Narrowing the List

Our feeling is that once you have narrowed your list of schools that you’re interested in to around 5 or so, it can be very important to attend one of the camps that those schools have on campus. The benefits of attending a school’s camp are:

1. Showcase your ability in a small group vs. a large showcase setting.

2. Get to know the coaching staff and evaluate their coaching style and philosophy

3. Allow the coaches to get to know you on a personal level. (For our staff, this is just as important as your ability as a baseball player, from the standpoint of coach ability, aptitude and intangibles.)

4. Tour the campus, and get a feel for the environment and community.

Key to Success:

The key to your success in the college selection process is the willingness to be proactive. Get your name out there and initiate contact with the schools you are interested in, both athletically and academically. The recruiting process is a two-way street, so to speak. We want potential members of our program to take some time to learn about our College and its baseball program, while, at the same time, we need to put forth the same effort to learn and gather information about you. Ultimately, the process is about the best “fit” and the best “feel,” and this process allows you to make an informed decision.

Remember, prospects don’t get discovered at camps, but a tremendous amount of evaluation happens there!

I received this email from a concerned parent last:

Last week after my son came went on an official visit to a college, he came home less than impressed, and said he felt that that was not the college for him.  The students from the team that he was with, had a drunken party (although not all drank).  While staying in a dorm room that night with one of them, my son listened to this guy set up several times during the night to “puke” as he put it.

The next morning the coach asked the guys: “Did you get drunk?”.

Guys: Yes.

Coach: Did you do anything stupid?”

Guys: No.

Coach: “Good”.

My son said he realizes that drinking (until you get drunk and sick) goes on in college, but his concluding statement was: “On a recruiting visit? …come on!”.

THINK THIS IS A RECRUITING RED FLAG?!!!!!!!!!!!  A responsible student-athlete knows that recruiting visits are business trips.  This decision will affect the next 40 years of your life.  Make sure you get it right!

What does Verified mean? It means that college coaches can trust your recruiting information as 100% accurate. In the NCSA Recruiting Network, Verified Recruits are are viewed by more than 36 college coaches on average… 10 times more than Unverified recruits!

In order to get verified, have your parents call 866-579-6272 OR email Recruitingline@ncsasports.org with the best time and number to reach them.

Why do your parents or guardians need to be involved?

College Athletic Scholarships usually involve the whole family and your parents or guardians will play a critical role as you build relationships with college coaches. Make sure they are involved!

Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball:

Evaluation Period except for below:

December 24-26 Dead Period

Cross Country/Track and Field:

December 1-12 Contact Period

December 13-31 Quiet Period except for below:

December 13 (12:01 am) -17 (12:01 am) Dead Period

Men’s Lacrosse:

December 1-23 Quiet Period

December 24-31 Dead Period

Baseball, Women’s Lacrosse:

December Quiet Period

Softball:

Quiet Period, except for below:

December 8 (12:01 am) -12 (12:01 am) Dead Period

Volleyball:

December 1-5 Contact Period

December 6-14 Quiet Period

December 15-31 Dead Period, except:

1-Coaches attending the AVCA annual awards banquet may have incidental   contact with two-year college prospects being honored at the banquet, provided no recruiting conversation occurs. (Bylaw 13.02.4.4.1)

2- Evaluation Period – Thursday of the Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship through the Sunday immediately following the championship (December 16-19). An institution’s authorized coaching staff members (see Bylaw 11.7.4) may evaluate on only one day and may attend only one event on that day during this period. Such an event shall occur within a 30-mile radius of the site of the championship (Kansas City, Missouri). Coaches from the same institution who attend such an event shall attend the same event on the same day. Coaches shall not attend events that occur at the same time that any intercollegiate competition in conjunction with the NCAA championship occurs.

Football:

December 1-31 Contact Period, except for below:

Quiet Period- Six in-person off-campus contacts per prospective student-athlete shall be permitted during this time period with not more than one permitted in any one calendar week (Sunday through Saturday) or partial calendar week: December 12, 2010, all junior college prospective student-athletes who intend to enroll midyear.

December 13-16 Dead Period: all junior college prospective student-athletes who intend to enroll midyear [except for (a) below]:

a) Contact Period – Institutional staff members may have contact with a prospective student-athlete who has been admitted for midyear enrollment, provided the prospect has signed a National Letter of Intent or other offer of admission and/or financial aid to attend the institution and is required to be on campus to attend institutional orientation sessions for all students.

December 17-18 Quiet Period: all junior college prospective student-athletes who intend to enroll midyear.

December 19 Quiet Period

December 20-31 Dead Period

PHONE CALLS

2011 Grads (Seniors)

Division I:

Men’s Basketball – 2x per week

All Other Sports – 1x per week

Division II: All Sports – 1x per week.

Division III/NAIA/2-year: All Sports – Unlimited.

2012 Grads (Juniors)

Division I: Men’s Basketball/Men’s Ice Hockey – 1x per month.

Division II: Not Allowed.

