Brian Giebel, Recruiting Specialist
Colorado College
(312) 638-4825
I joined NCSA after working with student-athletes as a personal trainer, coach, and mentor. I worked with prep and collegiate athletes in a variety of sports and was strength & conditioning coach for USA Luge Development Teams.
In my coaching capacity I watched the recruiting process cause confusion and stress among parents and athletes. Some top prospects rushed decisions. Some obvious talents, including state champion swimmers and nationally ranked track stars, went under-appreciated and did not receive the attention or offers they’d anticipated. That surprised and disappointed me, so I started taking to people about NCSA.
It was immediately clear that extra help from coaches and experts could go a long way toward helping families have productive, positive recruiting experiences. I saw how athletes’ performances, training, recovery, and relationships improved when empowered by experts, information, and planning tools.
Growing up in Denver I played everything. At Highlands Ranch High I lettered in four sports while playing hockey for statewide all-star teams. I was selected for USA Hockey’s Olympic Development Program before transferring to Canterbury School in Connecticut for better competition and more exposure. Uploading videos was not an option in those days!
Our teams were stocked with post-graduates and elite athletes, so every player on our team was recruited. Several were drafted and played professionally. Bottom line, it was a different era. I had to move across the country to get recruited and I was lucky!
I won a 4-year Army ROTC scholarship and was recruited by elite academic institutions and military academies to play soccer and/or ice hockey. I chose Colorado College, where I was class president, a letterman in ice hockey, and an editor of the college paper and literary magazine. (Not simultaneously!) After graduating with a degree in International Political Economy, I started a career in investment banking and became Executive Director at Morgan Stanley, where recruiters openly covet the mental agility and toughness of college athletes.
I am so grateful for opportunities to help student-athletes achieve their goals and realize dreams. I was fortunate to have had excellent teachers and coaches who clearly cared for me. So I understand how powerfully rewarding these relationships can be, from the perspective of both coach and athlete.
I believe sports are more crucial than ever for building strong brains, bodies, and communities. I am an avid surfer and I dream of one day driving a Zamboni – perhaps professionally.