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Sports fans typically fancy themselves to be true experts in the world of sports - even if they never even competed themselves. They love to share their opinions as to what tactics athletes should adopt, what calls the coaches should have made, who must retire, who should turn pro, who is taking performance-enhancing drugs and which coaches should lose their jobs. They love to give adulation and praise to coaches when they win - and to demonize them when they lose.

Max Landsberg, author of Mastering Coaching, states that only "20 percent of learning derives from a coach who cares about an individual's or team's learning." If this is true, then even if a coach happens to be the Michael Jordan of coaching, the most they can hope to impact a player's progress is around 20%. This means that your average or inexperienced coach may have even less than 20% influence on their players' development.

Those numbers make me question - do coaches deserve the attention they receive? My own experiences and observations have led me to believe that a team's success ultimately depends upon the quality, experience and mindset of the players within the team more than any other factor. Think about it. Do the Patriots win yet another Super Bowl without Tom Brady at the quarterback position? Do the Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA Championship without LeBron James?

When it comes to building a successful college tennis team - or any college sports team - the most vital skill a coach can possess has nothing to do with motivation, conditioning, tactics, team-building, empathy, planning or culture building. It is, in fact, sales!

One of the reasons I retired from college coaching is because it had become clear that the profession had evolved to be more about sales and less about coaching at the highest levels. I naively entered the profession thinking it was all about tennis development and molding young students into highly functioning adults who would go take on the world. Originally, this was the sole purpose for including athletics as part of the curriculum in third-level education institutions, but I believe the relevance of this now gets lost with the influx of resources at the highest levels. Those wanting to make a name for themselves as a college coach must make recruiting their highest priority every moment of every day. At many of the elite athletic departments, winning is the number one priority. Therefore, Athletic Directors should be looking for highly skilled salespeople and investing in the development of their coaches' selling proficiency more than any other area of expertise.

The definition of the word Coach is, "One who instructs players in the fundamentals of a sport and directs team strategy." Based on this definition, I think using the word, "coach," for college coaches of all sports - including tennis - may be somewhat inaccurate. Head coaches are expected to play many different roles, and they need a term that more broadly defines their occupation. My belief is that they hold more of a management position and that coaching is just one of their various daily duties. For this reason, referring to them as managers would be more appropriate.

To be sure, there are still many dedicated "coaches" out there who are fantastic developers and phenomenal, genuine salespeople. They don't spend time negatively recruiting other programs and can connect at a high level with these teenagers. They may not be coaching championship-winning teams but they are maximizing their recruits' potential and find ways to consistently overachieve despite their limited talent level. They spend an inordinate amount of time travelling, making phone calls, and building relationships with players, parents and coaches in order to find recruits who will match their coaching style. Once those players are on campus for their freshmen years, those same coaches work hard to back up everything they promised - and work equally as hard on the court as they did during the recruitment process. I have so much respect for these coaches and what they sacrifice.

It is up to you, the future prospect, to determine who those coaches are and how important a role you want them to play in your experience. Remember that, on average, the most you can hope the coach to assist with your development is about 20%. The rest will be up to you. On the other hand, it is also important to recognize that a coach can have a negative influence on your experience, too. I coached players that were not right for my program and coaching style Even with the best of intentions, I was not the correct fit for them as a coach. This happens from time to time, so be sure to do your homework so that does not happen to you.

I tell clients I consult with all the time to get very clear on their criteria for selecting a college. Many of them will tell me that having a "good" coach is one of their top priorities. When they use the word coach, they are generally referring to the strict definition of a coach and determine how good a coach is by their win/loss record. I encourage them to challenge generally held assumptions, and that just because a coach's team wins a lot does not necessarily make him a "good" coach. It could, in fact, just make him a fantastic salesperson.

If playing for a coach who can help you develop your game is important, then you must look beyond the wins/losses and tradition of the program. There are some brilliant coaches at all the different levels of college tennis who have decided they are extremely happy in their current position - or haven't had the right opportunities to move up to higher levels and attract the top recruits. Don't overlook these coaches and programs. These coaches may be more grounded and focused on the things that truly matter in a player's tennis and personal development. They are the ones who epitomize the word "coach". They may not be bogged down in recruiting battles that require them to constantly travel and miss practices to go watch some local stud for the 87th time in the past four months. They may not put winning as their number one priority, which I know is heresy to you hard-charging, go-getter types. Understand that if Team A consistently attracts blue chip recruits and Team B has nothing but 4 star recruits, well, Team A is going to win 100% of the time, regardless of how amazing either coach is - at least in the world of college tennis.

Now, if you say your top priority is being part of a highly-ranked, championship winning team or practicing with blue chip recruits on a daily basis, well, that is a different story. I am not saying that you can't have a great coach and interact daily with a winning team of blue chip recruits, but this combination is much more rare than you think.

