College Recruiting & Social Media

It seems that every high school and college student-athlete is using some form of social media almost constantly.  With the advent of smart phones, it is easier now than ever before to communicate and share opinions and thoughts.  With this greater opportunity comes a greater responsibility to be wise.  

If a high school athlete desires to have as many good scholarship options as possible, then it is important that they are wise in their social media use.  For college athletes, if they want to have as many good employment options as possible, then they need to be responsible when they post to their social media accounts.  

I recently presented at the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s Student-Athlete Leadership Conference.  My topic was social media and college recruiting.  The bottom line is that the choices we make today will shape our tomorrows.  What do we want our tomorrow to look like.  We each have a brand.  We each have a story to tell about ourselves.  What are we going to tell the world?

Here is the power point presentation that we used at the conference…

• Power Point Presentation

How do I get my teammates to listen to me?

In our most recent Student-Athlete Leadership Team meeting, a student asked a question that had the rest of the group nodding in agreement and adding their two-cents worth to the conversation.

“How do I get my teammates to listen to me”?

There are many variations to this question, but they all come down to student-athletes wanting to influence their teammates in some way.  John Maxwell, the #1 leadership expert in the world, says that “Leadership is influence.  Nothing more, nothing less.”  

Sometimes we look at our team and see the negatives.  We want everyone to respect us and follow us.  This may not always be possible.  Don’t worry about everyone.  Worry about those that you can influence. 

Marion Student-Athletes Learning Leadership Skills

Some Marion High School student-athletes are learning how to be better leaders in order to help their teams on the field of competition and improve the world around them.

About 25 student-athletes from various teams at Marion met weekly this past semester before school to learn about different leadership concepts.

“The morning sessions taught me a new thing every single week on how to be good teammate and player both on and off the field,” said Luke Oliver, who plays both football and soccer.

The student-athlete leadership training was led by Marion’s Director of Athletics Jamy Bechler.   It was a combination of the IHSAA and NAIA’s Champions of Character programs and Bechler’s own ULeadership initiative, which promotes the concept of “Leadership Begins with U.”

Solution to NCAA's Transfer Problems

Wisconsin's Bo Ryan
has come under fire
 recently for the
stipulations he
placed on a player
looking to transfer

This is the NCAA's lucky day because I have the solutions for their transfer policies, which have come under considerable fire in recent weeks and months (e.g. Maryland Football, Wisconsin Basketball, St. Joseph's Basketball).  To set the stage before I give you the solution, below are a few articles that should provide further insight on the topic.

• Bo Ryan Uproar Sheds Light on NCAA's Faulty Transfer Policy (Seth Davis)
• Coaching Changes and NCAA Transfer Rules:  Is the Current System Leaving Athletes Abandoned? (Research study at Williamette University)
• Time to Change Transfer Rules (Dick Vitale)
• College, player divorce in basketball can be messier than the marriage (Terry Hutchens) 
• Transfer Rules Won't Be Easily Lifted (espn.com)
• A Saner Solution to Basketball's Transfer Problem (Brad Wolverton)

Mark Emmert, the NCAA's President, appears to be a very sensible and practical person that talks about his desire for reform in college athletics.  This includes the issue of student-athletes transferring from one school to another.  Depending on who you talk with (coaches, administrators, student-athletes, fans), you will probably get varying opinions on the topic.  In fact, you may even get a different opinion from each person based on their situation.  There is no fool proof or perfect solution. Compromise is needed because neither side is right in all situations and neither side is always innocent. However, I have provided a simple solution to the problem, as well as some remarks in response to the most heard comments.  No doubt, there will be some differing opinions about what I write.  That is fine.  The bottom line is that the NCAA's transfer policies are not working as optimal as they probably could be.  There needs to be some rational and objective discussion about how the student-athletes, the coaches and the institutions can all co-exist as best as possible without taking advantage of each other in this area.

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

(1) Allow the athletic program to scholarship the transfer.  This will probably eliminate a majority of the complaints, since oftentimes a player wants to transfer but find it difficult because of the financial hardship it will place on them. 

Another Leader "Crashes"

Joe Paterno, Jim Tressell, Bruce Pearl, the list goes on and on.  You can now add former University of Arkansas head football coach to the list of great coaches...great leaders, that fell short of their obligations as individuals of character.  As leaders of young men (or women), it is imperative that a coach abide by higher standards.  Character and integrity do go hand in hand with what a college (or high school) coach's expectations should be.  At these levels, a coach is expected to help develop character in their players.  It is a difficult task, made nearly impossible if a coach doesn't model an acceptable behavior themselves.