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Danny Westerman, the head men's tennis coach at the University of Denver talks with Scholarship for Athletes about the college recuitment process. He shares his coaching philosophy and offers advice to potential recruits as well as their families.
Questions and Answers
Scholarship For Athletes (SFA): What advice do you have for high school athletes that strive to play college sports?
Danny Westerman (DW): The best advice I can give recruits is to do your research about schools early. There are so many great places to play college tennis at every division and many recruits don't do their homework on schools.
SFA: At SFA, we try to explain to our clients that the recruiting process is like being on three year job interview; is that how you view the recruiting process?
DW: We absolutely view the recruiting process as a job interview. Both the recruit and the coaches should be interviewing each other to make sure it is a great fit for everyone. I always ask my players their thoughts on a recruit after the official visit to see if a recruit could fit in with our team. We strive to make sure players will get along well and therefore work hard together to achieve our goals. Additionally, the recruit should be asking coaches and players thoughtful questions to help them gauge if our program is the right fit for him.
SFA: What advice do you have for the parents of high school student athletes about the recruiting process?
DW: My advice for parents during the recruiting process is to be involved, but also make sure your son is also communicating directly with the coach. But I often see parents speaking on behalf of their child on visits or phone calls.
