Apologies if this has been addressed before on these boards...
When you are meeting with coaches...do you play things close to the vest, or do you let them know exactly what is going on?
For instance, if you are talking to another school....do you let them know that, let them know what that other coach has said, do you let them know what you are thinking at the time (i.e. i like this other school a lot)?
Thanks
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There is nothing wrong with letting the coaches know that you have interest from other schools. Depending where you are in the recruiting process, it may give a player a little leverage as decision time comes towards the end of the recruiting process. "Coach, I have interest from some other Div ___ programs but I really see myself and _________University. Where am I on your recruiting list?"
If it is at the beginning of the recruiting process, it could create some urgency for the coaches to do their evaluation sooner than later. Coaches are thinking that if they like the player's skill set, chances are other schools do as well.
I agree with JABMK that it depends on your specific situation, but I think it is most important that you understand their (the coaches) situation. Always put yourself in the coaches shoes. There is a big difference between interest and serious interest in college baseball recruiting. The recruits that can understand that difference should be ahead of the game IMHO. With serious interest, everything you say and do has greater weight so deciding what to share and not share can have serious implications. Essentially it is a negotiation or a poker game depending on how you want to look at it. Coaches are better at it, and do it everyday. My son is someone who felt the need to share some information when information was shared with him. However, he never showed his entire hand. In some ways, I thought the coaches respected that.
For colleges that were at the top of his list (prior to being offered) he only mentioned either their region or their conference. For colleges that he was casually interested in, he mentioned the schools by name. When you get to the offer stage or multiple offer stage then I think it can be appropriate to show your hand. This goes back to the concept of who has leverage or who is a buyer or seller in the recruiting relationship. I've posted this before, but here it is again. http://www.tier1athletics.org/...a-buyer-or-a-seller/
As always, JMO.
As Fenway said you play your hand based on knowing where you stand. Overplaying your hand can create two different results. For the highly recruited the conversation could end with, "We'll Fedex you an offer this week." For the less recruited they could get a handshake and a "Good luck. We'll get back to you." Don't sit by the phone waiting for that call.
