College Soccer Recruiting

His name really is God'sgift Achiuwa . . . | The Republic

Ask God'sgift Achiuwa what he prefers to be called, and his answer is as simple as it is obvious. "God'sgift," he says.

After all, it is his given name, and he wears it with pride. That's not to say he minds if friends shorten it to "Gift," as a nickname, and he understands the curiosity his name provokes in strangers. When the 6-9, 240-pound junior college transfer takes the basketball court for St. John's in the fall, his name is sure to be irresistible fodder for headline writers.

But imagine for a minute, the sense of responsibility and devotion that comes with such a name and how it must have shaped his values. Both his father, Donatus, and mother, Eunice, are Pentecostal ministers in Prince Harcourt, Nigeria. God'sgift is the third of their six children. His three brothers are named Promise, God'swill and Precious, and his sisters are Grace and Peace.

It has been two years since he last saw his family after leaving Nigeria to pursue his hoop dreams in the United States. Despite the loneliness and the difficulty of adjusting to a culture dramatically different from his own, Achiuwa says his religious faith has sustained him.

"I think that is the first thing in my life," the 21-year-old Achiuwa said recently at St. John's, where he is busy taking summer classes and settling into his new surroundings. "If there's anything I take seriously, more than any other thing, it's my spiritual life. I don't joke with it."

If he hadn't grown so tall at an early age, Achiuwa might still be in Nigeria playing soccer and attending school there. But seven years ago, he was spotted by local basketball coaches who encouraged him to try their sport.

"Some coaches saw me on the street and recommended basketball," he said. "That's how I started. After some months, I started going to the basketball court to watch people play. As soon as I started playing, I found it a fun game.

"Immediately, I think I fell for the game. I took it like the best thing I've ever done. I put my whole time into basketball. I think that is one of the things that made me successful."

After two years, Achiuwa found himself traveling with the Nigerian junior national team. "When we went to the tournament, I realized this game can open up opportunities, not just to go to school, but to make money with the game," Achiuwa said. "I think that was one of the first places I had an eye-opener of how this game can help you. That even motivated me more to put everything I have into basketball.

Sideline View- An Interview with a College Soccer Coach - Soccer ...

The easiest way to effectively prepare for your meeting with coach is to do so in the same manner that one would prepare for a job interview. Unfortunately, because this meeting pertains to playing soccer, and because the coaches are usually laid back about these meetings, prospects typically approach this opportunity with a less than professional attitude.

Now that doesn’t mean that you need to wear a shirt and tie. But, it does mean that you should dress and carry yourself with a professional attitude.

It is also important to understand that an interview is a two-way street.

That means that both you and the coach are going to be learning from each other. You will want to learn as much as you can about the coach, the soccer program, and the school as possible. And the coach will want to learn as much as they can about you.

And in the same fashion that two people learn from each other in an interview, you will do so by asking and receiving questions.

Your meeting with the coach will be a two-way street. You will need to prepare questions to ask the coach, and you need to prepare to give great answers to the questions that they might ask you.

Let’s start with your questions.

Here is a list of questions that you might want to ask the coach.

“Where do you think I fit into your recruiting class?”

This is a question that you would ask if the coach has already seen you play. Typically you would probably know whether a coach had seen you play or not, but there are also many circumstances where you wouldn’t know. If that is the case, then you can certainly start this question off by asking “Have you seen me play?”

“What is the best way to get evaluated by your staff?”

If the coach has not seen you play, then this is certainly a great opportunity to find out what might be the best way for you to get evaluated by the coaching staff. After all, the end goal of your communication with each coach should really be to get evaluated. It is extremely difficult for a coach to give a player a shot if they have never seen them play. As a result, if you haven’t been evaluated yet, then this question is a must.

“How would you describe your coaching style?”

As we discussed in the article “Knowing the Coaches and Style of Play,” one of the best ways to learn about a coaching staff is to ask them yourself. This would be a great opportunity to do just that. They will almost always be honest about their coaching preferences, and this will be invaluable information to learn. It will be difficult to decide whether or not a coach would be a good fit for you without asking this question.

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