NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

by Chris Krause, NCSA Founder and President

Parents who feel like they are “on the outside looking in” when it comes to seeing their son or daughter go through the recruiting process have great opportunities to be a huge help.

So why do we hear horror story after horror story about over-bearing parents (who do more harm than good) instead of real-life examples of moms and dads who give their child the edge in the whole recruiting process?

In my years working with parents and athletes to help them understand and navigate the confusing maze that is college sports scholarships, I’ve found that it’s usually the little things that tend to separate the good examples from the bad ones.  What I mean by that is parents have the ability to do some simple things that add up to big advantages for their son or daughter.

Here’s a list of some of the “difference makers” I’ve seen over the years that I would classify as being important things every parent can do to help give their child the edge in the recruiting process:   

BE INVOLVED IN THEIR ACADEMIC LIFE.  That sounds like a no-brainer, but many parents make the mistake of sitting back and not being proactive in making sure their student-athletes are succeeding on the field, and in the classroom.  Insist on academic excellence.  Why is this important in recruiting?  Two big reasons:  First, if a student-athlete isn’t academically eligible by NCAA standards, it won’t matter how talented they are in their sport.  They won’t get the chance to show their stuff at the college level.  Secondly, solid academic performances show college coaches that they can juggle the demands of both school and sports, which is vital at the next level.  College coaches don’t want to have to baby-sit their athletes and make sure that they stay out of trouble and do their college school work.  Show them that you are an athlete that can handle the work load that you will be given as a college athlete.

DON’T JUST SIT THERE.  DO SOMETHING!  Being involved is one thing.  Taking action is another.  If your child is struggling in school, take the lead in getting them extra help.  If you can get them involved in getting extra training from a private coach or camp in your area, do it as often as you can.  The point I am making here is this: Don’t be a parent who sits around and waits for someone else to come to you and your child with an offer of extra help.  Go out and find it.  That goes for recruiting, as well…don’t sit around waiting for colleges to come knocking on your door.  Go knock on as many of their doors as possible.  (Click here if you haven’t told us about your athletic ability yet).  Even more importantly, parents need to make sure that they enable their son or daughter to be the one to pick up the phone and talk to a coach, or email a coach, themselves.  Coaches want to hear from the athletes they are recruiting, not the athlete’s parent.  Be proactive!

GET YOUR CHILD TO START THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE NOW!  One of our trained staff of former college athletes and coaches came to me with a story late last Spring about the parent of a student-athlete who was a Senior in high school.  The athlete had been on a state championship basketball team and was a solid student.  But in focusing on all of the good things that were going on in the here and now, he and his parents had done little to prepare for the next level: College.  Every family of a high school athlete should be talking about, and looking at, college options.  I think that prospects should take the SAT and ACT tests in the second half of your Junior year instead of waiting until the last minute in your Senior year (like the athlete I was just telling you about did).  Be proactive in getting in front of as many coaches as possible.  Apply to schools early, and keep tabs on your high school transcript throughout your high school career to ensure that you have the right classes and the right grades to make it to the next level.

Those are three simple things that almost every parent can do.  The trouble is, many parents get so tied-up in the fun and excitement of their child’s high school career that they are left scratching their heads after the last prep sports season is over wondering “where do we go from here”? 

So, my question for any parent reading this article is this:  Are you doing everything you can for your child to prepare them for the next level?

 Have you checked your mail box today? If not you should. The fall is an exciting time in the recruiting process and it brings with it a lot of opportunities to build upon your relationships with college coaches. One item that may show up in your mail box a few times this fall is an invite to a game. It’s ok to feel confused about what you’re next steps should be, most families have little to no experience dealing with these sorts of events. It’s important you handle this opportunity properly; this article should help you with the basics on visiting a school on game day.

The first thing you need to do once you receive an invite is to decide whether or not you want to go. Pretty basic I know, but all too often most recruits waver on whether or not they are going to attend and unfortunately end up throwing in the towel on the event before they’ve thought through whether or not they want to go. I know there’s a lot of logistics to work out with attending an event like this, but trust me it will be worth it in the long run. Take your time, think about whether or not you can go and more importantly fill in the coach on your decision.

The most common mistake recruits make when dealing with game day invites is to not communicate effectively with the coach. I speak with recruits on a daily basis, and everyone is always searching for a reason to get in touch with a coach. You won’t really come across an easier scenario to contact a coach. So call them up, talk about the invite, and ask if they have any advice to give regarding your travel plans. Use this as an opportunity to get in a personal touch with the coach. It will help you build your relationship with them.

Now if you can’t make the trip for any reason I don’t want you to worry. You probably have a good reason why you can’t attend, and you shouldn’t by shy about that. If you can’t make the event it is even more important that you contact the coach. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard college coaches tell me how interested they were in a prospect but things died out because they never responded to anything they sent them. Don’t let this happen to you. Call the coach, explain that you can’t go, and more importantly, tell him that you are still interested in their program.

