Oakton College Men’s Soccer – Coach Steven Brody

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Brody from the Oakton Men’s Program in Illinois. We talk about how he recruits at a lot of high school games. He describes the school’s substantial, high quality academic programs. Lastly, we discuss their solid coaching and support staff. Learn more about Oakton College Men’s Soccer.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer Today. I am lucky enough to be co, uh, to be joined by Coach Steven from Oakton up in Illinois. Welcome coach. How are you doing? 

Coach: Doing well, thanks. 

Uh, it’s August 11th when you and I are chatting. Uh, looks like you’re, you’re back at it, right?

Coach: We are. We back at it.

We start, uh, for junior college. We start the 1st of August every year. 

Matt: Okay. Now, I, I know in the past I’ve talked to some junior colleges and they don’t. Sometimes their games don’t start till almost mid September, uh, but it looks like you, uh, you guys start, uh, next week, maybe? 

Coach: Well, we start, um, we’re allowed to start, um, basically the third, the third Thursday.

Okay. Um, it’s for regular season. Uh, we’ll have an exhibition, uh, coming up this coming week. And then the week after we’re, we’re already in our conference schedule. Wow. So it’s, it’s pretty packed. 

Matt: Yeah. It sounds like it. Well, I know one of the toughest parts, uh, of, of a junior college coaching his job is the recruiting side.

Cause you’re, you’re doing it twice as much as everybody else. Um, so when did your. Incoming class kind of stop because I know in some some cases junior colleges or you might still be picking up players. 

Coach: It hasn’t stopped yet. Yeah. Yeah. Um, we’re and this is my 24th year [00:01:30] at open, uh, 24th year of college soccer and it doesn’t get easier.

No matter how much time you’ve spent, uh, it just doesn’t get easier every year. We’re recruiting a new team. Basically, we have returning players that are coming back. But the junior college is amazingly fluid in terms of rosters. So we’re and I’m still being I got contacted yesterday by a recruit who is here.

Uh, on with the new program, uh, that the State Department started with Ukraine called you for you, um, United for Ukraine, and they’ve come over. They’re coming over from Ukraine, obviously getting out of that horrible situation, and the State Department has opened up a new visa for people from Ukraine, and it’s a limited time two year visa.

But here here he is. Uh, he just showed up yesterday, uh, and we’re going to work to try and get him eligible. I’m not sure if we will, but we’re going to try it. Also, it, it, you know, probably for me, um, this is about it. Um, it’s time to focus on the team that we have. 

Matt: No, it makes a lot of sense. Well, looking at your roster, it looks like you do have a mix of local kids, maybe some international kids as well.

[00:03:00] Um, what, what do you, what do you see as your typical mix, uh, of say. Foreign and domestic players in a given year. 

Coach: I I’d love to be able to tell international players, come on, we have money. We’ll, we don’t, um, we’re one of the, one of the lowest funded programs. Uh, we were literally probably the maybe second or third lowest in the country, uh, for division one.

And then when they opened up Division 2 for junior college just a couple of years ago, we’re still probably one of the lowest, uh, in terms of funding for scholarships. So, any internationals that we get, uh, we get because they have relatively significant resources. Um, we can’t do… What a lot of even junior colleges do and bring internationals over and pay their tuition and really give them a substantial amount of money.

Uh, some of the internationals that you’ll see on there, uh, are actually, uh, they, you know, they may have been born in, but they’ve been in the United States and almost all of them graduated from a U S high school. Gotcha. So in a typical year. We have a handful of internationals at best. Um, we have a true F one internationals.

We have two. Uh, the rest were born outside the us. Um, [00:04:30] and, and consider that they’re hometown, uh, for purposes of our record keeping. But the truth is that they’re actually domestic players for. Scholarship purposes, et cetera.

Matt: Well, in terms of the domestic side of recruiting, where do you like to go to see players, to find players?

Are you looking at the high school scene a lot as are there specific tournaments you like to be at? What’s that look like for you? 

