is because they are the typical "powerhouse" programs that are steeped in rich tradition.
Then you have coaches and departments that screen for this behavior. Sometimes it is to build up a good team culture of people who are willing to be "all in." From the AD's perspective, they like to screen for good personalities so they don't have to deal with potential headaches in the future (low grades, trouble with the law, etc.). Our sport is supposed to be low stress for the department.
I try to do a combination of the two approaches. I look at results and bring lots of athletes on recruiting visits, however I really try to have a lot of dialogue with them to determine their personality. My department also has me do reference calls on all athletes we wish to give money too. This includes people who are NOT THEIR PARENTS. You would be surprised what coaches and counselors will say about a student-athlete. Some don't hold back.
However, you can do all of this and still not have it work out. Is it a risk with this age group? The Millennial generation? Probably not. At the end of the day, people do change a lot in college and most of the time, people try to "bring out their best" on recruiting visits too, so it can be hard to tell how they will end up. You just have to stick to your guns as a coaching staff and really try to seek out athletes who have personalities (and results) that will match your team. Wanna know how teams like Ole Miss, and Harvard/USF Women's team are rising so quickly? They got good recruiters and you bet they screen for this kind of stuff as best as possible as well as knowing all the risks associated with high-level recruiting
P.S. I have seen plenty of people "come back to the sport." It only takes a little effort on the coach's part to make sure to support their athletes during their journeys. Sometimes they figure things out and come back to you later. We had a girl take over a year off from the sport and is now about to punch her ticket to NCAA's 1st round. How many people on here have those kinds of stories about teammates?