As we rapidly approach signing day and see more and more kids committing to colleges I always start to think about the selection process for players.  In speaking with prospects, club coaches, and even college coaches I’ve noticed a major shift in thinking over the past 5 years.  The thought process used to be that if a college was interested they would send mail outs, call consistently, be present at some club/high school games, build a positive relationship, and attempt to demonstrate that they were the best fit for you.  Now, through massive over analysis and a continuous need for positive reinforcement, ONE factor is weighing heavier and heavier in the selection process: How many times did the HEAD coach come to watch me play or call me?  The overall thought process makes sense.  If I am the top priority for a school then the head coach will be the one at my games, the one at my high school, and the one on the phone.  Therefore, many schools that subscribe to the ‘babysitting’ method of recruiting are gaining favor with a large number of recruits. 

Here’s the problem:  Using this as a significant measurement of future success at a school, how good of a fit a school is for you, or most importantly, if a head coach will be a capable coach/teacher/mentor simply because they come watch you play a lot or call you consistently is the wrong way to go.  Knowing that a head coach ‘goes hard’ in recruiting means only that… They go hard in recruiting.  I could site dozens of very qualified, successful, and quality head coaches that don’t subscribe to this theory at all.  They delegate responsibilities to their assistant coaches in all facets of the program, including recruiting.  They move around throughout the viewing periods to see more kids from all graduating classes.  In the season they are unlikely to show up at your high school games because they ARE COACHING THEIR CURRENT TEAM (something you will be grateful for if/when you are on THEIR team).  Many have also expressed that if a young person is constantly in need of validation by seeing a head coach at every game in the recruiting process, they will likely be needy and selfish once they arrive on campus. 

With the number of transfers exploding over the past few years perhaps it is time that both coaches and players look to take a different approach to selecting each other.  For the colleges, though it is clearly important to have a presence at games and on the phones of top recruits, it may be counterproductive to sit 3 and 4 deep on one sideline for much of the summer.  If you miss on the top kid that you feel the need to babysit like that, who else have you really seen as a replacement?  As for players, you would be better served watching firsthand the programs style of play, track record for playing freshman, retention rates (very different from graduation rates), and getting feedback from both players that have enjoyed playing for the coach as well as those that have transferred out.  This will give a much better snap shot of what you can expect once you arrive then analyzing how many times a head coach came to watch.  Maybe taking this approach from both sides would help players/programs making better decisions the first time around.