How social media has changed the game for Arizona high school coaches

Arizona high school coaches, particularly in a sport like football, are well aware of the pressures they face navigating long days, low pay, unhappy parents, administrators and the players themselves.

Add social media to that list of demands.

As student-athletes use platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to showcase themselves and attract attention to college recruiters, coaches must be aware of how their schools and players are being presented.

"If someone says it doesn't affect their team too much, then I don't think they are dialed in," said Lakeside Blue Ridge football coach and athletic director Jeremy Hathcock, who spent 13 years in the Valley as head coach at Mesa Desert Ridge. "Especially in the Valley, where there is a literal competition for athletes everywhere.

"If you don't have a presence on social media, it will be difficult to sustain a program over the years. That's a sad deal, but very true, especially in metropolitan areas."

Student-athletes are compelled to post video highlights, announce every college that offered a scholarship, and announce their college commitment. They even announce their high school or where they're transferring to, much like college athletes.

How many likes and retweets can you get?

"You have to be careful and just coach the kids you have at your school," Perry head football coach Joseph Ortiz said. "You have to now showcase your school to make it attractive to come to Perry. That’s the biggest difference."

Ortiz seized the moment during the NFL playoffs when former Perry quarterback Brock Purdy was becoming a household name leading the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship game last season. National media came to Perry to do stories on Purdy's humble beginnings as an under-recruited prospect. A lot of the attention was seen on social media.

In fact, many schools or districts have team Twitter or Instagram accounts that showcase players and the teams on social media, most often celebrating a team or individual achievement.

Some of the top incoming freshmen in sports such as football and basketball are eager to start in the varsity fast lane rather than freshmen or junior varsity teams, after picking up major college offers early on.

And with social media platforms available to tout their status, how do coaches get them to pump the brakes, stay grounded and keep working before ever playing a varsity down?

"Don’t think you have made it," Gilbert Higley football coach Eddy Zubey tells them. "Keep working. Those scholarships can go away as quick as you got it. If you don’t improve over the next three years, it will get pulled.

"You see it all the time but no one posts that they lost the offer."

August 1 heading into an athlete's senior year is the time when colleges sent official written offer letters to the athletes. If they don't get the letter, then they don't have an offer.

"Watch around August 1st and see who posts their letters," Zubey said. "Those are real. Kids with 10-plus offers have less than 10 most of the time."

Gilbert Mesquite boys basketball coach Shawn Lynch calls social media the "all about me-centered mentality."

"It can be very deceptive," he said. "Posts showing nice dunks but not missed defensive assignments, poor turnovers, making the extra pass. They place the emphasis on highlight plays rather than solid team play on both ends of the court. I’ve seen posts of players who played bad games but (show) their one meaningless breakaway."

Early offers translate into potential. But young players know they have to keep working and improving. Social media posts have their place, but can also be a distraction if not careful.

Tempe Corona del Sol wide receiver Kam Richardson has a chance to play varsity this year, Aztecs coach Jake Barro said.

Richardson is among a group of young receivers in the Valley working under the instruction of personal coach Jaelen Strong, the former Arizona State and NFL wide receiver. Strong doesn't put any limits on any of the kids he works with.

But Richardson realizes he can't get ahead of himself.

"Just keep my focus, and ball out and do what I'm supposed to do," Richardson says about the upcoming football season.

Corona del Sol incoming freshman receiver/safety Keegan Pederson hasn't picked up an offer yet, so there isn't an expectation coming into high school.

"I'd rather have a year before I get offered, because I don't have as much pressure on me," Pederson said. "I can work up and perfect my skills."

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Goodyear Millennium rising sophomore basketball star Cameron Holmes, who has several high Division I offers, has stayed grounded growing, especially around older brother DaRon, a two-time Arizona Player of the Year for Millennium and now a top player at Dayton.

"I think June is important to get with everyone to make sure we're all on the same page, that the chemistry stays good," said.

As far as the early hype in his high school career, Holmes said, "Don't get ahead of myself. I still have three years of high school left."

Buckeye Youngker coach Josh Sekoch said he hasn't had an incoming freshman receive a college football offer yet in his career, but his advice if one did get offered?

"I would just say those offers aren't committable," Sekoch said. "Keep focus on academics, other sports and enjoying high school, because college football is a business."

Hathcock said before social media changed the landscape, he could just coach the kid and help him develop. Now, he believes they need to be motivated and built up on media platforms beyond the coach's control sometimes.

"Now there is more of a need to help a kid feel good externally with social media posts, music at practice and 7-on-7 uniforms in order for them to play good," he said "Kids still want to be coached but it's just a little different reaching a kid today than it was before social media."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How social media has changed the game for Arizona high school coaches