Questions College Coaches are Asking

Understand what college coaches are looking for when evaluating an athlete for their respective program.

Questions College Coaches are asking about Players

1. Is she Dedicated?

How is a player demonstrating her loyalty to her team, to a program, to herself?

It is appealing to coaches to see athletes who show that they care. This can be shown through both actions and words. How an athlete showcases her dedication to the sport will make an impression.

2. Is she Competitive?

Is an athlete showing a healthy competitive nature? Does that athlete work hard, hustle, and give of herself to benefit the team? Competitiveness is not demonstrated by tossing a bat after striking out or showing a bad attitude after a loss. A healthy competitive approach simply shows that you did all you could do to be the best you could be.

3. Does she Projects Positive Vibes?

Does the athlete enjoy the sport they play? Are they smiling and making the people around them happier or better? Do they seem like an enjoyable person to be around? Will they make a good teammate? Nobody wants to be around a negative person and bringing that onto a team may disrupt team chemistry which coaches aren’t willing to take a chance on regardless of how good an athlete may be.

4. Is she Team-Oriented?

Does the athlete seem to care more about their individual performance or the success of the team? Are they willing to sacrifice the runner into scoring position and do so with full effort? Is she on her feet in the dugout or sitting in the corner after striking out or committing an error? Coaches want good teams and that starts with talented players who are willing to be good teammates.

5. How is her Ability?

Can this athlete play at our level? Does she possess an outstanding skill? Can she run, throw, hit, catch, or pitch at a corresponding level to the coach who is evaluating her? This isn’t necessarily a number on a sheet, but it’s the “eye-test”. Coaches are adept at knowing what a good swing looks like, what an accurate and strong throwing arm is, how a pitch should move, and a fielder approaches a ball in play.

Ability is 5th on this list for a reason. If an athlete doesn’t demonstrate 1-4, a coach may not ever ask themselves if your ability is good enough to play at their level.

One thing everyone should know is that a coach is looking for far more than ability when asking themselves about potential players for their respective programs.