The Student Athlete Sessions
D3Direct shares the stories of NCAA Division 3 student-athletes, and explores their journeys from Recruit to the Real World.
The Student Athlete Sessions
#53: Elsebeth Birman - D3 Coach & Founder of Hoops Through Life
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Elsebeth Birman is a former college student-athlete who is currently the Director of Player Development at Shenandoah University (D3) and the founder of Hoops Through Life.
In this episode of the Student-Athlete Sessions, Elsebeth discusses her own college sports recruiting process, the realities of D2 athletic scholarships, developing her own coaching style, her favorite D3 coaching memories, and much more.
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Welcome back to another episode of the Student Athlete Sessions. Today we are joined by Elspeth Berman, who is currently an assistant coach with Shenandoah University down in Virginia, but was a former college player. Lots of awards we're going to get into. Some really cool work with her organization called Hoop Through Life, which helps female athletes navigate challenges, build confidence, and become the best versions of themselves. Welcome to the program.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. I don't know what awards we'll be talking about, but I'm I'm ready to hear about them.
SPEAKER_00That's my job to bring it all up in the past, all your highlights. So yeah, we always like to start off. Just share where you are, what's going on for you right now in this moment.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so right now, well, it's July, so it's kind of the middle of the summer. Um my role at Shenandoah has shifted over the past couple of years. So I don't do as much on the recruiting side anymore. So right now, what I'm focused on is I I just finished, I do an all-girls camp, uh, women's basketball over the summer, girls basketball really. And that finished up, I think it was last week, the second week of that. I'm only doing two. So this week, kind of recovering from that, moving, moving forward, focusing on a couple different projects, but that's kind of where I'm at right now is just coming off of camp and just you know, gearing up for summer.
SPEAKER_00What ages for the camp? Was that younger or was it more of like an elite prospect camp?
SPEAKER_01It was younger. So the youngest we had uh was six or seven years old, and then the oldest were like 15. I don't think we had any 16-year-olds, so 15 was the oldest. Mult the majority of them were middle school age, so nice, young yeah.
SPEAKER_00I'm sure nice to get a break after all that on court time.
SPEAKER_01Lots of questions, a lot of running around, a lot of distractions, but all in all, very good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, nice. Yeah, I know that you said uh not as much recruiting anymore, which is probably a nice thing to have because uh this period of of time in the summer, D3 coaches are usually on the road. Um what does your what does your role look like with Shenandoah now? Like what are some of the other things you're you're doing? Um, what are those projects you're working on?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so with Shenandoah specifically, a lot of player development. So that's that's my main focus. So the summertime, I'm doing a lot of research. I am just learning a lot. And then as I, you know, work with some of the younger kids, I can experiment and try. As as you know, and your listeners probably know, D3, we're not allowed to really work with the athletes over the summer, at least for women's basketball. And so it's very hands-off until we get back uh into the gym in that October time frame. So right now, just tinkering and and learning and just trying to be a better coach that once we get onto the court, we can, you know, just build on everything that we've been building on years past. I know that we just hired a a new assistant, and I think she posted yesterday she is in uh maybe Kentucky right now for a tournament, and she's been going pretty non-stop uh with with like I'm this live period and all the recruiting and everything that she's doing. So yeah, it's a busy time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm sure that's that's all we hear, I feel like, at the moment from both recruits and uh and from the coaches. So um, but let's let's take it back a little. This is the student athlete session. So I want to hear about your journey in college. You you did you play collegiately uh at the division two level. Um but what at what point during your high school career did you have the realization that you wanted to play in college, or was that something that was always there?