HOW TO CONTACT A COLLEGE COACH

 

Too many student-athletes mistakenly think "If I'm good, someone will find me". Don't make this mistake!

SLAAM is here to help you with this process.  

Research schools and create a favorites list

The very first step in the recruiting journey is often the most overlooked: research. Here are the most important factors to keep in mind as families search for colleges: 

• Academics: Visit the school’s website to see the average grades and test scores. Plus, consider which majors are offered and remember to ask the coach which majors are popular among athletes on the team.

• Athletics: Student-athletes can use their high school or club coach to help them assess where they can make an impact, or they can visit a team’s roster and analyze the athletes’ key stats.

• Cost: How much can your family afford and how much aid is the student-athlete eligible to receive at each school?

• Personal preferences: Think about housing options, school size, social aspects, distance from home, and even the weather.

• Remember—there is more to a college experience than athletics. 

 

As families start to find programs they’re interested in, we recommend sorting them into three categories:

• Target Schools (10 - 20)

• Dream Schools (1-10)

• Safety Schools (5 - 10)

Most of the schools on a student-athlete’s list should fall into the target category. 

 

How to contact college basketball coaches - STEP 1

Once a recruit has done the research and built a realistic target list of colleges, they’re ready to contact coaches:  

 

Send an introductory email: An introductory email serves two purposes—to get an initial evaluation and establish a relationship with the coach. Make sure this email includes highlight video, academic information, contact information and key stats. Student-athletes should also personalize their email and explain their interest in that specific program. Never copy and paste—it’s guaranteed to get skipped over

 

Vital Pieces of an INTRODUCTORY EMAIL:

The title needs to make the coach want to open it – Include your name, position and graduating class in the email. Coaches appreciate being able to tell what the email is about in the title; Example:
 
“SLAAM Name Player 2027 Grad 5’10” SG Highlight Video & References Included”

 
Personalize each email – If you don’t take the time to personalize the email to the coach, they won’t take the time to respond. College coaches receive hundreds of emails each week. They can tell when an athlete has taken the time to write them a personalized email and when someone is using a form letter, just changing the name of the coach and school.

Include the contact information for your coaches – If you are emailing a college coach before they are allowed to respond (BEFORE SCHOOL YOUR JUNIOR YEAR) to your email, they need the contact information for your coaches so they can let them know they are interested. Here is how it works, you email the college coach, and if they are interested, they will contact your coach and let your coach know when to call them so you can talk.  NOTICE  - YOU WILL FOLLOW UP WITH PHONE CALL.  Juniors (now Seniors) they can call you.... Sophomores (Now Juniors), Freshman, etc.. -  College Coaches CANNOT call you - to speak to them YOU must call them.

Also attach your SLAAM PDF profile and link from SLAAM Page so they have a personalized profile of you.

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HERE ARE THREE BASIC LETTERS STYLES TO GET YOU STARTED - REMEMBER TO PERSONALIZE!!:

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