Wittenberg University Men’s Soccer – Coach Dwight Burgess

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Dwight from the Wittenberg Men’s Program in Ohio. We talk about what he focuses on when looking at on the field attributes of a player. He describes the distinction between divisions. Lastly, we discuss how he likes to work with both the first and second teams. Learn more about Wittenberg University Men’s Soccer.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to discover college soccer today. I’m lucky enough to be joined by coach Dwight at Wittenberg in Ohio. 

Coach: Welcome coach. Hello. Thank you for having me excited to be here. 

Matt: Yeah. Thanks for being here. I did have the pleasure of talking to your women’s coach. Not too long ago. So it’d be great to get the input on the men’s side.

Uh, you and I are talking here end of February. It’s the, it’s the height of the college showcase season around, uh, around the country. So with that in mind, kind of. Talk to me about, you know, where you guys are in, in the calendar of recruiting. Kind of, what, are you done with your 24s? You still look, you’re just looking at 25.

Like what’s it look like for you guys as a D3 program?

Coach: Uh, just a quick note as we get started. You mentioned speaking with Katie Robinson, our women’s coach. Katie played for me at Capital University, so she and I go back a long way. Um, you know, recruiting is a little bit unusual this year. The government made a number of changes in FAFSA and there are problems.

It’s now looking like at least the middle of March, if not a bit later, before the majority of college applicants are actually going to have their FAFSA, you know, financial aid package. So that has really changed the dynamic as far as this winter is concerned. Generally, our decisions start coming in in December, into [00:01:30] January, maybe spilling over a bit into February, but usually by this point we’re pretty much wrapping things up, but that’s not the case this year.

It’ll, it’ll go, I think, well into April. 

Matt: Yeah, you’re not the first person to, uh, to say that. So I get that for sure. Well, what are some of the tournaments, events that you like to get to, to see players at, uh, that are kind of on your must hit list each, each season?

Coach: Sure. Um, we get to as many events as we can.

Uh, we cover pretty much everything regionally. which is predominantly in Columbus, Cincinnati, uh, down to Lexington, Louisville, Kentucky, over to Indianapolis. Uh, but just to give you a specific example, um, I spent the first weekend of December at an EC& L event in South Carolina. Um, I also attended just prior to that, uh, the Raleigh Showcase, which is an annual event in mid November.

Um, the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I was at the Disney Showcase. Uh, then two events, uh, in February. Uh, the beginning of the month was the EC& L and EC& L Region League tournaments. Uh, and then this past weekend, I was at IMG in Bradenton. Uh, exploring that and then believe it or not, it continues this weekend with the Ohio elite showcase in Cincinnati.

So, uh, it’s been a busy winter. It’s nice to go south, but it’s also a lot of time away from home. So you try and find that balance. 

Matt: Yeah, for sure. Well, if [00:03:00] I’d have known you were at IMG, we could have hung out just down the street from me here, but, uh, well, One of the things that seems to also be gaining a lot of traction these days in people’s recruiting arsenal is the ID camp.

Is that something you guys do your own? Do you or your staff work others? How do the how do ID camps fit into your overall process? 

Coach: Sure. Well, the short answer is both. Um, we do a couple per year. Ours are a little bit unique by comparison, I think, to the general situation. We cap ours very small. We only take up to 20 players.

We included admissions presentation, a campus tour, in addition to the on field activity. So we really treat it as. An introduction to Wittenberg, what we’re all about with the idea being if someone has a positive experience, if there’s an individual that we’re particularly impressed with, we will then move forward to having them back for a personal visit where we further explore, you know, what’s going on externally.

We get to as many as. Uh, we possibly can, but as you well know, there are so many ID camps out there these days. Uh, you can’t get to all of ’em, but, um, we go to some that attract student athletes that we not would not necessarily be recruiting, and that would be an Ohio State, you know, as an example. Um, Ashland University, which is Division two school, not far from our campus.

Uh, so we do get out and about as much as, as much as we possibly can, but [00:04:30] we, our primary focus is on our internal events. 

Matt: Okay, well, whether it’s at an ID camp or, or one of the showcases, kind of when you’re looking at players, what makes up that, that hierarchy of, of things that, that really, uh, make you wanna reach out, whether they’re on the field attributes or off the field stuff.

Coach: So when you go to these, whether you’re hosting the ID camp, attending one, or at a showcase, um, you, you don’t necessarily get to know, uh, a new player. on a personal level. So we really focus on three things. Uh, technical proficiency as it relates to speed of play, uh, tactical awareness, which again is a factor in speed of play.

And you probably notice a pattern here. And then third would be the intangibles. We don’t put a lot of stock into size. We don’t recruit for size. Um, there are, as I’m sure you’ve experienced, good sized players who play small and small guys who get in there and in battle with the biggest players on the field.

