From Cory Whitaker: Assistant coach at Lindenwood University in Missouri
Hockey Weekly recently attended the 2Nations College Prep Series, a scouting event at Taylor Sportsplex the weekend of October 24-26 of 2014. While we were there, we had the opportunity to speak with a Division 1 scout, Cory Whitaker, assistant coach at Lindenwood University in Missouri. Hockey Weekly was curious to know how, out of 63 teams and roughly 1,000 girls, a scout is able to find a diamond in the rough to add to their college roster. Whitaker was extremely helpful in giving us some tips to share regarding the recruiting process as a whole for female athletes.
1. Focus on your studies
W: “Players really need to take care of themselves in the classroom first. A lot of people think all they need to do is get into a D1 school. But we want players that are dedicated to their studies. Hockey is the fun part that comes with academics.”
2. Compete Compete Compete
W: “When it comes to the on-ice portion, we look for players that compete 100 percent of the time. We want a player that doesn’t have an off button and shows consistency.”
3. Make a good impression on your youth hockey coach
W: “Scouts communicate heavily with the youth coaches to get feedback on a player’s personality on and off the ice. We sometimes go as far back as calling a player’s 14U coach to ensure there are no red flags.”
4. Research the school and send out unique letters to coaches
W: “We get at least 100 emails each weekend. Don’t send that same letter to a hundred coaches. Be specific to the program and let them know that you are genuinely interested in their school.”
5. Don’t give up if you don’t get a response right away
W: “Sometimes coaches are unable to contact players because of NCAA rules. The player has to contact them or they must go through their youth coach. Don’t get discouraged. Try a more personal approach with a phone call. It goes a long way.”