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's it's funny that you ask you phrased it in that way because I just caught up with an like a friend of mine who I've known since I was in college, and he was asking me the same question. So it was like perfect timing, you know, when did I decide I wanted to play? And it may have been always in the back of my mind when I was growing up, when I was in like middle school, I can't remember specifically, the only women's basketball teams I really heard of were was Yukon women's basketball. So it wasn't really the WNBA as much, but it was more so like those college powerhouses. And so that's when like the idea in my mind was like, Oh, I maybe I want to play college basketball. And then I got into the ninth grade, I went to a high school that was was pretty good. A lot of really good players have gone through there, and it was very like focused on basketball and and like with the goal and the intention of playing in college. Most, if not all of the athletes who played on my high school team wanted to play in college, so it was just like being in that environment, surrounded by those types of players and those types of mindsets, it was really what focused me in on on what I wanted to, you know, that I wanted to play in college. So I would say, you know, eighth, ninth grade is when I had decided that that was something that I wanted to pursue.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And how did you find like context? So you say you're you're saying you're from Silver Spring, Maryland, you you played at St. John's High School, which does have a great basketball tradition. And uh yeah, how did you find that context? Was it just like, okay, I'm playing against this great talent in their division one, maybe I'm not quite there. What does that make me?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it it's interesting, right? Because you go to a school where there's a lot of really good players, so like probably the most notable in this day and age of players who played at my high school is AZ Fudd, and she's playing in the WNBA now, right? At the time when I'm yeah, she's she's I mean, she's just she's decent, she's okay. Um when I was it going into my ninth grade year, the biggest name at that time was Marissa Coleman, and she ended up playing with the the Mystics, and she went to Maryland. Um, and and so it was like just those names. And so when you talk about context, it it's hard, right? Because there you hear all of these really high caliber, like I say high caliber, like high division one schools, and that that wasn't going to be me, like that wasn't going to be my path. So it really it was the coaches that I was lucky enough I played in an AAU program uh going into my ninth grade year, where that coach was not he didn't care about level, it was just hey, let's use basketball as a tool to get you to the next level. And so he wasn't super focused on level, and then luckily um when I was in high school, it wasn't really they weren't really focused on you have to go division one, and they weren't really concerned about anything else. Um, my struggle was I had no idea what I was doing, so I was like, it wasn't like they were pushing an agenda, but it was more so that I really had no idea what was going on, and so I relied heavily on that one AAU coach that I mentioned before that I had going into the ninth grade, and um, and then again into my senior year, I I played with his team again. But um, yeah, I don't know if that answers your question, but the the context, the way that I got into it was more so like relying on other people, but I really didn't know what was going on.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, most most recruits don't. I feel like it's it's a very challenging thing, and I'm sure when you were doing recruiting for you know college, you saw that as a coach and you were like, oh yeah, I've been here before. It what what was it like to encounter that from the other side?
SPEAKER_01It it really made me more open to like over-explaining sometimes or really asking, you know, you're talking about being on the coach's side, correct. Yeah, so really over explaining sometimes, being really open. You know, you're talking to an athlete, and a lot of times you can tell, at least I feel like I can tell when they're real they're just kind of confused about the process, and then so some of those conversations we weren't really talking about Shenandoah as much. It was more so, hey, this is what I'm like hearing, and this is what I think might be helpful for you, and these are the things that you might want to consider. And I mean, most of my friends who coach at the division three level, like they would agree with that approach too. You know, we've had conversations and and they will also say, Yeah, this person clearly had no idea what was going on, so I just gave them a couple of tips, a couple of pieces of advice, and which most most coaches will do, um, especially if they can tell that you're kind of unsure.