So we’re really looking at that first touch in particular. Is it clean? Can they play one or two touch the speed of play that we expect? Um, in order to be efficient in that context, they have to have at least a fundamental understanding technically of what their responsibilities with and without the ball are.

So we’re really focusing a lot on movement. Uh, and then again, the intangibles, we will keep an eye on how they interact during the courts of the game with teammates, opponents, officials. Uh, [00:06:00] so that is, that’s definitely something on, on our radar. Um, and anyone that fits in those criteria leads us to the second step where we’ll then reach out to them, uh, and get to know them a little bit better and see if personality wise, they fit in with what we’re looking for.

Matt: Awesome. Well, in terms of. You know, just kind of the other things that are happening in the recruiting landscape these days. Um, you’ve got the transfer portal, you’ve got international recruiting and, and, and junior college, you know, that’s, that’s always been there, but, but those are kind of, let’s just call all those, all those three, the non traditional recruiting methods, um, to any of those, uh, are you looking into any of those when you’re filling out your roster, 

Coach: Yeah, we have, um, uh, interaction on each of those, uh, at differing levels.

Division 3, the transfer portal is not quite such a big deal because players can self release. So, if we’re contacted by an individual who is looking to transfer, that’s the first thing we ask. Do you, are you in the portal, or do you have a, Self release. We have to verify those things before we can continue in the recruiting process.

So it’s something we’re aware of, and something that we would like to take advantage of. But my experience in, uh, the short life to date of the transfer portal is it tends to be guys [00:07:30] that are looking for bigger school opportunities, you know, division 1, division 2 opportunities, um, internationally that varies dramatically.

We are very, you know, proactive with international students, but the reality for an international student to come to a small private institution is where they fit in financially. You know, they’re going to have to be able to demonstrate they have a certain budget, um, before they’ll be considered for admission.

Um, we would like to expand that. The university itself is exploring a larger international population. Uh, right now it’s predominantly Canadians. Um, that we have the most interaction with and then, you know, occasionally somebody is recommended to us from an organization elsewhere. Uh, and so we’re, we’re really opening open to exploring those.

So, um, all avenues are available, how they impact us as a division 3 school will vary a little bit, but we try to be open, keep the doors open to all opportunities and possibilities. 

Matt: Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the school. Some folks may not be familiar with Wittenberg. Um, you’ve been there several years now.

You’ve got a good, some, some good insights for us, I’m sure. So what are some of the things that, that you find is, are appealing about Wittenberg, maybe some things we wouldn’t even know about by going through the website?

Coach: Sure. Um, so I think first and foremost, from our perspective, when it comes to recruiting, we acknowledge [00:09:00] as a coaching staff upfront that not everybody, we recruit is going to come to Wittenberg.

That sounds overly obvious, but it’s the fundamental philosophy piece that allows us to move forward. We treat everybody the same. Nobody is so good that we’re going to compromise our integrity as a program, uh, to try and convince them. We’re looking, as you’re well aware, and the world knows, that word is fit.

So, first and foremost, uh, we approach each individual, uh, with the understanding that this is an exploratory process. They’ll get to know us. We’ll get to know them and see, you know, what path we want to pursue down the road. Um, we have a beautiful campus. It’s traditional, small, private school, red brick, red brick buildings.

Uh, lots of hills, trees. Um, so the aesthetics are there for us. Uh, we compete at a very, very high level. I think that one of the greatest misunderstandings in college sports is the difference between Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3. There is still that, uh, mindset in so many places that anybody can play Division 3.

So it’s really Division 1 or Division 2 that they want to go to, and they equate the athletic scholarship with a standard of play. We played an NAIA team that went to the Sweet 16 in that national tournament last year. We lost to them 3 [00:10:30] 2 despite leading 1 in the game. Um, the top teams in our conference, the top teams in the country, Uh, have rosters replete with guys who were recruited the division one level, generally, the small to mid size.

Um, and I think that that’s an important message that we try to convey. Um, the academic standard of Wittenberg is very high. So certainly the students background in the classroom, uh, is something that we have to find out about. Uh, and then third would be the facilities. Uh, we just went through a. Uh, multi million dollar renovation, new construction projects specifically for athletics, and it includes a full size indoor facility.

I’m not aware I’ve been along around a long time, which is another way of saying I’m old, but I’m not personally aware of another division 3 school in the country that has that type of facility and it gives us climate control year round. Uh, training facility. Uh, so those 3 components are the ones that we focus on the, the academic standard, the, uh, campus aesthetics, uh, because it is going to be their home.

Is it a place that they’re going to be comfortable? And then the facilities that we have to offer. Beyond that, we talk about internships, graduation rates. for the men’s soccer program. Um, we have, in my eight years, graduated every recruit [00:12:00] in four years, with one exception, and he was a transfer from Ohio State, and he went one additional semester because not all his credits came through when he did the transfer.

