On-campus visits are a tremendous opportunity for teams to recruit in hopes of a commitment. Both coaches and recruits talk about their "experience" while on campus. It has to be a great "experience" for the kids and their families to make a commitment. Well, from a behind the scenes perspective - it's a borderline 3-ring circus.
The best weekends for kids to come visit is when there is a lot going on campus, especially in the fall during the big football game weekends. It definitely helps Billy Donovan to have 100,000 fans screaming for the Gators on Saturdays, and these coaches play that up. They have to.
The weekends start with a Friday night fly-in and a curbside pick up from the coaches, straight to a dinner that's waiting for them (steaks, anyone? Also, make sure they're well-done!) Friday night has to be a blast for the kid. Parties and girls. These guys want to meet girls when they come to campus, it's a fact. You better be sure for him to meet some or it will put a negative outlook for the entire visit.
Saturday mornings are usually a team tailgate that has an impressive food spread for 25 enormous young men. Adoring fans are constantly coming over to creep out the players and shake the assistant strength coach's hand. The hardcore fans are aware of what recruits are on campus and will try their best to help the school get a commit by screaming their name like it's the Holy Grail.
It's a constant effort by everyone to cut up and tell jokes. You have to keep the recruit stimulated the entire weekend. If the kid becomes bored, most of the time the experience isn't quite right and he'll look at other schools favorably where he had more fun. If that happens, all of the peons whose job it was to make the weekend amazing gets cussed out.
Sunday is all about hugs and "we'll see you soon!" Coaches stay up at night praying that wasn't the last time they wave goodbye. It's like a sappy high school break up; they're suicidal when "the one" gets away, but a week later they are calling someone else.
No comments:
Post a Comment