The Selection Process: School or Softball
Many factors come into play for
student athletes, as they select an institution where they want to compete in
for NCAA Division II softball. It is the
coach’s responsibility to recruit highly competitive athletes, and as a result,
the competition between programs is fierce. Coaches must understand what
influences each athlete’s university choice so they can have a recruiting plan
set up.
For the 239
member schools in division II softball, factors such as relationship with the
coaching staff, success of the program, academics, teammates, the university
atmosphere, parents, tuition cost, scholarships, facilities and geographic
location all play an important role in the decision making of the student
athlete. Studies show that the coaching
staff has been rated as the highest in influencing an athlete’s institutional
choice, with academics right behind at number two, followed by the program, and
financial aid. With these results, it is
very important that coaches know what each student may be looking for, as every
athlete will be different. It is also
very important for coaches to consider other factors that may play a crucial
role so they can assist athletes in helping them choose the right fit for them.
Tune in next week to see how parents play a big determining factor in the
decision making process of student athletes.
1Hewitt, Paul M. "THE RECRUITING PROCESS." College Student-Athletes:
Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications (2009)
I know several people who have visited colleges and the coaching staff played a huge role in their decision on where to go. Coaching staff's need to be aware of this and know the importance of their first impression on an athelete. I think in most cases coaches always put their best foot forward when meeting a new athelete, but I am sure some do lose their recruits due to their behavior during the campus tour.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic and discussion related to how much coaches play in the determining factor. This brought about a thought: how does Division I and Division III differ from what you described in this blog? Do coaches approach athletes from a different way if the program is not as successful historically? Good thoughts and glad that athletes select an institution based on the character of a coaching staff.
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