During the pandemic, athletes never stopped training, so the recruiting process had to adjust to a new normal amid the restricitions
Graphic by Esra Rakab, production Coordinator
Throughout the pandemic, many students had to go through many new experiences in their everyday school life, from remote learning to digital club experiences and much more. Above all else, student-athletes have possibly seen the most change in their school lives, as not only was their regular season cancelled, but their practices had to become something completely new to make sure they continued training and got better.
One of the biggest adjustments that new athletes have seen during the pandemic is the altered recruitment process. In typical years, coaches would have meetings with potential recruits, show them the campus, have them join the team for practice and whatever else they feel is necessary to help improve their odds of landing more talent.
However, this year, the recruitment process bore no resemblance to the past.
However, this year, the recruitment process bore no resemblance to the past.
Matthew Rugosi — a new commit to the McMaster men’s volleyball team — discussed the process that he experienced and some major differences from what he originally expected.
“It was definitely different than what I was expecting . . . My brother went through the same recruitment process [years earlier] and he got to visit the McMaster campus and talk to the coach and practice with the team,” said Rugosi.
As Rugosi discussed the experiences and interactions he had and the recruitment process he was put through, the student-athlete expressed that he originally expected a campus tour with the head coach and an opportunity to practice with the team — but unfortunately received none of the above.
“I had to figure it out on my own and see how I like the campus. Before COVID, I was talking to [head coach] Dave Preston and he had me come to one of the games so I could see the game live. That was probably the most interaction I got in person with them,” explained Rugosi.
Rugosi missed out on many typical aspects of the recruitment process. For many athletes, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event to be recruited by university teams. To miss out on all the enjoyable parts of the process is devastating. From understanding what a typical practice looks like, to exploring the campus and figuring out the general vibe that a school holds, all these aspects play a big role in the recruitment of an athlete.
Rugosi was fortunate to have some level of familiarity with the team given that he had an older brother who was rostered, but even then the interactions he had were limited, forcing him a difficult time selecting a school. For Rugosi, it came down to head coach Preston.
Rugosi remarks that Preston being a main factor on why he chose McMaster was because he really cares about his players and appreciated his coaching style.
“Another reason why I chose McMaster is because Dave Preston went out of the box and wished me a happy birthday, which none of the other coaches did. I thought that was something really cool and unique,” said Rugosi.
“Another reason why I chose McMaster is because Dave Preston went out of the box and wished me a happy birthday, which none of the other coaches did. I thought that was something really cool and unique."
Matthew Rugosi
In a year with limited interactions, anything personable can go a long way, and clearly, in this instance, it made a big difference. Recruitment processes are very different than ever before, so every move is vital for schools in their efforts to get the best talent on their team rosters.
Fraser Caldwell
Sports Editor
The results don’t make for the most impressive reading, but the Marauders believe that their experience at the EBWM Invitational in Saskatoon will help them transition well into the second half of their conference campaign.
Matched up against three of the toughest teams in the country in an event that spanned Jan. 5-7, including the 2011 national championship finalists from Calgary and the perennial Quebecois powerhouse Laval Rouge et Or, McMaster emerged from the prairies with a bronze medal to their name.
After consecutive losses to the Rouge et Or, Dinos, and the host Saskatchewan Huskies, the Marauders rebounded strongly to claim the consolation match in four sets versus Calgary.
However, coach Dave Preston argues that the progress shown by his squad over the course of the compressed three-day event is more important for the Marauders’ long-term plans than their results.
He believes that much of McMaster’s struggle to find form in the early matches comes as a result of their scant preparation time.
“Every event is unique and this one was definitely unique for us, because we only had three days of prep work available to us,” said Preston of the Saskatoon tournament. “Laval for instance kept their guys until the 22nd and brought them back on the 27th. Our December was a bit different, although I would say that we probably had the most productive December in as long as I can remember.
“That’s a pretty critical time in your season. You can fall behind pretty quickly, you can stay steady, or you can actually move forward. And I think that we actually moved forward this December. The guys got the break that they needed but we also kept the rust off.”
Having to balance the need for holiday training with the rehabilitation demands of a team that was suffering from a litany of injuries at semester’s end, Preston kept the workload light for his charges and required only that they each attend six of 12 workouts scheduled between Dec. 6 and 22.
While this setup worked wonders for the hobbled members of the squad, it understandably bred a degree of rust in the Marauders’ collective game. However, despite their sluggish start in Saskatoon, Preston was pleased by the rapid improvement he witnessed over the course of the three-day event.
“I wasn’t too concerned coming in with only three days of preparation, because we did have such a strong December,” said Preston. “But you could tell that within a competitive model, it had caught up with us a little bit.
“In the first match that we played against Laval, our middles started off pretty slowly. That’s a volume thing. Our middles need a lot of training volume because it’s such a precision-based skill. If you don’t have the training volume underneath it, you can’t fake that.
“The nice thing for us was that our middles got progressively better all weekend to the point that I think we hit 65 percent against Calgary down the middle – up from the minus-22 percent we were at against Laval.”
In addition to the play of McMaster’s central players, Preston noted a marked improvement in his squad’s ball movement from the serve-receive position, and a steady increase in their defensive efficiency.
Equally important as the on-court improvements to the Marauders’ game witnessed over the course of the Christmas break was the desperately needed rehabilitation time that the post-exam period allowed. While nagging issues remain, the team saw the re-entry of several players into the squad’s rotation, including outsides Jeremy Groenveld and Brendan Dennis.
“Luckily we have one of the best physio clinics in the world right here in our own building,” said Preston. “We’re pretty fortunate in that way and our guys are making full use of those facilities.
“I think we’re getting healthier, but that’s a battle that we’re going to have to fight all season long – as is everybody else. In a six or seven-month season, these guys get beat up. The difference between ‘hurt’ and ‘injured’ will be substantial for us.”
One of the by-products of playing with a widely wounded lineup has been a fairly frequent policy of rotation among the Marauders’ players, and that practice is a double-edged sword of sorts according to Preston. The coach knows full well that he must maximize the benefits of a revolving squad while attempting to minimize the cost to the team’s performance.
“The luxury of moving your lineup around is that it creates good depth for you, but the cost of it is that it doesn’t allow you to be as consistent,” said the Marauder bench boss. “What we have to work on now is how we can become more consistent and still be able to manage those personnel changes.”
The maroon and grey will continue to strive for that dependable form as their conference schedule resumes with a weekend doubleheader on Jan. 13 and 14.
McMaster plays host to the RMC Paladins and Queen’s Gaels as part of the school’s Marauder Weekend celebration. Both matches are set to begin at 8 p.m.
