G.P. Gromacki is a three-time national champion, winning his first in 2011 and going back to back in 2017 and 2018. He has been the head coach at Amherst College for 12 years and won eight NESCAC Championships. In 2017 and 2018 he led the program to two perfect seasons going 33-0. Coach Gromacki is a two-time WBCA National Coach of the year, five-time D3Hoops.com New England Coach of the Year, and six-time NESCAC Coach of the Year. He's been around the block a time or two and has some great advice for athletes who are navigating the recruiting process. Here's what he had to say. 

2aDays: What is the best piece of advice that you can offer to a high school recruit who is looking to play at the next level?

Coach Gromacki: Do your research.  Learn about the coach, team and program, ask the questions: Are you a good fit for their team? Will you get playing time? In the end find a college with the academic program you are looking for and how the education you receive will help you in the future. Playing basketball is great but in the end it is the academic value and what you learn that will benefit you in your career and help you later in life!

Related: 9 Questions Athletes Should Ask Coaches During the Recruiting Process

2aDays: What is the best piece of advice that you can offer to college basketball athletes?

Coach Gromacki: Enjoy what you are doing.  Remember your college years will go by fast.  Learn as much as you can from your coach and peers…and it is more important to learn life skills and not just the fundamentals of basketball.

2aDays: What two characteristics do you look for in a recruit? How do you deal with athletes that have a high opinion of themselves?

Coach Gromacki: Players that compete and love the game.  You need a high opinion of yourself but have to think of the team first…it is a team game!

2aDays: When do you think a good time for a basketball player looking to play at the D3 level should reach out to coaches to get on their radar and how should they contact you?

Coach Gromacki: At the start of their junior year.

2aDays: What questions do you ask a recruit that can make or break your opinion on them and if you will continue to pursue them? 

Coach Gromacki: How honest they are with me in the recruiting process…do not feed me misinformation. Make sure their parents are not too involved.

2aDays: Being a coach at a high academic school, academics are very important but are there any other qualities you look for in student athletes? What GPA/ACT/SAT do you look for when recruiting?

Coach Gromacki: I look for other qualities like hard work and honesty.  Just need a good enough GPA to be accepted to school and if they can handle the workload. It helps to have smart players on the floor!

Related: 5 Reasons Grades are Important as an Athletic Recruit

2aDays: Do you have expectations for the first years that are different from the returners? 

Coach Gromacki: Depends on the year.  But sometimes I am shocked how little the first-year players know about the game of basketball.

2aDays: Receiving so many highlight videos –do you have any advice on the do's and don'ts?

Coach Gromacki: I prefer highlights and a full game. That way, I can see the outstanding plays a recruit makes as well as watching them play in a team setting and checking out how they defend.

2aDays: Is social media a factor in your recruiting process and if so, what do you look for?

Coach Gromacki: It is becoming a more significant factor, but it doesn't make or break the recruitment of an athlete at the moment.

2aDays: Being a top competitor at the D3 level, how do you approach recruiting top performers?

Coach Gromacki: We are always looking for players who can play at a higher level than D3, and hopefully they choose our school.

2aDays: What are one or two things that a recruit should not do on an official visit?

Coach Gromacki: Get in trouble, badmouth the team about individuals playing ability, lie about who is recruiting them.

2aDays: What is the funniest way that a potential player marketed themselves to you?

Coach Gromacki: A player drove up from Maryland unannounced and tried to talk me into taking them and have me guarantee a spot on the team. I refused and we never recruited her!

2aDays: What is the best piece of advice that someone offered to you as a coach?

Coach Gromacki: Worry about your current team and not next year's team or the one's after until the current season is over.

2aDays: Any fun rituals or superstitions you've carried along in your coaching career? 

Coach Gromacki: No real superstitions, but we try to keep things the same.

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* Originally published on May 9, 2022, by Emma McCarthy