Future Interviews on tbr softball

Dukedog4 · Jul 8, 2007 at 12:35 PM

Great info

I knew there would some response to the premise that "average" players can play college ball. Charlie's point is well taken. While players of "average" ability may be given the opportunity to play college ball there is nothing average about a kid that plays at any level for four years and is also successful in the classroom. Following NC kids from the last few recruiting classes its been obvious that success in college ball is a very difficult thing to predict. Especially at the D1 level (and the top DII programs), the physical demands of year-round training far exceed anything these kids have previously experienced. The players must carve out a life and balances ball with academics and, what I term, "self-care".

betterbatter · Jul 8, 2007 at 1:00 PM

coach1320 said: ↑

When looking at kids who get college scholarships...there are a lot of things to consider beyond just the skill or accomplishments of a player.

1. Needs of the program...each program is different in what they need from a player standpoint. Some schools may look only at talent and filling a specific need on their team. I am fortunate in the fact that as a state school, our admission standards allow me to go after some players who are not the 4.0, 1200 SAT kids and give them a chance to play in college and get a degree. However, there are a lot schools that can't recruit kids unless they meet certain high academic standards. Another factor to consider is that at some small, private schools (Charlie can talk with more authority about this), coaches are told by their administration that they have to carry a certain number of kids...say 25. Now, not all of those kids are going to get softball money or even ever have a real chance of playing. But they are all paying a lot of money to go to school there and that is all the admin wants.

2. Coaches evaluation - We have limited resources to go out and see everyone. In fact, that is nearly impossible. Very rarely are college coaches going to go to high school games unless it is during the play-offs because our season is going on at the same time. So, we are going to see kids out during the summer time. Unfortunately for some kids who maybe can't afford to play summer ball or have something else going on in their lives, they might get missed. We are currently recruiting a kid who is not playing travel ball and thus may not be a big name to some. If we or anyone else signs this kid, people will say who's that or what is coach so and so thinking? But ultimately, it is up to the coach to go out and find talent. Charlie is right in that for the most part, when you coach at a major program, you still have to work but the talent comes to you. Those of us at the mid-major Div I's, Div II's and Div III's must sometimes find those that get missed or have something specific that we need.

I've been coaching at the collegiate level for 8 years now and I'm sure Charlie would echo the same sentiments....what I think is good and can make a major impact on my program is usually very different from what a lot of parents and travel ball coaches thinks is good. Every year I am asked about certain players and told I should recruit this player or that player and when I see them, I know immediately that they can't help me. It's like the people telling me about these kids think that just because we're not in the ACC or have Div I by our name that we'll take anyone and that is simply not the case. Sometimes people get offended by this but I think a lot of people who are pushing kids on college coaches have never gone to a good Div II game or good Div III game. Before you push a kid on a program, or question why a program didn't recruit your DD or player, look at the conference the team plays in and go see them in a game. There are a lot of unrealistic expectations in the high school and travel ball programs regarding where kids should go play ball. Many times parents and TB coaches push their kids to programs that aren't really the right fit. There are a lot of kids out there now that are legit Div I kids. But there are also a lot of kids going to Div I or mid major Div I that aren't really ready and would be better suited at a strong Div II. And likewise there are a lot of kids pushed on Div II schools that aren't up to that level yet. Sometimes, kids slip through the cracks because they aren't seen or they are on the wrong travel team or are overshadowed by others on their teams. We have one kid who maybe was boarderline Div I material coming out of high school but didn't play on a major travel team and did get lost at her high school as the class before her was very good and got all the attention. She came to us in the late signing period and hit .415 her freshman year and made all-conference. Now, after 1 year of college you can see the ability and talents she has and can say she should probably be at a Div I...but at the time of recruiting a lot of people had a difference of opinion.

College coaches do a lot of work evaluating talent and finding kids that best fit OUR program. There are certain cases when everyone knows that a certain kid is talented and belongs where they are. But there are many more instances where a kids talent is up for debate. Parents are (and SHOULD be) the most unobjective source of information about their kid. Many times, TB coaches are too. For myself, there are certain coaches out there that I trust and talk to about not only their kids but others as well. And, I sit around with other college coaches and talk about kids. Some college coaches are real tight lipped when it comes to who they are recruiting and what they like. I, on the other hand, am very open. My philosophy is that there is no other school like mine. I offer certain things that other schools cannot not and other schools offer things that I cannot. We all may be competing for the same kids, but we all offer different things so I have no problem talking about kids with other coaches.

So there are a lot of things to look at when college coaches choose certain kids for their programs. Unless you are in every meeting a coaching staff may have or you are privy to every thought a coach might think about players, then you don't really know the whole story about why some kids are chosen and others aren't. I guess anything that one observes from the outside is left open to questions until one knows the whole story. Hopefully we'll be able to answer some of these questions more indepth when cheeze and I get around to doing that interview he wants to do.

Steve Johnson
Head Softball Coach
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Click to expand...

Thanks Coach Johnson. Very informative.

I think the State Games is going to fulfill a need in the future as it is an excellent opportunity for those kids you speak of who can't or don't play travel ball (or big name TB) to be seen. Some very talented kids in that situation were at this year's games. I hope more college coaches will attend in the future.

shakeitoff · Jul 11, 2007 at 2:29 PM

CHARLIE BLACKWELDER

Please do an interview with Coach Charlie... I bet he's got alot to say.

cheeze105 · Jul 12, 2007

will take this into consideration and approach coach charlie. but i am posting the interview with pop rivers today or tomorrow and have an interview with coach johnson from uncp coming, so we need to space these things out and let the info sink in.

cheeze105 · Jul 18, 2007 at 4:00 PM

interview with Coach Johnson, UNC-P

Putting this interview together as I type, will be on the board soon, possibly by this weekend.

You want to know what goes on in a Coaches mind? How they look at potential players? How it really works? What to really do to get a coaches attention? then read this interview.

baseballfanalways · Jul 18, 2007 at 7:23 PM

How about potential college player?

How about getting a recruited players point of view?

cheeze105 · Jul 18, 2007 at 7:29 PM

Well . . . .

that would be pretty interesting, the things you had to go through to get to the college you wanted to go to, the things you go through for training, conditioning, etc. interesting . . . . . . any suggestions as to who???

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