Latest / The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast / BONUS: The Coaches Roundtable-Mironda Proctor, NCAA and Recruiting

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BONUS: The Coaches Roundtable-Mironda Proctor, NCAA and Recruiting · The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast

0:00
All right, everybody, it's bonus time.
0:03
Coach Miranda Proctor and Charles Proctor run the Coach
0:07
Proctor foundation.org. Go check them out.
0:09
They host a coach's round table in the great state of South
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Carolina back in December, where they discussed many amazing
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topics including training the jumps, training the throws,
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health and Wellness. And today I wanted to share with
0:24
you Miranda Proctor's topic of NCAA and recruiting.
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Coach. Proctor is the Director of
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Female Strength and Conditioning at Richland Northeast High
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School. It's a little hard to hear,
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you're going to have to turn it up, but I think there's a lot of
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value for your program this year, in 2024 and beyond.
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Enjoy this bonus content and thank you to the Proctors for
0:43
sharing it with our audience. Track and Field World Q&L tuned
0:57
in to our humble servant Mike Cunningham for another
1:01
extraordinary message on Gil Athletics connections.
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All right, so some of this stuff Coach Langford already kind of
1:26
touched on. So again, I'm going to rope my
1:28
college corner coaches to chime in whenever they want to about
1:32
NCAA and anything that you found along the way.
1:35
So some of my background includes I started off my
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coaching career at Lower Richland helping out with with
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their program and being a middle school coach at at Hopkins
1:47
Middle Forum for a minute. Never anticipated that I was
1:49
going to be teaching middle school at all.
1:51
Like, it's a special place for people who teach middle school,
1:55
right? Yes.
1:56
OK, Yeah, yeah. Five years.
1:58
I didn't didn't expect to even be teaching for a year.
2:01
This was just something I got roped into at South Carolina
2:04
State because my mom went there and she was like, look, be a
2:07
teacher, you're going to get a job.
2:08
And she she didn't lie. I graduated on December 12th, my
2:11
interview December 14th. I started December 15th.
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So So yeah, I rolled in right away.
2:17
State. I really love that community,
2:18
really love coaching athletes, but it really taught me how to
2:21
coach because you really have to break it down very simply for
2:25
them, especially if they've never done this sport before.
2:28
So then transition to coaching at AC floor.
2:30
I was there for three years and then I moved to Kenan, which I
2:33
was assistant coach there and with jumps and and then I moved
2:38
into the athletic director role while I was at AC floor.
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That's when I really got introduced to really know in the
2:45
process of NCAA eligibility and how important it is for our
2:49
athletes to be knowledgeable of it.
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Fortunately, where I went to school at at Sumter High School,
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we had somebody in place that was over the athletes that told
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us about this from the like from junior year, the beginning of
3:00
your junior year, they told you what you needed to do.
3:03
They broke it down step by step. They communicated with you.
3:05
They walked you through every step.
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Every school is not fortunate to have that.
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Every school is not fortunate to have that.
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Every school is not fortunate to have guidance counselors in
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place that know our athletes and know that they need to have
3:17
certain courses at certain times.
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So that's why as a coach it's very important for you to have a
3:22
good relationship with the guidance counselors to
3:24
understand this is an athlete especially who had an athlete
3:28
that has the trajectory of going Division One because there is
3:31
there are higher standards for them than it is for other
3:34
qualifying schools. And you don't want a kid that
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has the talent to go Division. One have to go at a lower tier
3:40
simply because the school did not, you know, put the kid in
3:44
the best position to get there. So that's kind of what we're
3:46
going to go over now. When I became an athletic
3:49
director at Keenan, I was much more involved in the process.
3:52
It changes the rules changes. COVID changed it a lot.
3:54
And we're going to talk about that.
3:55
COVID. COVID changed the game a lot in
3:57
terms of qualifying standards for each division.
4:01
But. But now that we're getting kind
4:03
of out of COVID, you know, a lot of kids think that some of those
4:06
same standards match and they they're they're going back to
4:09
what kind of what they used to accept for this, the SAT and
4:12
ACT. We're going to talk about that.
4:14
So this is the presentation that I show my kids.
4:19
So it kind of was going to look like, I'm talking to kids, but
4:22
it's still relevant. All right.
4:23
So first thing I ask the kids is, do you even want to be a
4:27
collegiate athlete? Because being a college athlete
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is not for everybody, right? According to the NCAA, nearly 8
4:33
million students currently participate in high school
4:35
athletics in the United States, More than 480,000 compete as
4:39
NCAA athletes, and just a select few within the sport move on.
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My husband talked about the Power 5 athletes.
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But if you just think about on the grand scheme of things, for
4:48
the last couple of years you've been coaching, think about how
4:50
many kids you have on your team and how many kids actually go on
4:53
to college. We're talking about D2D1, JUCO,
4:56
whatever. Just think about that.
4:58
All right. And so I tell the kids see it so
5:00
they think, oh, everybody can get a scholarship, but that's
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not the case, all right. Some people can't handle the the
5:06
workload that comes with it too. So this is a a screenshot of
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something I saw on Twitter and they were talking about
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football. But it is kind of relevant to
5:13
what the schedule is like on the college level, you know, getting
5:16
up early, going to strength conditioning.
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I know when I was at athlete at South Carolina State I I always
5:22
chose the 6:00 wait time because I did not want to go in the
5:24
weight room after practice. So I chose to sit.
5:27
I was and I hate getting up in the morning, but I was like I'd
5:29
rather go ahead and get it out of the way and be early to my
5:32
8:00 class by by going there. But I had it was a sacrifice.
5:35
I had to go to bed and get up early so that I could be at the
5:39
weight room and we had a wait coach, Coach Allen, he had a
5:43
rule. It was if you want, if you were
5:46
late, he'd lock you out and he give you the GTFO card, which is
5:49
get the fuck out and make you leave.
5:52
So, so then I go to we had breakfast.
5:55
Of course she needed to eat. I wasn't really a breakfast
5:57
person, but that was the thing I had to do, going to class, going
6:00
to study hall. We all know the qualification
6:02
when you get into school that you have is mandatory study
6:06
hall. So it's not like high school.
6:07
Some when I was in Richland one, they required you to go to study
6:10
hall. I haven't had.
6:11
This is my first year in Richland too, so I haven't
6:13
really seen the requirement of going to study hall.
6:15
But in Richland one, it was definitely a thing that their
6:18
kids had to log in a certain amount of hours for study hall.
6:21
And I told them, well, this is what it's going to be like from
6:23
college to you have to log in a certain amount of hours of study
6:25
hall to make sure you keep your GPA up to be eligible, getting
6:30
tape, going to get treatment, going to practice, making sure
6:32
you have dinner. You might have another study
6:34
group or study hall that you need to go to.
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There were times to meet my hours.
6:38
I had to go to study hall after practice too, so I could meet my
6:41
hours for the week. So I'd let kids see a snapshot
6:44
of this schedule so they understand that it's not just
6:47
the glitz, the glamour and post the graphic on social media like
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it's more work after that, right.
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So when Coach Lanford talked about Smiley and I had the the
6:56
pleasure of coaching Smiley too at when I was at Keenan and This
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Is Us on graduation day at for at Keenan.
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And you know this was the screenshot of what he posted.
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We graduated from OU yesterday. So for me, like I love to see
7:12
the kids progress and use their talents to help compete on the
7:14
next level. But graduation is the goal.
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So to see, you know, we did our job with this.
