There is a lot of talk about recruiting in connection with the staff changes. I myself have expressed concerns about Manny in this regard. Others have talked about whether someone is or isn’t a good recruiter based on their selling ability, or perceived evaluations. Given how important this topic is to the future of the program, I thought it was worth a thread - not on the recruiting board, but here, as a matter of team management.
First, recruiting is about both evaluations and selling. I have been yapping about evaluations on these boards since early in the Coker years. But evals and selling are outcomes. You don’t get there effectively without a detailed plan and disciplined process. That’s where I’d start.
From the HC and staff perspective, a good recruiting plan requires clear prioritization. What approach, what qualities/types of kids, how to approach local schools and kids and issues, where and how and when to assess kids, how much information is enough, where the bar is set by position and year, how to balance roster spots amongst positions, how to balance types of kid by personality, ceiling, risk, dependability, readiness, etc., how many offers to send out, and when, what spots in any given year you go out of area for earliest, how to divide recruiting responsibilities amongst staff members, how to support recruiting in this new social media era, how to make sure staff members are doing their jobs well as the year unfolds, how to collectovely assess so it’s not different coaches deciding differently based on position groups, how to balance settling vs. holding out for better prospects, how to handle communications with HS coaches and parents, how to move on from a kid while minimizing fall-out, how to maintain contact and have back up plans, how to create perception of momentum, and on and on. And importantly, how to pay enough attention (and who to listen to) so that you don’t have message board regulars better informed than our staff, which has clearly happened in many instances over the past many years.
All of these issues require thought, a process, and a Head Coach to monitor them. Importantly, most to all of that can be done by a good manager. It does not require a great salesman, though that obviously helps. And it does not require a Hc to be a great evaluator, though that clearly helps also. It requires only the right plan, and the right input into evaluations, a discipline to stick to the process and know what you want, and urgency at getting at it. The salesmen can be assistant coaches. And while the HC needs a view on evaluations, a good process can narrow the choices a lot and help generally improve selections.
This stuff sounds obvious, but our last three coaches did an absolutely awful job on this topic. Not only in their down years but even their supposed good years. Recruiting used to be a lot about knowing local high school coaches and picking amongst local kids. Those things still matter, but in this new era, it’s totally changed. There is so much more information on so many more kids. It’s ripe for a Money Ball type approach with data and dicipline to free up coaches to spend their time in the best ways possible, in recruiting and otherwise.
IMO Manny can get this right, if he recognizes the importance of recruiting and prioritizes and resources around it. But I have no idea if he will. His record as DC was not comforting as far as recruiting goes, but his approach so far as a HC gives me some optimism.
@LuCane
