So you want to make your high school sports team. You’re wondering what coaches are really looking for. Do you have to be the fastest, the strongest or the most naturally gifted?
Not exactly. Talent helps, but if you talk to Northwood coaches, they’ll tell you that what really makes an athlete stand out isn’t just skill—it’s the intangibles. Here are some qualities that can set you apart.
Student athlete accountability
Balancing sports and school is a significant challenge for student athletes. The demands of high school can ramp up quickly, and learning to manage time effectively is key to navigating both while maintaining physical and mental well-being.
“I’ve witnessed it enough times when freshmen are not ready for the rigor of freshman year, and they fall off a cliff,” basketball assistant coach Michael Matossian said. “You can’t let yourself get swept away in, ‘It’s my freshman year, I’ll just figure this one out.’ No. It’s got to be a fight from the very beginning.”
Coaches will never expect perfect academic performance, but they do look for players who take all their commitments seriously.
Being able to handle school work while staying committed to the team requires discipline, accountability and persistence—qualities that directly translate to sports.
Growth mindset
Some incoming freshmen come in with expectations about their position on a team, but high school sports can shift those quickly. Boys volleyball head coach Brendan Geck explained that even something as basic as height can change everything.
“A lot of times, players are coming in with experience playing a particular position,” Geck said. “But from eighth grade to ninth grade, the volleyball net changes. The positions that you played in seventh and eighth grade can change, and you might not have played a position that you can actually fit here on a team.”
So even if you’ve always been a setter, you might suddenly have to be a middle blocker due to your height. Or maybe you’d have to switch positions mid-season based on the team’s needs.
Either way, being receptive to instruction and willing to adjust within the team dynamic is crucial.
“Something that has been emphasized a lot this year is the coachability factor—being open to feedback and genuinely wanting to improve rather than just being resistant and sticking with the tactics you want,” boys soccer assistant coach Joey Cabrera said. “The perseverance and ability to get feedback from coaches and apply that in practice really makes a difference.”
Taking feedback is important, but so is showing the work ethic to back it up. Coaches notice the players who show up early, stay late and put in their best effort.
“Every coach on campus is very open to tell you, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do better, and this is how we can get you to that point right there,’” Matossian said. “A lot of it is just asking questions and then not being afraid to do what the answer is that is required of you. It does stick out to the coaches when we see players actually put in their best effort.”
Character and team mentality
Athleticism may help players stand out, but their character determines how far they’ll go. Coaches seek athletes who represent Northwood well by respecting teammates, coaches and opponents.
That means handling losses with grace, celebrating victories with humility and showing integrity in and out of games.
“We want high-quality character people that are going to exemplify what we’re looking for in our programs,” Matossian said. “We want to be known as a positive group on campus, not a negative one.”
Just as important as one’s character is a collaborative mindset. Coaches seek players who communicate, support teammates and contribute to a unified team culture. And somewhere between drills and games, you might find your people.
“It’s highly competitive,” Matossian said. “But at the same time, it’s worth the work being put into it because you find a brotherhood or a sisterhood from there that I think is really important to the high school experience.”
