or blames former teammates or coaches, expects their parents to answer questions for them, doesn’t make eye contact, or – Worse! – is glancing at their phone while talking to a coach. Another big one for her is if a player asks for guaranteed playing time. Bottom line, she says, is it’s very important
how you present yourself to a coach. “At the end of the day, I prefer someone
who is receptive and respectful of our efforts to communicate with them as well as people who give us a chance to inform them of what we can offer them,” Woodin says. “[I look at a player’s] body language, how they interact with their parents, what they say about their current coaches and teammates, if they can articulate their interests and whether or not they’re able to make eye contact with me. [All of those things] can give me a better sense of them not just as a potential leader on our team but also what they may be like as a teammate, student and citizen.” Former Ohio State women’s head coach
Jim Stone, who coaches in USA Volleyball’s High Performance pipeline, says one of his top indicators is how players carry themselves on the court, especially when the going gets tough.
“At the end of the day, I prefer someone who is receptive and respectful of our efforts to communi- cate with them as well as people who give us a chance to inform them of what we can offer them. [I look at a player’s] body language, how they interact with their parents, what they say about their current coaches and teammates, if they can
articulate their interests and whether or not they’re able to make eye contact with me.”
— DeAnn Woodin, Coe College
“I look for body language, even if some- one is not directly involved in a play,” he says. “How do they react when things aren’t going their way? Do they roll their eyes if a teammate
makes a mistake? And along those lines, how does someone play when their team is behind? Do they elevate their game, or do they get frustrated and start passing blame off on their teammates? It’s easy to [look good] when the team is playing well, but I like to watch players when things aren’t going well. For me, that’s pretty close to the top of my list when it comes to red flags.”
A win-win for you and the school A mutual understanding of personal goals and expectations is important. If you and your soon-to-be coach aren’t on the same page, you may end up in a school environment that’s not right for your needs and desires. And when this happens, the team doesn’t benefit either, because you’re not likely to be able to offer your best contributions. With than in mind, Kuhn says it’s impor-
tant for recruits to be open and honest in all communications with coaches they might end up playing for. “It can be scary and intimidating at times,”
she says. “But the more you can share and ex- pose your personality and show them who you are, the better fit you’re going to find.”
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