Coach: Um, I’m not a young guy, so, um, I’m a little old school in that regard. Uh, because at the time that I started, that was how we did and had to do things. I go to a lot of high school games.

I make contacts with the high school coaches. That doesn’t mean I don’t go watch club games. I do. It doesn’t mean I don’t keep up or try to keep up with the clubs, the moving club scene. It’s a moving target, but where the coaches are at the clubs in our area. But I spend probably. 70 percent maybe 80 percent of our recruiting time.

at high school games in the fall. That’s where most of our list comes from. And, and we, you know, I use some of the electronic services. I try to stay away from the recruiting services, but inevitably I end up

Responding to emails. Uh, [00:06:00] you know, the hundreds of emails a week I get from recruiting services. I respond to them as well. I watched the videos just like everybody else does. Well, I don’t know. I assume everybody else does, but that’s not where the bulk of my recruiting time and effort goes. Okay. 

Matt: Well, do you, uh, or your staff, do you guys host any camps, work any camps?

Are they part of your recruiting process at all? 

Coach: The camps that we use for part of our recruiting process is, I and my staff travel to other schools camps, the four year schools camps. Uh, I’ve found that that is at least for us, and we’re not going to get 12 players from that. But if I’m traveling that division one circuit and and even the NAIA and the D2, D3, those that are having camps in our area and and to kind of jump back for most of our recruiting is done in our geographic area in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Uh, but but not all of Um, but again, that’s where we spend the bulk of our time because our recruiting budget is, well. A few dollars over zero. Okay. And it doesn’t really allow us to travel to tournaments and travel out of state. So we’re mostly local. Um, but, um, I go to those camps. And if I can pick up one or two [00:07:30] really high quality players from running that circuit of the four year school camps, I’ll, I’ll feel that that’s been time well spent.

Matt: Whether it’s at a camp or at a high school game or at a club game, when you are looking at players, kind of what makes up your, your hierarchy of things that you’re looking for in a player when you want to say, Hey, we want to, we would like to bring you to Oakton. 

Coach: I’ll start with maybe a comment. Here’s what I love.

When I ask a player or recruit, what position do you play? They say, I play soccer. Where do you want me? So, first and foremost, we’re looking for players who can play the game. Um, and I’m, I don’t get caught up in Uh, well, he’s a right back and I need a left back because I expect that a player who has been playing for many, many years at a high level and competitive level is going to be able to go to the left side and play if we need him there, so I don’t get really caught up in.

I have to have somebody in that exact place. The only obvious exception would be goalkeeper and usually center back. However, I’ve got half a dozen All Americans on my wall at the office, centerbacks who had never played centerback before. So, you know, that kind of model works for us, that if [00:09:00] you can play soccer, we can teach you in preseason and over the course of time, we can teach you how to be an effective player at the position.

You’re you’re we want to move you to that. We see you being most effective at we can we can train you there and we can give you enough if you can play the game. So that’s what I’m looking for. I’m looking for players that appear to be tactically aware that appear to be technically sound that appear to have the right temperament.

Um, and for me, that’s something if I go and watch players and it happens all the time and I see them arguing with the referees. I move on. Um, it’s not the kind of player we’re looking for. Um, uh, I find that kind of distraction a distraction to the team, uh, to me and and everything that we’re trying to do.

So, so temperament is also something. Uh, so I mean, those are the biggest things that we’re looking for. Um, like anybody, right. You know, we’re looking for superstars, but at the junior college level, the real superstars aren’t generally looking at junior college as an option. So we’re looking for those solid, uh, types of players, uh, who we think will fit into our culture.

Uh, as opposed to fitting into our system, because oftentimes we’re going to fit our system to the players that we have. [00:10:30] 

Matt: Well, let’s shift gears a little bit. Talk more about the school itself. I’m sure there’s some folks out there, not familiar with Oakton up there in Illinois. So, uh, you’ve been there a couple of years, as you mentioned.

