Coaches, should we trust them?

When it comes to sports scholarships and the US college recruitment process

A lot of times we take advice from our coaches, sport teachers PE Teachers or someone else’s coach when it comes to finding sports scholarships.  And let’s be frank here……. the advice you receive often times has the personal motives of the coach, so I think it’s just about being careful.

“Being Careful”

… And look, I guess, it’s not every sports coach obviously, but the advice that we hear that athletes are receiving from their coaches in relation to the college recruitment process sometimes is well……. just straight up incorrect.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of coaches out there in Australia and New Zealand that are giving quality information when it comes to this pathway, the same way Career advisors are also giving athletes great information, but it just may not be…… complete! or specific to that individual athlete. Or as in my case (with my High school Teacher Mr Jones back in the day) just complete negativity and nonsense………

“It’s different as an International Student Athlete”

Firstly, we’ve got coaches here in Australia that have taken the US pathway themselves and they have experience in the US. So typically a lot of the time, the information that they’re giving you relates to their own experience.

So if they went to a particular division or conference or area of the country the information that they’re giving is completely related to them and their experience and not necessarily about where your experience could take you.

Secondly, there are coaches that are coaching here in Australia that are American, that have experience with the college pathway, but are also giving information based on their experience as an American.

Thirdly, there are couches that know athletes that have gone through the process. So whether it be a family friend or an athlete they’ve coached. And again, the information that they’re giving students is based on what they’ve heard. You can get some good information, but not entirely accurate.

Lastly,

It’s different for an international Student Athlete, because everybody’s different! There are coaches that don’t really have any idea about

the US collegiate system, but will still put their opinions in place and share information with you about what you should do which may not necessarily be the best route for you……Sometimes it can simply be a little bit of an ego thing!

“taking the time to truly research and understand the ins and outs of College Recruitment”

Look there are other coaches out there that will give you a different opinion as they’ll have different backgrounds, they’ll have different views, they’ll have different experiences in the sport and again, I guess getting information from anyone, just like a career advisor – you take that information on board, but take it with a grain of salt and try and then do additional research and time into figuring out how that information could pertain specifically to you!

And let’s be honest, their experience is not based on 12 years of running a business like NSR Australia of placing athletes and taking the time to truly research and understand the ins and outs of college recruitment and we wouldn’t expect them too!

They wouldn’t look at you specifically, take into account your academics, your position, what you want to study and your overall budget, I’m hard pressed to say that you will not find that in your coach.

There’s a good chance your coach probably doesn’t have that knowledge, the experience to be able to break things down and consider all variables and then give you specific advice about where you should take your sport, because if that was the case, an organisation like NSR wouldn’t exist.

“It’s important to get a second opinion”

You know, even if the coach is 1

00% certain that the information is correct, I guess it’s important to get a second opinion. There will always still be some potential red flags and things to be aware of so as always….. You should still always continue to do your own research.

What we hear in the office

I guess some concerns or questions that are raised from parents and athletes are about information their coaches have given them about the US collegiate system.

We probably get, on average, around five, six, seven times a week, athletes claiming that their coach told them “this” and told them “that!” And you know how many times that information is incorrect or incomplete? I would say 99% of the time, and too general in nature.

“Get your facts right”

Even if you are a coach reading this and you want a second opinion or you’re not sure about the information that you’re giving an athlete, feel free to call us, we have plenty of coaches that contact us looking for additional information about the US collegiate system as they have athletes that are considering the pathway.

We can help you get your facts right and provide proper education and information to your athletes about becoming an International Student Athlete and how the US Collegiate System works. We would rather you talk to us then potentially provide an athlete incorrect or incomplete information that can potentially harm their opportunities. In addition you can download our 12 step guide here!

We have a few ex college athletes working here at NSR Australia ( Jacob and Harrison…top blokes but terrible table tennis players) ! They spent four years in the States and after completing their time over there, had a good understanding or a decent knowledge of divisions and areas of the country and conferences and I guess, the levels of play throughout the country but it wasn’t until they started working for NSR that they found out what was actually involved and the in depth eligibility process for particular divisions or the classes that you need to take in order to be eligible for that division.

“What does that mean to you?”

It’s quite easy for the coach to say “go to a Division 1 because that’s the best” “It’s the highest level, it’s the biggest” but what does that mean to you?? Are you that type of player and if you don’t go to that sort of level, is it not worth your time?

Well, no, not at all, there’s a level for everybody. And again, when you get that information from a coach and they impose their own opinions on what you should do and where you should go, then again, listen to it, but continue to seek additional information. Especially if you’re going through this process on your own.

Our NSR athletes, have the liberty of calling us, picking up the phone anytime, shooting us an email and asking as many questions needed to ensure they are on the right path.

I will be 100% honest, transparent and provide a realistic evaluation of where we see you as an athlete, the types of schools that you’re going to fit into, based on your academics, athletic ability and as many different variables that need to be taken into account to provide you with the best experience and journey.

So again, if you’re doing this (The US College recruitment process) by yourself, don’t take the information that you get directly from your coach as “law” because if you do……then….. it’s probably not going to happen for you. You will find yourself disappointed probably at the end of the day, because you haven’t sought additional opinions or you haven’t dug deep enough into how the whole system works to figure out and whether that advise is right for you!

Don’t forget to grab your FREE 12 Step Guide on how to find Sports Scholarships in the USA – Click the image below to get yours