Athletic Scholarship Advice for HS & JuCo Athletes
A: Great question! All these emails, letters, cards and Unofficial Visits won’t mean much at the end of the day, unless they lead to offers, right? You may feel that offers just fall freely from the sky for other players in your area, but truthfully, coaches put a ton of time into evaluations. They watch several games, try to …
A: If the quarterback isn’t throwing your way often, you’ll worry your stats won’t be good enough to get recruited. College coaches know that stats can be misleading and many coaches don’t put too much weight on their importance, instead they evaluate overall skills, size and speed. If you have the base traits, they can coach you. Don’t panic, there …
A: Yes, I’ve worked with foreign players nearly every year. The same rules apply as American students, but realize you will have to do a lot more footwork on your own (making phone calls, sending emails with your film and information, deal with unreturned messages, etc). Just as there are scouts in America in different regions, there are also scouts …
A: Everyone’s situation is different and college coaches are constantly evaluating talent and trying to find the best players available. From my experiences, there is no such thing as “too late” to coaches (even Division I coaches) if they think a prep player can help their team win. Period. Timing is important in the recruiting process—a program may only need …
A: No, not necessarily. When coaches are evaluating players at tournaments, yes, they are looking for new talent that is not currently on their radar. But, they’re also there supporting players they are already interested in and actively recruiting, and even players who have already committed or signed. Even when a recruit commits or signs their NLI, the “recruiting” …
A: If you’re interested in attending school out of state, and they’re not coming to you… go to them! One of the first overall decisions to think about during the recruiting process is: do you want to go to school close to home, or do you want to experience another part of the country? If you grew up in the …
A: Yes but it will be tough. Coaches are looking for players who can help them WIN. Period. Players who can consistently provide at least one skill that can affect the outcome of the game. Even if you aren’t a starter, that doesn’t have to eliminate you from consideration but you must find a key role for yourself. The best …
A: There are scouts in many regions that are scouting local tournaments and players in the area. You are probably aware of the National Top 100 lists for many sports, run by websites and media members. If you happen to be named to such Top 100 ranks, understand that these lists are only a starting point for most coaches. It …
A: Coaches are going to have an idea of what position they will use you at. Depending on your base size, speed and general skills (ball handling, ball control, hands, burst, toughness, ability to play defense)—they have a pretty good idea of where they want you to line up at and what physical improvements you’re going to need to make …
A: Coaches need a REASON to come see you as a prospective student-athlete, it’s an investment and they are very selective about how they spend their time and budget. Coaches are investing travel time, flights, hotel stays, nights away from their family, practice time with their players – they need a reason to come see you. To have a reason, …