In the midst of the summer offer season social media is inundated with pictures and posts pronouncing the latest offers. Undoubtably, these announcements are great! Great for the student-athlete, great for the parents, great for the college and great for the sport. But, after reading these announcements do you ever wonder about the story behind why a student athlete chooses a particular school?
Photo by Jose Morales on Unsplash
So, what is the primary reason an athlete chooses a college? As a parent and coach, my hope is for the student-athlete has found the best possible college fit. Finding the best fit in collegiate sports combines both quality academics with quality athletics. This becomes an ideal scenario where the student-athlete has the opportunity to excel at the next level in both academics and athletics.
In addition to choosing a school based on the outstanding academic programs often, recruits will choose a college because they feel that the coach, or coaching staff, will help them become a better player. Great players always want to improve. In turn, great coaches will help motivated players achieve more than what the athlete is capable of achieving on his/her own.
In regards to making athletes better in the classroom and within the game, the wise and well admired Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz once said, “I won’t accept anything less than the best a player’s capable of doing… and he has the right to expect the best that I can do for him and the team!”
The key to finding the best fit then is to look for an opportunity to excel academically and athletically. A good fit should not only be comfortable, but should offer enough challenges that will create lasting positive change throughout the life of the student when they are no longer an athlete.
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