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He was able to go to school, able to do what he loved and
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also able to get a degree out of it and now he's going to go and
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use his last year at high Point to get his also masters paid
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for. So that's the goal of it.
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If we can get kids in a position to to to get right here that
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that's awesome when we've done our job.
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All right. So academics first.
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So I preach this all the times to the kids.
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You know, we say it all the time student, athletes, student comes
7:44
before athlete. But you have to really pound it
7:47
into them if they're one wanting to go on to the NCAA level, you
7:51
know, of competition. So I tell them all the time with
7:55
their teachers that have a good work in communication with their
7:57
teachers, right. They sometimes they come to me
8:00
and they're like, can you talk to someone?
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So no, I can't because you can't pack me up in your suitcase and
8:04
go to college with you to talk to your professor about it.
8:06
You have to be able to open up your mouth and advocate for
8:08
yourself. So ask questions.
8:10
Attend tutoring if you don't understand something or seek a
8:13
private tutor if you you know you don't understand something.
8:16
Like get to get the help and don't be afraid to ask for help.
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Sometimes our kids are reluctant to ask for help, having a good
8:22
relationship with their guidance counselors.
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They all go and guidance counselors I know y'all correct
8:27
me if I'm wrong about something or add in anything when you if
8:30
y'all if y'all need to. So God is having a good working
8:34
relationship with their guidance counselors.
8:35
They go to their IGP meetings every year to get their schedule
8:38
done. They need to advocate for
8:40
themselves and say, hey, I am an athlete that wants to do this
8:43
after school so that the guidance counselor then has an
8:45
understanding of what? Because all of them are supposed
8:48
to be trained on this. So they know what core courses
8:51
they're supposed to be taking. And we're going to talk about
8:53
the 16 core courses. And this is also a handout in
8:56
your notebooks. And I got this straight off the
9:00
NCAA website, all these resources, everything that I
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printed in there is straight off the website, yes.
9:06
As a school counselor too, a lot of times the kids these days
9:10
they do a lot of credit recovery just knowing that if you have an
9:13
athlete, they don't need to do Virtual SC because those aren't
9:17
NCAA courses eligible once they retake that core Virtual SC in
9:22
South Carolina. Right.
9:23
That is a very good point because I found that when I was
9:26
at Keenan running into certain athletes, they had taken those
9:29
SC virtual courses and those were not approved NCAA courses,
9:33
but the that's not explained to them when they enroll in the
9:36
course. So that's that's important.
9:38
Yes, so. Are you saying that virtual SC
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course is? Not approved.
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If it's an initial course, it is.
9:46
If this credit recovery is not but a lot of times for your
9:50
school, you can also go on the NCAA.
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You can type in like NCAA courses.
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Every school is in the NCAA system and you can see courses
9:59
that that are approved. So let's say in my school we
10:03
just added marine science. It wasn't approved until I
10:07
submitted it to the NCAA for it to be an approved science.
10:11
So a lot of times we do have kids who aren't taking like lab
10:14
sciences and stuff like that, just being aware as their coach
10:17
to make sure that they're in a lab.
10:18
Science that. The courses have been approved
10:21
through the NCAA, so a kid isn't graduating like, Oh well, I took
10:25
the science. It's a lab science.
10:27
I'm on the eligible well because the school never submitted it
10:29
to. Right.
10:31
So yeah, there is a portal on the NCAA website where guidance
10:34
counselors, they have access to it.
10:36
As an athletic administrator, I had access to it and I could see
10:40
what the approved courses were because at the time I was at
10:43
Keenan, we had a brand new engineering program there.
10:46
We had just started it in terms of being a magnet school, but
10:49
some of the the courses that the kids were taking who were in the
10:53
magnet program were not on the list of approved courses.
10:56
So we had to go through, you know, doing the paperwork with
10:59
the head of the guidance department to get those in so
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those kids could be eligible for NCAA.
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All right. And then talking with the
11:07
parents. So having the parents about what
11:10
degree. I'm telling the students this
11:12
because of course, Langford touched on this, too, about
11:14
enjoying the school for itself and getting a getting in a
11:18
program where they have your actual degree.
11:20
So every time a kid will come to me and they'll say I get one
11:22
every year, I want to go to Florida State.
11:24
OK. All right.
11:25
What do you want to major in? I don't know.
11:29
I was like, well, you know, and then it has to.
11:30
I have to break it down even more.
11:32
You know, what is your passion? What is something you're good
11:34
at? What's your best subject in
11:35
school? What are you, you know, what are
11:36
you really interested in? And then we'll go to.
11:38
I'll sit them down at my computer and go and look it up.
11:40
I was like, your major's not even on here.
11:41
So why? Like, why do you really want to
11:43
go to Florida State? What is?
11:44
I don't know. I just like your football team.
11:45
But you don't even play football.
11:47
So. So you know, it's just right.
11:51
I like, I've got them too. I like the colors.
11:54
OK, You don't even know where the school is at, but.
11:57
Right. So we have a we have a
12:00
conversation about that. I was like, do you?
12:01
Because there's some kids who want to go to a smaller school,
12:04
some kids who don't want to move out of South Carolina because
12:06
they want to be within, you know, two hours of their mom and
12:09
dad. Like, I had a student, the one
12:11
she goes to at State now and that was when her, she didn't
12:16
want to go too far away, like she wouldn't be able to.
12:18
She's very close to her mom and dad and her sister and she
12:21
wanted to be within a car ride of them.
12:23
So that was one of the big things for her and that.
12:25
I mean, I was like, that's OK. I have another girl at Queen's
12:29
University in Charlotte. She didn't want to be too far
12:31
away. She liked the school because of
12:33
the liberal arts aspect of it. That's why she wanted to go.
12:36
She visited campus. She fell in love with it.
12:38
We decided to pursue it. So she liked the school for what
12:40
it was and what it means for her beyond.
12:43
She's going to be running right here.
12:45
All right. And then I tell them to visit as
12:47
many schools as they they can to get an idea of what you like in
12:50
a school. So fortunately in Columbia, we
12:53
have a lot of campuses that you could visit here in Columbia.
12:56
All right. So I was like, look at Benedict.
12:58
Look at USC. Do you like a campus that's
13:01
spread out like USC, or do you like a more, you know, Encompass
13:04
campus? Like, what is it that you want
13:05
in a school? So, So then we're talking about
13:09
the 16 core courses. OK.
13:10
So what we mean by that, these are, this is like the biggest
13:13
thing and making sure that they are eligible, we're going to go
13:16
over the components of what makes them eligible at each
13:19
level. But the 16 core courses is no
13:22
matter what. So they have to take four years
13:24
of English, four years of math, which means algebra one or
13:27
higher. In regards to math, one of the
13:31
things that I found out is about the different types of masks and
13:35
guidance counselor. Again you can chime in.
13:37
Foundations is different from algebra the algebra one.
13:43
OK, so they used to have like applied algebra one part one,
13:47
applied algebra one Part 2. And we found out this was pre
13:51
2020. But we found out when this boy I
13:54
used to coach got down to his senior, well no, his junior year
13:57
that that didn't count as a two separate math.
14:00
They counted as 11 math. All right, so when I was at AC
14:05
Flora, I always pulled my juniors in no matter what,
14:08
whether they the slowest kid on my team or the fastest.