Division III/NAIA/2-year: All Sports – Unlimited.

2013 & 2014 Grads (Underclassman)

Division I/II: Not Allowed.

Division III/NAIA/2-year: All Sports – Unlimited.

EMAILS & LETTERS

2011 Grads (Seniors) & 2012 Grads (Juniors)

All Divisions: All Sports – Unlimited.

2013 & 2014 Grads (Underclassman)

Division I/II: Not Allowed.

Division III/NAIA/2-year: All Sports – Unlimited.

*Please Note: Some DIII/NAIA/2-year programs have institutional or conference rules prohibiting the college coach to make contact before the student-athletes senior year.

*Reminder: The student-athlete can call or email any coach at anytime.

DECEMBER RECRUITING TIPS

Holiday’s – During the first weeks of December coaches will have more time to communicate with recruits, unless they are a winter sport and are in season. Expect communications to slow down as we get closer to the December holiday season through Martin Luther King Day in January. MLK Day is typically when college classes resume.

Soccer – National Championships are taking place.

Track/Cross Country – December is when student-athlete should be proactive as coaches are really busy during the month of January.

Tennis – USTA Winter Nationals are taking place.

Coaches Conventions – AVCA (Volleyball) & NFCA (Softball)

ALERT: DI coaches are always recruiting and looking at athletes, however, at this point in the recruiting process there is not always a spot available or money tied to that spot, especially since we have past the early signing period for majority of sports.

ALERT: For the following sports at this point only low major DI programs might have scholarship money available with an opening on their roster: Basketball, football, volleyball, tennis, softball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, golf, water polo, ice hockey, and field hockey.

ALERT: College coaches continue to recruit earlier and we have received notifications from DII, NAIA and even DIII programs that they are done with the 2011 class.

Football – If a recruit is not receiving phone calls from DI programs, the DI program is not interested in them and need to look at walk-on spots, as well as, lower programs.

Track, Cross Country, Swimming, Women’s Golf and Wrestling are sports that are more open across the divisions at this point.

Did you know that there are less than 80 days until National Signing Day for the class of 2011 and football scholarships are running short?

Hopefully, you have received interest from dozens of coaches around the country and just have to narrow your choices.  If you haven’t received an offer yet, your college football recruiting clock is running out!

-    Re-evaluate your options. Many college coaches have narrowed down their recruiting list.  Are you still on that list?  Discovering where you stand is critical.
-    Get active! Successful recruits put a lot of time and effort into recruiting.  If Brian has been waiting around for coaches to come knocking, it might be too late.
-    Update Your Recruiting Profile. College coaches will be looking for qualified recruits who have not signed and need your most current information.  In order to update your NCSA Recruiting Profile, click here.

Brian will only go through this process once in a lifetime…don’t have any regrets!

P.S.  Check out our free “Must Have” Senior Recruiting Guides.  3 Resources in one place!

Almost every athlete that plays college sports will visit a campus before making their decision.

It is a critical step in the college sports recruiting decision making process because it provides the athlete and coach insight they otherwise would be unable to gather.

Unfortunately, many families are also going through the process for the first time and have no idea what to expect during a visit OR how to maximize that opportunity.

College Athletic Scholarships.

Did you know that college coaches begin identifying prospects as early as 7th and 8th grade in some sports?
Every year thousands of recruits fail to maximize their recruiting potential and finish their career saying, “I wish I had started the process earlier.”  Don’t let that happen to you!

We are excited to invite your family to our latest Live Web Event:  “The Recruiting Process Started Yesterday!”

When:   Thursday, October 18th at 8 pm EST / 7 pm CST / 5 pm PDT.

Where:  NCSA will be streaming LIVE online.  All you will need is a computer and access to the internet.

In order to receive a private link to view the webcast, send an email to webcast@ncsasports.org with your athlete’s full name and grad year.

The NCSA Recruiting Team will be covering

-    Why the recruiting timelines have changed in the last ten years and how technology has accelerated the process.

-    How college coaches are able to contact potential prospects before Junior year.

-    The Steps you can take to get ahead of the competition

“The Recruiting Process Started Yesterday” will be hosted by former DI college athlete, Adrianne Bradshaw, and NCSA Recruiting Expert, Randy Taylor.

We will send the first 200 families that register a free digital copy of  ”Athletes Wanted – The complete game plan for maximizing athletic scholarship potential.”

Recruiting is a once in a lifetime opportunity – don’t get started too late!  To register, send an email to webcast@ncsasports.org with your athlete’s full name and grad year.

Like so much in life, the key to landing a scholarship is mostly about timing. Successfully handling your recruiting process can be as simple as knowing what to do and understanding when and how to do it. When working toward an athletic scholarship, approach your four years of high school must like you would the four quarters of a game.  Although the pressure seems greatest during the third and fourth quarters, the points scored during the first half can be the difference between winning and losing. By working hard and constantly improving during your first years of high school, you’ll help relieve some of the pressure that the recruiting process can put on you during your junior and senior years. Use the timeline below as a basic guide through the con­fusing world of college recruiting.

