Pratt Community College Women’s Soccer – Coach Brandon Jackson
In today’s episode, I speak with Coach Jackson from the Pratt Women’s Program in Kansas. We talk about how he recruits internationally, from high school teams as well as club soccer. He also describes the small town campus with great facilities. Plus, we discuss his energetic personality and his relationship focused coaching style. Learn more about Pratt Community College Women’s Soccer.
Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today, I’m lucky enough to be joined by coach Brandon Jackson. Uh, folks may remember him from one of his previous stops, but, uh, we’re lucky to have him back on as he’s now taking over the women’s program at Pratt Community College in Kansas. Welcome back, Brandon.
Coach: Thank you for having me. Excited to be on this call.
Matt: Yeah. Excited to, to, to see you take on your next role and, and learn about Pratt. So, uh, to your program, obviously you got to recruit twice as much as everybody else. You know, it’s end of January. How’s that going? You know, where are you, what’s it looking like?
Uh, what are some of the places you’re headed over the next few months?
Coach: Well, uh, Matt, it’s been crazy. I, I took the job here at Pratt, I would say a little bit over three weeks ago. Uh, and that was transitioning from previously I was at Garrett College in Maryland, uh, to get out here. It was a, a wonderful 17 hour drive.
So I had to break that up with my two dogs. And of course, when you start [00:01:00] a new job, you got to learn new processes of how colleges ran. How to figure out scholarship lines and all that good stuff. Uh, but I tell you what, um, the last, you know, two and a half weeks of recruiting have been phenomenal for me.
I’ve already signed 16 new freshmen for next year. Uh, and that is in a very short period of time. A good majority of those are going to be, uh, international players. Uh, and then I do have a couple of American girls. Uh, my big adjustment of being out here, Matt is. I’m trying to learn that the Kansas culture.
I’m trying to learn where all the high schools are at over here and which offer, you know, female soccer teams and which high schools don’t. So that’s going to be my next big step this spring. I’m blessed because Kansas, they, their women play their high school season in the spring. Uh, so I will be hitting the road here in the upcoming weeks and, uh, kind of making my rounds and just trying to, uh, instill those relationships with the different coaches.
And I’ve started to reach out to some club teams around the area, [00:02:00] whether it’s up by, you know, uh, great Ben or the Wichita area. So it’s been a, a very crazy, uh, three weeks for me in my life. Uh, but I’m very excited for, uh, this next chapter of my life at Pratt community college.
Matt: Yeah, it sounds exciting.
So talk to me more about kind of that mix of international and domestic, um, and, and kind of what is the, the scholarship situation there? You mentioned that, are you guys NJCA one? Like what, what’s that looking like and, and, and how are you managing all that?
Coach: Yeah, so we’re, uh, NJCA, uh, division two, uh, meaning that we can offer up the full tuition and book scholarships.
with additional fee help if needed. Uh, we really, really don’t go down that route too much. Uh, so we can’t cover anything in the housing world, which is totally okay. Uh, but we have, you know, six different dorm options here at Pratt. Uh, they’re all affordable. I would say, uh, they range anywhere from [00:03:00] 5, 600 for the year.
All the way up to our top level, which is about 7, 700. And that does include a meal plan. So it’s very, uh, competitive, uh, not only the, the Juco world, but especially for a lot of internationals, uh, and Kansas residents that they want to come here as well. Uh, but like you said, you know, for me, I’ve always been a very, I like to be a 50, 50 split with internationals and American, uh, players.
But I also know that I’m, uh. Coming into a complete rebuild here at Pratt, uh, they only played five games last year and folded due to low numbers and injuries. So for me, it’s setting a new culture and setting a new presidents. It’s a You know, finding players that, uh, want to be here that wanted to buy into kind of who I am as a person when I set for our team.
Uh, so I’ve been very blessed with the female players I’ve had so far, especially in the international route, uh, them taking a leap of faith to come play for me, uh, you know, for me, Matt, and as you learn in this, uh, this interview, I’m a very high strung guy. I got a lot of energy. [00:04:00] So I do believe a lot of women like to buy into that.
I do believe I’ve lost females along the journey as well because maybe I do have too much energy and they want somebody a little bit more calm, but I make it very blunt and straightforward in those Zoom calls, WhatsApp video calls of kind of who I am and What Pratt is all about.
Matt: Well, whether it’s international or domestic, when you’re, when you’re recruiting players, what is it that makes up kind of the hierarchy of things you’re looking for in a player, both on the field and off?
