- Oct 2, 2012
- 181
- 18
I just came across this and thought, Wow, 5 years before it can put on paper. Seems a little early to me.
13-year-old commits to play for Lady Vols
13-year-old commits to play for Lady Vols
What's your take on commiting to a college at 13
- Thread starter teammom2
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Seems ill advised to me. Why take yourself off the market well before you hit the top? It benefits the school but does very little for the athlete other than stroke the ego. If they like you that much they will hold the door open for as long as it takes.
Unless it's someplace where the coaching staff has demonstrated stability and longevity(Arizona, UCLA, Cal), I can only think you've verballed to play for the replacement of the coach you spoke with, or perhaps that coach's replacement.
Most 13 year olds have trouble picking out what movie they want to see on the weekend much less what college they want to go to. I wonder how much this girl really knows about the school, or its rigors, or a lot of the other stuff that goes into college life.
But unfortunately that's the world we live in right now. Everyone is afraid someone else will get the players they want so they're battling to get verbals first. Where does it stop? Do you think 10 years from now we'll be hearing about third graders verballing based on their performance at some 8U nationals? Will kids be getting signed in virtro based on their parents' pedigrees?
The best thing that could happen, in my opinion, is for the NCAA to crack down on all of this and restrict verbals to sophomores and above. It would take the pressure off the coaches as well as the players. I am not betting that will happen, however.
But unfortunately that's the world we live in right now. Everyone is afraid someone else will get the players they want so they're battling to get verbals first. Where does it stop? Do you think 10 years from now we'll be hearing about third graders verballing based on their performance at some 8U nationals? Will kids be getting signed in virtro based on their parents' pedigrees?
The best thing that could happen, in my opinion, is for the NCAA to crack down on all of this and restrict verbals to sophomores and above. It would take the pressure off the coaches as well as the players. I am not betting that will happen, however.
- Oct 2, 2012
- 181
- 18
That was my thought process too. Choosing a school isn't just about a softball scholarship. I have a 13yr old. No way is she ready to choose a school with or without softball factoring in. Well unless we count AZ because she likes hot weather, lol. I think a month or so ago I heard a story about the young son of LaBron James being courted by colleges. If I remember right he's like 10. Crazy.
- Feb 7, 2013
- 3,188
- 48
Looking at her skills video from youtube, its pretty clear that this kid (a 1st baseman) can hit the ball hard and they are not recruiting her for her fielding skills. The concern I have is that some girls mature faster than others and can look dominating against average pitching, but how do they do against top competition? I know a few of the 12/13 YOs power hitters on my DDs TB team can crush the ball against average teams and look very impressive, but faced with faster pitching and movement pitches, they tend to strike out quite a bit.
I know a 13YO recently verballed to UCLA but this kid is a pitcher and already throws in the mid-60's.
While I agree the college coach might be gone in 5 years, Ralph Weekly at Tennessee who has head coached there for 13 years is probably not leaving anytime soon.
I know a 13YO recently verballed to UCLA but this kid is a pitcher and already throws in the mid-60's.
While I agree the college coach might be gone in 5 years, Ralph Weekly at Tennessee who has head coached there for 13 years is probably not leaving anytime soon.
If it were my daughter, I wouldn't want her to go public with the news at that age.
I don't see any benefit in having an article written about you in the 8th grade saying you've committed to Tennessee. Puts unnecessary expectations and pressure on a kid, IMO. And I don't mean just the pressure to perform (she must continue to develop as a player or she's not going to UT), but the pressure to follow through with this path. She might not want to go to Tennessee in two years. She might not want to play softball in two years. When a young teenager gets a lot of attention for something, it's going to be harder for them to separate what they really want and what other people want and expect from them.
As for how to deal with this, I don't know what the NCAA can do. How would you write a rule that couldn't be circumvented with the wink of an eye?
I don't see any benefit in having an article written about you in the 8th grade saying you've committed to Tennessee. Puts unnecessary expectations and pressure on a kid, IMO. And I don't mean just the pressure to perform (she must continue to develop as a player or she's not going to UT), but the pressure to follow through with this path. She might not want to go to Tennessee in two years. She might not want to play softball in two years. When a young teenager gets a lot of attention for something, it's going to be harder for them to separate what they really want and what other people want and expect from them.
As for how to deal with this, I don't know what the NCAA can do. How would you write a rule that couldn't be circumvented with the wink of an eye?
My son is in a non-NCAA sport (men's rowing), which does not give scholarships. Besides, he is D-III anyway.
Men's rowing is run by a much older organization, IRA (Intercollegiate Rowing Association). The IRA rules are extremely strict, in that they not only have to abide by all NCAA restrictions, but the far stricter IRA rules on top of that.
One example: in the fall of 2013 DS' club sent 4-man boats for both boys and girls to a big race on the Charles River (DS was NOT one of them). Lots of college coaches wanted to talk to the rowers, since these were the best rowers on an elite club. The boys' team had 3 seniors and a junior. The junior, a member of the national team, was probably the hottest prospect of the bunch. However, whenever coaches wanted to talk with the rowers, the junior had to be separated from the seniors. The coaches were not permitted to talk with a junior.
That was a HUGE contrast from softball. One of the local pitchers was being offered scholarships as early as her freshman year. She didn't decide until right before her senior year, so she wound up with a lesser program (Drake). Interestingly, rumor has it that the Lady Vols were the team trying to get her to verbal as a freshman.
Men's rowing is run by a much older organization, IRA (Intercollegiate Rowing Association). The IRA rules are extremely strict, in that they not only have to abide by all NCAA restrictions, but the far stricter IRA rules on top of that.
One example: in the fall of 2013 DS' club sent 4-man boats for both boys and girls to a big race on the Charles River (DS was NOT one of them). Lots of college coaches wanted to talk to the rowers, since these were the best rowers on an elite club. The boys' team had 3 seniors and a junior. The junior, a member of the national team, was probably the hottest prospect of the bunch. However, whenever coaches wanted to talk with the rowers, the junior had to be separated from the seniors. The coaches were not permitted to talk with a junior.
That was a HUGE contrast from softball. One of the local pitchers was being offered scholarships as early as her freshman year. She didn't decide until right before her senior year, so she wound up with a lesser program (Drake). Interestingly, rumor has it that the Lady Vols were the team trying to get her to verbal as a freshman.
It is not about the pressure, it is all about basking in the attention that it brings for the kid and certainly for the parents who will tell anyone within earshot about it.
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