Come back every Monday for Coaching Staff's Advice on the college recruiting process, what they look for in athletes, and what to expect as a college athlete.
Chelsea Martin is a new coach with St. Lawrence University and she came in guns blazing ready to take over the women's lacrosse program. This past season she led the Saints to one of their most successful seasons yet setting a new program win record beating out the 1990 team with a record of 15-1. The Saints even made it to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991. We had the opportunity to get her insight on the recruiting process as a new coach.
Q: Would you say it's difficult coming into a new team where you haven't been the one to recruit your team?
A: Martin expected it to be challenging to come into a new team but was excited to see what these athletes had to offer. She went on to say it was not a seamless process and her players had to adjust to a new coaching style. However, she believes she was lucky with the group of girls she had. The Saints embarrassed her style of coaching and took her in with open arms.
Related: Rate St. Lawrence University
Q: As a new coach have you started recruiting yet? And what has that process been like?
A: This coming year Martin is bringing in a smaller recruiting class due to adjusting to the new program and learning what their team's needs are. She discusses how she “hit the ground running” and has been constantly looking for players that align with St. Lawrence and the team chemistry.
Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities, and Campus Visits
Q: Do you wait for players to reach out to you or do you contact them?
A: Martin discussed how generally players reach out to her, but while at tournaments or games will reach out to a couple players she believes will be a good fit. She went on to talk about how she usually waits for players to get in contact with her since it means they generally have an interest in St. Lawrence itself.
Q: What's important to include when contacting coaches?
A: Martin emphasizes the importance of being straightforward and providing as much information as possible since those first couple of interactions are often wasted answering questions they didn't cover in that initial outreach. She also stressed how important it is to include your high school and club team schedule so she knows exactly where you are playing. It is also nice to include your current coaches' contact to discuss with them how you are as a player.
Q: Do you have any tips on how recruits should contact coaches?
A: The most important thing Martin talked about here was film, which gives her a sense of your style of an athletes' play and can be helpful when deciding to go watch them in-person or not. It also just saves everyone's time. Second would be just including information on the specific program and addressing the correct coach. Nothing is more embarrassing than emailing the wrong coach, so Martin suggests just double-checking before you send. Doing a bit of research on the program you are interested in and relaying that to a coach proves your interest.
Q: How transparent would you say you are when it comes to communicating with recruits in their process?
A: Martin says she is very transparent when talking to players and there is no need to waste anyone's time. If she is interested in you she will invite you to campus to get a tour and meet the team.
Q: Have you been able to attend potential recruits' games or go to showcases to find players?
A: Martin has been able to get to a few tournaments and games this year. She finds it helpful to see a player in real time and get a better understanding of their character. Martin does a great job at understanding that at these tournaments athletes are playing four or five games in a weekend in the heat. Depending when she sees them play she could see a good half or a bad half. So, she does not put too much importance on these games and is trying to get a general understanding of that player's style.
Q: What factors outside of a player's skill do you take in account when recruiting? Grades, character, etc.
A: Martin emphasizes grades are important when she is recruiting as she wants a player to be able to meet the university's academic standards. However, she really puts emphasis on character. She pays attention to how players react when a goal is scored and when they are scored on. She doesn't want to see any head hanging or stick slamming, but your ability to bounce back. Martin also loves to see players supporting and cheering their teammates on.
Related: Character and Coachability: Traits of Recruits That College Coaches Love
It was refreshing to see a new coach's perspective on their recruiting process. Chelsea Martin has done a tremendous job with her team and we are excited to see where she can take her team with new players coming in each year.
Image Credit: St. Lawrence Athletics
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* Originally published on August 22, 2022, by Casey Chizmazia
