Welcome to Interview #57.
I am pleased to share with you the wisdom of NCAA Division 1 Women’s Coach of the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Adrian Blewitt.
Adrian Blewitt was named Little Rock’s head soccer coach in December 2012, and he was immediately tasked with turning around a struggling program. That turnaround is fully underway. In 2015, our program finished with a record of 8-7-5, 5th in the Sunbelt conference which is the highest ever finish.
Coach Blewitt has coached in divisions I, II, and III as well as a head coach of men for 12 years and women for 10 years.
In 16 years as a head coach, Blewitt has led his teams to appearances in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and six conference championships, and he has won four conference or region Coach of the Year honors. On three separate occasions, Blewitt’s teams have finished the year ranked in the top 10 nationally.
Coach Blewitt’s full bio is at the end of the interview.
Read on. This interview is full of priceless information!
What can or should high school athletes do from their end to get on your radar screen?
I think a few of the main things high school athletes should look at doing to get on the ‘radar’ of a college coach is to put a brief video profile together and email it with a short video link showing some ‘eye popping’ highlights of them playing.
I personally like to watch short clips of video, nothing more than 10 minutes, but I want to see something that will excite me about a player.
It’s quicker for us to click a button and watch a few clips rather than read through another standard letter and resume which we get a lot of.
I also feel attending ID Camps of schools you are particularly interested in gives you a chance to see the coaching staff and players more closely and you can see how they interact with their players, assess their coaching styles, and honestly find out if they are interested in you and your abilities.
A coach will typically make it known to you if they like what they see and are interested in recruiting you!
What is the difference between the players who have a successful college career and those who make a college roster but never live up to their potential?
There are many differences between athletes who come to campus and are successful and those who come to campus and either don’t live up to their potential or transfer out of the college.
I feel it starts with their own and sometimes, family’s expectations. Most division one players have been very good high school and club players and how they adapt and react when arriving at their college can sometimes be daunting and stressful.
Many struggle with not being the best player any more, with limited playing time, and higher demands placed upon them. I feel those who perform better are those who come in with an open mind, understand the challenges are going to be greater and to try to do the very best they can, rather than feeling the pressure of having to be the best player, or having to start every game, or having to belong to a winning team.
I think it’s very important to have each player understand they are part of a ‘process of progression’ both individually and for their program.
Could you share, in whatever detail you are comfortable, what the athletic scholarship break down looks like on your roster and what is allowed by the NCAA Division 1?
There is false impression that every division 1 athlete gets a ‘full ride’ and it’s just not the case. I think we are similar to most D1 schools where some student-athletes receive what could be classed as ‘full scholarships’, some may receive 40-70%, some may receive 25%, and there may be a couple of ‘walk on’ players also. The maximum number of scholarships a women’s NCAA D1 soccer program can use is 14 and this is typically broken up and divided by the coach.
Not every D1 program is given this maximum to use though. Other sources of scholarship funding for students can also come into play with this.
Some students may receive academic scholarships from their school, receive federal aid, or outside scholarships.
The top players don’t always receive the most athletic scholarship since they may receive some of these ‘other’ sources of funding. As a coach, if we don’t have to put as much of our own athletic money into a student-athlete’s package because of this ‘other funding’, it then allows us to stretch our own athletic scholarship money further and allows us to build a stronger squad.
We also have some players who work in the off season to make ends meet and help pay for school or any expenses.
What is the role of the parent in the recruiting process?
This is my 22nd year as a collegiate coach, 19 as a head coach and I think I have seen every kind of parent and family dynamic in the recruiting process.
Some parents are extremely involved as far as picking schools for their child to look at, asking all of the questions and controlling each conversation. Others are very passive and laid back and allow their child to ask questions and soak everything in.
The family dynamic is always a very interesting one for me and it’s sometimes very funny just observing how families go about the whole recruiting process.
Personally, I want to get to know the athlete. I want the athlete to ask me questions and show a vested and serious interest in our school and program. There will be time for coaches and parents to chat about the things parents want to know about (finances, safety, etc.) at some point during the visit.
