During a coach's interactions with a prospective student-athlete, if a coach speaks with the prospective student-athlete at 10 a.m. and observes practice at 3 p.m., how many contacts did the coach use?

To understand why the correct answer is that the coach made one contact only, it is important to define what constitutes a contact and an evaluation in the context of NCAA recruiting rules.

A contact occurs when a coach has in-person interaction with a prospective student-athlete where the coach engages in conversation. In this scenario, the coach's conversation with the prospective student-athlete at 10 a.m. qualifies as one contact because it represents direct interaction.

An evaluation, on the other hand, is defined as an observation of a prospective student-athlete's practice or competition, which allows the coach to assess the athlete's skills and abilities. Observing practice at 3 p.m. fits this definition, but does not count as a contact since no direct interaction took place during that time.

In this situation, the coach's activities consist of one contact (the conversation at 10 a.m.) and one evaluation (observing practice at 3 p.m.). However, according to the provided answer options, the choice that states only one contact is emphasized as the final answer, indicating that the precise nature of interactions is being questioned.

Thus, the answer reflects the distinction between the two types of interactions, leading to the conclusion that during these occurrences, the coach used only