NCSA Blog

This post will be the most incredible thing you’ve ever read.

It will open up the heavens, align the planets, clear your pores and allow your pets to communicate with you.

After reading that introduction, you’ll more than likely fall into two groups. The majority of the people are going call my bluff.The others will be really excited to read this post – so in advance, I apologize for the let down you would receive.

Let’s try this again.

This post will probably be beneficial to you. It will educate you, guide you and potentially open your eyes to ideas you might not have previously been aware of.

What’s the biggest difference between the two introductions? In the first, I’m cocky. In the second, I’m confident.

During my evaluations, I tell the student-athletes that I want to know every thing about them as a student-athlete – any accolades, any awards, any reason why if I were a coach, I’d want to recruit them.

Occasionally, I’ll get someone who falls under the first introduction. He’ll try to make me believe that he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

What I get more commonly is a student-athlete that I can obviously tell is uncomfortable talking about his or her achievements because he or she doesn’t want to come across as cocky.

So he or she will leave information out, which luckily for them in this case, usually is added by the parents.

That – omitting vital information – also leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

It’s like I said a couple paragraphs above – If I’m a coach, I need to know why I should want to recruit you! Don’t oversell me because I either won’t believe you or I’ll more than likely be in for a letdown. But don’t undersell me either because then you might not have the qualifications I’m looking for!

Both instances ultimately would lead to me not recruiting you. Instead, go through year-by-year, being honest about your statistics and the awards that you’ve received in a confident tone. Coaches will appreciate it, and after you’ve received a scholarship or an opportunity to play, you’ll appreciate it as well.

Over the last three years, I would estimate that I have spoken with over 5,000 student athletes and their families.  One of the first questions that I tend to ask since it seems to predicate the rest of my conversation is, “How serious is your son or daughter about playing college sports?”  The answer is almost always “100% serious.”  I suppose this should not surprise me, but I have come to realize that a lot of these student athletes really are nowhere near “100% serious.”

I often feel as though if a student athlete has played a specific sport for a number of years, and played at a relatively high level, they almost feel obligated to want to play at the collegiate level.  Note to high school student athletes:  YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WANT TO PLAY COLLEGE SPORTS.

The reason that I am passionate about working at NCSA with student athletes is because I know how many advantages student athletes will receive from playing collegiate athletics.  From preferred scheduling, to an immediate group of friends on campus, to networking opportunities after college, the list of benefits is extremely long.  For those who truly want to play at the next level, that experience will prove to change their life in many ways and most of them overwhelmingly positive. 

However, if you have competed in high school or club athletics, please understand that you are not required to continue playing in college.  The most important goal should be earning a college education whether or not athletics is a part of that.  That being said, if you are passionate about playing at the next level then I strongly suggest you begin taking a proactive approach in your recruiting process because it will change your life in many great ways. 

by Chris Krause, NCSA Founder and President

There is something that sets a few select athletes apart from their competition in the eyes of college coaches.

What that “something” is might surprise you.

It isn’t anything that happens during competition.  It’s not something that happens during practice, or even in the classroom.

It’s what happens during a crucial part of the recruiting process, when a coach can finally get the chance to talk one-on-one with the prospect they are interested in after reviewing their academic and athletic credentials.  It’s what happens during a phone call from a college coach to a high school student-athlete.

What happens, most of the time, is a lack of good communication on the part of the student-athlete prospect that is getting a call from the college coach.  Most athletes give simple “yes” and “no” answers.  They mumble.  They don’t give coaches the information they are searching for in the phone call, and it frustrates those college recruiters.

You see, when a college coach gets to the point of calling a high school prospect, something pretty significant has just happened: That athlete has jumped ahead of the pack of other prospects on a coach’s list, and are now being called to see if they would be a good fit for that coach and his or her program.

Most prospects on a coach’s recruiting list do not get called.  Those that do hear from a coach have a unique opportunity to really stand out from the crowd, and accelerate their chances of getting an offer from a coach.

However, when that prospect doesn’t communicate effectively with a college coach that is calling them, it may cause the coach to reconsider whether or not that prospect would be a good fit for their program.  It’s one of the most frustrating aspects of recruiting, and it seems to be getting worse.  In the age of e-mail and text messaging, and the general use of computers by teens to communicate with other teens, coaches are noticing that it’s getting harder and harder to have really good, really in-depth conversations with their prospects.

