Central Christian College Men’s Soccer – Coach Cody Bartlow

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Bartlow from the Central Christian Men’s Program in Kansas. We talk about filling a diverse team as a new coach to the program. He describes the small college with a sense of community and belonging. Lastly, we discuss how he coaches to try to control the chaotic game. Learn more about Central Christian College Men’s Soccer.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi everybody. Welcome to discover college soccer today. I’m lucky enough to be joined by coach Cody Bartlow from central Christian. How are we doing coach doing? Well, how are you doing great, uh, for aficionados of the discover college soccer podcast. Um, if you go to the Wayback Machine, you will, you were one of my first interviews, I believe back in like March of 22.

So, uh, and, and you’re not the first person I have now interviewed twice as they have had coaching changes. Uh, but, uh, congrats. You’re now, uh, the men’s coach at Central Christian. I believe is that in Kansas, right? 

Coach: Yeah. In Kansas, just about an hour outside of, uh, Wichita. 

Matt: Okay. Awesome. Um, so you guys are your NAI as well as NCCAA, if I’m not mistaken.

Um, so. How’s the transition been? How long have you been there? We’re talking here May 9th, you know, what’s it been like so far? 

Coach: Yeah, so I officially started on March 6th. Um, and it just been going and blowing ever since. Um, so the previous coach was here for 12 years. Um, ended up getting an opportunity closer to his parents, um, down in Oklahoma and his kids were graduating and stuff like that.

So it worked out well for them. So took that here has built a great [00:01:30] program here. Um, so now I’m coming in and, you know, trying to put our, our stamp on it a little bit and one continue what they built on and then build on the foundation that they had already set. Um, and just really kind of hopefully take the next steps forward into being instead of being a competitive program that is tough to play to now continue through the championships and national tournaments and stuff like that.

Um, we are an NAIA and NCCAA. Um, which means we had the chance to play in a national tournament pretty much every year. So last year they lost in the semifinals of the NCCAA, uh, national tournament. I always make sure I say that slowly because it’s not, it sounds like NCAA. Uh, but yeah, but no, it’s a good program.

Great kids, um, have been recruiting, recruiting my butt off. Um, but yeah, it’s going well so far. 

Matt: So in terms of recruiting, you know, this is from all my conversations over the last six months, everybody’s, you know, said, this is, this has been a different year for a number of reasons, right? It’s the last COVID kind of year, uh, the transferal.

Portal’s just been blowing up left, right, and center, and the delay in FAFSA has just shifted things completely. So, for you coming into a new program in the spring, you know, what, what, what’s been your focus in terms of where, where you’re finding players? How many, I mean, are you still working on the 24 class or, or has that, have you moved on [00:03:00] to 25?

What, what’s it look like right, right now for you? 

Coach: Yeah, so when I came in, you know, I would say. Roughly 40 percent of the roster here was either graduating or had decided to transfer when the coach announced that he was leaving. Um, and it already found a place and stuff like that before I even got here.

And so I’ve had to bring in a pretty heavy number. And we basically we’ve accomplished that. I don’t know, honestly, if I would have been able to do that in a normal year, but when you have COVID and when you have the transfer portal, I feel like making every school almost like a junior college ask two years and gone.

Um, and then with the delays and fast, but I think it honestly. For me, it’s set up to where, you know, God worked well to where it works for me to be able to come in and bring in some really good players that I think in most other cycles would have already been gone on already committed somewhere. Um, and then, you know, share who we’re going to be and what we’re about.

And it’s worked out really well for us, but yeah, I think, you know, for everybody else’s, uh, misery in it, I think it honestly helped me quite a bit. Um, and just kind of accomplishing what we want to accomplish to where now like I’m incredibly excited about the team we have coming up. We’re still finishing off 24s.

We just have a few more. Um, but I mean, we’re down to our last two to three as opposed to worrying about can I get in, um, enough kids to feel the team, which we would have had anyways. But we have a good squad and now we’re just looking for those last two to three pieces that that [00:04:30] complete our, our, our squad for what we want to do next year.

Thank you. 

Matt: Well, if I look back at the roster that the school had before you came on, you know, there’s a decent handful of internationals, uh, again, coming in the timing you’re coming in. And with everything we just talked about, was international recruiting a part of, of your overall plan or not so much, or what does that look like?