14:12
Hey, we're going to make sure that you're NCAA eligible,
14:14
because if you do get to the point where you do, we want to
14:16
make sure that we're prepared. So we brought that kid in and
14:20
realized that we caught it early so that we could get him in a in
14:23
a stats class in summer school so that he could meet that math
14:27
credit before he went on. All right?
14:29
And then, you know, that kid ended up, you know, actually
14:32
going to college. But if we hadn't caught that, he
14:34
might have got to his senior year and then not be eligible
14:36
because he thought he was done with math.
14:37
And we're like, no, you're not all right.
14:40
Yes. So with the math, so you have
14:42
four years on your slide, the handout you said.
14:46
That you gave us has three. Which one?
14:48
Is it 3 or is it four or three? I believe it was 4, but if the
14:55
handout from NCAA says 3, then it's three.
14:57
I also made this pre 2022, so that might Well, yeah.
15:03
So I think it was 4. You need 4 to graduate though.
15:10
Yeah. You need 4 to graduate.
15:13
Yeah. So they don't need.
15:13
Yeah. So this I just tell them to
15:15
always because you need, you need for you to pass on to the
15:18
next grade too, Yeah, yeah. And just on on that foundations
15:22
and intermediate on like Co part was saying and you need to take
15:26
both like if they take like foundations and then they don't
15:30
take the other part it doesn't count as out for correct they
15:32
need to take both of them. For them to count as an algebra,
15:37
right, Natural science or physical science.
15:42
So I know that physical science is not a lab science.
15:46
So when it comes to graduation, even though as a as a former
15:49
science teacher we did more labs and physical science than we did
15:52
biology, but it's still not considered to be a lab science.
15:55
So they do have to make sure that they take at least three
15:57
lab sciences. I know that when we found out
15:59
that when one of my kids took Physical science first because
16:02
of this previous school district, that Physical science
16:04
went to count as one of the additional courses so he did
16:08
meet the required. He took like 4 years of science
16:12
but physical science doesn't count as a lab but it did end up
16:15
counting as one of the additional courses so you can
16:18
see additional English math. So if they take like an African
16:20
American studies or something like that it can count for that.
16:25
I try not to get my. I mean, I know the athletes take
16:27
a lot of PE classes, but I know for me, I look at their schedule
16:31
and I'm if I'm looking at their lacking academically with their
16:34
core and you've got 3 weightlifting classes.
16:36
You need to get rid of one of those weightlifting classes and
16:38
get another class that's going to make your your well, really.
16:42
Your transcript is like your resume.
16:43
Make it look better. I just want to clear up kind of
16:46
what you guys are talking about. So you see on that slide that
16:52
she gave you 3 or she has four up here.
16:56
So you need three years of math, but what she just described,
17:00
that additional year of English, math or science is where that
17:06
other core course comes into play.
17:09
Does that make sense? So if you got somebody that's
17:10
not that good at math or is hurting their core GPA to be a
17:15
qualifier, you're only using three years of math.
17:18
And then in that additional spot of math, English or science,
17:24
then you don't have to use a fourth year of math in terms of
17:27
being a qualifier for that you don't like.
17:30
I just want to make sure we didn't get too far down the
17:31
road. And what I do, I I made a this
17:35
is something I created, I made. I can tell you where your kid is
17:40
based on core GPA and and where they need to be.
17:44
Hey, this kid needs to get AB out of this English class in
17:49
order to have all of the core course requirements for NCAA.
17:54
OK, great. Thank you.
17:56
And I love those resources. I take as many resource they can
17:59
and I'll send out this resource. It wasn't one that was printed,
18:02
but I thought that the printouts that was in there that came
18:04
directly from the website were probably the most beneficial.
18:08
All right. All right.
18:12
So this is another graphic. I believe it's included in there
18:15
for D1 and D2. So we're talking about the 16
18:20
core courses. So it kind of breaks down what
18:21
they should take in 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade and 12th
18:25
grade. All right.
18:26
Now with I know when I was in in school I took Algebra 1 in 8th
18:34
grade and I took English one in 8th grade.
18:36
But I didn't end up still taking additional courses because I
18:40
think at the time the rule was still you had to take 4.
18:44
And so I got to my senior year and I was like, well I've
18:45
already taken English for and I've already taken all my maths
18:48
and they were like, well you're going to take something else and
18:51
my mom was not letting me go home So she was like you know
18:53
you going to. So I got it in English one O 1
18:56
and now we have a lot of dual enrollment class.
18:58
At the time it was only that that was the dual enrollment
19:00
class. So I I took English 101 and 102
19:04
and and then I took problem stats as my my other math
19:07
because I didn't have any other math to take but I had to take
19:10
one. So you want to make sure that
19:11
your kids are not. They're like I got an easy
19:13
schedule. I figured that out from when
19:14
they come and tell me about their schedule and like I got an
19:17
easy schedule. I only got one class.
19:19
No. No, we're going to go back down
19:21
the guidance and I'm going to call your mom.
19:22
We're going to sign you up for another class, right?
19:24
Because even I believe for the high school league, they still
19:28
have to take at least two classes to be considered to be
19:30
full time. So they wouldn't even make them
19:32
eligible to run for your school. So you need to make sure that
19:35
your kids are doing that. I've, I've looked at all of my
19:37
kids schedules even for next semester to make sure they're
19:41
not getting easy schedule. You're going to get in
19:42
something, all right. Quick question.
19:46
So if they've taken high school credits and middle school, you
19:50
said it has to be done in four years?
19:52
You said. The 16 has to be done in four
19:54
years. Yeah, yeah, the English one and
19:57
Algebra 1 or whatever they took in middle school, it still
19:59
counts, but it won't count as far as like them actually taking
20:02
in high school. So I would suggest them take
20:04
like another English or another math like province stats or
20:08
something you know during that enrollment in.
20:09
That twelve grade you're. Talking about like.
20:13
Yeah, yeah, they can't, can they?
20:14
Go ahead. Go ahead.
20:20
No, I was going to say AP courses, college credit and
20:25
stuff. Look, if if you guys can have
20:28
those kids start college already with college courses, what
20:32
happens if they don't adjust the college very well for a semester
20:35
they're not behind? Or flip it, if you have a really
20:39
good students, let them graduate early and and let cook pay for
20:45
their masters. You know they don't.
20:47
Look, I guarantee he doesn't care whether they're grad
20:50
student or undergraduate student.
20:52
If that student athlete can get an undergraduate and a master's
20:56
paid for by this guy, it's a win win.
21:01
So don't hold them back early. Push them forward, give them
21:05
cushion if they going to fall, give them cushion to fall or let
21:09
them excel. And that's what I was going.
21:13
To build on, for example, be my son.
21:18
But he brought 2623 credits with him.
21:23
Then he tested out of Latin his first semester at university, so
21:27
he basically had 29 course cushion.
21:31
So yeah, I was. Just going to.
21:34
Say yeah, those senior years, take AP courses, you got middle
21:38
College in Columbia with you, with Midlands Tech, whatever.
21:43
Take the test out. Take those eight before you get
21:45
ahead. Of the game, Yeah.
21:47
Yeah. We love to urge our kids to pay,
21:49
take those AP courses, because then they're also weighted
21:51
higher in terms of their GPA, too.
21:54
So yeah, that's always a good thing.
21:56
Did you go with summer school? Yeah, I'm.
22:00
Sorry, I. Sound like you going over summer
22:03
school or you going over summer school?
22:04
Not yet. Well, I'll let you.
22:05
I'll let you get that part. All right.
22:08
Division One academic requirement.