SPEAKER_00Right. Try to have some guidance about the whole process rather than just come to my school. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that makes sense. So when you what what kind of offers were you working with out of high school? You you ended up going to play originally at the University of the Sciences in Pennsylvania, but what were you considering? What did your timeline look like out of high school?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I was getting some interest, and um, yeah, I was getting some interest kind of all over the map. There were some like uh lower level division one schools that that I was looking at, but never never had any offers. And then there were a couple um Division II schools, I ended up playing Division II, and I I didn't really honestly looking back now, had I known what I know now, I probably would have added some D3 schools onto that list, but I didn't really know um what was going on. But there were two main schools that I was I was looking at um and I didn't commit until way quote unquote late in my senior year. It was it was probably it was definitely after the season uh when I made that decision, and it was yeah, whenever after the season was, but it was later than all of my peers had had made decisions. Um but it was two two schools. So the University of Bridgeport, which is in Connecticut, and that's where I ended up playing my first two years and then transferring to the University of the Sciences. Um but those were actually the two schools that I had been looking at at the time. And I went on a visit to sciences, and at that time they were in flux. So the coach had just left and they didn't know who the new coach was gonna be. And I I did a visit with the assistant coach, but I felt very unsure about that situation. I didn't know who the coach was. I didn't really so I didn't want to commit there, although they had more of the education that I was looking for. I didn't want to commit there without knowing what was going on. And then I went to the visit at Bridgeport and had a nice time. I met the team and and um and it was fun and I liked it and it felt like a good fit, and I could still figure out how I wanted to to approach my academics through what they offered. And and so that's kind of what made the decision for me. So um we used to joke, we used to joke, you know. I I think on the t-shirts, I don't know if it still says this, but on t-shirts, it's like I choose division two, and like that was like the tagline for division two at the time. And our my my teammates and I would joke that like division two actually chose us, like we we didn't choose division two, but um, so yeah, that was that's kind of like the long-winded answer to how I decided where where I wanted to go.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. On the topic of division two, and and now you're you know, you've worked at the division three level for a while. Who how would you describe the differences between those two levels?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it might the if I had coached Division II, maybe I would have a different answer, but I I only played well, I technically I did, I guess. I was a grad assistant when I was finishing getting my masters, but um it's how would I describe the difference? I mean, not not much to be honest, like access maybe like I I was there in the summer sometimes working out with um like there were other restrictions, but like I was able to work out with coaches during the summer, so I did that you know a few times, and so access to coaches and then during I mean the scholarships obviously is a huge difference. So getting education paid for and division two is different because they can kind of like depending on the institution, like piecemeal certain things, and certain players get this much and other players get this much, and it's not always the same, um, depending on on uh where you play. But yeah, so probably just like financially a little bit different. And I I wouldn't say like the seriousness of the game is any different. I think especially if you're at a like top-tier programs that are very competitive, no matter what level, I mean you're invested in the sport, so the level of commitment isn't any different. I I haven't found that it's any different between like my experience playing division two and and then now me coaching division three.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And then maybe go into a little more detail on the scholarship piece of division two, because I think what one thing we encounter a lot with with recruits is this misunderstanding that an athletic scholarship automatically means a full ride. So when you're saying kids get different amounts, how does that work at the division two level?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it all it all depends on the coach. So where um and I did I transferred, but then I also had like three coaches in in four years. So at two different schools. Um my first year, the coach was very clear. He said that um your first year, you get this much, and then it goes up each year. And that was so it was the same for everybody, pretty much. And um I had I had pretty good grades, so I got a lot of academic money. I think I I probably maybe I had if not the most, a very high level of academic aid. And so the academic aid paired with the scholarship covered um my first year most of it. And then when I got like my second the second year, my second coach, um she had a different approach. And I at that point I was starting and she was like, I was looking at your package, and I don't know why you're only getting this much, and she bumped it up. So she was able to like bump that up for me. I don't I don't know what other people got. We at that time we hadn't really discussed it. I I honestly I didn't even think about discussing it with my teammates, but um she had bumped me up, and so like so. Then at that point, it was like everything was fully paid for, plus the academic money that I had. And then at my my last school, um, he was very similar to my first coach, where it was like everybody kind of gets the same. Um again, I did have a lot of academic aid, but everybody kind of got the same. And like I said, so coaches do things differently. It's like if if you think for division two, if you think about like a pot, there's a pot of money, and you can and the coach has discretion to like dole out that pot of money however they feel like they want to. Generally, I talk to coaches, generally, it never goes down. Um and just coaches have their own way of doing things.
