Ashley* had gone on many recruiting trips during her high school career. She had even done a lot of research to figure out what the right school and coach would be for her. By the end of her junior year, Ashley had visited countless schools, met with many coaches, and gone on a few overnight visits. She had her list down of her top couple of schools.
At the top of her list, was a smaller Division III school. She had originally been looking for a better school for field hockey, but this coach had seemed amazing at all of her visits. She had made Ashley feel like she was already a part of the team on her overnight visit.
Ashley was so impressed by the school and the coach, that she ended up verbally committing. After she got her early decision acceptance letter, Ashley was ecstatic. She couldn't wait to be a part of this team and play for this coach.
However, when Ashley arrived on campus for preseason, the coach seemed to be a totally different person. During their fitness test, she was yelling aggressively at people and she got very angry at all the players who didn't pass.
The coach only seemed to like a handful of players, and those were the athletes who got playing time. During her entire first season, Ashley only played in 6 games. She hadn't expected to start every game, but the coach had made it seem like Ashley was a vital part of the team during her recruiting visits.
After talking with the upperclassmen more, Ashley soon learned that their coach was not who she said she was during recruiting visits. None of the players seemed to have good things to say about the her.
Ashley ended up finishing her four years with this coach, but she wished that she had known what she was really like before she committed.
On your visits, make sure you talk to the current and former players. Ask them about what they really think of the coach and if they are actually who they say they are. Also, check the 2aDays ratings! The anonymous ratings are the best way to get honest feedback from athletes.
*Name changed for anonymity.
