HOW TO GET RECRUITED - Interview with Coach Steve Johnson, UNC-P

CHEEZE: Good morning Coach Johnson, appreciate your time on this subject and sure everyone will get something from this interview.

CHEEZE: Give us a little background on yourself.

COACH JOHNSON: I was born and raised in Iowa where I attended West Des Monies Valley High School. I played baseball, football and basketball growing up, but continued mostly with football and baseball. I went to Wartburg College, a small, private Lutheran college, in Waverly, IA. There, I played football all 4 years and was a member of the internationally known concert choir. I got into fastpitch after my senior year of high school. In Iowa, we play the high school baseball and softball seasons in the summer. Valley was one of the largest high schools in the state, so to be a starter, you had to be very good. In baseball, I was good, but not very good so I decided not to sit the bench my senior summer, so I got a job for college. My girlfriend at the time played fastpitch and I started going to her games. I knew of the game from some of my football coaches who played for the ISF World Champion Des Monies Metros, but had never really watched the game much. I instantly fell in love with the speed and the strategy , and quickly started following the team. In college, I decided to major in secondary education and American history. I knew I wanted to coach football and softball, and while I had the background to coach football, I knew no one would hire "just a fan" to coach softball. So, I went to the softball coach and asked if I could volunteer. She eagerly accepted the extra help and I became a student volunteer coach for my last 2 years. I landed a high school job even before I graduated and became the head coach at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School in the summer of 97. I was the head coach there for 4 seasons and in 2000, was given the opportunity to go to South Dakota State University and be a graduate assistant. I was at SDSU for 2 years and after I graduated, began looking for jobs. I applied for about 75 jobs that summer but couldn't get a sniff. In July, Dan Kenney, the AD at UNCP, called me about their opening. After a brief courtship, they flew me down for an interview and I accepted. I have been the head coach at UNCP for the last 5 years now. 2 years ago, I met my fiancee, Heather Weseman, and we are set to be married this August 3rd.

CHEEZE: Great, good luck with your upcoming marriage. Second question: What do you look for in a potential recruit????

COACH JOHNSON: When we start looking for recruits, we first have to determine our needs for that year. We look at who is graduating, where we were weak the year before, how much money we will have to offer and how much cap room we will have under the NCAA mandated 7.2 scholarships for Division II. Once we know what positions we are looking for, we start putting together list of names. These lists are bulilt from kids we have seen before, kids who send us stuff, and kids who someone has told us about. When we go out and watch kids, there are a lot of things we look for. First, we look at talent. Is this kid someone who can make an impact for us? Now, what I look at and what other coaches look at is going to be different. Some coaches use stopwatches and radar guns and take really detailed notes. I look at a players talent compared to the kids we play against. I look at their fundamentals, I can tell when someone is throwing hard or running fast, I don't need a machine to tell me that. But the important thing to keep in mind from parents or travel ball coach's perspective is that no matter what you think about a player, IT'S WHAT I THINK ABOUT A PLAYER!!. Even among coaches, there is going to be differences of opinion. I've seen kids get scholarships to Division I schools and thought, "What the heck," and I'm sure there are people who look at who we have signed and say the same thing. Each college coach has their own system and their own evaluation methods. If a college coach doesn't think your daughter is what they need, don't hold it against that coach. We all evaluate differently based on our specific situation. Secondly, we look at academics. Can we get this kid into school and will she be eligible? As a state school, we have lower admissions standards than a lot of schools. To get into UNCP, as long as you meet the MAR, have a 2.0 in your core classes and get 820 on your SAT or a 17 on your ACT, we can get you into school. Sometimes, we are able to take a chance on a kid if we feel they have the talent we are looking for and meet other things we are looking for. Third, we look at a kid's character and her background. We are looking for kids who know the difference from right and wrong. I am not a baby sitter and will not put up with deviant behavior. We also watch the kids around their teammates and their parents. We want kids who will be good teammates and treat their parents with respect. Anyone who shows attitude on the field, or around their teammates or especially to their parents, we scratch off of our list. Players should know that college coaches are watching them no matter where they are. We pay close attention to them when they are walking around the parks when they are not playing. A kid who doesn't have respect for their parents isn't going to have respect for me. Finally, we look at the little things on the field like hustle and communication and softball knowledge. A kid who is lazy isn't going to blossom into a chatter box just because they change teams. So it is importat for kids to hustle at all times, in and out of the dugout, on the field and in warm-ups. Communication is key to any successful softball program, so teach kids to talk to their teammates beyond just encouraging the pitcher.

CHEEZE: OK, tell us how this process works?

