You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
Most families go through recruiting once. Coaches do it every year. Without experience, it’s easy to misread situations, target the wrong programs, or miss key opportunities. DTS helps you see the full picture—guided by three decades of experience and long-standing relationships with college coaches.
Objective Evaluation Is Critical
It’s difficult for families to accurately assess where a player’s level fits within various college programs, and they don’t always understand how coaches recruit. It isn’t sufficient to find someone on a college roster with the same UTR as your child and assume that’s the right level.
No coach ever sets out to recruit a #8 player who will sit on the bench. They are recruiting players for the starting lineup—and, when possible, the top of the lineup. As a result, many players aim too high and miss opportunities at realistic programs.
DTS provides an honest, experienced evaluation so you can target the right schools, build a smart list, and position yourself where you have the best chance to succeed.
You Expect Responses… But Often Don’t Get Them
Players send emails to college coaches and expect replies. Many never come. Coaches are overwhelmed, selective and sometimes just disorganized. One unreturned e-mail often does not mean lack of interest, provided you’re targeting the right schools.
Because DTS knows and has worked with many college coaches over the years, we can often help break the ice when communication stalls. Our relationships and credibility give players a better chance to gain traction and get meaningful engagement.
“Strong Interest” Isn’t an Offer
Coaches often show strong interest to multiple players for the same spot. Feeling recruited does not mean you’re their top choice—or that an offer is coming. DTS helps you interpret coach behavior and avoid false assumptions, often with behind-the-scenes perspective developed through years of working relationships with coaches.
The Biggest Decisions Come Under Pressure
Late in the process, timing becomes critical.
Example: You get an offer from your third-choice school with a one-week deadline—but your top choices aren’t ready to decide yet. What do you do?
DTS helps you manage these moments strategically, not emotionally—and can provide valuable context on how firm timelines really are and where you truly stand with your top choices, based on our experience and relationships with coaching staffs.
You Don’t Want Regrets
Many families manage the process without help and the player lands somewhere to play. But could they have done better? DTS helps ensure you maximize your options so you can move forward with confidence and avoid regrets.
There’s a Lot of Misinformation
Advice from other parents and players is often incomplete or wrong.
For example:
• “You’re late…you should have started the process as a freshman.”
• “Coaches only care about ITF tournaments.”
• “You don’t want to go to that school. I heard the coach is awful.”
• “You’re as good as a player that school took last year, so you’ll definitely get an offer.”
These kinds of statements can lead families to draw the wrong conclusions. While most college coaches are looking for similar core qualities—strong players, good students, and high-character kids—recruiting needs can vary significantly from year to year, even within the same program.
In reality, coaches recruit based on fit, which includes personality, academic preparedness, team orientation, leadership qualities, and drive—not just ranking and rating.
DTS provides clarity so you can make decisions based on reality—not rumor or comparisons to other players.
Success in recruiting isn’t just about how well you play—it’s about how well you navigate the process. With deep experience and trusted relationships throughout college tennis, Donovan Tennis Strategies (DTS) helps you do both.
Since 1997, Donovan Tennis Strategies has been a trusted partner for tennis families worldwide. From our headquarters in Milton, MA, we help prospective players navigate the complexities of college tennis recruiting through personalized consulting and our premier College Prospects Showcases.
