|
||||
 |
|
|
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||
Unsung Hero By Frequent Flying Devil ASU recruiting coordinator Matt Lubick spends more time at airports than he does in his own home. But his hard work and natural talent are paying off big-time for the Sun Devils.
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
Matt Lubick is a young, single, good-looking, very successful guy in a high-profile industry and would make a great husband for some lucky lady someday. That is, if some lucky lady could actually catch him. The recruiting coordinator for the ASU football team travels a lot. When we say a lot, we mean for the better part of the year he is on the road trying to make sure the Sun Devil pipeline of talent keeps flowing for head coach Dennis Erickson. Matt understands the business, since he grew up in a football family. His father Sonny was an extremely successful and popular head coach for Colorado State for years. “Travel definitely bothers some more than others, Matt told POST. “I actually enjoy traveling. The fact that I am single makes it easier. When you have a family, it is tough to be away for an extended period of time.” The hard work, sacrifice, and life living out of a suitcase are paying off, though. Matt was a big part of the reason why the Sun Devils’ recent recruiting class was ranked 14th in the entire nation. We were lucky enough to sit Matt down for a photo and a few questions before recruiting secretary Karen Schultz handed the extremely frequent flier his next plane ticket and he was on the road yet again. POST: On top of coordinating all the recruiting for the Sun Devils, you also coach the safeties. How do you juggle the two jobs? ML (Matt Lubick): The key to balancing both coaching and recruiting is being organized and disciplined. I, like most coaches, enjoy the actual hands-on coaching more than recruiting. However, to stay up with the yearly demands of recruiting, you must discipline yourself and be organized to devote daily time to recruiting year-round. POST: Is there a difference between how you were welcomed in a home by recruits and their families when you started the job, compared to now with the great success the Devils have had? ML: There has been a definite correlation with the success of our season to an increased interest with recruits and their families. Success generates more exposure. Increased excitement about your school results when a recruit sees you on television or reads about you in the media. Recruits want to be part of a winning program. POST: You must have some great travel tips – can you share some? ML: The best investment I have made to aid in my travel is buying a GPS. The obvious reason is to not get lost. The GPS also helps with the diet. I am a creature of habit and like to eat the same things at the same restaurants on a daily basis, which the GPS allows you to do. I punch in “Subway” and “Starbucks” daily. I also will make sure my car is stocked every day with protein bars. Once you leave your hotel in the early morning, you do not usually return until late that evening, and the bars come in handy. Sleep can be an issue on the road. I will switch hotel rooms regularly and will have caffeine before a late-night home visit. Benadryl and a Bud Light have worked well for me. POST: You're a good-looking dude – do you have to tell prospective girlfriends that you're hardly ever home? ML: My social life right now is non-existent, which is my own fault. I recognize that I need to do a better job of balancing my time and not let myself get lost in work. Coaching/recruiting is like a lot of jobs, where there is always something you can do and you are never completely done. Even though this is a demanding profession, most coaches are able to successfully balance their social/family lives with work. POST: You started your coaching career working for your father – was it what you expected? Would he yell at you like any other coach? ML: Coaching with my father has been my best experience to date, and I feel truly blessed to have had that opportunity. In my opinion, you have reached utopia when your boss is equally or more concerned about your personal well-being as he is about you professionally. As far as him yelling at me, I think he would tell you that he was harder on me and felt more comfortable yelling at me than the other assistants. I would not take any yelling as personal as the other coaches because I had built an immunity from any yelling during my toddler years. For me, it is definitely easier to take criticism from somebody who has your best interest at heart. POST: Do skycap people at Sky Harbor Airport know you by name? ML: Not sure about being recognized at the airport. However, I do have the people at the hotel greet me by name before I get to the counter. There are Starbucks workers in LA that can identify me in line and have my order ready before I get to the counter. POST: Being on the road so much – what do you keep in your refrigerator at home? ML: My eating habits do not change when I am home. I eat out every meal and use the same restaurants and eat the same things I do on the road. I never have solid foods in my refrigerator unless I have company. All I use it for is to keep liquids cold. POST: In a job like you have, it would be easy to suffer from burnout – are you worried about keeping up this pace? ML: I am not as concerned about burnout as I am about being a better time balancer with social life and work. The pace of my lifestyle has not been an issue so far. However, I do look forward to vacation and enjoy being away from the office. POST: How do you stay in shape eating out all the time? Do you work out in hotel gyms? ML: Working out is part of my daily routine. I am addicted to the peace of mind a workout gives. On the road, I try to start every day with some sort of workout before 6:00 am. If a hotel has a gym, that makes my day. When eating out, I only order healthy food because that is what I enjoy. POST: What is your favorite city to visit while recruiting? ML: LA is my favorite city to visit while recruiting. There are great hotels with an overabundance of Subways and Starbucks. More importantly, there is an abundance of high school football talent. |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|