Coach: Yeah. So for me, like I’ve always been, so I’m from the Dallas area. Um, I think we talked about on the first time I was on. So for me, Texas is always gonna be a big recruiting place. Um, there’s some good talent here in Wichita. I just came from the Omaha area. So I was able to bring a kid down from there as well.

Um, but yeah, for me, the international part is definitely part of it. Now, the reality is, is, you know, our school is a Christian school. And it’s what I say is it’s Christian by action, not just by name, meaning like they, they want you, they want to feed into you. Um, and so with that, you know, we want those Christian based kids.

Players as well that you don’t, you don’t have to be a Christian to be here, but, you know, obviously it helps. And so with that, you know, we’re probably more American based than some other programs. Um, as far as, you know, budget wise and all that as well, I think it’s, it’s much better to be heavier on the American side.

So I’d say we’re probably 60, 40 American to international, but even for us in my class, like, so I brought in guy from Italy, guy from [00:06:00] Venezuela, um, from Spain, uh, and from England in this class and from, um, the Congo and Trinidad and Tobago. So kind of all over the map. Um, and so for us, it’s, you know, I’ve always recruited that way where I want a very diverse team.

Cause for me, I think college, you know, not just college soccer, but college in general is where you come to find out how you live in the world. And if we only bring in kids from a certain area. Then yeah, our, our players know how to function within those bubbles, but they don’t know how to function within the world, whereas if we’re bringing in different cultures, different belief systems, different, you know, ways of growing up, different backgrounds, all that.

Now, all of a sudden there’s an understanding of how to truly function in the world, no matter where you end up, because you never know where, where, where life’s going to take you though. 

Matt: For sure. No, I love it. Well, whether it’s international, domestic, you know, transfer, whatever the case may be, what is it that you’re looking for in a player?

What catches your eye? What’s important to you as a coach in your recruiting? 

Coach: Yeah, I think for me, so obviously, you know, they’ll have the highlights or you’ll see them play and there’ll be those moments that stand out like, okay, technical is there, athleticism is there. Um, physicality is there. And then once I have that to just kind of get me to watch the kid, um, now I’m looking at the things that may not stand out as bad, so I’m looking at, you know, mentality, you know, so their team goes down one Oh, what do they do?

You know, for me, like even with the international, like I always want to watch full [00:07:30] games. I don’t want. Highlights are great, but give me a full game so I can see how you play. Um, and then realistically give me two, two halves from two different games so I can see how you react. What do you, you know, does your head go down when, when you lose the ball or does it stay up?

Right. So actually coming off. So yesterday Byron played Real Madrid. Real Madrid should be beat at numerous times throughout that entire Champions League run so far, and they are never beaten. And it’s like, so those, those things, those extra little intangibles that you can’t, that I’m looking for is, you know, do I think that kid can come in here and be a good part of our program?

Because they’re always going to fight, they’re supportive, they’re, they’re pushing, they’re holding accountability. So it means they’re not nice all the time, but they’re holding accountability, they’re doing things in the right way. And then for me, it’s when we get on the phone call. Um, so when we get on the phone call, we’re looking like, you know, for me, recruiting girls to recruiting guys is not that different and what our messaging is and what are, um, what we’re looking for, because for me it’s recruiting people, you know, generally.

Right. Um, and so, you know, the biggest way that we judge success, whether I was a, as a women’s coach or now as a men’s coach is man, like I want people that are gonna come in here and stand next to guys on their wedding day. Like I want those top in people that are gonna be part of your life forever for good, that are gonna, you know, hold you accountable, be your best friends for 15, 20, 30 years after you leave here, and I want those type of people [00:09:00] here.

And so that’s what we’re looking for and that’s what we find out and kind of get a judge of when we’re on those calls and with them and so for us, that’s the big part is. The soccer part kind of gets the attention from there. We’re now looking a little bit deeper into seeing how you are intangibly on the field and then what, what, you know, kind of makes or breaks us offering you is that intangible part off the field.

Matt: Okay. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Well, let’s talk more about the school. Uh, you know, you were, uh, at Midland and, and, and you made the move. So, so what drew you into the program? What drew you into the school? What are some awesome things you found out about the school that maybe we wouldn’t know about?

Coach: Yeah, I mean, I think ultimately, so it’s a small Christian school, like I said, it’s an hour outside of, uh, from the Wichita airport, 45 minutes from Stryker. If you’ve been in Wichita, you know, the Stryker soccer complex. Um, so, you know, it’s a good location. There’s, there’s cities all around it. There are 20, 30, 50, 000 people.