SPEAKER_00Makes sense. Yeah, I think it's just helpful to hear that and kind of hear not only your high-level understanding, but then your because you did work with three different coaching staff, see how everyone handled it differently, and just know that I think when we try to apply these broad, like very neat descriptors of what a level is, like D2 and D3, that there can be a lot of differences, um, but in in terms of actual experience once you get there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure. And um, and I will say this that my because I came in with such a good GPA, it was more attractive to those coaches because they wouldn't have to spend as much on me because I was already coming in getting a pretty high amount of academic aid. So that also made them more excited uh for me to like be interested in what they were doing.
SPEAKER_00I can, yeah, 100%. Something that probably carries over to the D3 level as well, because as a coach, you know, you're I'm sure you're looking at GPA alongside playing ability because academic money matters so much, and you know, that's there is no athletic component at the D3 levels um from a financial aid perspective. So um what was that like? Or how do you how do you guys use uh academics to evaluate students? So like are there cutoffs that you guys look at or did you use when you were at Shenandoah?
SPEAKER_01So at Shenandoah, we our first my first couple years there, we were our record was not very good. So we decided we were gonna put all of the effort into getting what we deemed as like really good academic students. So these are students that could be self-motivated or were were knowing what they wanted to study, in a sense, right? Like everybody's gonna change, but were com they were essentially committed to their academics. And and that's what we were focused on, those types of athletes bringing them in because we thought our belief was you know, we focus on this and it'll expand to other areas. And I mean, luckily for us, that is that helped and that worked, and that was a good tactic. So the way that we so now like when we talk to students, they can kind of they go and look at the roster and they see all the different majors represented there. And a lot of times we found a um well Shenandoah has its own like academic, like what they uh what the institution is really strong in. And so once the the recruits kind of see the majors that are represented, and they can see, oh, you know, um, I can do this there, or this seems like a rigorous path. Like a lot of health professions are represented on our team. Oh, I can do that and play. And a lot of times we'll get athletes who, or sometimes, I don't think we have any nursing majors on the team. No, we do actually have a nursing major on the team. But a lot of times we'll get um athletes who are interested in nursing and they say, Well, you know, this school said I can't do nursing and play basketball. Or this, you know, and and it's like I can't do all these things, but we make an effort to say, no, you can like kind of do that here. So we will work with your schedule, we will work with your professors, and we just make it a really big part of who we are as a program.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it seems to be such a consistent part of the division three experience overall. Again, every school is gonna be slightly different, but for the most part, schools, professors, coaches are all kind of willing to work together to allow the student to pursue their sport at a high level and whatever it is that they want to do off the court academically at a high level. Um, I know I saw it with my teammates in doing research in labs and having to adjust their practice time or maybe stay late in the lab or something um on a non-game day to make that happen. But I think you know it's a great story about Chenandoa to hear that you guys do the same thing and it's um yeah, trying to make it all work because it can.
SPEAKER_01And so yeah, it it can. If if the coaching staff is committed to it and and they're willing to work around the students, like it can definitely work, and that is I will it's sometimes it is annoying. I will admit that, right? We had a lot of 9 to 11 p.m. practices this year because like the classes were going so late in the day, but you know, we're committed to the the academics part of it. So sometimes what takes a hit is the social a little bit, especially during season, but we try to make up for that in in different ways and like team bonding and and having those organic moments. But you know, it's it's such a short period of time. The season is long, but you know, we want to allow the students to make the but most out of their years as that they can play, because most of them aren't playing after after they graduate.