22:10
So in order to be a qualifier again they have to complete a
22:13
total of the 16 core courses in the appropriate areas. 10 of the
22:17
16 must be completed before the start of their 7th semester, so
22:22
that means their senior year. So, so they have to compete,
22:25
they have to have completed those.
22:27
I found that people skip over that part right there there and
22:30
and even when talking to some kids like I know for me my
22:34
senior year was a very chill year for me because I had taken
22:37
care of most of my stuff. The only course I needed to
22:41
graduate was government econ. Everything else was electives
22:44
and that English that I had to take.
22:46
So, but I see a lot of my coming.
22:50
I was just getting my senior year.
22:51
So they're they're fluffing the rest of the way and then
22:54
thinking they're going to hammer it down the senior year.
22:56
But they've not met at least the 10 of the 16 needed by the start
23:00
of their senior year. So it messes them up.
23:03
Seven of the 10 courses must be English, math, natural science
23:07
or math or natural or physical science.
23:10
All right. So I say that because we got
23:14
kids still that look on their schedule, they got all these
23:17
PES, you know, and that. And I like to say that with
23:21
athletes because they love to get into PE class, because
23:23
they're athletes, right? They get to be active all day.
23:25
But that's a red flag. If they haven't, you got to make
23:29
sure, especially you know your kids, you know your clientele.
23:31
So you want to make sure that you check that out and harp that
23:33
with the parents, so this is, or earn a corresponding test score
23:39
that matches with your core GPA. So that's not even a thing
23:41
anymore, right? So that's one of the things that
23:43
that changed in 2020 was that there was like a sliding scale
23:47
that matched up with your GPA and things like that.
23:49
And now there's no longer a qualifying test that's needed
23:53
for eligibility. But I like to say when my kids
23:56
came to me when they made their rule and I don't have to take
23:59
the ACT anymore, yeah, you might still want to take it because
24:04
the school that you're getting admitted to still might require
24:07
that as a component of, you know, getting invented.
24:10
OK, Also, we figured out that when I was talking with this boy
24:14
to try to get him at pain, when he got into pain, he found out
24:18
he got extra 2 grand because of his ACT score.
24:22
This the test he didn't want to take, but he took it and made a
24:25
good enough score on it to where the school gave him an extra
24:28
$2000 a semester that he didn't bank on.
24:32
Like with a lot of my athletes and being a school counselor, if
24:36
they know the school doesn't take it, they don't want to do
24:38
it. But a lot of times college that
24:40
they go to for like academic basic needs, they need those
24:45
tests in in order to get those scholarships.
24:47
So when you have a student that says they want to go to like
24:50
USC, you need to check and see are test scores required to get
24:54
an academic scholarship? Because then you can tell your
24:57
athlete, well, hey, you need to take this before the end of the
25:00
semester because they're going to look at that as far as giving
25:03
you academic aid too. So that's a good thing to look
25:07
at. Even though NCAA wise they may
25:10
not need the test scores, but they're missing out right then.
25:13
The. Camelback betting back on what
25:15
you just said. Also there's a African American
25:23
if there's child African American, African American
25:29
generic program that gives, that gives great scholarship funding.
25:35
I mean just apply. All you can do is apply.
25:38
You need to be a standard. You just apply and it's.
25:41
I mean my son Alabama gave him a four ride plus three years of
25:46
housing and stipend. He didn't go there, but it was.
26:11
Yeah. Yep.
26:13
And the life. I feel like the life at some
26:15
point should have given way more.
26:16
Because it might. Yeah.
26:19
And so I I mean, I got 5 grand and that was in 2005.
26:25
Like it should have. It should have gone up.
26:27
Like that's what I think. Yeah.
26:33
Yeah, You know what I'm saying is, is the cost of college now,
26:36
like we used to get 5 and I'm like by now it should have been
26:39
way more than that, you know? It should be at least at.
26:46
Least right, Right. All right.
26:48
So initial eligibility. So for Division One they have to
26:52
do the. Of course have your core
26:54
progression 10/7, so 10 before the 7th semester, 16 core
27:00
courses and then a 2.3 GPA or higher and proof of graduation.
27:05
I note on this slide that the the SATACC score is not there.
27:08
They just have to have that, all right.
27:11
But again, the biggest thing that I've seen that trips them
27:14
up are these two right here, the core progression, core course
27:17
progression. And that's just, again, having
27:20
these conversations with your athlete.
27:22
Also having the conversation with the parents for when I was
27:25
at something their last two years as the head coach, I
27:29
during my parent meeting, that's when I went over this
27:32
presentation, the same handouts that you got, I gave them in the
27:35
packet with the schedule and stuff.
27:37
I just snuck it right on in there.
27:38
And I'm like, yeah, OK. So while I got you here, you
27:40
know, because I had the majority of my parents in one space so I
27:43
could talk to them about it. And I, you know, I made the door
27:46
open to say, hey, you know, about this.
27:48
If you have more questions, send me emails.
27:49
And I did have more parents talk to me about it and stuff like
27:52
that because I did it while I had them all in one place, at
27:55
least putting the bug in their ear so that they have been so
27:57
they don't get the senior year and say, Oh well, nobody ever
28:00
had a conversation. Nobody ever told me.
28:01
I say it every single year and I know I sound like a broken
28:04
record when I tell them but they they won't leave not knowing
28:07
that I didn't give them the information for division two.
28:11
Same thing, 16 core courses same thing with the course
28:14
progression and but the 2.2 GPA or higher and proof of
28:18
graduation early qualifiers like we have.
28:22
Our quarterback here is going to be leaving.
28:24
He's already signing and he's committed to NC State and he's
28:27
going to be leaving in December next year which will be his
28:29
senior year. So he's an early qualifier,
28:31
super smart kids, super great kid.
28:33
But he's he did everything he needed to do so that he can
28:35
leave in December and go to NC State.
28:38
So he'd be considered an early qualifier because he's done all
28:42
his stuff. It's going to have his three 7th
28:44
semester, 14 core course unit. He for D1 is a three-point GPA
28:49
or higher, and for D2 it is 2.5 or higher.
28:52
And we're talking about core, not overall you?
28:55
Mentioned commitment about that. This might take us to the left a
29:01
little bit, but can you expand on what kids commit?
29:05
Like sign, verbal. How does that?
29:08
Work. I'm going to let the college
29:10
coaches answer that. Can you?
29:14
Get out of them if you signed the whole.
29:18
So if you signed the NLI National Letter of Intent,
29:23
that's a binding contract between you, the NCAA and the
29:28
institution. It is not with you, the and
29:32
Coach Coop. Because if they decide they
29:35
don't like Coach Coop no more, you still stuck with the school.
29:39
Now there are some some stipulations like a a head
29:42
coaching change that there's some wiggle room or if you
29:45
decide, hey, I made a mistake and they it's at the school
29:49
discretion to let you out of that NLI.
29:52
But once you sign that NLI, that's a binding contract.
29:56
You can break it, but then you got to sit in your residence.
29:59
Wherever you go in terms of you, you'll see a lot of students
30:04
that'll say, oh, I committed to such and such, but they didn't
30:07
sign a National Letter of Intent.
30:09
If they just signed a grant in aid, which just kind of gives
30:12
you money but it didn't accompany a National Letter of
30:15
Intent, then you can you can break a grant in aid all day.
30:18
You can't break the the National Letter of Intent.
30:22
And then you look like. Grant Nate, What is that so?