So, uh, what’s kept you there that long? What are some of the awesome things about the school that you’d like to share? Maybe some stuff we wouldn’t even see by going through the website.

Coach: Um, I mean, the first thing that’s kept me there is. I guess there’s two pieces to it. We’re, we’re Chicagoans. Uh, and my, my wife, my son and I were, we’re, we’re Chicagoans.

And, uh, so that has kept me from over the course of my college career and looking at places out of state, out of, you know, further away, uh, because moving with something that we had decided long ago wasn’t going to be an option, uh, in order to, uh, be that kind of traveling coach that many coaches are. Um, but.

Oakton College has been around since it started in the late sixties. This campus was built in the seventies. It’s a beautiful campus really is. It’s set in and forest preserved land. So there’s forest on all sides. It’s, it’s quite scenic and the academics. that we offer are substantial and they’re of a high quality.

Uh, and that’s important for [00:12:00] me as well. One of the first things that I tell recruits is, I know all of you think or want to be pros. Um, but we all know that Barring something amazing, it’s not going to happen and you’re not going to make your living playing soccer. You may make your living in something related to soccer, but it’s probably not going to be playing.

And that being the case academics are important to me and important to the program. And so, uh, while I’m looking for players who have demonstrated good academic skill and and and perseverance, uh, it’s a it’s a it’s a junior college. And so we’re. Open enrollment and you know, we’re not going to turn anybody away from the team because they’ve struggled academically in the past.

But in terms of the school, the academic offerings are substantial. They’re high quality on. And that’s something that is a good piece of what’s kept me down. The soccer has been, uh, a lot of fun and we’ve had a tremendous amount of success over the years. And so we’ve had that as well. So those two things combined Um, keep me coming back year after year.

Matt: Awesome. Well, you mentioned high quality academics [00:13:30] and as we both know, that’s really why they’re there, right? It is a student athlete experience. So in terms of balancing the demands of being a college athlete and the demands of being a college student. How do your players really transition from high school into college and make sure that they’re successful at both?

Kind of what support systems are there in place that the school offers to help them with that too?

Coach: Uh, quite frankly, a lot of them struggle, uh, and they struggle because it hasn’t been their experience to do the things we’re asking them to do. They played soccer, but maybe they played in a program where everybody on the on the high school team has to work.

And so I’ve gone to, I’ve gone and watched training sessions, uh, at some of the high schools that we recruit from. And it starts with seven or eight, and then three more join 15 minutes later, and two join five minutes later, and then two leave, and then three come, and then four leave, and that’s what their sessions look like.

And so moving from that model to the model that we’re trying to instill, um, is sometimes a struggle for a lot of our players who have to work or, and one of the sad things that sometimes I have to tell players is not everybody gets to play college soccer, and I hope you’re not one of those unfortunate ones [00:15:00] that wants to and can’t, but if you have commitments, that’s Uh, that override your commitment to school and your commitment to soccer, then maybe it’s not the right choice for you on DSO.

That transition to try and help them. We do what probably most schools do. We do study tables on their required unless you’ve met a certain academic standard. So everybody, their first semester is in study table. If they if they hit that certain academic mark that we set, Then they don’t have to do it.

Second semester. We also do great reports, and we do that for everyone, even if they’ve met their academics. And that, of course, allows us are we have a academic advisor for athletics, and we have a lot of support available at the school. And that allows us to try and pinpoint the players that may be struggling and get them the help that they need.

Um, get them the support that they need in this day and age without going on a rant. A lot of the players academically are what for somebody who is old school, not as prepared as they probably should be. Coming into college, and maybe that’s why they’re at a junior college, and that’s a great mature choice for them.

Um, but we have to provide them with support, and we do. Um, and so we have, uh, obviously the Learning Center with [00:16:30] tutoring and, uh, and working with kids on study skills, note taking, uh, reading, highlighting, it doesn’t matter what the, you know, writing, all the different things where they may have deficiencies and may need to improve in order to be successful overall in college, not just junior college, but for their bachelor’s degree and beyond.