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah, very true. Some some will, some some do go on to play pro. Yeah, um, but yeah, most most do not, and most go on to do something else. So um about yourself here, as as you kind of continued on, I guess you you you got to Shenandoah in 2016, but you you took some breaks in between there um to do some other things. What have been kind of the highlights of your coaching career so far and and and where do you see it going next?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's a good question. The highlights when when you say that, actually one memory in particular comes to mind, and it's it's generally all centered around the relationship with the athletes, and and also if I look back on my playing career, the things that I remember are like certain moments when I'm with my teammates, and it was in I don't even know what year it was, but it was the first year we won the Odak, which is our conference, and we came into the tournament as an eighth seed, and we just kind of like I don't know, magic happened. We worked hard, but like Like a lot of things came together at the right moment. And it was the bus, the bus ride back to campus, and it was just like a really fun bus ride. And um the girls were like singing, they were dancing, and it was just a cool like environment, and it was just like a really fun experience. So to answer the question of what have been the highlights, it's it's most of the times it's just like the relationships that I've made with the athletes that I've coached, and just like to see them from their first year to their senior year, and just how much growth that they that they have, and and just to also see like how much they're accomplishing now as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, that is special. I think anytime kind of talk to someone about what it is, whether they played at the division three level, they coach, it's it is the relationships, it is the people that always stand out. And I think those moments when you we were you guys at the Salem Civic Center, is that where it was played?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's where it was played.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so yeah, not too far from campus.
SPEAKER_01Um, it was it's like well, it's it's less than three hours, I think.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. But enough time for a fun bus ride back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, I love that story. And then, you know, outside of the the relationships you uh we I mentioned accolades at the top of the show, you were named the uh WBCA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year, which is out of you know 400 plus schools, that's quite the honor. What was that experience like? Were you were you um invited to any award shows or did you go to the final four or anything?
SPEAKER_01So that it's people tell me, I don't know, like I still have trouble processing the that award because it I don't know, it it it is an incredibly nice honor, and and I didn't even know that the head my head coach had put me up for it. So I just get this random, like I it was a text or an email one day saying it was like the president of the WBCA. And at first I was like, is this spam? Like you get a lot of spam texts, and I was like, I don't know if this is spam or not. So I ended up like looking looking it up, kind of looking the phone number up, and I was like, no, this seems legit. And and then so she called me and and she told me about the award, and I was just like, I don't know, I was very honestly, I thought about the the players. Like that that that was the first thing that I thought about was just like man, how lucky am I? Because they're they make it easy, right? Like they they make it easy to be just like a fun and and good coach and to connect with them. So that was what I thought about. And as far as awards go, this was in I think it was the uh 2021. Um it was sometime very recent after COVID. I can't remember, maybe it was 2021. And so I did like a they didn't they didn't have like a convention, usually they honor people at the annual convention, they didn't have that convention that year, so I I did like a video and it was a virtual thing. But yeah, it was it was pretty cool. Um yeah, pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Yeah, I mean always is fun to not only do the work but then get get recognized for it, even if it does kind of come out of the blue. But um yeah, wanted to wanted to acknowledge that at least. Um your other work I think that's really cool, uh, is this foundation you have started, or maybe that's the the not the correct word, organization called Hoops Hoops Through Life. Yeah, maybe there will be a foundation at some point in the future. Um how did this come about? I mean, the goal it seems like is to really support female athletes, help them build confidence in themselves, and it's thinking about not just basketball, but but life beyond it. So, how did this come about?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so that came about when I was in grad school. So my graduate degree is in occupational therapy, and I've worked um, and then when I was actually in grad school, my big project that I did was working on athletes and transition. So transitioning athletes really into or out of their sport. And not to not to bore everybody, but I did a bunch of research and I wrote a paper and I presented on a couple things, and there were a few areas that stood out to me as just like, wow, not red flags, but hey, we need to pay attention to these things. And and so, you know, I have all of that information, I have all of that research, and I just decided to, in some ways, in my way, like put it to use. And that is through um, you know, I do individual workouts, I work with teams and and groups, and then also like the camps in the summer. And so I still I still do all of that, and there's been a little bit of a of a shift in the focus, and it's like really melding everything that I've done through coaching and then through my education, and it's like shifting towards supporting coaches. So supporting coaches and and helping them um support all of their players, like regardless of their brains. Like I'm I was actually thinking today, and and the name that came up was just like every brain on the team. And so that's coming coming at at coaching um with neurodiversity in mind, which is with those those couple different things. So that that's kind of where where I'm at now. But yeah, the the uh the hoops through life, like really serious, um, not serious, that was not the right word, but but just like the focus on the girls' basketball and supporting them. That's all of that is is still going on um through like the workouts and stuff, but then also like starting to really support coaches as they work like with different players.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, I mean, and you know, and ultimately that goes on to serve the players as well, if if they're able to receive but better coaching, maybe more tailored coaching. And I I think it's something that you know is it's a great area to be thinking about, and I'm sure maybe hard for coaches because they've done something one way, it's worked for them, they've found ways to be effective, make small adjustments, see improvements, continue to iterate. But I do feel like there were times in my playing career, at least, and I don't I would be interested to hear about you, where it's like a coach is delivering a message in a way that is clearly really effective for one person, but definitely like to your point about uh every brain on the on the basketball team, like it just it wasn't, you know, like I I think back to my high school coach, it was very intense. And it was like it was it was what some people needed, and for me, it was just kind of like you don't need to do that. Like, I I'm fine. I I can we can get excited for the game. Like I I can take your message seriously, but like I don't, you know, you don't need to just like sit here and curse me out. Like it's not gonna, it's not gonna motivate me. Um was there something for you personally that happened that you were kind of sparked this idea to kind of take a broader uh approach?