What effect does social media have on your recruiting? Can you talk about players who you have either stopped recruiting or become more interested in based on their social media use?
Social media has become a huge recruiting tool for schools and programs to use but it can also be a burden in my opinion too. It’s a great shop window to show everyone what is going on with your program and bring recruits, families, and communities closer to your team.
In the same respect, it is something you have to be very careful with. As coaches begin to recruit a student athlete in a serious manner, I think many will look around on social media sites to try and find out a little more information and detail about the type of person they want associated with their program. I know if I see something alarming, that may raise a red flag and I will stop recruiting a student.
I’ve learned over the years that there are plenty of good players with great attitudes out there and you can’t get fixated on that one player who might be great, but have a poor attitude or work ethic. Better to take your time and find the type of student you want to represent your program and you as a coach.
What is the role of the athletic training staff with your team and athletes? How do trainers interact and benefit your program?
We have a small but very involved and interactive athletic training staff at UALR. Since we don’t have a football program we don’t need as many athletic trainers. We have one full time athletic trainer assigned to our team but other trainers will also help treat our student-athletes if they aren’t busy with other teams/athletes. Our AT is at all practices and games both in season and in the non-traditional season.
If a student-athlete needs to see a specialist in town they help with that process. It’s a huge plus for us to be in the state capital city since we have the best doctors and specialists in the state in our own city!
Can you share a story or two about how playing on a college team has affected former players in their lives after graduation?
Being a college athlete has a huge influence on how you grow and what you become in the ‘real world’ after college.
As coaches, we get to work with student-athletes at possibly the most influential time of their lives. Our students are trying to figure lots of things out in their 4-5 years with us about themselves; what they like and don’t like, what’s important and what’s not, who’s important and who’s not, etc…
In every student’s life and career, there are going to be good and bad days, huge disappointments and minor ones, moments of jubilation and sadness, just like in ‘life’. What’s critical about all of these moments in the 18-22 college age is how a student handles them.
As coaches and as teammates, we must provide a support system to help guide our students through the tough times and the great times. Many of these moments occur for the first time during college and a student doesn’t always know the way to handle a situation, or what to say, or what to do.
Different coaches have different approaches to how they run their program. I have changed a lot as a coach over my 22 years. I realize and focus more each year on the impact I can have on a student to help prepare them for life after college and our relationship along that path is more important than any win on the field.
We wear many hats as coaches and have to be advisors, guidance counselors, psychologists, surrogate parents, and aunts and uncles!
What do prospective college athletes need to do as far as game film or a high light video is concerned?
Different coaches have different views about watching game film. Personally, I won’t watch a whole game of a recruit on a video. I want to be able to see clips of less than 10 minutes so I can make an assessment, or at least have my attention sparked to possibly go and watch the student play in person.
What advice do you have for recruits on how to prepare for their freshmen year in a college soccer program? What are typical things you wish incoming freshmen realized or knew before they arrived on campus?
There are a few ways to look at how a high school senior can best prepare for their freshman year in college.
Mentally, be excited and confident you have made the right decision to attend that school.
Go into your first pre-season with an open mind ready to do your best and without too much personal pressure or expectation. It’s okay if you aren’t all conference at the end of your freshman year!
Be open to making new relationships and soak yourself into the team culture and dynamic.
Physically, I would suggest making sure you are on a lifting program your senior year, preferably one specific for your sport. Speed and movement training will close the gap with those older, stronger, fitter, and more experienced athletes you are going to be competing with on your team when August comes around!
Bonus Question: Is there anything important that you would like to share directly with high school athletes or soccer players in particular as they navigate the recruiting process?
Be proactive in the recruiting process! It’s important for you to find out if your top choices of schools/soccer programs are really interested in you!
Understand there are great, smaller schools out there, understand there are D3 and D2 programs which are stronger than D1 programs.