Uh, we, we try to provide the services that are going to help them. And we try to do what we need to do to identify those that need the help. Uh, it doesn’t catch everybody. Obviously, we still have failures, but we have much more successes, I’d say, than we have failure. So, um, every time we get somebody who maybe, uh, is from a disadvantaged background, or, uh, or from a socioeconomic situation that didn’t value or prioritize education, And we have a success there.

That’s, that’s what I’m living for. Um, those are the things that you walk away at the end of the year and you’ve got your head up and you feel proud of what you’ve done. Even it’s for one student, you know, one student athlete. So that’s kind of where, where I come from and where, where I look at it in that way.

Matt: Well, let’s fast forward, uh, maybe a few weeks, kind of get into the heart of the season. Uh, what would a typical week look like, uh, for the players in terms of when our classes practices kind of what’s the game [00:18:00] cadence, what does that all look like? 

Coach: Uh, I often tell recruits when they, and most of them ask, what’s my week going to look like?

That it’s going to look more like high school than like Division 1 NCAA. We’re not lifting at 6, and then video at 8 a. m., at 8 p. m., and training in, somehow fit in during the day. Because our demographics don’t allow it. Quite frankly, again, a lot of our students have to work have to help put food on the table for the family help to help do those things.

And so I can’t tell them to do that, or they can’t play for me. And that’s not what I’m there for. Uh, so, uh, a typical week we are training when we’re not playing. Weekends are always a question mark as to whether or not we’re going to train or have a match. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Uh, but during the week.

We’re gonna, we’re gonna generally, uh, train every weekday that we don’t have a match, uh, like most I would hope most coaches, um, it really cuts down on the amount of valuable training time we have because obviously day after game we’re doing recovery day before game we’re doing a preparation session based on the opponent.

And, uh, and so maybe we’re getting a couple of days of training, maybe, if we only have one match that week. [00:19:30] So this year, for example, I’ve tried to cut down on the number of matches purposefully, um, because I’m trying to get more training time and less recovery time. Uh, and so it’s something that, that we’re, we’re experimenting with, um, this year.

Matt: Well, let’s talk more about the team and the season. And so do you have a roster size that, that you’re trying to hit? 

Coach: Usually somewhere in the 24 to 28 range. Um, and we’re always trying to have 24. about 24 field players and then 234 goalkeepers, however many we can get. Well, we’ll take them all. But, um, uh, but usually we want to make sure that we have enough field players for 11 to 11.

Um, that, uh, is always. provides a challenge for the coaching staff because that means that we always have more people on match day not playing than playing, right? Not starting than starting. And we try to Bring in players who were, who have never been on the bench. And when you do that, and then you tell more than half the team, you’re there [00:21:00] today.

It’s a challenge for the coaching staff to make sure we keep them motivated, keep them working, keep them engaged, and keep them in a position where they’re fighting for that spot they didn’t get that week. So, um, but that’s usually the roster size that we’re looking for. We don’t run a JV or reserve squad at all.

Uh, and so, you know, it’s basically what do we need in order to work that, work the season. And 20, 24 field players is usually a good number, uh, in the roster up to 28 then. Um, and we’re about there. Um, this year we hit, we hit those marks. And so I’m pretty happy where we’re at with our incoming class and with the return.

Matt: Okay. Well, you mentioned staff, uh, how many staff do you have? What are their role? Are there other kind of support staff, uh, in the athletic department that help? And what does that all look like?

Coach: I’ll start with academics because if I’m going to say academics is most important, I should start with academics.

We have a full time academic advisor in our athletic department. That’s pretty unusual for a lot of the junior colleges in our geographic area. Uh, other places in the country. I think it’s pretty standard in smaller towns where. Where they’re bringing in all their everybody’s from outside the area, uh, et cetera.

