NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

 Former Recruiting Coordinator at Notre Dame and University of Michigan and current NCSA Speaker, Bob Chmiel, recently presented a Recruiting 101 Seminar at Owensboro High School in Kentucky.  Senior Guidance Counselor from Owensboro, Jane Prince, played a key role in bringing Coach Chmiel to educate families and student athletes. 

Aside from her role as Senior Guidance Counselor and high school coach, Jane is the mother of a current collegiate athlete and wife of a former collegiate athlete.  The bottom line is that Jane has experienced recruiting from several perspectives.  NCSA caught up with Jane to discuss the importance of recruiting education.

NCSA: What motivated Owensboro to bring in an expert to educate families about the recruiting process?  Why NCSA and Coach Chmiel?

We will be working with NSCA this January to help my son achieve his goal of playing college football.  He is currently a sophomore in high school.  I’m also a Senior Guidance Counselor at Owensboro High School in Kentucky and coached high school tennis and swimming.  Over the years, I worked with many high school athletes.  My husband is the Head football coach at OHS and played college football at The University of Kentucky. My daughter plays college basketball at Georgetown College (NAIA).

Five years ago, another teacher and I formed a program at this high school to prepare high school athletes to become college athletes and I thought the NCSA presentation would be an excellent opportunity for parents to hear information about the college recruiting process from an outside source.  We were just lucky that our guest speaker was Coach Chmiel.  He is able to tell stories about his life experiences that get the attention of his audience and pull them in for the real message.

What was the most valuable information that Coach Chmiel passed along to families in your opinion? 

He had some excellent suggestions like:

• Don’t send film to a college without the specific name of the coach that you are sending it to…..unidentified film goes in the trash”
• Separate yourself from problems or problem people

He also talked about three important aspects of an athlete necessary to be successful: (1) Strong academics, (2) good character, and (3) always give 110 % on every play and in all preparations to play.

What are some of the most common misconceptions about the recruiting process that families have?

Most families wrongly believe several basic concepts:

(1) That most athletes are discovered like a Hollywood movie star for their scholarship

(2) DI level of play is the only one that provides financial assistance

(3) It is the high school coaches’ responsibility to get their athlete a scholarship

(4) Academics really are not that important if they are talented enough athletically

(5) Every scholarship, in every sport is a full-ride.

What type of advice would you give families who are going through the process for the first time as not only a guidance counselor, but also a mother and wife of collegiate student athletes?

• Start preparing your potential student/athlete in the 9^th grade by explaining the core GPA and the NCAA process. Register at the beginning of their junior year with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Keep constant tabs on their transcript and daily grades.

• Build a resume of sports accomplishments and awards as well as community service and inter-scholastic activities and honors. Save it in your computer and update it with everything they have accomplished each month. This resume should be sent to college coaches. This allows them to see the student/athlete as a person that is active and has good character.

• Choose a few good sports photos to have on hand to send with your resume and other sports related scholarships that they may apply for, such as state sportsmanship scholarships for example.

• Form good relationships with high school coaches; remember they will give the final recommendation.

• Learn how to speak to the media; you are representing your family, community, school and yourself. Complement your teammates and coaches in interviews; you didn’t get there on your own.

• Play other sports in high school, it’s good for you and makes you a more appealing athlete.

• Fill out all sports questionnaires, even to schools you may not attend. It’s a small world and coaches change jobs every day and may remember you.

• God gave you a certain body size and ability. You may be of size for the big time and you may not. Be thankful for whatever opportunities may come your way at any level whether it is DI, II, III, NAIA or Jr. College.

I really could go on and on…….there is so much for them to know……

Would you encourage other high schools to provide recruiting education similar to the seminar at Owensboro?  If so, why?

Yes, it was very helpful to hear Coach Chmiel.  He didn’t try to force the NCSA on his audience. He simply gave his educational message about the recruiting process and informed people about the NCSA at the end.  I think this made people more interested in the NCSA material. Parents are really misinformed about athletic scholarship and need a lot of help in the process.

 If you would like to learn more about potentially scheduling a Recruiting 101 Seminar, click here.