30:25
Grant Nate. So National Letter of Intent is
30:28
the contract with you, the NCAA, and the institution it has to
30:33
accompany a Grant Nate. Grant Nate gives you the money.
30:36
You can't send the NLI without the money, but you can send the
30:40
money without the NLI. So if if you commit with no
30:46
funding, that's just you saying, hey, I'm going to plywood?
30:51
Let's do it. OK.
30:53
I mean, I've had people said, you know, blessed to receive an
30:57
offer from the University of Oklahoma.
30:58
I don't even know who the kid was.
31:00
And they put him on social media.
31:01
I'm like, all right guess I'll find out in the following that
31:08
that part don't matter. I mean they can but then you'll
31:10
see them in this increasing now where they see social media,
31:15
their post all their visits and what's to receive and find out.
31:18
Then they'll say hashtag not committed.
31:20
So the other schools know that I'm still open for recruiting.
31:25
Then you'll see them. They, I don't know.
31:27
It's it's somebody that's doing all the graphics when they do
31:30
their commitment process or that.
31:32
And I hear it's a young guy he's making money hand over fish
31:35
doing all these videos about their commitments.
31:38
But every college coach knows their compliance office can call
31:44
the NCAA or just get online. But like, no, there's no valid
31:47
NLNLI on file. So if there's no NLI on file,
31:52
you can call that kid all day long once they share.
31:55
Once they tell you that there's an NLI on file or the kid tell
31:59
you they sign the NLI recruiting stops.
32:02
And lastly these like in schools they're doing these big
32:06
ceremonies or whatever. And you know then you got other
32:09
kids who may not either committed or had opportunity
32:13
command and kind of puts a little pressure on them or they
32:15
feel some kind of way or like the psychology and not just like
32:20
Construct was speaking about earlier about cancelling that
32:24
kid or not. I think about the I know
32:28
professionally, y'all it's a business.
32:30
But I think about the child holistically, whether that
32:33
child, because I don't know if I'm building that child.
32:36
I don't know if something I say or do while he's not progressing
32:41
or progressing later in life when he's an adult, whether it
32:45
helped him with his family, whether it helped him with his,
32:49
his business, corporate decision making or whatever.
32:53
So I was, you know, thinking about that commitment thing, how
32:56
that's how it works. Yeah, that's that's all that's
32:59
completely up to the the signing party, all that stuff that's
33:04
between high school, the kids and all that stuff.
33:07
We can't be at the sign. It's against the rules.
33:12
So I'm not going to show up to your high school to sit there
33:15
while you actually signing the national lot of intent cannot be
33:19
hand delivered. There's a lot of stuff that it
33:21
cannot be. Have an assign like Oklahoma
33:25
State, Oklahoma University. Do whatever you want to knock
33:27
yourself out. All right, so this is kind of
33:34
we're going back to the 10 seven rules that just explicitly says
33:37
it again means you got a complete tenant that requires 16
33:40
before your 7th semester or your senior year of high school.
33:44
I put this in here as a did you know, like 7075% of college
33:48
athletes typically meet the NCAA minimums.
33:51
But just because you're not a good student doesn't mean you're
33:54
a guaranteed academic eligibility.
33:56
So that goes back to making sure you're compliant with keeping
33:59
the courses you know, on track the way you need to.
34:02
Cause some of my kids would come to me and say, well, I have a
34:03
3.7, yeah, but you didn't do 10 of the required 16 courses when
34:08
you needed to. So that's what makes you.
34:10
So yeah, it's taking three weight lifting classes.
34:14
So, so, yeah. So I I I like to keep telling
34:18
the kids and I urge the parents as much as I can to be part of
34:22
the IGP process. I know my daughter is 12 years
34:26
old. She's about to be thirteen.
34:27
I know when she gets to high school, I'm going to be there at
34:29
everyone. I don't care if you got to call
34:30
me in, like, because I need to know my mom did it for me.
34:33
So I know that that that helped having an advocate in there and
34:36
speaking and asking questions that you need to with the
34:39
guidance counselor's All right. So some frequently asked
34:43
questions that I get a lot of times.
34:45
Do I need to take standardized tests?
34:47
That's the big one. Do I need to take standardized
34:49
tests, the ACT or the SAT to be eligible for a scholarship?
34:52
The short answer is no in terms of NCAA.
34:56
But what I'm talking about is still, we talked about at the
34:59
beginning that many colleges still require standardized tests
35:02
to be admitted to the school. Period.
35:05
OK, so it's still a good idea for them to take a CTSAT.
35:09
All right, either one. All right.
35:11
And again, like I spoke about my athlete, like he got an
35:14
additional 2 grand just for his score that he didn't even want
35:17
to take the test to begin with. All right, How will courses
35:20
completed via distance e-learning or hybrid options be
35:24
evaluated for students who initially roll full time for the
35:27
202323240? Well, 2024 academic year and
35:33
beyond. So during.
35:35
Yes, go ahead, another. Thing about that SATACT is you
35:39
said you had an early grad. A lot of times, if you graduate
35:42
not at the end of May, those early grants can't use their
35:47
class rank for the life scholarship, so that they need
35:50
to take that SAT and the ACT in order to get that life
35:53
scholarship, or they graduate. Because that's one of the
35:55
qualifying components. So with the courses that are
36:03
completed via Distance e-learning, the Eligibility
36:06
Center will require a program review for all courses completed
36:10
via distance e-learning or hybrid programs on or after
36:13
September 1st of 2023. Anything before that was fine,
36:18
but if they after that date that that's when they'll go under
36:21
review, OK? And so they just basically look
36:25
at it to see whether it's valid or not.
36:27
All right. This is the fact that I like to
36:29
tell a lot of my kids that only about 2% of high school student
36:33
athletes are awarded athletic scholarships to compete in
36:36
college. You're talking about across the
36:37
board, All right? You're talking about across all
36:39
sports, too. I think that our kids see kids
36:43
at their school getting, you know, scholarships that, like at
36:47
Ridgeview, you're looking at Gigi.
36:49
I got Gigi Jackson, one of the best athletes that's come
36:51
through South Carolina. He got a scholarship.
36:53
Why can't I? You're not GG, so that's one.
36:56
All right. So that's one.
36:57
But I mean, I don't think they understand it because they see
37:00
it so much. They see, you know, the Ariana's
37:02
getting scholarships to go to Iowa.
37:04
They they're seeing, you know, him getting scholarships.
37:06
So they think that that's something that, oh, everybody
37:09
can get it. No, it's a very small percentage
37:11
chance. So whether you're competing on
37:13
the Division One, Division two level or any level that you're
37:16
part of the 2% that's doing that and that's not afforded to
37:19
everybody on one of those handouts.
37:22
I also have a registration checklist of things that they
37:25
need to do with. And it has it.
37:28
There's 11 graphic. I don't know if I put it in
37:30
there, but I have it in my classroom of what that and what
37:34
you need to do by 9th grade, what you need to do by 10th
37:36
grade, what you need to do by 11th, what you need to do by
37:38
12th. It's very simple.
37:40
So I give those to the kids and I'm like, hey, all right, you're
37:42
in 9th grade. Let's look at the 9th grade
37:43
checklist. Do you even have it?
37:44
You can make ANCA profile right now.
37:47
You can become familiar with it. As guidance counselors, I know
37:51
they preach it a lot. We preach it a lot that when
37:53
they've entered their 9th grade year that they need to establish
37:55
a good GPA and good work ethics. Then they try to and I see it
37:59
all the time. They try to pick it back up
38:02
senior year and I'm like senior year is really too late.