Coach: Yeah. I tell you what, um, for me, of course, every coach loves quality. Uh, we all love a top notch player. Uh, but for me, you know, I always tell them I need a good person, not only on the field, but a good person off the field. I don’t care how talented you are. You can be the best player in the world. Uh, if you got a poor attitude, uh, if you’re not buying into what our team culture is here, if you’re not going to class and getting your academics where there need to be, then you’re not going to be on this team.
[00:05:00] You know, and that’s a big thing for a lot of players, especially the international players, uh, where football is life, uh, and that is kind of, uh, why they come over here, uh, to not only, you know, improve and develop as a player, but they’re looking for that next step as an international of going on to the four year, uh, will they be a D1, D2, NAIA, uh, that’s kind of up in the air.
I always tell all the players, it’s kind of a very low risk, high reward situation, uh, meaning that you’re, if you come here and play at JUCO, uh, you can build your stock. You know, you can get that exposure. You play, you know, we’re in the Jayhawk conference, which was a big reason why I came over here. It’s loaded with a lot of talent.
And when you look at the rosters, there’s not only a lot of American girls, but there’s a ton of international players that come to the Kansas area to play their juco day. So, uh, that’s kind of where we’re at. Um, but yeah, it’s more than just a game, you know, and I make it very clear to all the, the, the players and parents I talked to.
You know, I’m a very holistic view kind of guy. I believe in the [00:06:00] magic of soccer and football, but I also believe in the magic of the player experience. I’m a very relationship heavy kind of guy that will never change. I do. You believe
for me, I’m not only selling the player, but I’m also selling the mom and dad for them to take a chance on me to be their daughter’s coach for their next two years of their life. So we do a lot of team bonding. We do a lot of things off the field as well, not only in the academic classroom, but I got to make sure at the end of the day, if I only get him for two years that hopefully they enjoy the experience.
And I do believe that they buy in to the culture that we’re setting here. Then they’re gonna love Pratt and they’re gonna love me as a coach. Okay.
Matt: Well, let’s talk about Pratt. Obviously, uh, besides the conference, there had to be some things that, that drew you, uh, to the job and, and you’ve been there a month.
What are some things about the school that you feel are, you know, uh, worth sharing [00:07:00] and, and some things maybe you found out already in that first month and maybe some things we wouldn’t even know by going through the website.
Coach: Yeah, I tell you what, you know, and I tell the recruits this, you know, there’s nothing sexy about the town of Pratt.
Uh, it is a small town USA. They got a Walmart, some gas stations, some, uh, some restaurants. It’s a small town, uh, but I like it that way. I’ve always been a small town kind of guy. I like a small school, you know, Pratt’s about 1800 students here. Uh, predominantly a lot of those are student athletes that live on.
A big selling point for me was just the facilities there. You know, we have a really nice turf complex. We got the nice gymnasium. We have nice weight room. We have an amazing fitness center in town That we get a lot of students into for off season workouts. It also gets them off campus as well But we’re also in a good location You know, we’re, we’re about 55 minutes away from Wichita.
Uh, you know, we’re about a couple hours away from Kansas city. Uh, so we’re far enough away from home that, you know, Kansas girls, if they want to come here, they can come here, but they [00:08:00] can also go home on the weekend, uh, if really needed. So I really liked the vision of the new AD that they hired about a year ago.
Uh, he’s really athletic focused. He’s not a, um, an AD or coach combo. He is strictly an athletic director. So, you know, as we’ve worked at different schools and coaches, there’s always been that mixture of, you know, it does one, one program, get a little bit more favoritism or not, I don’t run into that issue here because our AD Larry, uh, wants all programs to thrive here.
You know, but 80 is, uh, you know, Larry is really trying to find the right coaches that are right fit for Pratt community college. So that was my big selling point. I had a really no intention of leading Garrett. I really loved Garrett and it was my home for the past seven years. Uh, but I also knew I was ready for my next chapter in life.
And, uh, I believe being in this conference and the daily competition. And being part of the athletic department that really wants their coaches to thrive with the next step chapter in my life for me as a coach, [00:09:00] a lot of coaches I’ve talked to in the game were like, Why did you go to another junior college?
And I say, you know, I’m not done with the junior college route. I believe in the junior college route I believe those two years are super important to any player and any student athlete, meaning that a lot of students are trying to figure out life. And I do believe that the community college route gives them a more affordable option, but also gives them the tools to be successful at the four year level.