Understand that you can receive larger scholarships at smaller schools, and that there is a place for almost everyone to play college soccer in this country! Try to enjoy the recruiting process. Like college and life, it will have its ups and downs, but eventually you’ll find your new home!
Next, take a look An Athlete’s Simple Start to a College Search.
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Thanks,
Bryan
Profile:
Adrian Blewitt was named Little Rock’s head soccer coach in December 2012, and he was immediately tasked with turning around a struggling program. That turnaround is fully underway.
Coach Blewitt has coached in divisions I, II, and III as well as a head coach of men for 12 years and women for 10 years.
Little Rock doubled its win total from 2012 to 2013, reaching the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the first time since 2009.
The following year, Little Rock more than doubled its win total once again. The Trojans finished the 2014 season with an 11-8-1 record, the first winning record in school history.
In 2015, our program finished with a record of 8-7-5, 5th in the Sunbelt conference which is the highest ever finish, including a 0-0 tie at the University of Texas and a 1-0 OT loss at then 17th ranked Ole Miss.
In 16 years as a head coach, Blewitt has led his teams to appearances in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and six conference championships, and he has won four conference or region Coach of the Year honors. On three separate occasions, Blewitt’s teams have finished the year ranked in the top 10 nationally.
Blewitt compiled a 167-66-12 overall record as a head men’s and women’s soccer coach at NCAA Division II schools Lees-McRae College and Lenoir-Rhyne University, including a 36-5-3 mark in his final two seasons as head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne.
In 2011, Blewitt led Lenoir-Rhyne to a 17-3-1 overall record, a South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship and a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2011 NCAA Division II Tournament. In 2010, the Bears went 19-2-2, won the South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament titles, advanced to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Division II Tournament and ended the year ranked No. 8 in the nation. Blewitt was named the South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year in both 2010 and 2011.
Blewitt also served as Lenoir-Rhyne’s head men’s soccer coach from 2005-08, and led the 2006 Bears to a South Atlantic Conference Championship, an Appalachian Regional Championship and a Sweet 16 Appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The 2006 Bears finished the year with a 19-1-1 overall record and a No. 5 national ranking, while Blewitt took home Coach of the Year honors for both the South Atlantic Conference and the NSCAA Appalachian Region.
From 2002-05 at Lees-McRae College, Blewitt led the Bobcats to back-to-back Carolina-Virginia Athletics Conference Championships (now known as Conference Carolinas) and coached two-time All-American and New England Revolution player Khano Smith.
As the head men’s soccer coach at Division III member Methodist College (now Methodist University) from 1997-02, Blewitt won 34 games and led the Monarchs to a top-25 national ranking in 2001.
A four-year standout and two-year team captain at Lock Haven University, Blewitt was a four-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference selection (1990-93) and was named the league’s Defensive MVP in 1993. Blewitt helped the Bald Eagles to back-to-back PSAC Championships in 1990 and 1991, as well as an appearance in the Elite Eight round of the 1992 NCAA Division II Tournament.
Over his career, Blewitt has coached five NCAA Division II All-Americans, four conference Players of the Year and four Freshmen of the Year winners.
Blewitt earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 1994 and his master’s degree in liberal arts in 1996, both from Lock Haven University.
Blewitt is a member of numerous athletic groups and organizations, including the National Soccer Coaches of America Association, United States Soccer Federation, North Carolina Olympic Development Staff, Virginia State Olympic Development Program and the Association of Football Coaches and Teachers.
A native of Grimsby, England, Blewitt and his wife Tamara have one daughter, JoElle.
1994-95: Asst. men’s soccer coach at Lock Haven University (his Alma Mater).
1997-2001: Head men’s coach at Methodist University (D3)
2002-2004: Head men’s coach at Lees-McRae College (D2)
2005-2011: Head men’s, Director of Soccer, Head women’s coach at Lenoir-Rhyne Univ. (D2)
2012: Assistant women’s soccer coach at UNC-Greensboro (D1)
2013-present: UALR