Finally Getting Recruiting... Those Feelings!

There’s nothing like receiving that first call, that first piece of mail from a coach and university or college, that first real interaction with a coach from the next level face to face, or even hearing from your current coach that another coach speaks highly of you or is showing interest. There’s nothing like it! Not when you have been working so hard, for what seems like so long (even though you are only about 14-16 yrs old), and finally you are seeing some of your hard work pay off.

I remember when the letters and calls started to roll in. Things began to happen pretty fast with no real direction. In my mind, I knew where I wanted to go because I had always had my dream school in mind, but the process itself was still a lot. I tried to have fun with it though. I would begin to collect all the clippings, the nice envelopes with the different school logos and colors on them. Anything that stood out and was more unique than the last became wall paper in my room. There would be invites to campus, to camps, cordial conversation from coaches, game schedules, and quirky messages that were themed based on the time of year.

Most of this occurred during my sophomore to senior years of high school. I would plaster my walls trying to cover ever inch and corner with each new piece. This also helped me see who kept up communication throughout the years and drifted off. Helped me keep up with coaching changes as well, because depending on that new coach, there were times when I received mail letting me know that they would be going in a different direction. And that was cool too. I would see some of these coaches over the years when I would travel and play in AAU tournaments, or when they came to some of my high school games and sat up high in the stands as if they wouldn’t be noticed. (I certainly understand it on many levels these days. I do it too!) I didn’t realize this until later, but doing all the plastering helped me compare the things I liked and didn’t like about some of these schools and coaches.

No matter what decision is made in the end, there are reasons to really ENJOY the process. To understand the process. To learn what parts of the process really speak to you. And then.. make the best decision for YOU!