As an Athletic Director, I believe we live in an era where too many high school athletes are chasing the scholarship instead of embracing the grind, development, and process that will make them better. We also live in an era of the transfer portal, where opportunities for high school athletes are becoming more limited. My advice to every athlete who wants to play at the next level is simple: Focus on what you can control. Control your effort. Control your attitude. Control your development. Control how you respond to adversity. Control how you show up for your team every day. Don’t let the pursuit of a scholarship take away from the experience of becoming the best version of yourself. If you commit to the process, embrace the grind, and become the best player and person you can be, you will have no regrets. The scholarship should be a byproduct of your development, not the sole purpose of your journey. Trust the process. Earn your opportunities. Become the best version of yourself.

As an Athletic Director, the job is not about asking your coaches to do something you have never done or would not be willing to do yourself. The best leaders lead by example. They set the standard through their actions, not their demands. People may follow your title, but they are inspired by your example.

As an Athletic Director, I know sports are results driven. Most people only see the scoreboard. They rarely see the discipline, preparation, accountability, and countless hours that produced the outcome. The reality is that results are a byproduct of the process. If you become obsessed with doing the little things the right way every day, the results have a much better chance of taking care of themselves.

As an Athletic Director, I remind our coaches that it is easy to coach the highly motivated athlete. Great coaches find ways to inspire the ones who are harder to motivate because championships are often won by the athletes in the middle of the roster, not just the stars. If you only invest in the athletes who make coaching easy, your program will never reach its full potential. Every athlete deserves your best, and every athlete can make your team better.

As an AD, here’s a reminder for parents: Competition is hard.
Winning is hard.
Losing is hard.
Being coached is hard.
Accountability is hard. Competitive sports were never meant to be comfortable. If you don’t want your child to face hard things, don’t sign them up for competitive athletics. The struggle is the lesson.
The adversity is the teacher.
The hard is the point.