COACH JOHNSON: The first and most important thing kids and parents need to know is to take care of their academics from the time they get into high school. Kids can't wait until their senior year to change things around. They need to be working hard in school and getting good grades from the start. Along with that comes the SAT/ACT. Take these tests as early as possible, even during your junior year if possible. The earlier you take it, the more chances you have at becoming eligible. Don't wait until the 2nd semester of your senior year to take the test because by that time, a lot of opportunities will have passed you by.

Secondly, register for the NCAA Clearinghouse as early as possible. Under new NCAA guidelines, a potential recruit cannot take an official visit or sign a NLI unless they are registered. It is as simple as going to www.ncaaclearinghouse.com, filling out the registration, answering the amateurism questions, paying the fee and sending your transcripts and test scores to them. Doing this early will save a lot of trouble later.

Third, kids need to sit down with their coaches (whether it is you high school or travel ball coach) and talk about where they want to go to school and where they can REALISTICALLY play. If you don't know whether or not you can play at a certain school, go see them play. Look at the talent that they have on the field and who they are playing against and ask yourself and others whether or not you can play at that same level. Too many times kids set their sights on a major Division I school but don't really have the talent or experience to play at that level. Talk about what you want out of your college experience. The first thing to look at is what you want to do academically. If you know, without a doubt, that you want to major in something, look for schools that have that major. But, don't necessarily rule out other schools, Most college kids change their major 2 or 3 times. Secondly, what do you want out of your softball experience? If you are good enough for a major Division I school, they will find you. If you have the opportunity to play for a major program and this is what you want, go for it. The rest of us can't hold a candle to what they can offer. Some kids might try and walk-on at a mojor university. Since I do not and have not coached at that level, I can't comment on the likelihood of those types of kids becomig major players. I have seen some cases where walk-ons do become great players and other cases where they ride the bench and pinch run. That being said, if your whole goal is to be able to say you played at a major university, then you should go after your goal. But, since most kids will not be going to a major program, there are a lot of options to consider. After the major programs, there are a lot of quality mid-major Div I's, Div II's, Div III's and JC's. Keep all of your options open. Each school in each division can offer you something different. Don't limit yourself to one type of school before you start talking to coaches. It may turn out that the school you are just dying to go to doesn't need your position that year or they have already found someone they like better than you. I can't really talk about all of the differences because I haven't been at all the levels and I don't want to say something that isn't true. But you need to investigate a lot of things before you narrow your focus onto just a couple of schools.

 

CHEEZE: How does a player go about getting recruited??

COACH JOHNSON: After you have decided where you want to start looking, it is time to make contact with the coaches. Here, it is important to know the rules NCAA coaches have to follow. NCAA coaches cannot initiate contact either by mail, e-mail, phone or in person until set times. Coaches can start sending mail and e-mail on September 1st of a prospect's junior year. They cannot call a prospect or talk to them in person off campus until either June 15th (for DII) or July 1st (for DI) in the summer before a prospect's senior year. A prospect may call a coach or visit campus on their own and the coach may talk to them there. The best thing to do is to put together a resume with the following information: Home contact information including address, telephone, parent's names and e-mail. Send a PERSONALIZED e-mail or letter to the head coach. We get a ton of e-mails and letters every day from recruits and the ones that say "Dear coach" or are sent to multiple addresses usually get deleted. It is ok to use a bulk letter or e-mail, just make sure you take the time to personalize it to the school you are sending it to. Also, make sure to proof read your e-mail or letter so you don't sound like you are texting or IMing your friends. Remember, first impressions are everything! Hopefully, the coach will send you something back if it is during your junior year. But don't get discouraged if they don't send you something right away. We can get very busy and if there is only one coach, there are a lot of thing they have to do. If you don't get anything back, keep sending e-mails to them until they respond. If you have a video, you should send that to the schools you are most interested in. Most coaches will not recruit you strictly on the video you send, but it helps us to determine if we want to make a trip to see you play. A good vido does not have to be all fancy with graphics and music. It should not be game footage only. A short video that shows your swing from a side view and a front view and you fielding and throwingis enough. When I watch a video, I look only at mechanics. Because of this, I only need to see a little bit, not 5 minutes of the same thing. Once you send this information to a school, try to stay in some sort of contact with them. If they e-mail you or send you a questionnaire, send it back to them. Send them e-mails updating your progress and your tournament schedules.

