Back to: Recruiting 101
In the recruiting process, you must be able to realistically evaluate your abilities. There are a few things you should think about before you evaluate yourself.
- Where you are today can change tomorrow.
- It’s all relative to your level of competition and where you are trying to go.
- It’s not just about your athletic abilities.
- Timing is everything.
Where you are today can change tomorrow.
It doesn’t matter what your abilities are today, with focused hard work, they can completely change in a matter of weeks. Working hard is just the beginning. Putting in focused, structured work will improve your talents much more quickly. You may have to look yourself in the mirror today, get real and say you know that you aren’t good enough to play at the level you want. Just because you’re not good enough today, doesn’t mean that you can’t get better!
The situation can also be reversed. You may be able to look at yourself today and say that yes you are good enough to go and play at certain level. But just remember that someone else is always working, someone else is hungry to climb to where you are. If you aren’t willing to work with focus you can always be passed.
You can’t let not being “good enough” today bring you down. If you think you are “good enough,” you can’t get too comfortable. If you were the best version of yourself today, and you’re going to do what it takes to repeat that every day, then that’s all you can do.
It’s all relative.
Are you talented enough to play at a Top 10 NCAA Division-I school? Can your talent even get your an opportunity to play at the worst NCAA Division-I school in the country? You might have the talent to play at the worst NCAA Division-I school, but not get recruited to play at a top NCAA Division-II school. It’s all relative to what you’re comparing it to and what you’re looking for.
What is important to you? Everyone wants and values different things out of their college experience. Your talent level is relative to what you want your experience to look like. We will address this in more detail in another lesson.
It’s not just about your athletic abilities.
You know your favorite school. You go to their summer camp, and you’re the best player there. You’re even better than some of the players on their team. The problem is they already have 4 people at your position on their roster. They don’t have room for you. Or maybe they have a roster spot, but your grades aren’t what they need to be to get into school there.
Trust me, if you don’t have the athletic abilities to get people to notice you; none of the “other stuff” matters. However, even if you have AMAZING athletic abilities; there are countless variables that factor into the equation of if you end up at your favorite school. Again, this is something that we will look at in upcoming lessons.
Timing is Everything.
Your talent has to show through when it matters. You have to show up when the college coaches are in the stands. You have to be a good teammate and do the little things that will make a significant impact on their programs. You have to be good enough when it matters. You are only given an opportunity so many times in your career; you must always be ready to make the most out of it!