That’s where the opportunity exists for prospects who want to get an edge over their competition for athletic scholarships.  If you can talk to a coach, carry on a conversation, and communicate effectively, you will stand-out from your competition in the mind of that coach.

If you are the prospect who gives them the information that they’re looking for, you will be the prospect that they are more likely to pursue because they are able to learn about you as a person, and not just as an athlete.

Do you want to be one of those prospects who knows how to talk effectively with a college coach?  Here are my tips for communicating with college coaches:

Return their messages.  If they leave a message on your voicemail or message machine, it’s vital that you call them back immediately.  Even if it’s late at night, call back and leave a message.  Let them know that you received their message, and that you are interested in talking to them.

Be persistent.  You will see that many coaches are pretty persistent when it comes to getting your attention and trying to convince you to come play for their program.  Take a page from their playbook, and make sure you are persistent in getting back in touch with a coach who has tried to call you.  Don’t give up after just one return call.  Call again, follow-up with an e-mail, and then do all over again in a day or two if you haven’t heard back from them yet.

Tell them when you can spend time talking.  Let them know when the best time to talk is, and what your daily schedule looks like.  Most prospects don’t do that, and it frustrates coaches. 

Speak clearly, and use your best grammar.  Don’t mumble or slur your words.  How you talk to your friends at school might not be the best way to talk to a college coach who is thinking about paying for your college education.  Try to impress a coach with how you speak.

Show respect.  Address them as “Coach Smith”, or “sir”, or “Ms. Jones”.  Until you have an established relationship with that coach, show him or her respect in how you address them.  It sounds like a small detail, but it can make a really positive impression in a coach’s mind.

Ask questions.  You should have a list of “ready to ask” questions that you would want to discuss with a coach.  They might be questions about playing time, the majors their school offers, or dormitory options on campus.  I recommend that you write down a few good questions and refer to that list when you hear from a college coach.

Answer questions with a lot of details and information.  Remember, do not give them short “yes” or “no” answers.  Go into a lot of detail.  Give them more than they are looking for in terms of information on a particular topic.  The more you talk to them, the more excited they’ll be about the idea of you coming to play for them.

Write them a thank you note right away.  Send a quick e-mail and let them know that you really enjoyed the conversation.  Then, do this:  Ask the coach what the next step in the process is.  If you do that, they will tell you.  And, you won’t be left wondering if you’re going to get recruited by that coach or not.

Do you see how important good communication on your part is?  Do you understand how rare it is these days that a college coach comes across a student-athlete who communicates effectively during the recruiting process?

If you commit to doing this, I promise that you will not be disappointed.  Coaches will notice your approach, and put you at the top of their call list.

September 1^st is an important date for several sports in the recruiting process. On this date college coaches will be allowed to start contacting prospective student athletes on a more frequent basis. Many student athletes have a certain level of anxiety regarding speaking to college coaches.

Some student athletes have trouble understanding which questions are important to ask, while others avoid these calls all together. And all too commonly, some student athletes will waste the opportunity they have with college coaches and not ask a single question concerning their status with the school. Whatever your scenario, it’s important that we review the basics of handling phone calls from college coaches.

The first thing I want you to do is breath, stay calm and don’t get anxious. When you start to field phone calls from college coaches you will notice one common theme, they like to talk. Most of the phone calls you receive from college coaches they will simply be talking at you. Meaning they’re driving the conversation. For the most part you will simply sit there and listen. Occasionally you might be asked a pretty basic question regarding last Friday’s game, or how your classes are going but for the most part you should have no trouble answering the questions they ask you. So don’t worry, these phone calls are nothing to get anxious about. I can guarantee after your first call you will not have any anxiety regarding future calls.

Now that you’re relaxed, I want to make sure you understand what your objective should be as a recruit who fields phone calls from college coaches. It’s all about information, plain and simple. The ego stroke most recruits receive about how great of a player they are is really just a side bonus, trust me.  Don’t let the ego boast side track you, stay focused and remember to get as much information as you can from these coaches. 

Now you may be asking yourself, “What sort of information should I find out?” If you asked yourself that, congratulations, you’re starting to understand this process. For the most part it’s simple. You know what you want to find out about, maybe it’s the major that you’ve always wanted to study, maybe it’s whether or not you will have an opportunity to play early, maybe you want know about what kind of academic support the school offers their athletes. The fact is most of the questions need to come from you, ask yourself what is important and then find out whether or not the school can offer what you’re looking for.