 When I speak to young people across the country, I emphasize the importance of separating yourself when it comes to reaching your dreams. As a sportscaster for 23 years, I saw time and time again where ‘separating yourself’ led people right to their goals - including playing college sports.

During the winter I provide color commentary on college and high school basketball games in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan on SBT2. This past Wednesday night I was in Middlebury, Indiana to provide color on the Northridge vs Elkhart Central game. With it being Indiana high school basketball, the atmosphere was electric and the players were highly skilled and very determined.

Elliot Smith was one of the Northridge High School senior players. He led all scorers with 17 points as his team won the game. Afterwards, we were looking to bring him out for a post game interview. Elliot couldn’t be found. It turns out he had gone straight from the gym down to the auxiliary gym to work on his free throws. He had missed two free throws in the game and was determined to work on his form immediately to get better. The only thing that stopped him was a padlocked gym. He left the high school with his mind made up to work on his free throws as soon as possible.

The other observation I wanted to make came to me recently when talking to a high school coach. The well meaning coach made the comment that not many colleges had come to look at a particular player of his that was a really good player. It hit me then that I had heard that comment a lot of times from high school coaches. The coaches and players often don’t understand how important it is to be proactive. If they sit back they might get a little interest from some local colleges, but not from schools from their part of the country or across the nation. There could be a college out there two states over that would do back flips to have that particular player, and be able to provide quite an attractive package.

Time and time again I have seen young people think that they will eventually get discovered. Yes, elite players often do get discovered, but the large majority needs a way to be marketed to college coaches. You have to “steady get after it” as my father in Mississippi used to say. NCSA is there to help navigate the recruiting trail for you.

Last week we discussed the first step that every student athlete must take:  Receiving an objective evaluation.  Once you have taken that step and you have developed realistic expectations, it is time to convey your academic and athletic abilities to the college coaches through the second step:  Building an Athletic Resume Website

Years ago, families would send hundreds of paper resumes to college coaches through traditional mail distribution channels, thankfully those times are behind us.  With the improvements in technology, information is easily updated and sent through the internet which has changed the way college coaches recruit.  In today’s recruiting world, student athletes need to have some sort of athletic online resume.

Why an online resume?

Let’s start with the obvious.  Every student athlete needs an athletic and academic resume.  This will allow college coaches to examine all the important measurable information they need to make decisions.  With that in mind, families can either create a physical paper resume or build an online resume.  Let’s look at the advantages of having that information online compared to paper:

• Customization: As student athletes progress through the recruiting process, the majority of their athletic and academic information will change. In some cases this information will change frequently. The idea of updating a paper resume and printing out a new copy for every change seems rigid and difficult. However, most websites and online resumes can be changed within seconds making them much more logical to use for this type of resume. Advantage: Online Resume

•  Distribution:Let’s assume that a student athlete is qualified for 200 college programs. Each one of those programs has multiple coaches on the staff and each one should receive the information to ensure it will be reviewed. If each program has 4 coaches, that information now needs to be sent to 800 individuals. The thought of sending a paper resume through the mail to 800 people should make most families shudder. The evolution of the internet and email has now made traditional mail channels almost obsolete. Emailing the information to 800 coaches does not seem nearly as time consuming or expensive. Advantage: Online Resume

• Trackability: Once the information has been sent off to college coaches, the knowledge of whether or not it has been looked at will be critical in determining the next steps. When sending a paper resume through the mail, the only way a student athlete will be able to know that a college coach has seen their information will be waiting on a response or return letter which might never happen. Advances in technology provide student athletes the unique opportunity to place tracking capabilities in their online resumes. This means that if they email the college coach, they will know whether or not the college coach opened the information and provide them the understanding of how to follow up. Advantage: Online Resume

What should the resume contain?

To put it simply, the online resume should contain all the athletic and academic information a college coach might be interested in.  The information needed by the college coach will vary depending on the sport.  Every student athlete will not have all the information immediately.  It will be a process of gathering all the data needed throughout the recruiting experience.  However here is a list of some basic aspects that each resume should contain:

• Personal Info
• Statistical Info
• Scholastic Info 
• Athletic History
• References

Remember, the purpose of this online resume is to spark the interest of the college coach and convince them to allocate their time and money towards recruiting that student athlete.  Of course the quality of the athletic and academic information being evaluated will be the single most important determining factor.  However, the coach might only look at the information for a few seconds, so the more professional in appearance and the easier to navigate, the better the odds are that they will take the time to evaluate the entire resume.   