Um, Our retention rate is among the highest in the athletic department. Um, we had 16 guys with a 3. 5 or better last semester. Um, and we’ve won four consecutive national coaches academic awards. So those are the things in a very broad, long winded answer to your question. Those are the things that, that we think we have to offer, the things upon which we, we put our focus and hopefully, um, you know, can find student athletes that are looking for what we have to offer.

Offer and ultimately that right fit. 

Matt: Yeah, no, that sounds great. Well, part of. Uh, you know, being, being a student is trying to figure out when and where everything is, right? And every school does it different. So let’s rewind a little bit. Let’s take it back to October. You’re in the heart of that conference season.

What’s, what’s an average week look like schedule wise for a player in terms of classes and meals and practice times and all that? 

Coach: Yeah, so generally they’re in class 2 to 3. Uh, they have 2 to 3 classes per day during the course of the week. Uh, we encourage everyone to schedule as much as possible between 9 and 3.

We don’t start before 4. Uh, we don’t have as a lot of big schools do. I was on the staff at Ohio State at one time as an example, where there’s a block set [00:13:30] aside for extracurricular activities. We’re not. We don’t have that. So 9 to 3 is the target. Some of our labs are going to run a little later in the afternoon.

And on those occasions, the individual go to the class, and when they’re finished, they come out to practice. And that’s just an accepted piece of how we function in a given week. We generally play twice. So if that’s Wednesday, Saturday. Monday’s a full training session of two hours at either four or six.

Um, we do a rotation of sharing facilities with the women’s team. Um, Tuesday would be a lighter session prepping for Wednesday. Thursday’s recovery, which can be weight room, it can be in the pool, it can be a jog and stretch around campus, taking advantage of the hills, um, you know, to get the bodies, uh, Turn back the other direction, then Friday’s prepping for Saturday, and then Saturday, we’d have a game and be free thereafter until Monday.

That’s a very consistent schedule for us during the course of the season. Um, and as you are well familiar. Uh, when you get to the middle to the latter part of the season, a lot of it is getting the guys from one game to the next as those bumps and bruises, the knocks accumulate, and you want to make sure that they’re fit from one game to the next.

So you have to manage that. 

Matt: Yeah, for sure. Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the team, the soccer side of things. Um, I, we talked about your recruiting, but in terms of your roster, how big is it? Do you guys have a development team? Kind of what’s the makeup [00:15:00] of all that look like? 

Coach: Sure. So the 1st team generally is around 28 guys.

We do run a developmental squad. The number of that is going to vary from 1 season to the next. We don’t actively recruit for the 2 teams. It’s really an opportunity for the quote unquote walk ons. Young men who are on campus would like to be part of the program. But we’re fully supported in that effort by the university.

Uh, the coaching staff works with both teams. Players do find their way from the developmental squad to the first team. Sometimes, um, we’ll put first team guys into a second team game to get them more minutes, or perhaps it’s somebody coming off injury. We want to get them on the field for 20 to 25 minutes, kind of test things out.

Um, so we feel very good about it. They play their own schedule. They play about a dozen games. Um, and they have full access to everything. So, you know, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I think the first team does a lot of the work that the first team does from athletic trainers to strength and conditioning coaches to the locker room, the sports medicine support, so on and so forth.

So it’s a little bit unique, I think, by comparison to what some schools do. We do find. that there are fewer division three programs that are running two teams than at the NAIA division two level. That’s where we play the majority of our games for the second team. Um, as I said, they do have their own training sessions.

So, [00:16:30] Um, the numbers are not overwhelming. We don’t have one practice with 45 guys showing up where a third of them are standing around and watching why everybody else trains. Uh, you know, we feel that that’s very important. Um, as far as the 1st team goes, uh, you know, non conference will regularly play 1920 21 guys in a game.

As we get to the conference season, the size of that piece will reduce to maybe 15, 16, 17 guys that are playing the bulk of minutes during the conference season. Uh, so we feel really good about the nature of that program. It’s a little bit more taxing on the coaching staff because we’re running 2 sessions a day, so forth, but we are not obligated, do not have any responsibilities outside of soccer.

So, the fall is incredibly busy, and then the winter. Is really focused on a lot of recruiting and then we get back together for spring practice, uh, but we’re not having to juggle multiple responsibilities within the institution, uh, to take away that time. 

Matt: Oh, that’s good. Well, you, you mentioned, you know, staff and, and sports medicine and all that stuff.

So talk to me a little bit about the rest of the staff, how many coaches are there, how many support staff that help and what all that looks like. 

