Okay, so here’s the deal on that Seton Hall recruiting thing I was messing with. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, lemme tell ya.
First off, I started by just diving headfirst into their website. You know, the usual, poking around the athletics section, trying to find the coaches’ contacts. It was surprisingly messy. Like, seriously, who designed this thing? Anyway, I eventually found some emails, buried deep in some PDF documents – gotta love those PDFs!
Then, the real fun began. I drafted up a generic email template. Nothing fancy, just introducing the kid, highlighting some achievements, and including a link to their highlight reel. I made sure it was short and sweet, because let’s be real, coaches are swamped. After sending out the initial batch, I meticulously tracked who opened the emails, who clicked the link to the video, and who straight-up ignored me.
The lack of response on a lot of them was discouraging. I knew I needed to change my approach. So, I decided to get a little more personal. Instead of blasting the same email to everyone, I actually spent some time researching each coach, their background, what they’re looking for in a player. I tweaked the email based on that information. It took way longer, but it was worth it.
Next up, I tried to connect with some coaches on LinkedIn. A little more formal, a little more professional. Sent out some connection requests, a few personalized messages. That actually yielded some results. Had a couple of coaches respond, which was a major win.
After that, the real work began with follow-up. It’s so important and it takes time, I even set reminders to circle back every week or so, just to stay on their radar. You know, “Hey Coach, just checking in, saw your team had a great win!” or “Thought you might be interested in this recent game performance”. That kind of thing. Don’t want to be annoying, but I needed them to remember the kid.
It was a grind, no doubt about it. But I learned a ton about the recruiting process, what coaches are looking for, and how to get their attention. Is it perfect? Nah. Is it a guaranteed ticket to Seton Hall? Absolutely not. But it’s a start, and it’s something I can build on.
Lastly, I need to add:
- Be persistent but respectful.
- Tailor your communication.
- Be patient, it takes time.
Hope that helps someone out there!
