The importance of accurate stats is often overlooked. Sadly, I notice many high school coaches neglect to keep accurate stats and by doing so negatively impact recruiting potential of their athletes. I often say, “stats are facts” because stats are excellent proof of both athletic ability and consistent performance. Smart recruits keep track of their stats and frequently update them on their recruiting profile.
Anyone remember learning how to do proofs in Geometry class? For some of us learning proofs may have happened a long time ago. We learned how to write proofs to show the progressional steps of the work and prove how we arrived at the correct answer. In recruiting it is necessary that you have accurate facts if you are an athletes looking to catch the eye of a coach. Accurate statistical information is an invaluable assets to the recruiting process. Game stats, like proofs, are a series of facts that prove the correct solution to the problem a college coach is looking to solve.
Unfortunately, many high-school coaches do a poor job of keeping and posting accurate stats. When scouting prospective college athletes, I see it everyday. One reason I suspect that coaches don’t keep and post accurate stats is simple; stats can highlight a player’s weakness. A lot of coaches are sympathetic to the athlete and don’t want to make them feel bad about their overall performance. But good coaching is about helping players improve their strengths as well as work on their weaknesses so that they become strengths!
Overall, I believe good coaching includes keeping accurate stats because these stats help players become better players! Ultimately, a coach that does not post stats doesn’t help his/her players and consequently does a great deal of harm to the athletes’ prospect status.
All in all, stats leave a trail for college coaches to follow to determine if you are the athlete they are looking for. Like your high school geometry teacher grading the steps to your answers, college coaches are looking to find players to be a solution to their problems. So without accurate thorough and up-to-date stats college coaches may never be able to determine if you are the solution.
One final word to parents. Most coaches, high school or club, aren’t against stats. Many coaches are overwhelmed with responsibilities beyond recording and posting game stats. So, if your high school coach doesn’t post stats parents please step-up and offer to help! It just may make a difference between a student-athlete being passed over and a student-athlete having the opportunity for an athletic scholarship.
Elite Athletes Recruiting 