College Coach Really Getting Into Minute 12 of Recruiting Video

Pittsburgh, PA-- Micky Bello is rocking out.

The University of Pittsburgh baseball coach has the speakers of his MacBook Pro cranked up to nine as he takes in a recruiting video sent by high school junior Jeremy Randolph of Mason, Ohio.

“Check this out,” he says, rewinding the clip by 15 seconds and turning on his subwoofer. “You see how the snare comes in at the exact moment he makes contact on that ground ball to the left side? Bam! I love it!”

Bello says a pet peeve of his is when prospective athletes send him quick hit videos that capture the player’s swing, defensive actions and speed, and supply all of his measurables, verified by a third party, as well as his GPA and test scores -- all within 90 seconds. With no music.

Much better, he says, are the videos that use generic but extremely loud heavy metal music or rap beats to establish a dramatic and energetic mood. He likes to see 900 to 1,000 swings if possible -- and the more pop-ups and ground balls, the better.

Slow motion shots are his favorites.

Bello says he needs to see at least 250 ground balls or 150 fly balls to get a feel for a player’s defensive ability. The very best videos, he says, move at roughly the pace of the first act of “The Irishman.”

Bello admits he doesn’t even click on submissions shorter than 10 minutes.

“That’s my cutoff,” he says. “If you’re too lazy to make a video that lasts as long as my venti dark roast, I have no use for you.”

Bello’s best advice: “Hit the record button, capture hours of footage, overdub some sick music and hit send, bro!” --SB