So I’m all for it. I kind of like you said at the beginning of this call, you know, as JUCO coaches, we had to work a little bit harder because every year we had to bring in a brand new class, um, recruiting wise.
Matt: Yeah, for sure. Well. In terms of the fall coming up, you know, I got to, you got to put your crystal ball, uh, in front of you and tell me what would, what do you see as a typical week looking like for the players in terms of when do you going to practice?
When is the game cadence classes, meals, all that kind of stuff?
Coach: Yeah. So we are pretty much a six day [00:10:00] a week group here. Uh, the Jayhawk conference, we play our matches on Wednesdays and Saturdays, uh, which is a little different when I was in Maryland, it was Tuesdays and Thursdays. So Wednesday through Wednesday and Saturday are going to be matches, of course, Tuesday and Friday are going to be a little bit more of a walkthrough and more of a tactical side.
And then of course, you know, Monday, Wednesday, depending on the health of our team, we’ll get after it a little bit. You know, Sunday’s always been a day of rest for me. I’m a religious guy. So, a little time with the Lord and a little time for the women to reset and get ready for the week ahead. So it’s a.
You know, it’s a lot, um, they’re going to report the first week of August, and then we’re pretty much going to go full steam ahead until, you know, hopefully into November and so the playoffs.
Matt: All right. I like it. Well, let’s talk about the, the, the team. Obviously you’ve recruited a bunch coming in, returning a few more, but what about staff, is it just you, you got any help?
And maybe what other staff are there in the athletic department that help out with the team?
Coach: Yeah. So, um, I do have [00:11:00] an assistant. We’re a blessed that, uh, We have a young gentleman that was a former player here at Pratt on the men’s side. Uh, coach Aaron’s going to be a full time assistant for not only the women’s side, but also the men’s side.
Aaron’s a funny story because he played here. He’s from Scotland. He met a local Pratt woman and, uh, They started their chapter, they got married and now he’s moving back into the area. I also have coach Kevin. He’s been here at Pratt on the men’s side for a very long time. He’s from Liverpool, England.
He’s kind of built this. He’s been all over the Jayhawk. I believe he’s been here forever, but he also was the coach at Barton Community College. And was very successful there at the Duco D one level. Uh, now he’s back at Pratt been here and build a strong foundation. Uh, so my exciting part, Matt is, uh, I got great help.
You know, I do a lot of things the way I want to do it, but I got two guys, especially in Kevin being around the game a long time as a, I don’t want to say more of a mentor, but kind of a mentor figure that, uh, if anybody knows the game [00:12:00] and, uh, Learn things through the years. He’s a guy I can talk to. And then I got young Aaron, that’s energetic.
And, uh, he’s looking, uh, he’s kind of, his mind is kind of like a sponge right now, uh, trying to take it all in and learn as much as he can, not only from the men’s side, but also the women’s side. Okay.
Matt: Awesome. Well, what about you? I know you’re, you’re an energetic guy, but talk to me a little bit more about your coaching style and coaching philosophies.
Coach: Yeah. I mean, for us, um, I always say, uh, whenever we step on the field, we, we, we better be the toughest team. Uh, by the time we leave that field, we’re, uh, we’re a tough nose group. Um, I always call us kind of the blue collar crowd, especially being Pratt small town USA. There might be people that look at us in the conference and, uh, I think they’re above us and they got bigger facilities and bigger school.
But at the end of the day, it’s a, it’s an underdog mentality. Uh, that’s what I kind of preach to our women. Uh, you know, we like a physical style, uh, but we also play a clean style. You know, sportsmanship is a big thing to me as well. You know, we’re not going to be a bunch of, um, [00:13:00] I don’t know how to say this nicely, um, you know, we’re going to show sportsmanship, we’re going to do it the right way, we’re going to set a culture, um, you know, so that’s the way I look at it, uh, we’re going to be prepared, you know, we’re going to come into camp fit, we’re going to be ready to go, we’re going to have a young team next year, uh, so I don’t know what that means going to be in the necessarily with the region.
I do want us to be hopefully a top three finish. That’s kind of my, my ultimate goal for this group. If we get there, hallelujah. Life is good. If not. You know, I hope and pray after this big freshman class coming in, return most of those for sophomore year and kind of build off of that. So, uh, yeah, I mean, we’re going to be poised.
We’re going to be ready to go. We got some, uh, excited girls coming in. I got a couple of transfers. Coming in as well. I got some girls that were previously at Garrett that are going to transfer out and play for me at Pratt, which is always very exciting, especially in the, uh, the world that we live in with the portal and all that good stuff.
