 | | New soccer coach George Van Linder will join us for a live chat on Thursday. |
Chat Live With George Van Linder on Feb. 6 at 10 AM CT George Van Linder took the helm of the Baylor soccer program in December 2002 and is now preparing for his first season leading the Bears this fall. Van Linder comes to Baylor from SMU, where he led the Lady Mustangs to four straight conference championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. Under Van Linder, SMU finished in the Top 25 three times and compiled a four-year mark of 59-21-10 (.711 percent) and a conference record of 24-3-2 (.862). In 2002 Van Linder took the Lady Mustangs to a 13-6-4 record and to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as well as a WAC championship. SMU finished with a No. 20 national ranking by NSCAA. Van Linder was named the 2000 WAC coach of the year and in 1999 led SMU to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a No. 17 national ranking. Prior to his stint at SMU Van Linder spent five seasons at Butler, the final three (1996-1998) as head coach of the women's program. He was named the 1996 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year after he led Butler to the MCC regular-season and tournament championships. |
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 |  | George Van Linder: Hey - I'm here for my first chat. Let's go! |
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| David in Waco: Coan Van Linder - Everybody knows how important recruiting is. Can you give us an idea of how you would sell Baylor to a top recruit who was also considering SMU, UT, and aTm? |
| | George Van Linder: Dallas is one of our top recruiting areas, and it's no secret that the high school senior wants to get away from home. At the same time, they want to still be close enough to home to go home on the weekends. Waco is a perfect distance. I hope you're not an A&M, or UT fan, but I think those schools are the same - they're both big state schools. Baylor is special in that it's a private school education, and most soccer players are talented academically and seek that kind of education out. It's no secret that the Big 12 is one of the strongest women's soccer conferences in the country, so the opportunity to get a private school education and play in the Big 12 -- Baylor is your only choice. |
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| Dean: Now that you've had a semester to assess and evaluate the current Baylor roster, what do you see in terms of personnel as immediate needs to effect a rapid turnaround? |
| | George Van Linder: It's an old cliche about defense winning championships, but here's it seems to "Bear" a lot of truth. In conference play last year, Baylor was leading in many of their games, and often just couldn't hold on to the lead. With the demand nowadays for a quick fix with teams, it seems logical that improving the defense would be the ideal way to get us on the right path to a Big 12 championship. |
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| Nate Piper, Dallas Texas: In the past two years BU has had a problem with the Keeper situation. It seems to be real problem. As well as the defensive play in the back. Any help coming for Mel Humke? Sic em bears! N. Piper |
| | George Van Linder: Well, we're not going to put Mel in goal anytime soon... But we are looking at ways to make the defense stronger through recruiting. Recruiting goalies is much like recruiting quarterbacks -- that's your key position. In the NFL they have problems with salary caps; we have to manage our scholarships. Although we want one, we can't do it at the expense of losing quality players at other positions. If there's a good goalie out there, thought, we'll grab her. |
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| Rich, Waco: What has been the hardest part of coming into a new program? Any advice for a coach going through the same process? What needs do you see for BU next season? |
| | George Van Linder: The hardest part coming into a new program is to establish our way of doing things without having the attitude of being "the new sheriff in town." Currently, we're making changes while being sensitive to traditions and what the girls are used to. For a new coach going into this process, always remember that they outnumber you, so you have to sell them on why this is going to make them better, because everyone here wants to get better. Again, we need to improve our defense, and also just having a positive attitude. Those losses last year were painful, and the players got a little beaten down. We need some confidence to develop a winning attitude. |
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| John Cedar Hill: First welcome to Baylor University.I have two questions. What were your reasons for coming to Baylor and what do you bring to the program that will help turn the program around. Look forward to meeting you. |
| | George Van Linder: Competing in the Big 12 against some of the best coaches in the country was an unbelievable opportunity. Once I came to Baylor and saw the excitement from the President on down about athletics and women's soccer specifically, it was a very easy decision. Baylor is serious about winning a Big 12 championship in women's soccer, and everything so far as backed up that attitude. I've been really lucky where I've had a lot of strong players at places I've been before, and we've had a lot of success. Working with those players, I think that success has rubbed off on me, and even though there's such a fine line between success and failure, I think I have a pretty good idea of what it takes to be successful. |