I encourage you to write out a list of questions, that way you can ask the same set of questions to every coach you deal with. This will allow you to compare the different answers each school gives you. This will help you when you enter into the decision making part of this process. Trust me; it will be extremely helpful to simply look down at a pad of paper to find your questions, versus having to remember all of them on the spot.

Remember the trick is to get as much information from these coaches as possible. I recommend always working towards finding out where the coach is with his recruiting class, (in terms of offers made at your position) where you stand on his recruiting board, and when you can expect a decision on whether or not they are interested in having you join there program. Finding out this info will really allow you to organize your recruiting effort in a much more effective manor hopefully allowing you to find as much success as possible.

Do you think the college athletic recruiting process should provide you with the highest number of opportunities? Do you think understanding college athletics recruiting can reveal the perfect college fit for you? How do you go about increasing your opportunities? What system should you employ to make sure you are selecting the right opportunity for you?

College coaches begin by initially contacting 1,000 or 2,000 or even 10,000 (depending on the sport) student athletes by sending them camp brochures, emails, questionnaires, etc. Those same college coaches are clearly not recruiting all of those student-athletes. Why do they start with such a large pool? They are following the advice of Marketing 101: the more kids who they find out about, the better chance they’ll find the really quality student-athlete who will help their program. If that’s a good strategy for college coaches, shouldn’t a student-athlete use the same strategy? Doing so will increase your number of opportunities.

A savvy student-athlete will learn as early as freshman year that they need to develop trust-based relationships with college coaches. This can only happen through communication. Since the NCAA restricts the amount and timing of contacts initiated by college coaches, the student-athlete must be proactive. Unfortunately, the 14 or 15 year old student-athlete doesn’t have the life experiences or the maturity to begin building relationships with adults. The good news is they can be trained in that skill set. It’s like interviewing for a job. 

College recruiting boils down to trust-based relationships between college coaches and student-athletes. What college coach is going to make a significant investment in a student-athlete unless they know a lot more about that student-athlete than her/his performance on the playing field?

If you agree with playing the numbers game and building trust-based relationships with college coaches, have you thought about how you would do that? If you’re a student-athlete reading this, do you think your parents can do this for you? If so, you better forget about playing sports in college. Do you think your coach can do this for you? Again, if so, you better forget about finding the perfect college fit for you. You are the one that needs to take charge. You can only do that if you develop the skill set to do so. Who will teach you that?

Finally, if you do all of the above correctly, how do you determine the right fit? There are many different factors including: academic quality of the school, size of school, location of school, financial aid package, level of competition, opportunity to play early, getting along with the coaching staff and players, receiving tutoring help (if necessary), etc. There is a way to logically sort out all of those factors. If you need help, go here.

I look up to Elena Delle Donne. Not because she was Naismith national girls high school basketball player of the year or because she’s a lot taller than me (she’s 6′5).

No, the reason I admire Delle Donne, who was slated to play at UConn, is because she followed her gut instinct to not play basketball in college, despite being the best player in the nation. From the Hartford Courant:

“I have decided that in the best interest of both UConn and myself that I will not play college basketball this year,” said Delle Donne, a 6-foot-5 guard from Wilmington, Del., who committed to UConn last August. “Both UConn and I require 100 percent dedication to the sport, and as of now I feel I cannot give that level of commitment. It therefore would be unfair to the excellent program, Coach Geno Auriemma, the team, and UConn fans, for me to play.

“Coach Auriemma and the team have been extremely understanding during this time of my transition from high school to college, and I thank them for that. I am especially grateful to Coach Auriemma, whose kind wisdom has shown me why UConn is such a class program.”

It’s unfortunate that Delle Donne already had committed to playing at UConn before coming to this conclusion, but I do respect that rather than struggling through her freshman year, she admitted that she couldn’t commit to playing at that level.

As a star-athlete, you might feel pressure to play at the next level or take on an additional workload. But the only person who can truly tell you what to do and what is right is YOU. I’m sure Delle Donne felt said pressure, but rather than subcoming to it, she eventually broke out and decided that basketball in college is not right for her, at least not right now.