38:04
Like it's too late. You should you shouldn't be
38:06
doing all this work senior year like, but that's the concept.
38:10
They're like they want to, they get mature so they start to
38:13
realize it. But freshman year is hard to
38:15
knock that point home. I don't know.
38:17
If you mentioned this already, but so we have the A/C, TSATI
38:21
was just going to say there's no problem starting or having your
38:26
athletes test for 8th grade night every year.
38:30
They'll get better and better and better and then they get
38:33
used to taking those. Standards correct.
38:35
And that I know I took the SA pre what what is it called?
38:39
PSAT. Yeah, in 7th grade and now I
38:41
took it again in like 9th grade or something like that.
38:43
But but yeah, it does get them used to testing the environment.
38:47
Big part on the Eligibility Center It acts for like all.
38:51
Amateur. Events that your child has
38:54
competed in, Is it necessary? To put all those events.
39:07
But you don't have to put like all the, well, yeah, I'll just
39:22
put like the club team or. Something like that participated
39:24
in. All the meets.
40:08
Make sure that your kids have a basic valid e-mail, which they
40:11
are they I tell them to use their school e-mail if they want
40:14
to but but I rather them use their personal e-mail if they
40:17
have one. That way they can have access to
40:19
it later And then all the basic information again sports history
40:23
and then to get it the basic profile is free.
40:26
But to get the other one it and register and everything for
40:30
certification terms of being Division One or division two.
40:33
They said $90.00. It could have been increased
40:35
since then. I know when I was in school 30
40:37
and I had to write a check that checkbook I sent it off in yeah,
40:43
so. And I tell the kids that the
40:46
NCAA is big. You might see them on social
40:48
media we have and I'm going to get to that part where they have
40:51
the social media profile and how to set it up.
40:55
It's good to know their NCAA number so that their ID number,
40:58
so that when, especially when they're junior and senior year
41:01
when coaches are really calling them and getting in contact with
41:03
them. I was like, that's one of the
41:05
first questions they're going to ask you.
41:06
They're going to ask that, especially if they're super
41:09
interested in you. And I give them the social media
41:11
so they can see it. I know Instagram posts a lot of
41:14
things and graphics that's very student friendly.
41:17
That breaks it down in bullet points.
41:19
You know, they're not reading paragraphs of information.
41:20
They're going to look at the bullet points and the
41:22
highlighted stuff and they break it down really good in terms of
41:25
the graphics of what they should be doing by 9th, 10th, 11th,
41:28
12th grade year and things like that, Yes.
41:33
To throw a hand grenade out there.
41:35
Another option also other than NCAA, which can still go into
41:41
the athletic system. West Point Air Force Academy.
41:48
Those appointments are also a great.
41:51
Option. Yeah, for sure.
41:53
I had one of my one of my first athletes.
41:55
She went to West Point. She graduated salutatorian and
41:59
went on to West Point and had like the best time there.
42:02
So I know and was like, I don't know if y'all seen that picture
42:05
of all the black women that were that graduate.
42:07
She's in and she's in that picture.
42:08
So yeah. So this is another thing I
42:11
talked about with and I think coaches touched on this before
42:14
about communicating with your coaches.
42:17
So when some kids come to me and they say, coach, be honest.
42:20
What answer, what? What?
42:22
What place do you think that I best fit at?
42:23
And I'm going to tell them, you know, based off your times, this
42:26
is what I can see that you're doing.
42:29
And it's not to demoralize the kid or it's not to say, but I
42:31
mean, if you're running a Level 1 as a boy, you're not going to
42:34
run at Oklahoma. You're just not.
42:37
OK, all right. So, you know, just communicating
42:40
and being honest with them. So that's why I tell the kids,
42:42
and again, this is a presentation that I kind of show
42:44
the kids, talking with them about what level they'll be
42:46
successful on asking what they should get better at, be open to
42:50
constructive criticism and asking about what camps you're
42:54
attending. I'm talking to basketball
42:55
players too. So when we're talking about
42:57
camps, that's what I mean by that.
42:58
But there are a lot of track camps that I think that are
43:00
pretty good too. And then sending questionnaires,
43:03
I know almost on every website that has and I think now there's
43:07
a one that's just goes to any schools or something like that.
43:12
It's like a universal one, like you sign up for an account.
43:16
NCSA. Yeah, I think that one.
43:18
But, but, but I but I also tell them to get in the habit of
43:22
personally emailing the coaches. You know go as a day.
43:25
Have a directory on every site. You just got to be patient and
43:27
look and e-mail the coach directly includes your link.
43:30
We even go over e-mail formats how you should greet I mean this
43:34
is basic stuff. I go over them regardless
43:36
because they don't even know how to e-mail teachers.
43:38
I can show you the e-mail right now but did you put my grade in?
43:41
Well first of all good morning. Even at the next level your
43:46
college coaches will tell you the importance like emailing or
43:48
correctly to. Yeah, that sets the tone.
43:51
It's like, it's like a green, yeah.
43:52
Yeah, as far as recruiting tools goes, have you heard the website
43:56
runcroup.com? You said.
43:58
What have you heard of the website runcroup.com Runcroup
44:00
runcroup. So it it's not it's you can put
44:04
in your time at your times that you ran your whatever year you.
44:08
Ran in and it. Suppose it's supposed to be able
44:10
to kind of like match you up with schools that you can either
44:13
qualify as a tryout or recruit or yeah, so I didn't know if
44:18
anyone's heard of that website and like how that might play
44:21
into like picking a school in the recruiting process.
44:24
Like, I don't know, it was heard of that.
44:26
It's a useful tool. Yeah.
44:29
The common app. Common app.
44:31
Oh the to act, to apply for the schools.
44:35
And yeah, there's one for HBC U's too that extends it all the
44:38
HBC U's because we got yeah, but I'm I have to look into that
44:43
one. I've never heard.
44:44
Yeah, I'll tell you about it. OK.
44:45
The name of that? 1.
44:49
Yeah, RUNCRUIT. Yeah, it's a.
44:54
Good one, Yes. I guess this is more for
44:57
collegiate coaches. What?
44:58
What? What do y'all say is better like
45:00
for them to do that questionnaire or is it directly
45:02
like e-mail? Y'all like.
45:04
The questionnaire actually like when they fill out the
45:10
questionnaire like y'all look at them or is it more is this y'all
45:13
just going to reach out to? The athletes y'all long.
45:17
I ain't going to put them on the spot, 'cause I don't coach in
45:19
college no more, but I can tell you I didn't.
45:22
Look at the question is I didn't.
45:26
But you know every so often you you catch some that'll pop
45:30
through like, oh man, this kid was actually good, OK you go
45:33
back and you and you and you find them emails if if it's too
45:39
wordy and you don't provide substance of time, events,
45:46
personal records. I I don't need a huge
45:51
introduction or paragraph about you.
45:53
And you didn't even tell me what you what time you ran.
45:56
Story. Delete coach.
45:59
I recruit. You know, I sent you.
46:01
I sent you an e-mail. Yeah.
46:03
What'd you say? You said a lot, but you didn't
46:05
say that. Because, I mean, I got this
46:09
amount of time before I move on to the next one.
46:12
I use a 10% rule. I'm going to send out 100
46:17
inquiries or look at 100 kids out of those.
46:21
Ten of those are like out of those 10%, which is one of them,
46:27
I'm actually laying to get a team.