It’s nice to know a couple of girls that will be on the team next year that I’ve already previously coached and will help me start my [00:14:00] next chapter here as well.
Matt: Yeah, that’s fantastic. Well, in terms of the spring season, I know you’re kind of short on numbers right now. So maybe let’s just prognosticate to next spring.
What do you, what do you think that spring season is going to look like in terms of when it starts, when it ends matches practices? What will your off season look like?
Coach: Yeah. I mean, pretty much we go about four or five days a week. Uh, not a lot of changes. Um, You know, the girls are hungry. That’s the way I look at it.
We’re going to do about two days of kind of a group fitness lifting wise. And then we’re going to do about two or three days of kind of getting touches on the ball. Uh, none of this is mandatory, uh, as you know, we can’t make it mandatory, but you know, the players want to do it. You know, they’re in small town USA.
Uh, they want to get stronger. They want to get faster. Uh, you know, the big thing I loved about at my previous school at Garrett was. You know, those girls with our first year, we went 110 and one, uh, as the first class ever at Garrett College. Uh, we took our licks, uh, but I’d say what absolute season was done.
The [00:15:00] girls had that chip on their shoulder of like, let’s get to work. We want to be better next year. Year two, we finished top four in the region, uh, went six, eight and three, uh, you know, our margin of error was super small. I think our worst goal differential was like two goals. We were in every match. So I do believe that’s going to be the same culture here.
I don’t know what to expect really for next fall. All I know is, you know, we have a great group coming in. I got some talent coming in the door. So spring wise, you know, we’re going to get after four or five days. Uh, we’re going to train. I’ll be recruiting in the spring as well. So I’ll be on the road.
That’s why it’s It’s super essential to have an assistant coach to be able to run sessions, uh, when I’m not there and available, but, uh, we’re gonna, I mean, I want it to be structured, you know, and I want the girls, you know, less distractions is always good for them. I keep them kind of out of trouble and kind of focused on soccer.
Matt: All right. Well, awesome. Good stuff. Going to leave you one last question. And that is really, if you have any advice for anybody going through this college recruiting process right [00:16:00] now, what would that be?
Coach: Yeah, I mean, it’s, you know, I’ve watched all his podcasts and I’ve seen coaches and a lot of it’s the same thing, you know, at the end of the day, it’s, it’s a magical words of right fit.
You know, I always tell the women, especially in my recruiting trail is, you know, talk to different coaches. It’s okay to talk to different coaches I want you here, but I also want to make sure you want to be here. I also want to make sure that you’re finding the right fit for you. I also want to make sure mom and dad feel comfortable.
Like I said, sending their daughter to come play for me. You know, and at the end of the day, you got to enjoy the ride. You know, I recruit girls and I say, you know, at minimum, we hope and pray that I’ll get you for two years and you’ve extended your soccer career for two years and you might go on to a four year and just be a student.
You might go into the workforce, you might be privileged and lucky enough to go on and play at the four year. So enjoy the ride while you got it. You know, I miss my college playing days every day. I’m getting older. The aches come a little quicker nowadays, and I am catching air a little quicker than I ever have in my life.
But that that’s just part of the journey of [00:17:00] growing old and, uh, I’m maturing in life. So for them, you know, when they look back, I want them to enjoy their college experience. Uh, if it’s Pratt, hallelujah. If it’s another school, hallelujah. You’re one of very few athletes that are privileged enough to go on and play a college sport.
Not everybody gets to do that. And if you’re getting a scholarship offered, I mean, the coach is investing in you. I think, you know, no matter what you do, you know, communications key, you know, don’t keep a coach hanging. You know, if they’re really investing, you let them know what you’re going to do. You know, don’t be going behind their back and looking at other schools when you’re committed to a program, you know, person’s word is a big thing for me.
And also in the coaching world. And I tell a lot of the girls, you know, the coaching world is small. Coaches are going to find out if you’re talking to other schools behind the back when you’re already committed to a program. So take your time in the process. When you say that’s the school I want to be at, commit to it, you know, and make sure it’s the right fit for you and your family.
So that’s, that’s advice I’d have for you is enjoy the ride, [00:18:00] find the right fit and just. We have every day to the fullest.
Matt: All right. Well, really appreciate it, Brandon, and wish you the best of luck at this new spot and hopefully, uh, we’ll, we’ll start seeing some conference championship banners hanging in that gym.
Uh, I hope so
Coach: too. I appreciate you, Matt.
Matt: Take care.