During the spring of your junior year, if your schedule allows for it, you should try and go out to see some of the schools that you sent stuff to. Check out their schedules and try and catch a game or two. Before you get set on a place, you should see the team and the coach in action. The summer between your junior and senior years is very important. If you are a major DI prospect, coaches will have already made contact with you and most likely you will be close to making a verbal commitment during the summer. But for most kids, that summer is when most of the college coaches will be out watching you play. During this time, a lot of coaches will begin making their initial contacts with recruits. As coaches start contacting you, I advise kids to listen to all offers. But most importantly, be honest with the college coaches that may call you or talk to you. We are all looking at multiple kids. Your are not the only one we are talking to just as we are not the only school you are talking too. If you do not have an interest in a school or program, tell us so we can move on. I also advise kids to look at all of their options.

There is a lot of pressure today for kids to commit early. From a selfish standpoint, kids verballing early makes our life easier. But don't feel pressured into making a quick decision. If you get an offer from a school that you reallly want to go to and it feels right, more power to you if you want to commit early. But if you have questions or want to see other schools, by all means do so. Many times, if a school feels right, taking another visit to a different school can serve to strengthen the feelings you have towards a particular school. Other times, seeing something else might open up other possibilities that you had no thought of before. Regardless, do what you thing is right for you. That being said, there is one point I would like to emphasize. If you make a verbal commitment to a school, HONOR THAT COMMITMENT!! When you verbally commit to a school, they are counting on you for their recruiting class, If they need 1 pitcher for that year and you are it, then once you commit, they stop recruiting other pitchers. If you decommit, then the school is in a hard place since the other pitchers they were recruiting earlier have now moved on to other schools. If you commit, tell the other schools who have been recruiting you that you have committed. That way they can look at other players. The most important part in all of the recruiting process is to be honest with the coaches who are recruiting you and to act like an adult. It may not be the easiest thing to tell a coach that you are going elsewhere, but the will respect your decision more if you don't drag them on for a long time and end up wasting their time.

CHEEZE: What gets kids noticed or ignored by you?

COACH JOHNSON: I think i've answered this in my previous answers, but I'll try to condense it here.

If you want to get noticed, HUSTLE on the field at all times, have a great attitude, be a good teammate, treat your teammates, coaches and parents with respect, play hard, don't pout, and personalize your communication with the coaches at the schools you are interested in.

The things that turn coaches off immediately are bad attitudes, lack of hustle, disrespecting your coaches, parents and teammates, and impersonal contacts through letters or e-mails.

 

CHEEZE: We talked about basic fundamentals not being taught to our kids in hs/tb. will you give us your view about this and how to correct some of these problems?

COACH JOHNSON: There are some basic fundamentals of the game that myself and other college coaches feel are either not being taught or are not being emphasized at both the high schol and travel ball levels. As kids come into our programs, we are having to spend more time reteaching some of these basic fundamentals rather than taking player's games to a higher level.

One of the biggest concerns that many of us have is with the basic fundamental of throwing. This seems very trivial, but so many times we have to go back and reteach kids how to throw the correct way. The 2 biggest flaws that we have to correct are arm angle and follow through.

I will first cover what we are seeing in arm angles. A lot of kids are either throwing with a short arm (meaning when the arm is cocked to throw the ballis close to the player's head), with the elbow forward (meaning they are leading with the elbow which puts the throwing hand underneath the ball and leads to elbow troubles and a weak throw) or with the arm at a 3/4 angle (meaning the ball is even with or below the shoulder). Each one of these flaws can lead to serious injury for the player. Those who short arm the throw will have weaker throws because they are not using the full body to throw with. Speaking anatomically, the weakest part of a female's body is the upper body, particularly the shoulder and upper arms. By short arming the throw, they are taking away much of the force generated by the legs and core. Those who throw elbow first are putting tremendous pressure and torque on the ligaments in the elbow. This can lead to tendonitis in the elbow which can be very painful and slow to recover from. In addition, the throw is very weak. Those who throw with the are in the 3/4 slot tend to put a lot of tension on the shoulder, particularly the biceps tendon that runs up the arm on the front side of the shoulder. A player who throws with this motion generally leads with the shoulder and the ball lags behind. As the arm comes forward, the biceps tendon is stretched out and over time, becomes loose. Over time, as this tendon is stretched more and more, the shoulder capsule becomes looser and looser. As the shoulder separates more and more, there is more pressure placed on the rotator cuff and the possibility of impingements increases. I have had 2 players who have thrown like this have to have surgery to tighten up their shoulders. This is a very painful surgery and an even more painful recovery. Also, when kids throw with their arm in the 3/4 slot, they tend to throw with their hand underneath the ball, which leads to decreased accuracy.

