Spring Break
Coaches breathe life in sports with recruiting
Kristina Dailing
Issue date: 6/27/02 Section: Sports
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(U-WIRE) CARBONDALE, Ill. - Talking into an answering machine is sometimes the only way to communicate with a college sports coach during the summer, and they're not all gathered at someone's house having an all-coach barbecue.
Most of them are out recruiting.
"Recruiting is the lifeline to your program," said SIU volleyball head coach Sonya Locke.
If the coaches can't reel in talented players, their respective programs will pay the price.
"If you don't have the players, it doesn't matter what kind of coach you are," said SIU softball head coach Kerri Blaylock. "If you don't actually have the athletes to get the job done, you're not going to go anywhere."
The NCAA sets up recruitment guidelines for coaches to follow. The organization outlines when coaches are allowed to begin contacting and evaluating possible recruits. It also establishes the dead period, when the athletic staff is not allowed to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations, on or off-campus, or permit official or unofficial visits.
"The main thing with recruiting is that you have to go out, and you have to spend the time on the phone and you have to spend the time looking up the kids' names," said SIU men's track and field head coach Cameron Wright. "If you're going to win, if you're going to be a successful program, you're going to have to spend a lot of time on the phone."
Each sport has a time when coaches can leave campus to evaluate a possible recruit. At these evaluations, coaches are not allowed to talk to the athletes or their families.
"There are a lot of good players out there, but there are some that maybe you really wouldn't want in your program because they would be more of a headache versus a good teammate or player," Locke said.
Many coaches have learned it is important to look at more than just how someone plays the sport. Individual team needs are also important.
"It depends on what your needs are, and then when you are actually evaluating student-athletes, of course you are looking for athletic ability, skill-wise what they are capable of doing within your sport," said SIU women's basketball head coach Lori Opp.
Most of them are out recruiting.
"Recruiting is the lifeline to your program," said SIU volleyball head coach Sonya Locke.
If the coaches can't reel in talented players, their respective programs will pay the price.
"If you don't have the players, it doesn't matter what kind of coach you are," said SIU softball head coach Kerri Blaylock. "If you don't actually have the athletes to get the job done, you're not going to go anywhere."
The NCAA sets up recruitment guidelines for coaches to follow. The organization outlines when coaches are allowed to begin contacting and evaluating possible recruits. It also establishes the dead period, when the athletic staff is not allowed to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations, on or off-campus, or permit official or unofficial visits.
"The main thing with recruiting is that you have to go out, and you have to spend the time on the phone and you have to spend the time looking up the kids' names," said SIU men's track and field head coach Cameron Wright. "If you're going to win, if you're going to be a successful program, you're going to have to spend a lot of time on the phone."
Each sport has a time when coaches can leave campus to evaluate a possible recruit. At these evaluations, coaches are not allowed to talk to the athletes or their families.
"There are a lot of good players out there, but there are some that maybe you really wouldn't want in your program because they would be more of a headache versus a good teammate or player," Locke said.
Many coaches have learned it is important to look at more than just how someone plays the sport. Individual team needs are also important.
"It depends on what your needs are, and then when you are actually evaluating student-athletes, of course you are looking for athletic ability, skill-wise what they are capable of doing within your sport," said SIU women's basketball head coach Lori Opp.
