News & Features

My Players

|

My Lists

|

My School

|

My Notifications

Team Home

Knowing how college coaches recruit and what they are looking for can make the process less intimidating for prospects.

Our “Recruiting Insider” series features coaches from across the nation sharing how they got started in the profession and their methods of scouting and communicating with potential recruits.

Today, we hear from Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s and women’s head coach Frank Barnes.

How did you get into coaching?

I started helping the local high school team on the side while I had a “real job” as an actuary. Before I knew it, I was working 30 hours a week for fun, and decided I needed to either cut back or make the full-time switch to tennis. At that time, the tennis director job at the largest summer country club in the Madison area opened up and I was lucky enough to get it. So I quit the real job and never looked back.

What are your primary methods of recruiting?

Many of our players are campers at our very popular Warhawk Tennis Camps. Once they get on campus and see what the campus, school and tennis program has to offer, we often are able to recruit them with an official visit to UW-Whitewater.

How do you interact with recruits and what information should they provide?

I start with an intro email and a follow-up phone call. Then, it’s mostly texting. I try to see them play at the state tournaments in Wisconsin and Illinois as well. Recruits should initially provide a video of match play without edits, so the coach can give them accurate feedback of whether they’d fit in or not. Also, provide UTR and WTN rankings and information on when they are playing in upcoming tournaments to give the coach a chance to watch them compete.

What do you look for on the court in potential players?

Hard workers, proven winners in tournament play, team players, and they need to have a love of the sport.

What's the biggest draw to your school?

The College of Business and Economics. It’s the largest business school in Wisconsin and has a tremendous reputation. Many of the top businesses in the Midwest exclusively hire strictly from UW-Whitewater.

What is your best piece of advice for recruits?

Be sure to watch the team practice, that way you get to see how the coach interacts with the entire team, not just the starters. Also, you get to see if it looks like the players are enjoying their experience at the school. Find out from a bench player how much they are enjoying it. If the bench players are having a good experience, it’s probably a solid program that they will enjoy.

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.

Leave a Comment

About Rhiannon Potkey

Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories. Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches. Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You can reach Rhiannon by email at [email protected].