- May 9, 2008
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I attended the 2 hour long College Recruiting Seminar this week that was sponsored by Triple Crown Sports in conjuction with the Sparkler Tournament in Colorado which was conducted by their CEO Dave King. The panel included 6 college coaches from Yale, Mesa State, Hampton Univ., McPherson College, and others. They discussed what they were looking for in recruits and what the athletes needed to do in order to appeal to college coaches. The following is a summary of the presentation and includes an outline of the material that was presented and my personal notes that were taken from the discussion.
TRIPLE CROWN SPORTS - COLLEGE PLACEMENT
College Softball - 1,750 Programs, An estimated 35,000 players involved in College Softball
5 Types of Colleges - NCAA Div I, NCAA Div II, NCAA Div III, NAIA, Jr. College
5 Key Fits for College - Player has to match all 5 for a good fit
1. Academic Plan = GPA (minimum 2.5), Class Rank (top 10% can get academic money), Known field of study (fit students interests with what school offers), Eligibility Center (register student with NCAA).
2. Financial Plan = Total Cost: Family money, Academic money, Athletic money, Need Based money. Combination of these can create 100% funding.
Athletic Tank : How much does the athlete have left in terms of ability, desire, and willingness to learn skills 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, FULL? Does the player have a burning desire to play at the next level? Ask them what they want from college experience.
3. Athletic Level -
Impact Player at: the Gold level, A level, B level.
Skills: how much is left to develop?
Physical Gifts: Size - Speed - Arm Strength
Tiger in the Tank: Burning reason to improve further play
What kind of player are they?
a. Dominant Kid
b. Coaches Kid
c. Smart Kid
Repetitive skills = Do they?
a. Play 120 games per year
b. Take 200 grounders per day
c. Take 200 swings per day
4. Distance: How far is the college from home? Can they cope being away?
a. 2 hours from home
b. 6-10 hours from home
c. Airplane trip
5. Personal Situations
a. Mental Health - depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.
b. Self Esteem - High, low, somewhere in between, leader or follower
The coaches talked about "bounce back" which relates to scholarship athletes who don't finish their careers with the first college that they go to. It happens to 50% by their Sophmore year. The main reason is academics but things like bad relationships, drug use, and home sickness can also come into play.
They also talked about the athletes attitude off the field:
a. How they treated their family, teammates and friends.
b. How do they handle failure?
c. Is their "Shirt Tucked In", do they "Polish their cleats"?
d. Can they maintain their grades?
e. Do they have good rapport with the team, do they show repect to their parent?
f. How do they approach the game? Confident, coachable, willing to pick up a teammate.
REALISTIC ACTION PLAN - for athletes
Pick 5-10 Schools based on: Knowledge Fit or Internet Fit
Knowlege = actual experience from campus visit, Internet = impression from research
Attributes YOU CAN IMPROVE
Grades: Raise GPA
Test Scores: Study and RETAKE
Skills: Have lessons or take more repetitions
Make the Right Team:
A Coach who has developed skills in other players before
A Coach who helps with the College process
A Team that has an exposure based schdule
PLAYER WRITES LETTERS TO COLLEGES
Individualized, mail, email, Copy Club Coach and ask them to write a referral, Multiple Times (Keep in touch)
Invite College Coaches to attend your games and watch you play at major recruiting tournaments.
Make Unofficial visits to the colleges of your choice, write first and let them know your schedule (you pay all costs)
Attend College Camps at the schools you want to attend
Videos of YOU: You Tube Access, Your Camera, 5 repititons of each skill (run, throw, swing and catch then TALK) Impress the coach with your skills in the first 5 seconds, 5 to 7 minutes maximum.
When the player writes to the coach it demonstrates that they have their own voice.
Make sure the Academic Major is the right fit for the student.
College Softball is a 14 hour per day environment it is a commitment.
Pay attention to recruiting windows. Summer after Junior year is the prime recruiting season for the vast majority of athletes.
They emphasized that when you find a college that is a 5 for 5 fit of the keys listed above you have a good match and have found the right school. Remember the matches are generated by the student not the parents.
GOOD LUCK,
Pops
TRIPLE CROWN SPORTS - COLLEGE PLACEMENT
College Softball - 1,750 Programs, An estimated 35,000 players involved in College Softball
5 Types of Colleges - NCAA Div I, NCAA Div II, NCAA Div III, NAIA, Jr. College
5 Key Fits for College - Player has to match all 5 for a good fit
1. Academic Plan = GPA (minimum 2.5), Class Rank (top 10% can get academic money), Known field of study (fit students interests with what school offers), Eligibility Center (register student with NCAA).
2. Financial Plan = Total Cost: Family money, Academic money, Athletic money, Need Based money. Combination of these can create 100% funding.
Athletic Tank : How much does the athlete have left in terms of ability, desire, and willingness to learn skills 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, FULL? Does the player have a burning desire to play at the next level? Ask them what they want from college experience.
3. Athletic Level -
Impact Player at: the Gold level, A level, B level.
Skills: how much is left to develop?
Physical Gifts: Size - Speed - Arm Strength
Tiger in the Tank: Burning reason to improve further play
What kind of player are they?
a. Dominant Kid
b. Coaches Kid
c. Smart Kid
Repetitive skills = Do they?
a. Play 120 games per year
b. Take 200 grounders per day
c. Take 200 swings per day
4. Distance: How far is the college from home? Can they cope being away?
a. 2 hours from home
b. 6-10 hours from home
c. Airplane trip
5. Personal Situations
a. Mental Health - depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.
b. Self Esteem - High, low, somewhere in between, leader or follower
The coaches talked about "bounce back" which relates to scholarship athletes who don't finish their careers with the first college that they go to. It happens to 50% by their Sophmore year. The main reason is academics but things like bad relationships, drug use, and home sickness can also come into play.
They also talked about the athletes attitude off the field:
a. How they treated their family, teammates and friends.
b. How do they handle failure?
c. Is their "Shirt Tucked In", do they "Polish their cleats"?
d. Can they maintain their grades?
e. Do they have good rapport with the team, do they show repect to their parent?
f. How do they approach the game? Confident, coachable, willing to pick up a teammate.
REALISTIC ACTION PLAN - for athletes
Pick 5-10 Schools based on: Knowledge Fit or Internet Fit
Knowlege = actual experience from campus visit, Internet = impression from research
Attributes YOU CAN IMPROVE
Grades: Raise GPA
Test Scores: Study and RETAKE
Skills: Have lessons or take more repetitions
Make the Right Team:
A Coach who has developed skills in other players before
A Coach who helps with the College process
A Team that has an exposure based schdule
PLAYER WRITES LETTERS TO COLLEGES
Individualized, mail, email, Copy Club Coach and ask them to write a referral, Multiple Times (Keep in touch)
Invite College Coaches to attend your games and watch you play at major recruiting tournaments.
Make Unofficial visits to the colleges of your choice, write first and let them know your schedule (you pay all costs)
Attend College Camps at the schools you want to attend
Videos of YOU: You Tube Access, Your Camera, 5 repititons of each skill (run, throw, swing and catch then TALK) Impress the coach with your skills in the first 5 seconds, 5 to 7 minutes maximum.
When the player writes to the coach it demonstrates that they have their own voice.
Make sure the Academic Major is the right fit for the student.
College Softball is a 14 hour per day environment it is a commitment.
Pay attention to recruiting windows. Summer after Junior year is the prime recruiting season for the vast majority of athletes.
They emphasized that when you find a college that is a 5 for 5 fit of the keys listed above you have a good match and have found the right school. Remember the matches are generated by the student not the parents.
GOOD LUCK,
Pops
