Academic requirements and scholarships are two big influences in how Truman State University recruits its athletes. Assistant Athletic Director Peter Young said academic requirements help focus the recruitment on athletes also being Truman students. Other Truman Athletics coaches have varying opinions on how these requirements influence their teams.
“I think the academics of the institution play a role in who you can recruit,” said Young. “You have to have academically inclined kids to get into the school, stay here and stay eligible. You have to have kids who want to focus on school, that’s just being a Truman student.”
Young is a University alum who played for the baseball team under the current head coach Dan Davis. Davis is 263-591 all-time and is the most successful coach in University history winning a regional championship.
Davis said he liked the University’s academic standard, as it meant he could focus more time on players who fulfilled that quota and he didn’t have to waste time on athletes who couldn’t.
Davis said the financial side could affect who he could and couldn’t get from the limited field available.
“We’re at a place where we have limited funding. That’s not a bash on the school or a negative on the school, it’s what we have,” said Davis. “If we’re going against a program that can offer a lot of money, and make it a lot cheaper for a student athlete to go to then we’re probably going to lose that guy.”
Young — who works with the financial side of athletics — spoke about scholarships as well. Young said the University couldn’t really offer student athletes large athletic scholarships, but academic aid and the overall low cost to attend the University would even out to the same offer.
“[Athletes] don’t take into consideration what their total out of pocket is, they see [they are] only worth this much to you and another school will offer more so they must want [the athlete] more.”
Volleyball coach David Gannon said he doesn’t believe that funding is a reason for difficulties in the last few seasons, and he said the University has provided him enough to compete.
“You’re not getting the academic experience at other schools participating in our conference like you are Truman. If we are lower on what we can offer students financially, I think what helps us even the gap is our academics and be able to leave school at the end of your four year express with a Truman degree,” Gannon said