Coach: Sure. Currently, there’s 4 on the staff. In addition to myself, we have a full time assistant who was a few years ago, a graduate assistant. That’s how he came into the program.

Initially, we have a [00:18:00] current graduate assistant and then we have an assistant that works with the goalkeepers. So, in that respect, I think the staff is pretty straightforward. We do, uh, Uh, in the fall, uh, you know, a volunteer slot for someone that wants to come in. Those tend to be younger individuals, uh, maybe early out of college.

They’re looking to build their resume, want to get a foot in the, at the college level so they can come in. Um, and 1 of the things that those, those, uh, people really help us with is they’re so much closer in age to the team that they’re able to relate to them a little bit differently than what my, for example, relationship is with them, you know, as the head coach.

And we think that’s really important. While the staff works together, each of the coaches has their own voice. They’re all heavily involved. There will be full training sessions run by the staff. When I observe, take notes, uh, you know, that kind of thing. thing. So it’s a very developed, experienced group of guys, and we make sure that each of them has an opportunity to imprint themselves on the program.

Matt: No, that’s great. Well, what about yourself? How would you describe kind of your style of coaching, the team style of play, what you’re looking to do with the team culture there? 

Coach: I like to, uh, or I consider myself as a player’s coach. I base that on a couple of things. One, that’s how I was raised, uh, as a coach when I started as an assistant and work my [00:19:30] way up the ladder.

Uh, I, for whatever reason, consistently worked with individuals that were very much focused, uh, on the player experience, uh, first and foremost. And for that, um, it’s about being supportive of them in their. life as people first and foremost, then as students, then as athletes, we give them a lot of responsibility.

They’ll have a voice in training when we play games. The staff says very little to the players on the field. during the course of the game. Our belief is they’re either properly prepared or they aren’t. If they aren’t, that’s on us as a staff. If they are, the game will go the way the game will go. But if they’re properly prepared, they can manage a match because we try very hard to give them the tools to do so.

Um, I’m not much of a yeller. The guy, if I raise my voice, the guys know I’m, I’m upset about something. Um, we try to maintain good 1 on 1 communication, um, practices. And again, sometimes a player here, a player there may connect better with 1 of the assistants. We completely support that. That staff member will let me know what I need to know about a particular situation.

So our emphasis is empowering the student athletes, providing them guidance and structure, but then giving them the freedom to execute when they step on the field. Oh, love that. Well, [00:21:00] 

Matt: you’re in, uh, February and I know division three, it’s, it’s changed a little bit, uh, with the off season stuff. So kind of what does the off season hold for, for your players this spring?

Coach: Sure. So a primary focus for us and it fits in year round is, is the strength part of the program or strength and conditioning. Um, you know, we feel that there’s not only obvious athletic benefits, but the more fit you are. The better you function, uh, theoretically, the better you’re going to perform academically because you are fit and you’re physiologically firing all cylinders.

So once the fall season’s over, we roll into the strength piece. We have several strength coaches on full time staff at the university. Uh, so we coordinate our program with them. We’ll go about three days a week during the winter months. Um, the guys will get together on their own because obviously we’re not doing any coaching our guys do their own footsall league, um, where they divide up the roster into separate teams.

They have a full schedule. They keep standings have play off the whole bed. So they have a lot of fun with that. And then, of course, they can use open time in the indoor facility. uh, to play, you know, on a more standard full size field. Um, so those are the two areas, um, that were busiest during the winter.

And then we get into the spring. Uh, as you alluded to, there have been some changes. We went [00:22:30] from 64 16 to 24 practice opportunities in the spring. We still only are allowed one play date, so we’re hopeful that that might change now that they’ve increased the number of practice dates that were allowed.

Uh, and we work that into late April and then make sure that they have a minimum of 10 days before they get into final exams so that they can properly prepare for those. Awesome. 

Matt: Well, coach, you’ve been generous with your time and, uh, given us a lot to chew on. Just one last question for you is you got a wealth of college soccer experience.

Well, if you could boil it down to one thing you would want all parents, players, and families going through this process to know, what would that be?

Coach: That we treat people as people first and soccer players second. Give me great people with average ability and we’ll be successful on the field. The egos, the arrogance, it gets to the point where it becomes counterproductive individually and collectively.

That’s what we’re looking for. People who are of quality, who can buy into the team concept and make the best of their four year opportunity they possibly can. 

Matt: Awesome. Well, coach really appreciate it. Wish you the best of luck with all the recruiting that’s happening. And, uh, if you get back down to any events in Bradenton, uh, give me a shout.

We’ll, we’ll grab a cup of coffee. All right. Coach: Well, I will definitely be in Florida again in the not too [00:24:00] distant future, whether or not I get to Bradenton before IMG next year, not sure, but I would absolutely love to connect. Thank you for having me. Thank you.