Scholarships and reputation are used to lure the best athletes to college

Amy Kuzyk
Sports Reporter

Humber has a leg up on the competition now that it can offer wider academic options, said the coach of the women’s basketball team.

 “Recruiting now for college is competitive, it’s cut-throat,” said Denise Perrier.  “But it’s better for us now because players have the option of going to university and getting degrees, and we can offer the five-year (eligibility) too,” she said regarding a ruling by the OCAA in 2007 that allows fifth year students to play for their school.

Now that the games have ended, the varsity teams are looking to see what changes need to be made on their rosters for next season. 

“We just had our year-end meeting and got a sense of who is returning for next season,” said women’s volleyball coach Chris Wilkins.  “Over the off-season we’ll practice once a week with recruits and returning players.  In September, we have open tryouts for players who weren’t recruited.”

But recruitment does not only begin when seasons end.  Most coaches have been looking for players since last September.

“The girls’ basketball high school season ends in November, so we had to start early,” said Perrier.

Men’s basketball coach Darrell Glenn uses a variety of avenues to look for players.

“We go to a lot of high school games, club games, rec games, pickup games,” he said.  “We also hire two recruiting services that provide the service to all university and college coaches in Canada and the U.S.”

These services scour the two countries for players with potential that can fill the gaps on their client teams.

Humber coaches say they do what they can to attract young athletes to Humber and make the choice easier.

“It’s all about taking an interest in them, being a presence at games and tournaments,” said Perrier.  “We encourage them to come out for practices, meet the girls.  We take them around Humber to see what’s going on.”
Wilkins said the quality of Humber’s athletic program is also a big draw.

“We offer scholarships worth $500 a semester.  It’s the most that any college can offer,” he said.  “But other schools also look to us as a model program.  We can offer travel.  We’re looking to go to Barbados next year.  We have a therapist and a manager that travel with the team.”

“And our reputation as a volleyball program speaks for itself,” he added.  “Good volleyball players want to go to good programs.”