For an example of NCSA’s athletic resume website that we create for our student athletes, click here.

Next week I will discuss the third step in the process:  Highlight / Skills Video

 Two nights a week when I leave the NCSA campus I morph into my other role as a girl’s travel hockey coach. I have been a coach for the last ten years and during that time I have noticed some major changes in the young athletes I work with. One of the biggest shifts is the way these student-athletes communicate.

When I began my coaching career cell phones were a rare sight on college campuses let alone on grade school playgrounds. The thought of an eight year old child with their own mobile device seemed preposterous. If a player was sick and could not make a practice or game they were forced to pick up the phone and call their coach. If a player was stuck in traffic they knew they would have to face the consequences once they arrived at the rink because there was no way to notify their coach or teammates. My, how the world has changed! On a typical night I receive two or three text messages from my players telling me they are running behind, and sometimes their texts ask detailed questions.

“Call me so we can discuss this,” I say.

“Ok latr,” is usually the response.

My phone rarely rings. Yesterday, I received an email from a player who was ill and could not make it to practice. The email arrived at 7:55pm, five minutes before practice was scheduled to begin.

Modern technology has made it too easy for us to avoid human interaction. The trend to write an email when it would be simpler and quicker to pick up the phone pervades offices, campus and even homes across the country. As coaches, parents and educators we must help our youth learn the value of a genuine conversation. As our youngsters turn into college prospects they must have solid communication skills in order to interact with college coaches. I recommend that high school athletes follow these basic steps when interacting with their coaches.

1. Call, don’t text: Texting is fine in some situations, but if a player is communicating with an adult chances are the adult is more comfortable with old fashioned verbal dialogue.
2. Call, don’t email: Even if a coach is on-line all day at work, a phone call will always receive more attention than an email. It is often difficult to interpret tone and emotion when communicating through email so the phone is always the safest bet.
3. Use proper grammar/spelling: If an athlete must text or write a coach they should always use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. Student-athletes should treat coaches the same way they would treat a teacher.
4. Be timely: If a student-athlete needs to miss a practice or a game they should always give their coach enough time so they can plan for the absence. Do not call a coach two hours before your practice is scheduled to begin unless it is an absolute emergency.

Another critical mistake many student-athletes make is relying on their parents to act as a mediator between the athlete and the coach. Many high school students tend to hide behind their parents and coaches who do not force athletes to speak up for themselves perpetuate this communication breakdown. Most high school and club coaches, like my self, prefer to be approached directly by one of their players rather than a parent, even if the parent has good intentions. College coaches have the same mentality so communication at the high school level is actually practice for the recruiting process. When a student-athlete communicates directly with his or her coach it ensures that the message is not lost in translation and it also shows the coach that the young man or women is serious and passionate about their athletic career.

Never approach a coach immediately after a game. Whether their team won or lost, coaches and players will have high emotions following a competition and it is always wise to wait twenty four hours before initiating a serious conversation. The coach deserves time to cool down, relax or clear their head, and sometimes players will have a different perspective after removing themselves from an intense situation.

Listen. Any conversation with a coach is an opportunity for a player to learn something about his or herself, their team and sport. Let the coach talk and hear what he or she says. Even if one disagrees, they should try to remain calm and speak rationally. Most coaches want to help their players, although they may not always be able to provide the exact answers the athletes seek. Remember that even the most intimidating of coaches are involved for their love of the game and their desire to help young athletes improve.

High school student-athletes will be ahead of their peers if they can master verbal communication skills at an early age. Whether an athlete is concerned about playing time, coaching style or wants to ask some basic questions, it is important that they address their coach in a mature and respectful manner. Mastering the art of communication early on will help student-athletes as they advance in school, social situations and eventually in the working world. Don’t wait until it is too late to teach these valuable lessons to your young athletes.