Recruiting at Division II

Recruiting is a hot topic in the world of college sports. We constantly hear stories about high profile recruits and coaches; scandals and stories of triumph. The process can be confusing and overwhelming for young athletes and their parents. I want to do a short post to provide a bit of insight to the world of recruiting from the DII/Regis perspective.

My first advice for families is to take control of the process. Recruiting takes as much or more energy on your part as the college coaches. Sitting back and waiting to be "discovered" is a passive and risky way to approach what is probably the first major decsion a young person will make.

As a family, make a list of things that are important to you when searching for a college. Think about location, size, academic offerings, public v private, etc. Add the athletic piece in and come up with a vision of what would be a good "fit" for the student-athlete. Go on to identify some colleges that match what you think you might want. Contact these schools.

Something I would caution people: Be very skeptical of "all or none" types of statements. For example, "only kids who play club ball get full scholarships". We have 14 players on our team, all 14 have different recruiting stories about how they ended up at Regis. It's also dangerous to assume all schools recruit about the same way. There as many recruiting philosophies as there are coaches.

At Regis, we love it when people contact us. Having people be interested in Regis and our program is over half the battle. We are a staff of 2. It is simply not possible for us to know about every player in the region who might be a good fit for us. We have 3 criteria we never waiver from in recruiting. Find good people, serious students and great basketball players. In that order. We are trying to find players that are a good fit for us and who will be happy here. You are doing the exact same thing. We are going to ask you questions and get as much information as possible, you need to do the same thing.

Ok, so maybe that wasn't a short post. The message is BE PROACTIVE. Look around for resources, ask questions, get informed. Don't let recruiting (or no recruiting) happen to you. The following is a link to the NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete.

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/ncaa/NCAA/Legislation+and+Governance/Eligibility+and+Recruiting/InformationforCollege-BoundStudent-Athletes

Game tonight at UCCS, 6pm. They must be worried-they are having a live Mountain Lion there before the game.

Coach Bain

Emilyyyyyy!

The gym gets quite just about the time Coach Raunig decides to gently remind Emily to stay off the sideline. Yep, that's Emily, getting the job done. All she has done is record back-back-back double-doubles, earning her "RMAC Player of the Week" honors.

http://www.rmacsports.org/sports/wbkb/2009-10/news/0910_rmac_wbb_week9.pdf

Nice job Em!

Professional Season

We are all back from Christmas with our family and friends. Everyone seems satisfied with their gifts this year. We have a little over 3 weeks of basketball with no classes to worry about. I like to call us "Professionals" this time of year.

We won 2 games in a tournament last weekend and now resume our conference schedule. This time of year can really solidify the bonds our teams has been forming. It's a time we can really focus and decide who we are and what we want to be known for. It takes a great deal of determination to be a great college basketball team. Every individual has to stay focused on doing her best everyday and sacrificing for the good of the team. Being selfless is really hard but it is a mark of every good team.

Almost Christmas!

With school now out, we like to consider ourselves professional basketball players. One semester is in the books (coaches are anxious to seeing the grade reports) and we've learned a lot about our team. At 4-4 we have the opportunity to pick the direction we will go for the rest of the season.

We spent some time during a team retreat determining our values and what we are going to strive for from this point forward. It's up to each person to decide to be "all in". Team-First and Commitment are two of the values our group identified as "absolutely essential".

Because we are so talented, we know our level of success will be a result of our own determination and willingness to embrace our roles. All seasons have their ups and downs; teams with character find ways to navigate through and reach their goals.

Merry Christmas!

She's Purdy Darn Cool!

Tae'lor is one of those people who is driven and willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve success. This small town girl has been playing basketball since the age of 5, and it shows with her talent and ability out on the court. When given the opportunity to participate in a short interview, Tae'lor answered the following way:

What do you like most about college basketball?
The variety/strategy and the fast pace of the game.

What is your favorite memory so far this year?
Me, Kaitie, Kellie, and Jax were headed back to the dorms and Kaitie had to pee really, really bad. Instead of just parking, we decided to drive around Regis campus and not let Kaitie out. At one point Kaitie had dropped Kellie’s purse out of the car and Jax had to pick it up while the car was moving. We were all laughing so hard.

What other hobbies do you enjoy?
I enjoy volleyball, track, rodeo, and shopping!

Colt McCoy or Tim Tebow? Why?
Tim Tebow all the way! He is very, very attractive. Has big muscles and is smart!

Favorite pro team?
Dallas Cowboys

What do you want to do after college?
I want to either be a doctor or do something in sports medicine.

What do your siblings think about you playing college basketball?
Bay’lee thinks it is “super cool and awesome” to have a sister playing ball in college.

How do you like living on your own? With Erin O’Toole?
It’s nice being on my own, except for I don’t get my own bathroom. I do miss home a lot. Living with Erin is fun and I am always entertained.

What was your favorite toy when you were younger?
A fold and jam basketball arcade game.

Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift?
Taylor Swift

How much do you love Meagan Nickell?
Depends on the day! ;)