“Recruiting is still an imperfect science,” says Scott Farnsworth, director of athletics at Yavapai College.

 

The hard economic times makes the approach to recruiting different. “Every year the School Board re-evaluates its budget and has to move funds from one area to another,” says Farnsworth.
Coaches have to do the recruiting themselves and in these economic times they have to use all possible resources to get the players they need. 

Using newer tools

The recruitment funds come from a few different areas, including County and State taxes which are shrinking, tuition and fees, which is where the majority of the money comes from and donations from third parties, which mostly go towards other departments on campus.

Basketball player Breen Weeks, a freshman from San Diego, CA, was given an opportunity from YC to play and he accepted. Weeks played on a traveling basketball team that helps players get noticed.

Coaches also use newer methods of gathering information through the internet and youtube.com. According to Farnsworth, some players will contact the school and have videos of their performance online so the coaches can see if they are interested before they make their way to the player’s next game.  

Often the coaches have a huge network of people who are looking to gather athletes into programs. Some of these are agencies that charge a monthly fee to the coaches and others the students pay for to get noticed.

Difficulties of Scouting

Scouting can be difficult in a few other ways, according to Farnsworth.  A coach may find an excellent player, but that player may need some work on his personality. 

Coaches at YC are looking for student athletes, not just athletes and the student comes first, he says. 

Coaches need to be “Selling the program one area to another and be selling the college,” says Farnsworth. Students tend to pick their schools based on athletics and academics. 

Pure talent isn’t enough

Just because a player is great doesn’t mean the school needs them; some positions fill up faster than others, which causes the coaches to turn down some good talent. While other times the talent is great, but the coaches don’t think the student will better the sports team and/or be able to handle the academics, according to Farnsworth. 

“Recruiting at a junior college is the most challenging,” says Farnsworth. When students only play for two years, coaches are replacing half their team every year.”

“Recruiting at a junior college is the most challenging,” says Farnsworth. When students only play for two years, coaches are replacing half their team every year. 

Why YC?

Coaches do have a great amount to offer students who might be interested in one of  YC’s programs. YC has Title winning athletic programs, as well as award winning coaches. Being a member of a YC program has gotten many athletes into some prestigious schools.

Players who go to a four-year university would most likely sit on the bench for the first two years, but at Yavapai they will get plenty of playing time to enhance their game, according to Farnsworth.

YC coaches can also show future student athletes that Yavapai College has many degree programs and certificates. According to Farnsworth, some students will have similar athletic programs to choose from but the academics will make them choose one school over another.

Coaches have one last bargaining tool, which is scholarships. Scholarships may be given in any increment, from partial tuition to full-tuition; the incentive package may also include the athlete’s books, his room and board and even the possibility of a round trip to home and back.   Although trips home are rarely given out, according to Farnsworth.

“The majority of County kids turn down scholarships,” says Farnsworth. Athletes from Yavapai County tend to go out of state for their athletics, because they have grown up here. 

Some of the County athletes who end up playing for Yavapai are here because they couldn’t get the scholarships they were looking for elsewhere, according to Farnsworth. 

Fewer than ten percent of all freshmen athletes at YC don’t play a second year, according to Farnsworth. This shows that most of the students who come here are happy with the programs both academically and athletically.