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The Baylor Bears are one of the premier teams in women's college tennis. The 2010 season saw Baylor win their fifth straight Big 12 Title while posting a 30-3 record and reaching the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships. Ross Greenstein of Scholarship for Athletes got the chance to talk with Baylor Head Coach Joey Scrivano.
Questions and Answers
Joey Scrivano, Head Coach at
Baylor © Doug Wrege, TennisRecruiting.net
Scholarship For Athletes (SFA): What advice do you have for high school athletes that strive to play college sports? Joey Scrivano (JS): Student-athletes, parents, and junior coaches need to focus on the big picture. The focus should be on developing the tools necessary to be successful at the next level, instead of focusing predominantly on results. The elite college coaches will be able to see that you have the ability to succeed at the collegiate level.
SFA: At SFA, we try to explain to our clients that the recruiting process is like being on a three year job interview; is that how you view the recruiting process?
JS: I see the recruiting process as a great opportunity to find out if the student-athlete is a good fit for your program, and vice versa. There are so many options out there, but the key is to find the perfect fit. The best way for athletes to do this is to do their research and ask a lot of questions.
As coaches, we are watching players at an early age. We are not allowed to contact players as sophomores, but as juniors we can start to e-mail them. As seniors, we can call them and bring them on campus. So yes, I agree that it is a lot like a job interview.
SFA: Assuming that they have the academics and tennis level to attend your school, when should junior players begin to contact you or send you their resume?
JS: From a coaches perspective, the NCAA allows us to begin verbal communication on July 1st after the student-athlete's junior year in high school. From an athlete's perspective, he/she should begin to make contact with schools they are interested in towards the end of their sophomore year in high school.
As a side note, if you are playing a tournament close to a university of interest, it is always a good idea to let the coach know that you are playing.