If having a quality coach is an important component of your college choice, then you must define exactly what characteristics you are seeking in a college coach. What are the skills you hope they possess? Is their level of success as a player important? Are you looking for someone that is going to challenge you outside your comfort zone, or do you want a coach who will be eager to appease you and is ultra-positive all of the time? Do you want a coach who has great technical expertise in order to make some changes to your game, or maybe it is someone with a background in sports psychology, or strength and conditioning. What about years of coaching experience versus a younger coach who you feel can relate better to the issues you may face as a college student? Your decision about a coach's ability should not be based on wins and losses from one year to the next, as this will change based on the team's talent level and other unforeseen circumstances. Do you like a coach because she is a good salesperson? Or do you believe she can provide exactly what it is you say you are looking for in a college coach based on something more than a few friendly conversations?

Here are some other things to consider before making your final decision: Have you watched the coach during both individual and team practices with players? Have you discussed the coach's ability with current and past players? Are many of their players improving year after year, and do these same coaches have their best seasons when they have three or four seniors on their teams who have made their way up the line-up through the years?

Maybe the tennis development aspect is not that important for you, but you want to be sure that the team chemistry is solid and the coach has a good relationship with all their players. How you are going to determine this if you have not spent some time observing interactions between the players and the coach? Whatever it is for you, figure out how you will get the answers you need to make an informed decision.

Coaches do matter, regardless of how high a priority they are to you in your decision-making process. Give enough time to research the coaches at the various teams you are considering - this decision is important enough to warrant the effort.

College Tennis Talk ...

Tomorrow, Colette Lewis of ZooTennis talks with USTA Director of Collegiate Tennis Stephen Amritraj about current and future initiatives the USTA has for college tennis. Check out that article tomorrow - as well as all the great content that Tennis Recruiting has for you in the Countdown to Signing Day!

• Mar 13 - Countdown to Signing Day
• Mar 13 - Talcott Signs with the Tribe
• Mar 14 - Crawford Headed to Florida
• Mar 15 - Katya Tabachnik Rides with the Broncos
• Mar 16 - How Much Does the Coach Matter Anyway?
• Mar 17 - Amritraj Oversees USTA's College Commitment
• Mar 20 - Previewing the Top 100 Boys
• Mar 22 - Taylor Bridges Commits to the Wolfpack
• Mar 23 - Jacob Brumm to California
• Mar 24 - Fitting In Doubles Proves Challenging
• Mar 27 - Previewing the Top 100 Girls
• Mar 28 - Anchors Aweigh for Andrew Ton
• Mar 29 - Ysabel Gonzalez Rico finds the Right Fit at Emory
• Mar 30 - The Role of Social Media in College Recruiting
• Apr 3 - Coaches on Finding a Good Fit
• Apr 4 - Lilienthal Commits to Cornell's Big Red
• Apr 5 - Puerto Rican Standout is a Xavier Muskeeter
• Apr 6 - Preparing for College Tennis

About Ethos School

We are excited to have Ethos School as the title sponsor of the Recruiting 101 series of articles at TennisRecruiting.net.

Ethos School - Transforming Education for Athletes

Ethos School is an online school committed to preparing next-level athletes with next-level learning opportunities through flexible, high-quality courses in a faith-based environment. Our online platform offers over 100+ a la carte courses for 4th-12th grade students, allowing families the freedom to pick and choose what course(s) they would like their child to take through either a fully homeschool or hybrid model. To date, Ethos boasts an AP pass rate of over 80%, with student-athletes going to universities such as the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Dartmouth, Auburn University, and more.

One of the unique aspects of Ethos School is our commitment to providing a holistic educational experience. Our students participate in a live 1-hour video session with their teacher and peers each week. These sessions offer enriching activities, opportunities to ask questions, discuss coursework, and present projects.

We are thrilled to extend an exclusive offer to TRN recruits like you. If you decide to enroll your child at Ethos School, we will waive the $95 enrollment fee. Additionally, we will provide a complimentary Academic Counseling session with one of Ethos' Academic Deans to plan out your child's educational journey to ensure they are on the right path for college and beyond.

To learn more about Ethos School, please visit EthosSchool.org - or connect with them on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, If you have any questions or would like to discuss how Ethos can meet your child's educational needs, please schedule a call here.

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About Dave Mullins

David Mullins was a highly-regarded college tennis coach for many years at the University of Oklahoma. Mullins provides more insights into how to be prepared to play college tennis in his "How to Dominate College Tennis" Guidebook. Go to DaveMullinsTennis.com. for more information on the book - and learn about the free advice he provides as well as other services and products focused around everything you need to know about College Tennis Scholarships.