Decoding Genuine Interest: ID Camp Recruit vs. College Team Recruit
Dear Coach Bryant:
My daughter has been receiving emails from several college volleyball coaches inviting her to their ID camps and showcases. One of these invitations is from the team that won the national championship last year. This confuses me because she’s not even on the top team at her club. She’s very excited and believes she’s finally been discovered, but I’m a bit more skeptical about what these invitations actually mean. How can we tell if a coach is genuinely interested in recruiting her?
Curious in California
Dear Curious:
It’s wonderful that your daughter is getting attention from college volleyball coaches. Understanding the difference between genuine interest and effective advertising campaigns can help you make informed decisions about the next steps. Here’s how to tell if a coach is truly interested in recruiting your daughter or just wants her to attend their ID camp, showcase or prospect camp:
GENUINE INTEREST MEANS THE COACH KNOWS YOUR CHILD.
A coach who is genuinely interested in your child will have watched her play and can identify specific things they like about her performance. They might comment on her ability to read the game, her work rate, her technical skills or the level she’s playing. This shows that they have taken the time to evaluate her abilities and see her potential within their program. It also shows that they invest time off-campus recruiting for talent.
DIRECT COMMUNICATION TAKES TIME AND EFFORT.
One of the clearest signs of genuine interest is when a coach wants to get on the phone to discuss their program and the opportunities available. This one-on-one communication is crucial as it indicates that the coach is willing to invest time to build a relationship with your daughter. They might also reach out to her private or club coach to gather more insights about her game and character.
CAMP INVITATIONS ARE MISLEADING.
Invitations to “elite” identification camps, even if they seem personalized, are often mass mailings to thousands of kids. While it can be exciting for your child to be “selected” or “identified” to receive what is made to sound like a highly coveted invitation, the truth is that college coaches can’t exclude anyone, based on level, from attending their camp (per NCAA rules). If your child receives an email or snail mail invitation without direct communication, they should assume the coach is not genuinely interested in their unique talents.
CAMPS ARE A COST AND TIME COMMITMENT.
Attending an ID camp can still be beneficial if your daughter wants to experience the college environment, learn more about the program, or get additional exposure. However, I recommend weighing the cost and time commitment against the likelihood of genuine interest. I also strongly recommend choosing a coach-run camp over a privately run camp, even though the latter tends to have a large number of coaches in attendance (suggesting a greater opportunity for exposure). Private camps tend to be a lot more expensive than coach-run camps and provide no guarantee about exposure to the one coach you might be targeting. On the other hand, coach-run camps typically are run by the college coach or his/her staff and all but guarantee a “look” by the desired program.
CAMPS ARE MONEY MAKERS.
In theory, ID camps are part of a broader recruiting strategy, as a way for coaches to scout a large number of players at once. In practice, these camps serve more as a revenue stream for either a company’s bottom line, a coach’s pocket or their team’s reserves, rather than an opportunity to discover talent. If a coach has a conversation with your daughter and invites them to attend their camp, it is possible that the coach just wants to have the opportunity to see her play one more time before making a final decision about extending an offer. But if there is no direct communication, it’s likely that the invitation is more about filling up the camp than any sort of genuine recruiting interest.
THE REALITY
Parents and student-athletes should remain realistic and discerning about the recruiting process. Genuine interest involves more than just an invitation to an ID camp. It includes direct communication, an investment of scouting time (outside of a camp), and a clear indication that the coach sees your child as a valuable addition to their team. Encouraging your daughter to engage in these conversations and seeking out those genuine connections will help her navigate the recruitment journey more effectively.
All the best,
Coach Bryant
