Elwyn McRoy on What Coaches Look for in Recruits

Sports Scholarship Stories

Today we'll hear from Elwyn McRoy, a longtime men’s basketball coach who has worked at nearly every type of college, from Iowa State, where he flew on a private jet to recruit players, to Stillman College, where he split his time between living in a dorm room and an RV while making $3,000 a year. (I wrote a long feature about him that year, which I link to below.)
Elwyn is currently an assistant men’s basketball coach at Coastal Carolina University, where he works under Cliff Ellis, one of the winningest coaches in Division I men’s basketball.
In his 25 years in coaching, Elwyn has developed a reputation as a top recruiter. In our conversation, he shared dozens of tips for what he looks for in players.
Among his advice?
“Be courteous, be humble,” he says. “The biggest thing that sets student-athletes apart now is somebody who has manners…who, it’s a breath of fresh air talking to somebody, and it’s not just all about them.”
Elwyn also shares insights on:
* How you should sell yourself to coaches
* Why you shouldn’t pay for a recruiting service
* The importance of building rapport with coaches
* The intangibles he looks for in players
* What parents and players should ask on recruiting visits
* And much more!
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Links:
Elwyn McRoy on Twitter (@coachmcroy)
My story on Elwyn: https://www.chronicle.com/article/bounced-around/

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My best stories on athletic recruiting:
The Myth of the Sports Scholarship
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/
The Courting of Marvin Clark
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/
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Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/bradwolverton
Thanks for listening!