4^th Quarter: Senior Year

A. Academics

Again, your grades should remain your #1 priority. You’ve worked hard for three years, so don’t ruin your effort by slacking during your last year. Based on your GPA and test scores, you should be able to target colleges where you fit academi­cally. If you need to retake the ACT and/or SAT, do this as soon as you can. If you’re looking into highly selective colleges, consider taking the SAT II. Make sure you are registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center and update them with your test scores if they improve. Submit college applications early and pay attention to deadlines. Many top academic colleges have deadlines between November and January. Other universities will have a “rolling” deadline where applications are received until the enrollment class is full. Never apply Early Decision to a college unless you are 100% sure this is your #1 choice. If you are accepted Early Decision, and the acceptance is binding, you will close the door on any other options.

B. Recruiting

This is the home stretch. Coaches can call once a week except for during dead periods, quiet periods and evaluation periods. You will take your official visits during your senior year. Keep in contact with the coaches on your log and make sure you update them through emails and phone calls. At this point, it is vital to maintain relationships with the coaches. You are only allowed five of­ficial visits, so use them wisely (at the Division III level there is no limit on the number of official visits you may take). Official visits can’t exceed 48 hours, and they include paid transportation, lodging, and food expenses. Scholarship offers (athletic, academic, grant, financial aid, etc.) are made during your senior year. Find out when the National Letter of Intent signing days are for your sport. Keep reading for more scholarship tips!

“Sometimes the most inspirational sports story, is your own.”  What’s your story?  The following is a very inspirational story about a student athlete, Luke Gane, who fought past adversity and came out on top.

Like many of student athletes in high school who have also shared their stories with us, Luke was a high school football player anxious to finally play with the varsity team his junior year at Edison High School in California.

In July 2008, a week before double sessions for football, Luke developed a nosebleed that lasted over 2 hours. After going to the hospital, the Gane’s discovered that Luke had a rare blood disorder called Severe Aplastic Anemia, which can be fatal. The bone marrow in your body when you have this disorder stops making new blood cells. The Gane family saw this nosebleed as a very important “blessing-in-disguise” because if it did not occur, one big hit during football practice would have caused internal hemorrhaging, killing him.

A month later, Luke under went chemotherapy, but it became evident that he was in need of a bone marrow transplant. Coming from a family of 5 boys, they tested the family and found that two of his brothers were a match. When Jim, Luke’s father, asked who wanted to volunteer to be Luke’s donor, both brother’s hands shot up, but it was 10 year old Jacob Gane’s hand that went up first. The surgery was a success!

Luke fought back extremely well and made a full recovery! He came back the next year, his senior year, to be healthy and strong enough to play both ways on the varsity team. Luke helped lead his team to an undefeated regular season, only to lose in the CIF championships to a rival team that supported him during his illness. Also, Luke found himself accepting an offer as a preferred walk-on on the UCLA football team beginning this Fall!

If you feel that you have a story that you would like to share with thousands of people, please log on to your Facebook and share it on Facebook!

Luke Gane Video

Luke Gane’s Blog

Like so much in life, the key to landing a scholarship is mostly about timing. Successfully handling your recruiting process can be as simple as knowing what to do and understanding when and how to do it. When working toward an athletic scholarship, approach your four years of high school must like you would the four quarters of a game.  Although the pressure seems greatest during the third and fourth quarters, the points scored during the first half can be the difference between winning and losing. By working hard and constantly improving during your first years of high school, you’ll help relieve some of the pressure that the recruiting process can put on you during your junior and senior years. Use the timeline below as a basic guide through the con­fusing world of college recruiting.

3^rd Quarter: Junior Year

A. Academics

Again, keep grades as your #1 priority. If you are working hard in the classroom, you will open the doors to more college opportuni­ties. Calculate your core GPA, and if you haven’t achieved the kind of grades you need, consider getting additional academic assistance from teachers or a tutor. Plan to take the ACT and/or SAT during the fall semester. If possible, try to take at least one of these tests twice during your junior year because the ACT and SAT allows you to com­bine your best scores from multiple testing dates. Identify what type of grades and scores you may need to get into the colleges that interest you. If you plan to apply to highly selective institutions, register for the SAT II. Remember that recruited athletes often receive preferential treatment in admissions. After you have completed six semesters of high school you should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/.   Don’t forget to complete the amateurism questionnaire.

B. Recruiting

The recruiting process will pick up after September 1 of your junior year, especially if you are a Division I or Division II prospect. Division III, NAIA and Junior College recruiting typically occurs later. Colleges might start to contact you via written and more personalized correspon­dence, and coaches can call you once a week beginning July 1 after your junior year. If you don’t respond to a coach, you can likely forget about ever hearing from that coach again. It’s crucial to respond to every coach that sends you information, regardless of whether or not you think you are interested in their school. Send pe­riodic email updates to the coaches in your correspondence log, and record all interactions with coaches in the log. Keep reading for more recruiting tips!