SimpleCoach D3 Soccer YouTube Channel

[SimpleCoach]

How about Todd Tumelty at Montclair State? He's got 5 D1 transfers (Clemson, St. Johns, DePaul, High Point and NJIT) coming in this year.  Would love to hear his take on recruiting and transfers.

Hey @EJay.  Coach Tumelty is another one I emailed in the past, but heard nothing.  But will definitely try again.  I am interviewing Chris Matejka of Ohio Northern this week, and then doing a live stream on Top Attributes that make a good goalkeepers the following.  If I can get these three coaches to do interviews, I will call it a summer and gear up for the fall. 

Thanks for all the support, by the by.

SC.

Ok.  Sent follow ups to everyone mentioned ... Tumultey, Clinton and Sounders.  Hopefully they express interest....  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

SC.

[EnmoreCat]

It would be interesting to hear from some NESCAC coaches, not that I have a vested interest or anything...

[camosfan]

He has done a few, Amherst , Tufts  and Con College were early entries.

[SimpleCoach]

It would be interesting to hear from some NESCAC coaches, not that I have a vested interest or anything...

Coach Burk  It was awful watching it again, but hey....
Coach Dezotell  Better.  Was starting to figure things out and make it a little more .... like I knew what I was doing.

[EnmoreCat]

He has done a few, Amherst , Tufts  and Con College were early entries.

Oh you are of course right Camosfan, I had forgotten.

[SimpleCoach]

A great conversation with another solid OAC coach.  This time with Chris Matejka of Ohio Northern University.

Ohio Northern, Head Men's Coach, Chris Matejka

[SimpleCoach]

Just discovered a whole bunch of other schools thanks to my conversation with Tim Penrod, Head Men's Coach at SUNY Canton.  Originally thought this was the home of the Football Hall of Fame ...

Tim Penrod, Head Men's Coach at SUNY Canton

[Kuiper]

A great conversation with another solid OAC coach.  This time with Chris Matejka of Ohio Northern University.

Ohio Northern, Head Men's Coach, Chris Matejka

I appreciated the subtle humor of this exchange (rising to the level of a political campaign press conference), where you try to tactfully ask:  "How the hell do you get recruits to come play for you in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere?" and Coach Matejka answers with "We, in fact, view playing in a cornfield in a middle of nowhere as our secret weapon!"

Seriously, though, I think the secret sauce to recruiting is actually RECRUITING and WINNING. If you recruit well and win, others will come regardless of your location.  So many coaches simply don't get recruiting.  They don't return e-mails/calls, they don't get out to games that much, they make mistakes in recruiting by going after players too high or too low for their level (often the latter simply going after the low hanging fruit and casting their net too narrowly), they are reactive rather than proactive, they are inflexible, they don't understand sales or what there is about their school that they can sell etc. With video, zoom, phone calls, connections, you can do a ton more these days even without a big budget. Plus, coaching is different than recruiting and not everyone is good at both. It's like the minister who is good on Sundays, but not as good one on one in pastoral care, or vice versa. Once you recruit well and start to get some success, you can build a pipeline and set up the structure for sustained success, which involves not just recruiting, but transmittable culture, but many coaches foul that up, which is how you see the one class wonder schools.  And, of course, some coaches (much like sales people) are great at recruiting/sales, but lousy at coaching and they have trouble retaining players.

On Ohio Northern specifically, I think the last thing the coach said about the distance to some of the major cities in Ohio is probably the key. Recruits and their parents are much less concerned about the specific activities around the school (or, more precisely, there are plenty of players who self-select for college towns etc rather than cities) and more concerned about proximity to where they are from.  Once you've established that distance and your school's likely reach, it makes it easier to recruit.

In some ways, it may be harder for a school like Case Western, for instance, which has a great location, academic reputation, conference with travel opportunities and national appeal, but that means if a coach isn't really focused, the school can end up striking out on a lot of players who just have tons of options nationally.

[SimpleCoach]

A great conversation with another solid OAC coach.  This time with Chris Matejka of Ohio Northern University.

Ohio Northern, Head Men's Coach, Chris Matejka

I appreciated the subtle humor of this exchange (rising to the level of a political campaign press conference), where you try to tactfully ask:  "How the hell do you get recruits to come play for you in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere?" and Coach Matejka answers with "We, in fact, view playing in a cornfield in a middle of nowhere as our secret weapon!"

