Stats, What Are Coaches Looking For?
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When building your recruitment profile there are a lot of aspects that you must consider. Video quality, contact information, your future goals, etc. One aspect that many athletes and parents get overwhelmed with when it comes to recruitment is stats. Stats and stat keeping is an art. It takes hundreds of hours to track, organize, and report stats no matter what the sport or level. For each unique sport there are hundreds of different statistical categories that you can track, the question is however, which one matters most? In this installment of THE BLOG, we take a look at sport statistics, and the role they play in the recruitment process of amateur athletes.
Quality Over Quantity
Our first tip when it comes to stat tracking for your recruitment is to keep it short and simple. When you are first starting to keep track of your statistics (which should be when you enter high school), focus on the main statistical categories for your sport. As many amateur athletes do not have the resources to have stats kept for them, having a parent keep track of times, points, saves, shots, etc. is a great starting point. Coaches will typically look at the main statistical categories first to catch their eye. If you throw a million stats at a coach it is actually more of a turn off than on. Keep it short and sweet, focus on the main points, that is what draws coaches and teams in to start
Competition Matters
Who you’re competing against is just as important as the numbers you put up. Coaches have been around a long time. They will not be fooled by someone putting up crazy numbers against weak competition. Although in some instances you do not have the choice on who you compete against, challenging yourself will help legitimize your statistics, even if they drop a little bit. Playing more difficult golf courses, entering tougher basketball tournaments, entering high level showcases are all examples of how you can up the competition level that you are facing. Although your stats may dip a little, coaches recognize competition levels and value that much heavier than numbers.
When In Doubt, Ask!
In a world where you can find stats on pretty much anything, it can be a little overwhelming. You may not know where to start or what truly is valuable. Resources such as us here at NLU, your high school or club coach, or even a coach at the next level are available for you to seek guidance on what you should be tracking, how to track it, and what information to share. Finding the right information out for your sport can be the difference between earning multiple offers from schools and not having an opportunity at all.
Everyone loves stats, they are cool to look at and can give you a confidence boost as an athlete. Making sure you know how to track your stats, which stats are most valuable, and most importantly, which stats coaches are looking for can make all the difference in your ability to earn an opportunity to continue to play your sport and not.