I think most of the time those schools do have that full time academic advisor, but with a lot of the junior colleges in our area, they don’t. So that’s how that’s the [00:22:30] first thing in terms of support. And that’s big. Um, I have two assistant coaches. One would call him a first assistant. That’s fine.

Whatever. Um, and then I have a goalkeeper coach and then I take on volunteer coaches when it fits the year in the system. And so oftentimes we’ll have one or two volunteer coaches as well. So we’re pretty well staffed in terms of numbers. Uh, I feel we’re pretty well staffed in terms of quality. Uh, and, um, in terms of the athletic department, there is someone who works in the athletic department who handles the facility side of it, uh, handles, um, all the logistics about getting the field ready, making sure the field’s ready, making sure the grounds crew is on the same schedule that we’re on, uh, things like that.

We have, uh, some, we have, yeah. Two, essentially full-time trainers. One is, uh, an employee of the school and one is on contract, but we have full two full-time trainers and, and that’s also quite unusual for junior colleges in our area. Uh, and that’s big because rehabilitation. Uh, injury, prevention, injury, uh, handling injuries that have happened is always a big piece, uh, for, for an athlete, any kind of an athlete.

Uh, and so we’ve got a great setup, uh, on that end, uh, as well. [00:24:00] 

Matt: Okay. Well, putting the guns on you at this point, uh, as the head coach, how would you describe kind of your style of coaching and the team style of play? You’re trying to, to enact, um, style of play.

Coach: I’m not, you know, I kind of break coaches, college pro into two camps, ones that want the players to fit into the system that they like, and those that pick a system based on the players that they have.

Uh, and I don’t know that there’s any, either one’s better than the other. For me, I like to try and design a system around the players we have. So we’re always spending the first part of the season evaluating. The first part of preseason, evaluating. Will it work in the system we used last year? Is that something we want to continue on with?

Do we want to tweak it? Do we want to make changes? Uh, so that’s how we start the year. Um, my style… Um, in training, it is not laid back. Um, I’d say it is more hands on, uh, than it is hands off and let good players just play. We definitely are still teachers. We’re still teaching 18, 19 and 20 year olds about the game.

So when it comes to matches, however, I am way more hands off. [00:25:30] Uh, I feel like my job is to get them ready during training. And when match day comes, it’s their game. So most of the time on matches, I’m sitting and taking notes and, uh, trying to figure out, uh, whether it’s what we need for the next session, the next, you know, the next three days, or what we need to talk about at halftime.

Uh, so my, my style in match is quite different than my style in training. 

Matt: Well, coach, we’ve, we’ve talked about a lot of different things, covered a lot of ground here, but. Uh, I like to end these with one question, and that is, if you had one nugget, one piece of information that you wish every parent, player, family going through this process knew, what would that be?

Coach: Can I pick two? 

Matt: You can pick two. 

Coach: Uh, one would be to the parents. Let your son or daughter own the process. Don’t take it over. Um, you’re, you’re 14, 15, 16, 17 year olds, whatever age it is, they’re starting to look at college. That’s the point at which they have to live with the decisions that they make. Let them own the process.

For the players, it is don’t get too caught up on labels. Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and AIA Junior College. Don’t get too caught up on [00:27:00] those. Find the school that suits your academic needs. Find the school that suits those other needs that you have as you’re looking. The size of the school. The geography of the school.

The program. Do they fit your academic program? Make sure that you don’t say, I have to play Division 1. And then, and because you play Division 1, you’re not at a school. That really gives you the academic, um, foundation that you need for your life. Um, so I guess those would be my two quick pieces of advice.

Awesome. 

Matt: Well, coach, really appreciate the time. Wish you the best of luck this fall season. And, uh, if you ever get down to. It’s a Florida to do some recruiting. Uh, let me know. 

Coach: I’ve been, I’ve been there, but not often. Usually I’m recruiting as part of a vacation, not a recruiting trip, but definitely. Well, thanks so much for having me.

Thank you.