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14U/16U Q-and-A: Character counts

03/27/2017, 4:15pm MDT
By Ken Martel, ADM Technical Director

Q: What do college coaches really look for in potential recruits?

A: The higher up the ladder you go in sports, the more you will find that there are always plenty of skilled, talented players competing for limited spots. So what do coaches at the next level really look for? You might be surprised.

There was a press conference interview with University of Connecticut women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma making the rounds on social media. The 11-time NCAA Division I women's basketball national champion (and seven-time Coach of the Year) talked about what he and his coaching staff look for in athletes that supersedes talent and stands as the absolute bedrock attributes required to win championships in team sports. While Auriemma is a basketball coach, the same holds true in our sport: Character counts, and it’s not just a cliché for programs that are successful.

Below is a link to Coach Auriemma’s remarks. It's great insight to what coaches are thinking and what they are really looking for in their players.


The author, Ken Martel, coached collegiately at Air Force and Michigan Tech while also helping guide numerous U.S. National Teams. As a player, he skated four seasons at Lake Superior State, winning an NCAA championship in 1988.

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