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Chris Leicht is a Division I tennis coach for Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. He has many years of coaching under his belt, racking in a total of 19 seasons of collegiate tennis. Most of his years were spent at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, where he coached both the men's and women's Division III team for 16 seasons. He has been at Monmouth for 3 years and has led two consecutive Regular Season Championships and Tournament Championships in 2019 and 2021.
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The Recruiting Process
Coach Leicht starts by talking about his recruiting process:
“It's a year-round process. I start by analyzing my current roster to see how many guys I'm going to be losing, how many spots they're in, and how much money is going to be opening up. Then, I decide how many new players I want to bring in. I try to keep 10-12 guys on the roster.
“Once I know how many new players I want, I go through agents, online fairs, and find players that fit the criteria I'm looking for.”
What Is He Looking for in Recruits?
Coach Leicht lists the criteria he wants athletes to meet before he recruits them:
- Tennis ability: Coach Leicht Looks for athletes just below the professional level
- Academic ability: Athletes have to be able to meet the school's academic requirements
- Financials: Can the athlete afford to move to and attend Monmouth University? This is especially a consideration for international athletes
- Team culture: Will they fit in with the team?
- Personality: “There are so many variables, and tennis is such a mental game, so I'm trying to see which players will fit in with myself, my coaching style, and the current team.”
The Evaluation Process
When evaluating recruits, Coach Leicht says “I like to see them play live.” For international athletes, this could mean videos, for US athletes, he prefers showcases. What else does he look at?
- Past results
- Opponents
Recruiting Internationally
Coach Leicht says “The good and bad is that each country is so different. You have to look at each country and each recruit individually, and see if they will fit in well academically and athletically.” He says each country is different because the best athlete in one country may not be as good as the 100th best in another.
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* Originally published on January 24, 2022, by Sydney DeNardo
