Don’t Be Sold a Lie

Diving deeper into what you and your parents should know, and tips to help guide you.

“At the end of the day it's not the coolest gym or locker room that's there for you when you play shitty or fail a test or have a terrible practice. At the end of the day it's the people around you that are there for you.” -Anna DeWolfe of Fordham University Women's Basketball

Lying seems to be part of the game.

Picking a college is hard on its own. But trying to pick the right school for you when you are being sold empty promises and lies? That’s even harder. When I was going through the recruiting process the first time, I must have gone on only 5 out of my 30 visits when I realized coaches are really good at selling the things that I wanted to hear and see. Everything else seemed to be tucked away behind a curtain, only to come out when the recruit would leave. In other words, they sell you an experience just enough for you to commit and find out the realities the hard way. 

On these visits, I was being told all about the state-of-the-art facilities, and the gear we would get, the traveling we would take part in, and the iPads we would get to keep. As an immature teenager, I was enamored with these things. But I can tell you now, they were the wrong things to be mesmerized by. And maybe part of not knowing the answers to more important topics was because I wasn’t asking the right questions. With that being said, as much as these schools are looking for a player to fit into their program, you are also looking for a school that fits YOU. YOU get to decide what you want out of your college experience. Don't let them fool you. It should go both ways! 

So back to what you should be looking for:

When on a visit, pay particularly close attention to the lifestyle the players live and how the players interact with one another. Are they clapping for each other at practice? Are the players high-fiving one another? Are they motivating each other? Look to see if there is a genuine connection within the team. Similarly, examining the relationships between the players and coaches will tell you a great deal. Look to see if there is mutual respect. Probably one of the most important characteristics to look for within the program is, does the coach treat the players like just a number on a roster or as if they are a family member? That will tell you all you need to know!