Athletics are a great way to help you get into college – I preach that everyday. But on the flip-side, you got to do what’s in your own best interest. If you plan on going to school by participating in your sport, and you might not necessarily enjoy playing at the college level, you have to think long and hard about the decision to accept any athletic scholarship that comes your way.

It’s all about being happy.

Another coach talking about recruiting more than just an athlete. This time, it’s the University of Central Michigan women’s soccer head coach Tony DiTucci. From the UCM athletics Web site:

“One of the fundamental values of our CMU soccer family is that every player must be a complete student-athlete,” DiTucci said. “It’s not enough to only compete on the field. We hold ourselves to the highest standard off the field as well. Everyone is responsible for their part in continuing our legacy.

“We look for great people with strong character who are achievement-oriented on the field and in the classroom as well. Our student-athletes have a strong desire to continue to build our soccer program to the highest level.”

There has been a recent coaching change at the University of Maine.

With associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Guy Perron’s decision to take a scouting job with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and Grant Standbrook’s decision to retire as the volunteer assistant, there will be a new look.

If a student-athlete is not on their toes, they may send a letter or email to the wrong coach! Many recruits compile a long list of college coaches at the beginning of their recruiting process and they work off that same list for the next two or three years. See the problem? If a coach changes, you may not notice. Be sure to double check every coach on the college’s athletic website before initiating contact. This will ensure you have the most up to date information about the school and program.

In the last week NCSA has received MULTIPLE emails from college coaches who are STILL searching for 2008 prospects. If you have aspirations to play your sport in college it may not bee too late.

Just today, we were contacted by a college coach who is still in need of a goalie in the 2008 class. If you are a senior who still has collegiate athletic hopes, here are a few tips.

1. Don’t just sit there! If you have not been “discovered” yet, it probably isn’t going to happen. Pick up the phone and start writing emails. You need to introduce yourself.

2. Lower your standards. These last minute coach requests are not coming from USC football or UNC soccer. However, there are some Division III, NAIA, JUCO and Club programs that still need players. Target these levels.

3. Keep your options open. If you are looking to make a commitment this late in the game, you are not going to have the luxury of choosing your school. If you truly love your sport, you should consider any opportunity you may have to play at the next level.

If you are not a senior, you still have time. Take a proactive approach to your recruiting NOW so you are not scrambling at the last minute.

Are you a student-athlete who is on a mission to play college sports? Are you a student-athlete who has played your sport for years? Imagine your first sport season after high school and you’re not playing. What would that feel like?

Most student athletes and their families are unaware of how early college recruiting begins. Or the reasons it begins so early. The problem is that 93% of high school students who go on to college are applying through the academic door. They begin researching colleges late in their junior year or early in their senior year. They listen to the high school guidance counselor who advises them to apply to several schools. They place these schools into 3 categories: 1) Reach schools (if I’m lucky, I’ll get in.) 2) Stretch schools (I’m pretty sure I’d get accepted to half of these I apply to.) and 3) safe schools (I’ll get in no matter what.) Make sure you have all of your applications in before Christmas break.

Unfortunately, student-athletes and their families think that college athletic recruiting operates along the same time-line. It doesn’t!  If you wish to apply through the athletic door, you need to understand the different calendars and timelines.

Different sports have different recruiting calendars and time-lines. However, all sports have the following in common:

1. College coaches would love to find out about you early. In some sports that’s as early as 7^th and 8^th grade, other sports it’s by 10^th grade. Waiting until the beginning of junior year begins to reduce your opportunities.
2. A college student athlete has a certain athletic profile. For example, in baseball, a student athlete needs to have a certain 60-yard dash time, a certain overhand throwing velocity, a certain bat-speed, etc. For very competitive schools, those metrics need to be achieved by the end of junior year. If not, many college coaches will refuse to evaluate a student-athlete. It takes time to develop physically and student-athletes need to train to that level early to ensure they reach that level on time.
3. College coaches only give scholarship money to student-athletes they know, like, and trust. Those trust-based relationships take time to build. Because of the recruiting restrictions placed on college coaches, it’s important that a student-athlete begin to build those relationships as a freshman. Most don’t know how to go about that.

If you’re serious about being a college student-athlete, you need to implement that game plan that will get you there. Knowing what to do is as important as doing it. If you don’t know what to do, you should contact an expert for an evaluation. You can do that at NCSA.