So for me, like I looked at it, like the Dallas Metroplex, where I think it’s 45 minutes away and I feel very at home. Um, it is a smaller town. It’s 15, 000 people in McPherson. Yeah. Um, but people were just incredibly nice. And then for the school itself, you know, so I actually played against the school, um, or I assisted coached against it when I was an assistant at Southwest Christian.

And it’s funny, like back then, I don’t know that I ever would have thought that I would be here, you know what I mean? [00:10:30] And so, but coming up here and interviewing for the job. Um, I actually had a buddy of mine who called me and was like, Hey, you need to, you need to apply for central. Um, and I honestly wasn’t even really on my radar at the moment.

And then, so I applied, go into the process, meeting with the AD, meeting with the president, the search committee. Um, I just felt like a sense of, a sense of belonging, but then also a sense of being kind of called here. Um, the school itself has about 300 undergrads, so it’s a really small school. Yeah. Um, you know, your class sizes are 10 to 15 to one.

I think our biggest classroom holds like 35 people, um, and they’ve always functioned that way. And so, you know, honestly, like a fear for me coming in with where we’re at in today’s culture is, you know, is the school going to stay open? And then you get here and you realize like how, how well they function on, on those numbers and on that income and how they, There’s a reason they’re not a thousand students because they know that, you know, it’s not sustainable, right.

But where we sit at is perfect for this school. Right. Um, and then you saw the sense of community. So just like most NAI, it’s a lot of student athletes. It’s primarily student athletes, but, you know, kind of seeing how everyone’s supported each other, how everyone, you know, is, is really supportive of every sport and every athlete and want to see everyone do well.

Um, and then just [00:12:00] having kind of that background behind with the faith base, which, you know, it falls in my belief system and I’ve come from Christian education. I went to Dallas Baptist University. And so having being able to be that part of me as well while I’m doing the sport I love, um, was a big part.

And then honestly, like my daughter moved up here with me. And so when we toured the school, she loved it. Which surprised me because she went to a big six, eight public school down in Dallas area. And she loved it. And I’m like, so all those kinds of factors just fell in line to where, you know, this was, this was the right spot.

Matt: Okay. Awesome. Well, You know, a lot of times I’ll, I’ll say, okay, uh, walk me through a typical week, but you haven’t had one yet. Um, as you, as you’re coming up through, uh, through the season, but in preparation for, for your first season in the fall, uh, what do you expect things to look like in terms of practice times and, and your conference game cadence and things like that?

Coach: Yeah. So this year we’re actually on a, an academic calendar reset to where they’ve had to kind of pop it back. Um, so we’re coming in a little bit later than honestly, I wish we were. So we’ll come in on August 9th. Um, we’ll do a three day retreat with the team. Um, and we’ll do registration movement, all that stuff.

And then we’re going full bore on August 13th. Um, so for us, it’ll be a lot of two days [00:13:30] because our first scrimmage is on the 16th. So we get to get in and then get right onto it. Um, somebody be, it’ll be a lot of two aday, um, early on. And then once we start school on the 26th, what I do, what I, one of the things I like about here a lot, you have class from eight to about two 50, and then after two 50 there’s no classes.

So the student life balance is really great to where, you know, we can practice at, you know, three 15 and then when we finish. They have the rest of the evening for, you know, studying for study hall for to hang out to go to pickleball courts and play pickleball. Um, you know, they’re trying to put in a new sand volleyball court.

So I know as soon as they do that, that thing will be packed all night long. Um, you know, so they have all that kind of freedom and they don’t have that broken up. In other words, like Midland, we had night classes starting at 630. So they’d be like school, soccer, school. And so they never had that time to kind of decompress.

So I really enjoy that here with our schedule. Um, but yeah, that’s kind of what it’s gonna look like. I mean, so in our conference played Tuesdays and Saturdays, typically. And so we’ll practice Monday, play Tuesday, recovery session Wednesday, full, full big session on Thursday, game prep Friday, play Saturday, Sundays are always off.

Matt: Okay. Well, in terms of, you know, talking more about the team and the season and stuff, and [00:15:00] obviously your first recruiting class, what, what roster size, uh, are you guys trying to, to hit this year? For the fall. And do you guys have a reserve team or what does that look like? 