46:30
My roster was 108. How many kids have I look at?
46:35
They get 108 people. 1000. Eight.
46:38
Do I have time to read your nine paragraph dissertation?
46:41
To digit towards your time? No, no.
46:45
So, I mean that's that's, like I said, that's just me being real.
46:48
I, like I said, I ain't going to make them say, oh, I don't read
46:51
your stuff. I'm only y'all now.
46:54
I'm working on the high school level.
46:57
Like I said, I mean, I I do read emails, but like I said, you
47:00
know the ones where this, this long introduction you pretty
47:04
much end up scrolling down trying to see what the kid
47:07
actually does. You know and them that that time
47:13
allotment that you kind of set aside because like I said
47:15
particularly as a as a as a head coach it's one thing after
47:21
another all day and you got to try to set time aside to
47:24
actually go through emails and respond and sometimes it's it's
47:28
way if it if it if the performance or it's in a big
47:32
area that you really you know you're really OK in.
47:35
You really you know can't afford to spend any more money in you
47:40
know you wait to see how persistent the kid is.
47:44
So I receive a follow up e-mail from that kid.
47:46
Again, it's like OK, they're serious about, you know, South
47:50
Coast statement being interested, you know, and then I
47:52
kind of follow up because like I said, it is a large number and I
47:55
know, I mean being in Oklahoma is probably even more than some
47:59
of the smaller schools, you know.
48:01
But I know with questionnaires we tend to compile them and kind
48:08
of go through them. You know, we sit down, sit
48:11
around as a staff and kind of go through them.
48:13
And like I said, this is based on, you know, the current needs
48:15
right now, what we can do with our program within our
48:20
conference right now because we're trying to progress because
48:23
the only way we're going to get interest from your better kid is
48:28
that the program looks better, you know, you know, so we we
48:32
have to get there. That's the starting point as far
48:35
as the numbers and when I took over the program last year I
48:40
mean we were I I was borrowing basketball girls, volleyball
48:46
girls trying to make a 14 member squad, you know so we were 100%
48:51
open to whoever was interested. You know so our roster size now
48:57
is 40 men, 40 women. You know that that one year
49:01
that's not included because we had some adjustments in our
49:04
administration compliance wise and and and ADA lot of
49:09
individuals that decided to go ahead and come to walk on hasn't
49:14
transitioned to the roster yet. So we got about 20 to 25 kids
49:18
that are at South Carolina State because I responded to them like
49:22
giving opportunity, you know, So with me and my programs, it was
49:28
the same way after doing Cookman.
49:31
I'm a big proponent of operating and providing opportunity, you
49:36
know, and and seeing who want to stick with it.
49:40
But like I said, what makes it harder now is incidentally put
49:44
these APR stipulations, you know, when you want to help a
49:47
kid out financially, but because it can hamper the entire program
49:53
if I take a chance on you and I get burned.
49:56
Not that you're a bad kid, It's just that you should have turned
50:01
in those two assignments. I helped you out even more.
50:05
Hey, I want to help you out financially.
50:07
I'm going to give you $1000. School costs 2020 and you can't
50:15
afford school and you leave and go home because you couldn't
50:18
afford school. You just got APR here because he
50:21
wasn't returning. Now #2 look, I don't even work
50:26
there no more. I still get the emails.
50:29
Coach, how many unread emails I got right there.
50:31
Tell them 892 unread emails on a on a school.
50:38
I don't even work there, but my email's still active.
50:42
You understand what I'm saying? Look how many text messages I
50:44
got 275 unread text messages. So what I'm what I'm saying is
50:50
to set yourself up for success. Lead in the subject line.
50:54
If you know your kid is good. 1049100 meter run in the subject
50:59
line. That's the kid that can help.
51:03
Don't bury it in in don't. Don't bury the lead.
51:07
The one up top. It's in the subject line.
51:09
It's the first thing I say. Oh, this is one.
51:11
Hey, this is what I need to do if I'm a head coach.
51:13
You know the first thing I do if it's the event that I don't
51:15
coach, forward it my jumps coach.
51:18
Hey, we need this one Simple. That's how you get to the top.
51:23
All right, I'm going to wrap it up because I know y'all are
51:25
hungry. OK?
51:26
So I talked to the kids about proper development and
51:28
navigation, talking about skill sets and make sure we master it.
51:31
I know coach Rachel talked about the basics and when am I talking
51:36
to me? I agreed with everything.
51:38
Everything she said. Because literally you have to
51:40
keep it basic for them. I think they think it's some
51:42
magic bullet, some magic workout, and it's not.
51:45
It's boring basics like it's going to take you to get to the
51:48
next level and developing general strength and making the
51:51
weight room your best friend. We're in the process now here,
51:54
originally northeast of trying to sport specialize our
51:57
weightlifting program. We got people in place now that
52:00
can actually do that. So that's what we're working on
52:03
now because we see that as a deficit across the board, girls
52:06
or boys, but more on the girls side.
52:10
And like I said, Coach talked about it, doing your research.
52:14
Again, athletic participation is only part of the college choice.
52:17
So when you're navigating your kids through this, ask them
52:19
questions, you got to keep probing, asking them questions
52:22
about what type of school they want, what's their major, what
52:24
interests them, what track do they want to go down?
52:26
How far are you comfortable with being away from family?
52:29
How often do you want to come back home?
52:31
All of those things will find out the requirements of the
52:33
school that are interested because some of them have, you
52:36
know, Harvard standards, but they're not.
52:39
Then you don't have Harvard grades you don't have the things
52:41
on their your transcript to view that research the athletes on
52:44
the team what are their stats that how many of them are there
52:47
in that position. So we was talking about this is
52:49
kind of for all sports, but looking how many sprinters,
52:52
they're they're sprinter heavy and they're running good and you
52:55
know you're not really falling in that line that might not be,
52:58
they might be strong in that area already.
53:00
So like coach was saying like that they a lot of money for
53:03
what they need in order to win conference.
53:05
If you if they're overpopulated in that area or they got it then
53:09
that might not be there. They're not going to be willing
53:10
to give you money unless you run amazing times.
53:14
All right, visit again. Visiting many schools you can to
53:18
compare the likes and dislikes of what you like.
53:20
You may like USC being such a open campus and you got to go
53:25
from over here. Over here.
53:26
You might want a more close knit campus, so think about that.
53:29
So some kids don't visit schools and I urge them to.
53:32
Social media is a big thing and I look at it like a tool.
53:36
I'll use it really as a tool for for marketing myself.
53:39
Marketing my brand marketing my kids.
53:41
I've gotten my 6:10. I had a 610 high jumper, jumped
53:46
that in his sophomore year and I posted his video and I got a DM
53:51
right away. He went and signed it at school
53:53
and she said she would have never saw him if I hadn't posted
53:56
the video. So had had all his information
53:59
ready, had his GPA, class ring, all of that stuff.
54:02
And I emailed coaches. I emailed coaches and I put in
54:05
the subject line 610 high jumper right mail and and every I've
54:12
sent it to every ACC every SEC every HBCU coach that was on the
54:16
East Coast because he said he wouldn't mind being on the East
54:18
Coast. So send it to all of them and I
54:20
I think about 95% of them replied back to me which I I was
54:23
like oh do you have time for me today.
54:25
Cool. You know so so yeah and I tell
54:28
them how to set it up. This was a a person who I found
54:32
and I was like I like your psych and I use your screenshot of
54:34
this. So she puts you know states her
54:36
name. That's one of the biggest things
54:37
I tell them. I was like put your name.
