How to communicate with coaches?
Sending an introductory email to a college coach can get your foot in the door with a program you’re interested in and give a coach the opportunity to conduct their initial evaluation of you. However, emailing college coaches as a means to get discovered isn’t as effective as it was five years ago. Coaches are getting hundreds—if not thousands—of emails from recruits. Simply sending an email isn’t enough to get a coach’s attention. You need to create clear, concise emails with attention-grabbing subject lines to give yourself a chance at the coach opening your email, reading it and responding.
When writing e-mails, use spell check and format your e-mails correctly. An e-mail is NOT a text message; you must address the coach properly and sign your name on the bottom. Talk to coaches as if you were interviewing for a job. It is important to have a mature and professional e-mail address.
Some quick tips:
Craft a good subject line.
The trick is to keep it punchy and about you.
E.g. 2023 Point Guard, 6’2” 180lbs, 3FG% .370
Introduce yourself with the basic information college coaches want to know right away.
Include eye-catching athletic and academic stats.
Give an action item to the coach.
State when you’ll follow up.
Whatever you do, avoid sending mass, generic emails out to all the coaches you want to contact when emailing college coaches. The coach will know if you took the time to personalize your email, and it will make a difference. Coaches want to recruit players who are genuinely interested in their program—most don’t have the time and resources to recruit an athlete who is not likely to commit to their school.
Here’s a basic template for you to use:
Dear Coach [Last name],
[Write 2-3 sentences about the research you did on the school, coach and/or sports program; Highlight why you are interested in their program and school]
My name is [name]. I am a [year in school] at [high school] in [city, state] and will be graduating in the class of [graduation year]. I have a [insert GPA and/or SAT/ACT test scores].
I am [height] and play [position] for my team. Some of my proudest accomplishments are [list 2-3 athletic or academic recognitions that are relevant to the school/program]. Last season, I [insert a few key athletic stats to highlight your skills]. In the offseason, I’ve been working to improve on [include 1-2 skills you are working to improve on].
To view the rest of my athletic stats, highlight video, academic stats and personal statement, please see my highlight tape: [link to Highlight Tape]. Please feel free to contact my [club coach, high school coach or trainer], [coach/trainer full name], at [email and phone number for coach/trainer], for information.
I will be travelling to the USA in July with AUSA Hoops, and have attached our schedule. I would appreciate it if you could watch me compete in person. [be sure the attachment includes the date, location, your team’s name, opponent, your jersey number, and the name of the court/field].
I will be calling you on [date and time] to further discuss my interest in [school name]. I look forward to talking with you!
Thank you,
[Your Name]
[Class or graduation year]
[Email]
[Phone]
[Highlight video link]
[Twitter handle]