Coach: Yeah. So we are, so my goal is to hit 50 on our 50, um, on our roster sides, coming out of recruiting.

Um, I mean, anybody that’s been in this game knows there’s going to be two or three that for whatever reason, don’t aren’t able to come typically. Whether that be visa or lost a job in the family and that we just don’t foresee. Um, so we do have a reserve program. So for us, you know, we’ll have our first group be, you know, 22 to 24.

Um, and then our reserves will be 25 on. Um, and so we do play a full reserve. Our conference actually has a reserve tournament as well. So all the schools will come up and play like a conference tournament at Stryker in Wichita. Um, and so we’ll be part of that as well. So they get a full experience and then.

You know, for me, like, it’s not your first team or your reserve. It’s, you know, very, very fluid where you can work up and work down. Um, but yeah, our roster size will be at 50 max. Um, you know, school honestly only asked me to be at 35. Um, for us, you know, I wanted the ability to, or 40 last year, but you know, sitting there makes you really tight on your reserves, you get a few injuries, those games in.

So I want to make sure our [00:16:30] guys always have the ability to play and develop and, and do what they came here to do, which is, you know, obviously get the degree, but I mean, they come here to play soccer, right? They come here to play the sport. Um, and so I’ve got to make sure they have those abilities and the ability to prove and show why they should be if they want to be on that first team, why they should be that.

They got to have those opportunities for me. So that’s where we sit. 

Matt: Well, I mean, you’ve only been there a couple months, but, uh, have you had a chance to, to build out a staff or what do you assume the staff will look like? Come, come August, uh, not to mention the support staff that the athletic department offers, what’s that look like?

Coach: Yeah. So we’re actually hiring right now. So, um, the assistant coach was here that was here. Had been here for, so he played here and then he coached here. So he’d been here for 12 years total. Um, but him and his wife have moved out, uh, towards Colorado, started moving closer to California. Um, and so like, I’m actually in the process of interviewing, uh, GAs.

So we’re looking to hire one to two GAs. Um, and then I have a volunteer assistant coach and then actually I have a call probably later today to, with a undergrad. former player who got hurt, doesn’t want to play, can’t play anymore. So looking to get into coaching. So kind of be an undergrad assistant maybe.

Um, but yeah, so we’re just, we’ll build our staff out like that. Ideally will be somewhere four of us, five of us total. Um, for me, it’s, you know, making sure that there’s the [00:18:00] ability to have connection points for every one of the student athletes. Um, so that way, you know, retention is important. They feel like, you know, they’re cared about and they’re taken care of.

Um, I mean, if it falls just on me, the reality is there’s just too many. And then I have a daughter as well that, and a son that I have to take care of. And so, you know, they get my attention as well. And so while coaching is talking, taking other people’s kids, you know, I think our families always kind of suffer a little bit.

So for me, that’s a, an area where I’m very focused on, especially right now, um, You know, making sure that I’m taking care of my family as well and not, not dipping in any way, shape or form. I’m taking care of our players. So,

Matt: well, I mean, you’ll, you’ll be having to, to kind of train up some new staff, uh, to, to get used to you and, and your style of play. So what is that? What’s that going to look like? Uh, if someone’s, there’s a recruit out there interested, what, what can they expect, uh, with you as their coach? 

Coach: Yeah. So, I mean, what I always say is like, We want to take the chaotic game, the uncontrollable game and control it as much as we possibly can.

Um, so, you know, we play the way I think you live life. So, which is, you know, on the front foot, going out, being aggressive, making your own luck, things like that. So we’re, we’re very possession based. We want to keep the ball, uh, we play it on the ground, we keep it short, quick passes, [00:19:30] um, in the defense of the middle third, try to create, create wide overloads in the middle third to attract opponents or to beat them through the wide overload.

Um, if we are able to attract them and not progress forward, we’re going to look to go out and hit a 1v1 on the other side. Um, and just be aggressive out of possession. We’re going to be high press. We’re going to be very aggressive. Our message to our guys is always listen. It’s a game of mistakes. It’s a game of failure and that’s fine.

Like you’re not going to get, we’re not going to get on you about that, but make aggressive mistakes. You know, don’t make the mistake, don’t, don’t give up the goal because we sat back hoping that they would miss wide, close the space, get up there, be aggressive, you know, sometimes that bites us where we give up PKs and stuff like that, but I’d much rather them do that and kind of come out with that mindset of, you know, everything in life that I really want, I’m just going to go attack, I’m going to go be on the front foot and go make it happen, I’m not going to wait for someone to it.