54:39
Don't put some nickname or whatever like put your name
54:42
right. Right, You know.
54:47
I. Said, this is like your it's a
54:49
digital footprint. You know, clearly state what
54:51
your what your event is, what your sport is of what relays you
54:57
run. She put the relays, she put a
54:58
GPA, she put what class she's in.
55:01
She even put a regional qualifier.
55:02
So that's like a theme. She want to put a national
55:04
qualifier or whatever. She has her clear picture some
55:08
an event or you know, her team or whatever.
55:11
I was like just be cognizant of what you put out online, what
55:14
you're retweeting, what you're liking, things like that.
55:18
I told I did a Twitter poll and I I found out that a lot.
55:22
And I did this back in 2020 when everybody was just sitting home.
55:24
But I found out that a lot of sports or a lot of coaches in
55:29
the sport across the board use social media as a marketing tool
55:32
and look for kids on there too. And some kids and some coaches
55:36
were more inclined to reply back to me on Twitter than they were
55:38
e-mail. I had emailed some of the same
55:40
coaches and they were reply back to me on Twitter and I'm like,
55:41
well, I sent you an e-mail like a month ago, but but you but
55:44
they did exactly right. They didn't make it down, but
55:48
they saw that. So I was able to communicate
55:50
with them And again, like like Coach said and I tell them to
55:54
keep it short and to the point, right.
55:56
You know, list up name, date. This is, you know whatever link,
56:00
OK put your mind split link put that so they can go and see
56:03
don't just write it down. Put the link where they can go
56:05
actually and and you can see your progression.
56:08
One of the things I did I tell my athletes to do is put their
56:12
NCAA ID number in that. Correct.
56:15
Yeah. Yeah.
56:15
So let's make it easier for coaches, right?
56:32
Right. OK, so.
56:52
Yeah, you should. So I would.
56:53
Suggest you know making sure that.
56:55
They get that stuff checked before they even supposed to
57:00
create that account. Right.
57:02
And making sure it's. Yeah.
57:04
And making sure that it's spelled right.
57:05
And my split is big. And I'm going to say this
57:07
because my name is Miranda MIRONDA, and a lot of people say
57:11
Miranda. And in my split for the longest
57:14
time I was listed as Miranda Scott.
57:16
I only have one stat you. If you look it up it was like I
57:19
only granted one meet because it has.
57:21
There was only one meet where I had my real name and my other
57:25
name like I was like why is it why is it only popping up.
57:28
And I figured out that my coach had put me in as Miranda instead
57:32
of Miranda so my name was Godor. But but yeah so that that is a
57:36
big point and that's up to the coach and I know I think I
57:39
emailed my split and I was able to get it changed years later.
57:42
Like it didn't matter then, but. Yeah.
57:44
And also right quick with with that with that LG building
57:47
center I did you know I know I have access most schools.
57:51
Some schools don't but to the IRL institutional request list.
57:55
So once we put that ID number in there, we get everything, you
57:58
know. So a lot of times when it's it's
58:01
frustrating when the kid e-mail you and then you're looking at
58:03
trying to find, you know, an IRL and they haven't even reached
58:06
the building center or they haven't paid the food, you know,
58:09
and you sometimes get overlooked because we move on to.
58:13
Right. Yeah.
58:16
Well, the previous slide is, I'm not going to go over that, but
58:18
it's just a this was one of my athletes.
58:21
He was Denzel Washington. He was at Clemson two time NCAA
58:24
Division one champion, national champion.
58:26
But he ran track one year, OK? One year I had to beg him to
58:30
come out and it was track. It was kind of the reason why
58:35
Clemson went ahead and went with him because he, he got faster at
58:41
like some December camp. I got him to work out with me
58:43
and they they shared with me at the times.
58:45
I was like, look, this is what we got to do.
58:47
I said I just need you to do this, OK?
58:49
So we're going to work on your form, work on this.
58:51
He went back, They gave, they they gave, they took a chance on
58:53
him and the wide receivers coach called me back and was like
58:57
look, you got them faster, that's what we needed.
58:59
And so I say that to kids because I'm like you can use
59:02
track as a vehicle. I was like you can't use it as
59:06
OK, I'm going to just use track to get on the football team.
59:08
I don't tell them to do that, but I do tell them that they can
59:11
have a good time with running track and learning how to
59:13
compete and it transcends to other sports.
59:15
So that's how I appeal to getting multi sport athletes to
59:17
get involved in our sport. And then sometimes I have kids
59:20
that may love our sport so much they abandoned the other sport,
59:23
but not by me doing. They just fall in love with it
59:25
because they never knew it could be this fun to compete.
59:27
That's. All so I, I I wanted to add on
59:31
to the social media piece and also what coaches and I I don't
59:35
know if anybody's covered it but the more follow.
59:38
First of all we're talking about personality and then the more
59:42
followers you have as an athlete and the quality your posts, your
59:48
content, nil deals. Love that as.
59:51
Well, right. The marketability, the
59:52
marketability is big. Yeah.
59:56
So yeah, this is. I'm on Twitter at educator, OK,
1:00:03
educator, educator, M&S and pretty active on there.
1:00:08
I retweeted any kid, any South Carolina kid.
1:00:11
I even advocate for other kids that I don't don't coach.
1:00:14
So if a college coach calls me and asks me about something, I
1:00:18
don't have it. But I can tell you who do, you
1:00:21
know? And I'll send them their
1:00:22
information. I'm about, you know, putting
1:00:23
kids in the best possible position.
1:00:25
Whether they run for me, jump for me or whatever or not.
1:00:28
So that's what. And that's my background which I
1:00:31
already shared with you and my this is my personal e-mail
1:00:34
address if you need me to. If you need to e-mail or ask me
1:00:37
anything, I will send out this presentation that you can share
1:00:40
the exact same presentation with your kids so you don't have to
1:00:44
reinvent the wheel. And I'm going to make some
1:00:46
changes to make it 2023 and take some out some of those pre 2020
1:00:50
things. But are there any questions for
1:00:52
me or any of the coaches or any of the guys Kelses that help me.
1:00:57
All right. So we're going to we got lunch
1:00:59
for you that is sponsored by Booster fundraising.
1:01:02
There is from Heavenly Ham. We have ham, Turkey and chicken
1:01:07
salad. OK.
1:01:08
So Y'all can be really happy to help yourself.
1:01:24
If it goes to appreciate the coach the ones appoint people
1:01:27
most every season needs a voice of reason speaking the growth
1:01:30
you got to back for you carry the load.
1:01:32
It's coffee to the soul for those of us to stay on the go,
1:01:35
proper handoff to stay in the zone which you packing for the
1:01:38
road. There's more than one way to go.
1:01:40
Take notes That's can you told it ain't practice.
1:01:43
If your purpose ain't clear. It can't happen to you.
1:01:45
Listen what both is. Can't mentor without a mentor.
1:01:49
Years of experience you can reinvent those years.
1:01:51
Every plan's got a standard you live up to and the price
1:01:54
sacrifice can you give up you it's choice and to fight not a
1:01:58
win or lose. It's not a ploy but device.
1:02:00
Y'all can make more moves. It's not about how to.
1:02:03
It's all about why you don't know till you know who you are
1:02:05
inside 6,000,000 waste of time. Choose none.
1:02:11
So we all cross the finish line. The work in Ton.