Thomas Liversage is currently serving his second year as an assistant men's tennis coach at The University of Tulsa. Liversage came to Tulsa after serving as an assistant coach on the University of San Diego staff in 2008-09. He helped guide the Toreros to a West Coast Conference Championship finals appearance. Before joining the San Diego coaching staff, Liversage enjoyed a successful playing career with the Toreros from 2004-08. He was a four-year letterwinner, a six-time All-West Coast Conference selection and an NCAA Championship participant in both singles and doubles. Thomas sat down with Sammy Atri from Scholarship For Athletes to talk to him about his experiences as a player and as a coach.
SFA: At SFA, we try to explain to our clients that the recruiting process is like being on a three year job interview; is that how you view the recruiting process?
Liversage: I definitely think the process can be like a job interview. College tennis is a business. Coaches propose an offer to you financially, and then your decisions once at college directly impact your growth and promotion up the lineup within that team. There are certain expectations that players have from us, and certain expectations we require from the player.
SFA: What advice do you have for the parents of high school student athletes about the recruiting process?
Liversage: My advice to parents is to consider all elements associated with a certain decision. Finances are one thing, player development, personality of coach/team in question is another. All things need to be weighed before committing to a team.
SFA: Assuming that they have the academics and tennis level to attend your school, when should junior players begin to contact you or send you their resume?
Liversage: We like to get contacted as soon as you know you want to go to school, coaches want to hear from you.
SFA: How important is it for potential recruits to build strong relationships with you and the players on your team?.
Liversage: Relationships are very important. Relationships create an atmosphere that create the want in other recruits to become a part of that atmosphere. You cannot fake it, and relationships to us are a very important building block in ensuring success.
SFA: What is your recruiting philosophy?
Liversage: We recruit players according to results, but also their personality, and work ethic. Coaches will always do their homework about a player on/off the court before committing to offering a scholarship.
SFA: Why do you think so many college student athletes quit and transfer?
Liversage: Many athletes have been used to being the main focus of their coach for their entire career. Once you are in college the attention is not all yours. You share it with other good players on the team. Most recruits that transfer feel that they are not connecting with their coach/teammates because of a lack of individual attention.
SFA: For you, what are the major differences between playing college tennis and coaching college tennis?
Liversage: When you coach college tennis you are looking from the outside in. You realize when the guys are having tough weeks in school, or are making decisions off the court that have negative/positive effects on their performance. College tennis is hard because you have many responsibilities while you are at college. It is a balance between playing and studying. Players expect everything to be perfect everyday. Coaches understand that it can't be that way, because the players have a lot on their plate.
You can also read see this as well as other interviews at http://blog.scholarshipforathletes.com/
Liversage: I definitely think the process can be like a job interview. College tennis is a business. Coaches propose an offer to you financially, and then your decisions once at college directly impact your growth and promotion up the lineup within that team. There are certain expectations that players have from us, and certain expectations we require from the player.
SFA: What advice do you have for the parents of high school student athletes about the recruiting process?
Liversage: My advice to parents is to consider all elements associated with a certain decision. Finances are one thing, player development, personality of coach/team in question is another. All things need to be weighed before committing to a team.
SFA: Assuming that they have the academics and tennis level to attend your school, when should junior players begin to contact you or send you their resume?
Liversage: We like to get contacted as soon as you know you want to go to school, coaches want to hear from you.
SFA: How important is it for potential recruits to build strong relationships with you and the players on your team?.
Liversage: Relationships are very important. Relationships create an atmosphere that create the want in other recruits to become a part of that atmosphere. You cannot fake it, and relationships to us are a very important building block in ensuring success.
SFA: What is your recruiting philosophy?
Liversage: We recruit players according to results, but also their personality, and work ethic. Coaches will always do their homework about a player on/off the court before committing to offering a scholarship.
SFA: Why do you think so many college student athletes quit and transfer?
Liversage: Many athletes have been used to being the main focus of their coach for their entire career. Once you are in college the attention is not all yours. You share it with other good players on the team. Most recruits that transfer feel that they are not connecting with their coach/teammates because of a lack of individual attention.
SFA: For you, what are the major differences between playing college tennis and coaching college tennis?
Liversage: When you coach college tennis you are looking from the outside in. You realize when the guys are having tough weeks in school, or are making decisions off the court that have negative/positive effects on their performance. College tennis is hard because you have many responsibilities while you are at college. It is a balance between playing and studying. Players expect everything to be perfect everyday. Coaches understand that it can't be that way, because the players have a lot on their plate.
You can also read see this as well as other interviews at http://blog.scholarshipforathletes.com/
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