Seriously, though, I think the secret sauce to recruiting is actually RECRUITING and WINNING. If you recruit well and win, others will come regardless of your location.  So many coaches simply don't get recruiting.  They don't return e-mails/calls, they don't get out to games that much, they make mistakes in recruiting by going after players too high or too low for their level (often the latter simply going after the low hanging fruit and casting their net too narrowly), they are reactive rather than proactive, they are inflexible, they don't understand sales or what there is about their school that they can sell etc. With video, zoom, phone calls, connections, you can do a ton more these days even without a big budget. Plus, coaching is different than recruiting and not everyone is good at both. It's like the minister who is good on Sundays, but not as good one on one in pastoral care, or vice versa. Once you recruit well and start to get some success, you can build a pipeline and set up the structure for sustained success, which involves not just recruiting, but transmittable culture, but many coaches foul that up, which is how you see the one class wonder schools.  And, of course, some coaches (much like sales people) are great at recruiting/sales, but lousy at coaching and they have trouble retaining players.

On Ohio Northern specifically, I think the last thing the coach said about the distance to some of the major cities in Ohio is probably the key. Recruits and their parents are much less concerned about the specific activities around the school (or, more precisely, there are plenty of players who self-select for college towns etc rather than cities) and more concerned about proximity to where they are from.  Once you've established that distance and your school's likely reach, it makes it easier to recruit.

In some ways, it may be harder for a school like Case Western, for instance, which has a great location, academic reputation, conference with travel opportunities and national appeal, but that means if a coach isn't really focused, the school can end up striking out on a lot of players who just have tons of options nationally.

@Kuiper, first off thanks for watching.  Do appreciate that whatever I am doing, there are those who find it interesting.  Second, it was clearly in jest.  I think a place like ONU has a lot of advantages, and not surprised at all that they excel at athletics in general, and soccer specifically.  Third, I think every school has its issues and strengths.  But the mob is fickle, brother, and you never know how kids of a recruiting class going to decide.

Thanks again and appreciate the comments.

SC.

[SimpleCoach]

Had a great time speaking with Head Men's Coach Andy Zidron of the College of Wooster.  Really enjoyable.  Hope you like as well.

Andy Zidron, Head Men's Coach from the College of Wooster

[SimpleCoach]

A new coach in the Ohio Athletic Conference, Cory Bucur, head men's coach at Wilmington College

Cory Bucur, Head Men's Coach, Wilmington College

[SimpleCoach]

I know this is not the women's soccer forum, but for you geeks, you may enjoy this one quite a bit.

Had a real great talk with Sandy Lagana Bly, Head Women's Soccer Coach at McDaniel College.  Most definitely one of best women coaches in the country and has really put McDaniel on the map.

Sandy Lagana Bly, Head Women's Soccer Coach at McDaniel College

[4231CenterBack]

SimpleCoach, thanks so much for doing these interviews!  I have a rising senior who is in the thick of the recruiting/college search process so hearing how coaches think and recruit has been really helpful.  In particular I enjoyed watching your interview with Coach McCarty.  I'm fascinated by how organizations sustain excellence over a long period of time.  In Messiah's case 20+ years!  I was also particularly interested because my son recently attended the Messiah Christian College ID camp.  Some observations from the 2 days in Grantham (in no particular order): 

There were 4 teams of approx. 13-15 guys.  The top assistant, Aaron Faro, coached one of the teams that appeared to be the strongest but there was plenty of quality in the other 3 groups. The other teams were coached by current players or other assistants.  The 2 training fields were the nicest grass fields I have ever set foot upon.  The sessions started with well-choreographed technical sessions and finished with round robin 40-45-minute matches.  There were current Messiah players interspersed throughout all of it.  They were very intentionally, but in a natural way, interacting with the recruits.  My guess is this is one of the ways they got a good read on the "fit" that McCarty stressed in your conversation. Overall the camp was very well run and miles ahead of some of my son's other ID camp experiences.  One of the most striking things was the positive atmosphere that was cultivated by the coaches and current players.

[EnmoreCat]

Really enjoyed the interview with Coach Lagana Bly, plus the one amazing stat, that McDaniel didn't concede a corner in the regular season!

[SimpleCoach]

Another great interview, this time with Reid Ayers of Baldwin Wallace University.  Has a ton of knowledge about the game and about coaching.  Was a thrill to have spoken to him.  Last time I saw him was when I played against him in 1989.

Reid Ayers of Baldwin Wallace University