Coach John and his assistant debate when to contact a promising freshman from their ID camp who plays in MLS Next. The player emails first, expressing real interest in their style and wanting to visit a fall game, which signals both talent and fit for a potential scholarship.
Hey, Coach John. So I did get to see this one kid at our ID camp, and I thought he was really good. He was only a freshman, and he stood out more than anyone there. Yeah, I saw that kid. He was number 32, right? I heard he plays MLS Next. I know he's a really good player, and I'm glad we got to see him as a freshman. I know a lot of families think they should— we shouldn't see anybody as a freshman, but when they're really exceptional, now we get to keep tabs on him for a long time and hopefully convince him to come to our school. Did you follow up with an email after the ID camp and figure out, you know, if we should go to a showcase? I want to know what his schedule is. Well, per your protocol, I didn't follow up with him first. Actually, I wanted to see if they would follow up with us, because if they don't really like us that much and he came to the camp and it turns out he didn't have a good time, he probably doesn't want to play for us. And then I don't want to waste our time. Very good, Mr. Assistant Coach. You've been following my directions. I'm very proud of you. So if he does follow up with an email, let me know, because then I definitely want to see his schedule. And I'd love to know a little bit more about him. Hey, Coach, I just got an email from him. Not only did he mention that he wants to come to one of our games this fall, But he also mentioned he really enjoyed learning from you how to make more space, especially on the half turn. Wow. He complimented our playing style and he complimented me as a coach during our camp. Now I really like him, not just as a player, but I really like him as a person. Maybe we can even offer him a scholarship down the road. This is exactly what happens when the college camps occur and when the recruiting process happens inside the college coach's little office. If you want help getting their attention, schedule a call. Links in the bio. I'll talk to you soon.