Give me an opportunity. I’m going to go make my own luck and put myself out there. And like, and we relate it back to that every day. And that’s why we play the way we do it. Because again, I think it’s the way you have to live life to be successful is just be out there. Um, but yeah, I mean, we’re not, we’re not a set formation.

So if you come here, you’re not going to necessarily just play a four, three, three, or four, two, three, one, you’re going to play kind of where we see and how we want to best use our talents. Um, coming forward. So like, as I look at it this year, I think we’ll probably be a 4 2 3 1 or 1, um, [00:21:00] just because of the way we want to use some of our guys and put them in the best positions to be their best version, our style doesn’t ever change based off of.

What formation we run or anything like that, but the little small tweaks of how we get guys into the positions we want them to be in, that’s why we’ll change our formations and stuff like that. Um, the other part for us is like, you know, I think one of the biggest changes for our guys from moving in with me now is like, I told our guys, I was like, listen, I go, we’re never going to change who we are for an opponent.

So we’re possession control based team. That’s going to try to dominate the ball. I’m not going to turn and then just go low block and sit because I’m playing the number one team in the country. Like it’s just not going to happen. We’ll make adjustments and we’ll be smart. We’ll, we’re going to do everything we can to win the game, but we’re not going to abandon who we are and be like, okay, we’re going to go low block or hit the channels, big, be fast and run.

And hopefully we get a goal, like just not who we are because again, To me, it’s, it’s so much more than just the game. Like, you know, it’s professional for me because I’m getting paid, right? This is my job. This is my career, but it’s not professional for them. You know, I don’t have a city living and dying on their results.

And so for me, like it’s got to teach. I’m gonna teach our players something else besides just a game. And again, for me that’s life. You gotta be true to who you are. You gotta be true to, you know, the person you are. You can’t be changing who you are just based off the, the situation you’re in. You always have to have that, those [00:22:30] pieces of your truth with you at all times.

Matt: Alright. Love it. Well, you, You’ve given us a lot, and I’ve got one last question for you, and it’s one I wasn’t even asking the last time we talked, so I’ll throw you for a little bit of a loop maybe, but if you could distill down one nugget or piece of information you think would be valuable for all potential student athletes to know about the college recruiting process, what would that be?

Coach: I think ultimately for me, it’s go where you’re wanted. And then make sure the connections you have are genuine. Um, you know, as, as everyone’s hitting the portal and we see all these numbers, like Go where you’re wanted. You know, I, I understand this school may be your dream school or that school. Like I said, I never would have thought I would be here.

Honestly, like this was not, this is not my plan. Um, for me, for my faith, this is God’s plan, right? And so, but there’s so many blessings for me being here already. You know, um, you know, from not for just me, but like for my daughter, who’s here as well, like so many blessings that I could never experience.

Right? But I went where I want, where I was wanted. And that’s the biggest thing for me. And then the other part, you know, for me, there’s no difference in recruiting because I just try to be genuine as best I can. If you love me, great. If you [00:24:00] don’t like me, no problem. But you’re going to know who I am and what you get with me.

Right? That’s the other part, man, is don’t go for the sales pitch, don’t go for, you know, what they’re selling you on, like, genuinely, what do they think of you? Genuinely, do they want to see you be do well as a person, first and foremost, as a student, as a player, and that should all wrap up together. If it doesn’t, guess where you’re going to be in a year to two, probably in that portal.

And then if you look at the numbers, that doesn’t mean a lot more often than not, you end up not playing as opposed to going to a different school where you do well. And so it’s, you know, I know it’s easy to kind of jump in there, but before, you know, before you get there, find the right place for you, where you’re wanted and where that connection that you have to the team, very, very important, the team.

Those connections are genuine. And then where you’re connected with the staff and with the administration to school and your admissions counsel, all that, where those contacts are genuine, 

Matt: couldn’t agree more. Well, coach really appreciate it. Wish you the best of luck this first season there, uh, in the fall.

And, uh, if you get to any of the recruiting events down here in Florida, let me know. 

Coach: All right. I will for sure. 

Matt: So it was good talking to you again, Cody. Take care. All right. Have a good one.