The other part of the throwing motion that causes both injury and inconsistent throws is the follow through. Watch any game today and see how many girls throw and then either keep their back leg back or stop it right next to their plant foot. Fron an injury potential, what this does is put the rotator cuff under tremendous pressure to slow down the arm after the release of the ball. A player should use their entire body to generate the force needed to throw a ball. When they don't use their entire body to slow down the arm after it releases the ball, it is up to the small muscles of the rotator cuff to do so. By simply following through with that trail leg towards their target, the player uses their entire body to help the rotator cuff slow down the arm. When I teach throwing to any age, I always talk about baseball pitchers and their follow through. You never see a baseball pitcher not follow through with his legs. By giving them an example that they have all see, it tends to make more sense to them. From an accuracy perspective, when a player does not follow through, their shoulders tend to stay back or upright. By keeping the shoulders back, with a normal release point, the throw can tend to be high. If the player adjust the release point to compensate for their shoulders, they have a tendency to throw the ball low. So following through all the way helps both to prevent possible injury and to have better accurate throws.

As a coach, it is important to teach kids the correct way to throw. We do it in steps, starting with the wrist flick. Then we go from on knee, making sure that we are turned in a proper throwing position. When most kids get down o n one knee, they face their partner with their lead leg open. This is not how we throw when we are standing. Make sure that their lead leg is even with their back leg, just as if they were standing. Their hips should be turned 90 degrees away from their partner. The front foot should be at a 45 degree angle, again just as if they were standing. The throwing arm should be long, the ball should be pointed away from the body and the glove hand should be pointing at the target. When they throw the ball, the elbow should be slightly above the shoulder (higher if they are an outfielder) and the hand should be behind the ball. The release point should be high and slightly in front of the body. As they release the ball, they should snap the srist just like shooting a basketball. The velocity of an overhand throw comes from the wrist snap, just like in pitching. After they release the ball, the player should make sure to follow through all the way, putting their chest to their leg and the throwing hand thumb in the opposite pocket. From there, we stand, facing 90 degrees away from our partner. Again, we go slow, checking the arm, ball placement, elbow and follow through. After that, they throw normally, but still making sure that they are stepping towards their targe with their foot at a 45 degree angle, they are pointing their glove hand at the target and that they have a good arm angle and good follow through.

 

CONTINUED:

The biggest problem I see is that when kids start to throw, they don't warm up their arms or work on the fundamentals. Rather, they play catch, talking about this and that and not concentrating on the task at hand. Make sure that it is a true arm warm-up. Do everything with a purpose, including this. As they warm up their arms, it is important to remember to warm up throwing longer than their longest throw. After they get loose, it is important to sometimes play long toss. Long toss is not the time to see how far and how hard you can throw the ball. Long toss is designed to stretch the arm out and strengthen it. Baseball players do this every day but it is a concept that seems lost in softball. Once the players get loose, the player in the field should start backing up 2 steps or so every 5 throws. As the distance gets greater, it is important not to keep throwing as hard as you can on a line. As the distance gets greater, the players should put more arch under the ball, using their legs more and leading with the hips. The player in the field should continue to back up until neither of them can reach their partner and then move back in 2 steps. They should throw at this distance for either a set amount of time or a set number of throws. After so much time or so many throws, have the player in the field start taking 2 steps in after every 2 or 3 throws. As she gets closer to her partner, the throws should come down and start to get harder and more on the line. Continue to move in until they are at their original throwing distance.

Some of the other fundamentals that we see not being taught or emphasized do not necessarily cause injury, but tend to make the athletes less marketable to college coaches. Some of these include:

1. Not knowing how to properly catch a fly ball.
2. Not being able to hit the cut-off . . . just because a kid can throw the ball from the outfield to the catcher on the fly doesn't make it a good throw if it's 30 feet over the head of the cut-off.
3. Not knowing how to properly field a ground ball - making sure that the glove stays open and doesn't flip down and that they field it out in front of them instead of between their legs.
4. Not knowing how to properly cover a bag on a force play and a tag play - this can lead to injury if not done properly.
5. Not knowing how to bunt.
6. Not knowing how to slide properly.

The other important part, and I know this can be tough with limited practice time, is the teaching of the game and all the different situations that can happen. For coaches, it is important to know that just because you know what to do does not mean the kids will know what to do. If you don't teach it to them and practice it, they are not going to do it. There are so many things I could talk about in here that it could be another interview totally. I would love to do it if there is interest because the more we teach these young girls the game, the better they will be and the better their experience will be.

CHEEZE: Thanks Coach, great stuff. I have no problem doing another interview, just as soon as my fingers get the feeling back in them, I'm ready. I hope some questions will come out of this and possibly some of our members will put questions to you that can be answered on the next interview.

Again Coach, thanks for your time.

 

thanks again coach Johnson for the interview

 

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