SPEAKER_01I would say that my experience growing up with my coaches was probably very similar to what you just just described, right? Somebody who's very intense, yells a lot, and yeah, just like very loud. And and that nothing, there's nothing wrong with that. And for me, it was just like what I was used to, and I was able to roll with it and and it was fine. And um to like my experience with different types of coaches who kind of all had a very similar through line of excuse me, very similar through line of of just like in intensity and yelling and just like I don't want to say I don't want to say dramatics, but um I think people know what I mean when I say that, just just very up in arms a lot and and um and it was it was fine, it was what I was used to, but as I started coaching, especially at the youth level, but even even some athletes in in college, I would hear I would hear coaches, you know, say phrases like, well, you just can't teach that, or or they're never gonna get it, or like these little phrases where I'm like, well, are they not gonna get it or do we not know how to teach it effectively? Right? Like those are two very different ways to look at the same problem. And and I would recognize with some of these players how discouraged they would get, how they you know, discouraged they would get when they wouldn't understand something, or how many times they got reprimanded for like not paying attention or not doing what they were supposed to be doing, or not like militantly standing straight and just like focused up and listening and making eye contact. And how, and then with you know, my educational background and then what I would see in terms of like how the players would react, it was it was like, man, we kind of need to change the way that we're coaching a little bit. We need to be more open to different types of of players and how they respond and and be able to connect with them in a way that makes sense for them. And and that's that's kind of where the idea where that idea came from. I honestly didn't know if any coaches would be into it because, like you said, you know, coaching especially in this country, is not there's not really m much formalized uh uh education on it. And it's really like you coach how you were coached, or you coach the opposite way of you were coached because you hated it so much, right? And and there's no standard, there's no playbook to it, so I didn't know who would be into it. But I've I've gotten some really good feedback with coaches, and and people seem to be very open to well, I don't know how to connect with this player, this player never seems to understand what I'm saying, and like they're willing to try different things.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, and I I think that's something that you know obviously depends on who your team is. And maybe you guys at Shenandoah were benefited from the fact that you were already going out with this intention to recruit these like self-starters and people that could get it done in the classroom. So you don't need to be as like you said, militant or like you know, structure maybe the format of practice as intensely as you know, um, students who aren't gonna get it done in the classroom, like who don't have that discipline coming in. So I don't, it's a it's a very interesting line of thinking, and I'm sure there are coaches out there who are lining up to be like, hey, this situation is driving me nuts. And like you said, there's no there's no formalized education. Um no one no one ever sits down and says, Hey, here's you're gonna have some difficult players during your career, here's how you handle it.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's and that's what people go to other people for and they ask questions. I know the coaching community is very generous and they really like to share information with one another. Um, but even and when you said that, it it's it makes me think of, I mean, even at Shenandoah and in other places too, as coaches, you know, we want to be the best that we can be, and there's only so much vetting that we can do. So a player comes in and we may have seen them this one way, and we didn't realize that they might need this extra support, which is fine. Like there's nothing wrong with that. It's it's just about okay, so now and when you say that I think of a couple players in particular that I have coached at at Shenandoah, I won't name names and I won't say if they've graduated or not, I won't say any of that. But but they they really struggled on the court sometimes, just just learning, just picking up things, just processing information. And um and I had and had I been as intentional as I am now, as I was back then, I probably would have tried a couple more things, and and they may have done a little bit better and been less frustrated and been able to like handle the situations in a more constructive way. Um but yeah, it's at it's at all levels, it's on all teams. I I've I've talked to pretty much pretty much all of my friends that coach now that I've talked to, they can name at least one player on their team who's like, I I don't know what to do here.
