jbench posted:Out of curiosity, have any parents asked their hs coaches for a letter of recommendation that might be forwarded to potential college coaches? The letter put the hs coach's opinion and reasoning in writing, locks them in to some degree, alerts the player/parents of any issues/concerns, gives the kid a chance to address those concerns, opens up an important talk, etc. If the letter is positive, the hs coach's subsequent negative call, if any, with the college coach would be inconsistent, taken with a grain of salt, and more easily dismissed by the college coach. A positive letter would, of course, give the family a bit of confidence about a call with a possible college coach.
I would be leery of any hs coach, who would be unwilling to prepare a letter of recommendation or at least give a sound basis why they would be unwilling or why it might be negative and not useful. Plus, hs teacher prepare college letters all of the time for college applicants, which are shared with the students; so this seems to be within the purview of a reasonable ask.
Any thoughts on this suggestion? I'm very curious what the hs coaches out there would think about this.
It's not that deep. If a college coach is interested in a player they'll call the HS/travel coach to get their thoughts. 10 minute conversation. I don't think a college coach would even be willing to accept a letter of recommendation. It seems kind of corny and desperate. Either way, HS coaches typically aren't all that involved with recruitment process.