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| Mike (Houston): The last two national championships have gone to small private schools. Don't you feel that many top women recruits are looking for the smaller classes, quality of education and more personal environment that a private college, like Baylor, offers? |
| | George Van Linder: Yes - can you be one of my recruiters? That's exactly it. All of the programs I've been associated with have been smaller private schools. I few years ago, I looked at the rosters of the successful schools across the country, and almost every one had players from California and Texas. So, I quickly understood that the top women's soccer players come from those two states. The two most popular states for Baylor students are... Texas and California. With the fact that Baylor's a private school in Texas, I feel that it has a perfect formula of success like those last two national champs. The baseball team here seems to have followed that exact same formula, and we hope to attain that same level of success. |
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| Ansgar Brinkmann: I know a little bit about football (soccer). I am playing currently in the Bundesliga and I have never seen a team that was as badly coached as the Baylor team was when I saw them last year. What will you do to get structure in this team? |
| | George Van Linder: Can I have your autograph, and do you want to work camp? As you know, a lot of things can make a team look to be badly coached -- injuries, a couple of bad calls, and likewise, a few lucky bounces can make someone look like a great coach. Some coaches (Bill Parcells, Bruce Arena, etc.) have had continued success wherever they go; I hope to be one of those coaches. The Big 12 is a lot like the Bundesliga, where anyone can beat anyone, and sometimes one bad loss becomes contagious. It's important how we react after those disappointments, so once again, our attitude will be vital. |
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| JR (Round Rock): Welcome to Baylor! What impact will the change in coaching staff have on the recruiting situation this year? |
| | George Van Linder: I'm glad you asked; today is the first day our newest assistant begins. His name is Mario Rincon; we stole him from Duke, and he's generally considered the best recruiter of talent in this part of the country, ranging from California to Texas to North Carolina. We have already felt the effects of him coming with college players at other schools talking to us about transferring here. This kind of relationship is just an example of his strength as a recruiter. He is also a talented soccer coach, having served as an assistant in the MLS with the MetroStars as well as with the Duke women's team. When he saw the Baylor campus, he immediately thought this would be a place he could attract top quality student-athletes to. |
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| Dave (Round Rock): What is your philosophy on how to build a winning soccer team? |
| | George Van Linder: I've said enough about defense. Winning and losing are both contagious; once people understand what it takes to win here, I'm confident that their expectations will rise, both for themselves and for the team. |
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| Dave (Round Rock): How does a small private school like Baylor that is very expensive compared to Texas and A&M successfully recruit when it costs players so much more to go to school there. |
| | George Van Linder: The Ford Escort is a car, and so is a Porsche. You get what you pay for, and a Baylor education is traditionally proven to be a great education. I will say that state schools in Texas are far from your average state school, and you can get a quality education there -- but you can't get a Baylor education there. |
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| Austin: What is our status on finding / bringing new or transfer recruits next fall? |
| | George Van Linder: NCAA rules prevent me from elaborating. However, we do have some players from big schools in strong conferences interested in transferring here. One will be on our campus this weekend. A four-year college transfer in soccer can have as much impact as a junior college transfer in football or basketball. Once again, these players have that attitude of winning, and they're used to winning at the collegiate level. Unlike most sports, soccer transfers do not have to sit out a year at this time, so their impact can be felt immediately. |
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| Meghan, Dallas: As a former player at Baylor, I wanted to congratulate you for coming and trying to rebuild the program. What is it going to take to bring the team back to level we were at when we won the conference? |
| | George Van Linder: Meghan - When you lined up against Nebraska for the Big 12 championship, you expected to win that game. We have 25 players now who want to win that game, but deep down in their hearts, they still have a little doubt if they can win it. We're going to do everything we can to remove that doubt as fast as possible. |
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| Rob (San Antonio): Welcome to Baylor, Coach! Why do you think Baylor has not been as competitive in the Big12 these last few years? What do you think of our level of talent now, and where do you see the greatest immediate need on this team? |
| | George Van Linder: Injuries in key positions have played a part. We are working very hard with our athletic training and strength staffs to make sure we have as few injuries as possible in the future. There is an old saying that recruiting is like shaving: if you don't do it, everyone notices. We have some talented players; we just need more depth, and that will be the first concern we address. |