SPEAKER_00Right, right. So yeah, widespread, but maybe not quite addressed, other than like you said, the going to your network, talking, getting some getting some one-on-one advice, um, but less of a system or structured response. So yeah, and I also just say I would in terms of the hoops back to the hoops through life conversation. People should check out the podcast that you have because uh especially for recruits that are listening to this, uh Elbut has conversations with current college coaches um on what they like to see in the recruiting process, how to communicate well, how to be proactive. Um, lots of great stuff in there. If you're wondering how to get the attention of coaches, it's often helpful to listen to coaches talk about what they want to see. Uh and the Hoopster Life podcast has that. So definitely make sure to check that out. Um and uh yeah, anything else that we should look out for on that front with what you're doing there?
SPEAKER_01No, I think that's it. And if you really, you know, an August at some time, the wonderful co-host that we have right here will be a guest on the podcast as well. So he gives great information on just the recruiting process in general as well. So yeah, just check out the the podcast. If you have any specific questions, you can reach out to me. I look read all the emails, I answer all the emails. So if you have a specific something that you're thinking about or wondering about, um, myself, but I also know Carl is a great, great resource as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, how should people contact you or what what places do you check the most? What what sites?
SPEAKER_01Email. Email is probably the best. But there is a form on the website and it goes to my email. So either the form on the website or my email, which is just uh hoops through life at gmail.com.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Yeah, there's a great contact page on the website. So everyone check that out if you are in the Virginia area and you're looking for a camp to next summer. Because I there are no more this summer, right?
SPEAKER_01No more this summer, yeah. The last one was last week, so next summer for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, make sure to check that out. And then uh Elizabeth, we'll we'll wrap up the pod with the same question we ask every guest. If you could go back and talk to your 17 or 18-year-old self, what advice would you would you give her?
SPEAKER_01I would I would probably say to just put yourself out there more. I was one in the recruiting process in general, again, I didn't know what I was doing. I I wasn't very proactive at all. I relied really heavily on my college or my college, my um AAU coach in his network, and that is never a good thing because who knows if the people he knows are even going to be compatible with what I want to do. So I would just put myself out there more in the recruiting process, but then also once I got onto campus, I would just kind of put myself out there a little bit more. I was I was pretty shy, so I didn't really engage with as as many things as I wish I did.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Good advice, put yourself out there, experience life a little more. And uh, I think yeah, good good advice too on the recruiting front is just yeah, not assume that one coach is gonna just have the answer to the question you you are asking in particular. It might work for someone else, but uh try to more more sources of of information, more more network points. So it's good advice.
SPEAKER_01Perfect.
SPEAKER_00All right. Well, thanks for joining. Uh again, check out uh the hoops through life website. The contact page is there, Instagram, Facebook, or as Elle said, uh you can email her. And uh yeah, make sure to tune in to see what Shenandoah gets up to this season on the court. Hopefully they are having a one of those celebratory bus rides back um from Salem come March and headed to the NCAA tournament.
SPEAKER_01I hope so.
SPEAKER_00All right. Thanks for listening. This has been another episode of the Student Athlete Sessions. You can get all the previous episodes on Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you listen. And make sure to let us know who you want us to talk to next. Thanks, Al.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.