A Conversation with Stefan Sloma from The University of Scranton

Introduction

We caught up with University of Scranton Men’s Lacrosse Coach Stefan Sloma for a discussion about the Scranton lacrosse program and what he looks for when recruiting student-athletes.

You can find our conversation below.

Thanks to Stefan for taking the time to educate those interested in The University of Scranton!

[ecko_toggle style=”solid” state=”open” title=”Register Here”]Scranton will be in attendance at the D3 Winter Lacrosse Showcase this January. Click Here To Learn More and Register to the 2017 D3 Winter Lacrosse Showcase.[/ecko_toggle]

The Conversation

What are you most excited about with regards to your program?

Here at The University of Scranton I am most excited with the culture we have started to create here. Over the past 5 years we have begun to build a competitive brotherhood that allows our student-athletes to push each other both on and off the field.

What jumps out at you when recruiting? What do you look for in a player?

When I am recruiting, I am looking for a team player, someone who sees the team as a bigger piece than themselves.

What are your “pet peeves” when recruiting?

Cursing and a negative attitude.

What is the best way interested student-athletes should get in touch with you?

The best way to get in touch with me is via email.

What should student-athletes avoid in their messaging to college coaches?

Student-athletes should be clear and concise with their emails. Make sure you have all the correct information and that you have looked over your email for any mistakes. Also, an email from a personal email is received more positively than one from a recruiting service.

How would you describe your coaching style?

I would describe my coaching style as a players-coach. I enjoy to be around the student-athletes and teaching in a way that’s positive and creates questions and answers among the players.

Walk us through your timeline when recruiting a student-athlete?

The summer in between a student-athletes Junior and Senior year is the heaviest portion of our recruiting season. From there we go through Campus Visits and the rest of our recruiting and verbal commitment process.

What kind of players succeed at your program?

The type of players that succeed at our program are ones that are able to compete at a high level both on the field and in the classroom. We have seen that these types of players do not have to sacrifice their athletic goals for their academic ones, and vis-versa.

Tell us about your transition from player to college coach?

My transition from a player to a young coach was at sometimes very difficult. I had to learn to navigate the transition from being a player to a coach in a short amount of time. Once I had figured out what worked best for me I was able to then really use my knowledge and age to communicate with players.

What’s your recruiting strategy going into an event? After an event?

My recruiting strategy going into an event is to watch as many teams as possible early and then doubling back if I need to. I will watch both players who have reached out to our coaching staff before and event and after reach out to players I feel like could be a good fit for our program.

Once again, thanks to Stefan for his time, and best of luck to Scranton this season!

Coach Sloma is one of the many coaches to recruit at our premier showcases. Click below to see the full list of coaches attending our events. Register today!