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| George, Waco: Welcome! Since your stating the defense needs inprovement are you stating that the rest of the team needs no improvement? What is you plan for the defense? |
| | George Van Linder: When I first got here, I threw out every tape of past games and any kind of written evaluation about the team. Our coaching staff told the players that they all have a fresh start, and that everything will be considered. Starting Feb. 11, when we can train as a team, we will begin to see what kind of players we have so that we can decide what kind of defense and offense will be best for this team. The type of players dictates the system. I don't know much about the players now, but they have shown to be very hardworking and are excited about the fresh start. Every aspect of the team is going to be looked at, and offense will get the same attention as defense. |
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| Kathie, Dallas: Coach, I know you have been at BU for a short time but, how well are you getting on with the girls? Do you think you have there respect? |
| | George Van Linder: Respect is earned. I don't think I've done enough yet to earn their respect, but at the same time, I think they respect what I've done in the past. Likewise, they have to earn my respect. I respect what they've done as a player, but what they do on the field this spring will be the ultimate guide. I know I will be judged as well. |
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| Steve (Dallas): After having played against this group with SMU, as well as seeing them since arriving there, what type of alignment would you be planning on? |
| | George Van Linder: It's still too early to tell, but as I mentioned before, we will look at all systems of play. In general, I like to have three forwards, so that limits the rest of the formations to 2-3 options. That's about all I know so far. |
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| Adam (Baylor): What do you have planned for the girls in the spring? Do you have any tournaments lined up? |
| | George Van Linder: Feb. 22 we are playing in a tournament at Texas A&M. March 18 we are hosting the New Zealand National Team. Later in the spring we'll be going down to play Texas, and the rest of our dates still need to be filled out. Our idea this spring was to play against tough competition to see how we do, so we can prepare ourselves better for this fall. These three tournaments will be good indications of what we need to work on to be ready in the fall. |
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| Art(euless): What's your favoriate formation? What style of play do you perfer...aggresive or defensive? welcome to Baylor! |
| | George Van Linder: My favorite formation is a 4-3-3, with midfielders pinched in. However, I think you need great outside backs for that system. Our defense will be aggressive defensively, and our defense will get involved in the attack. My first year at SMU we played this system, and three games into the season our left back was our leading scorer. Baylor has had that same situation with Tamura Crawley, so Baylor seems comfortable with those ideas. However, the win-loss result is more important than the system, and once again, I have to see where our players feel most comfortable. |
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| Tim(Houston): In recruiting, how important is the club trainer in the process? |
| | George Van Linder: The club trainer is vital. It's important that the club trainer knows what Big 12 soccer is, and whether his athletes can compete at this level. Once a college coach establishes a trusting relationship with a club coach, and that coach recommends a player, we know that player is going to have success at Baylor and in the Big 12. Likewise, the club coach is telling the family and their daughter that the college coach is going to take care of you and that it's a good program. So the college coach has to gain the trust of the club coach that he runs a good program and will take care of the players for the future. Our staff works closely with club coaches throughout Texas and California, and we have some good relationships with a coach or two in Canada. |
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| Kevin, Dallas: While recruiting will you be trying to work with the current players to keep as many as possible? |
| | George Van Linder: The current players are all staying (as far as I know). Once again, because of the fresh start that they are all getting. The players are frustrated about the past, and they know they can do better. They're not quitters, and they're determined to stay here and prove to everyone how strong they are as players. That means a lot to me. Our success is going to depend on the current players; we can only bring in two or three new players, so it will be the players on campus right now who are going to make the difference in the future. |
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| Mitch (DeSoto): After giving up many last minute goals last year that cost the team victories, would you attribute that to a lack of a game plan for those situations? |
| | George Van Linder: It's a lack of something, and I'm not sure what. But it's in the past. We're going to work on how to win games in the future, and our game plan will hopefully address any and all of those concerns. |
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| | George Van Linder: Thanks so much; come on out to the games. I've gotta go entertain a recruit. Sic 'em Bears! |
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