Once you’ve decided to attend the event it’s important that you review the information thoroughly. You don’t want to mix up dates or times of the games. Ideally the materials will include some sort of itinerary for the event, if it doesn’t you should call the coach and ask for one. Keep the materials with you on the day of travel. Save any phone numbers that are included in the materials. It’s important that you know where you’re supposed to be and when you’re supposed to be there. In many cases this might be your first face to face meeting with the coaching staff, don’t be the guy walking in an hour late because you couldn’t find the building.

It’s important to note that typically most game day visits are considered an unofficial visit to the campus. The college or university will not pay for transportation to or from the event, any meals that are served or any lodging that is required. If you are unclear on whether or not this visit will be considered an unofficial or official visit make sure to ask the coach directly. He will clear up any confusion that you have.

At this point you’re probably wondering what actually happens on the visit. Typically most events you attend will be run the same way. They involve a tour of the facilities with a host, a lunch in the players club or at the stadium, and front row seats to the game (often times you will find yourself on the field). What most visits don’t include is a lot of one on one time with the coaching staff. This is normal; their number one concern that day is to win the ball game. So don’t be offended if you can’t spend as much time with the staff as you would have liked. I can guarantee you, they don’t mean to offend you, it’s just apart of the process.

You’re probably asking yourself, “If I’m not going to be spending time with the coaching staff, what should I be concentrating on at the event?” The answer to this question is, gathering up information. Take note of who’s in the stands. Does the school have the sort of following you’re looking for? Is the game day atmosphere up to par with what you were looking for out of your college experience? Drive around campus before and after the game. Take note of the setting the school is located in. This trip will tell you more about your future athletic experience then just about every other event you will attend during the recruiting process. So keep your eyes and your ears open. Take as much away from the event as possible. It will help you make a more educated decision as to which school is truly the right fit for you.

by Chris Krause, NCSA Founder and President

Getting recruited to play college sports means paying attention to all of the important dates that are a part of the process.

Earlier this past week, we reached one of those important dates:  September 1st.

That’s the day that Juniors – the class of 2010 – can start receiving detailed recruiting information and materials from colleges that are seriously considering them for their programs, according to the NCAA recruiting calendar:

• Personalized letters from coaches at the college.
• Photocopies of newspaper articles about the team, the school, or the coach.
• College media guides.
• Schedule cards for the team.
• Official university and admissions publications and paperwork.

And, the contact for Juniors is not restricted to just mailings.  September 1st is also the date that coaches can send e-mails to you, and reply back to the e-mails that you send them.

So, with those facts in mind, it’s a good time to do a little self-assessment in terms of where you stand in the recruiting process today:

Have you received mail from a college coach yet?  If you are a Junior, be on the lookout for mail from colleges.  If you are a top prospect, it’s likely that you will be hearing from a college coach soon.  

The rules allow for even earlier contact if you are a men’s basketball or men’s ice hockey prospect:  College coaches within those sports can contact prospects as early as June 15 after a prospect’s Sophomore year.  

It’s certainly safe to say that if you are a Senior, and you haven’t yet received any mail or any contact from a college coach, you are not being recruited.  I would advise you not to wait to hopefully be discovered at some point during your Senior year.  Coaches at the college level need your information as soon as possible.  Click here to start the process.

Have you received an e-mail from a college coach yet?  If the answer is “no”, and you are a Junior or Senior in high school, that is a possible red flag as well.  E-mail is a very convenient, inexpensive way for coaches to communicate.  Many college programs opt for e-mail communication over regular mail, and any recruit that is on a coach’s radar is probably going to be receiving e-mail by now.  If you aren’t, you are probably not being seriously recruited by any schools (yet).

Whether you are getting initial contacts from colleges, or you find yourself on the outside looking in when it comes to recruiting, there are a few things that you can do to ramp-up your recruiting activity:

• Register with NCSA to ensure that coaches are matched with your athletic and academic skills.  It’s one of the best ways to make sure that every possible opportunity is uncovered.  Plus, you’ll have a former college athlete and recruiting expert from our staff personally assigned to you to answer your questions and help you through the process.  Doesn’t it make sense to have an experienced guide help you through the process from start to finish?
  
• Call a coach yourself.  The recruiting rules placed on coaches by the NCAA allow them to accept phone calls from prospects of any age, at any point in their high school career.  The advantage to picking up the phone and calling the coach yourself is that not many athletes do it.  They are intimidated, shy or just plain lazy when it comes to the idea of being proactive and getting in touch with a coach at the college level.  If you can overcome these things, you’ll really stand-out in the mind of a coach that you call.  And, you’ll really jump-start the recruiting process.
  
• Get highlight info, academic info, and a letter/e-mail of interest out to coaches immediately.  If you don’t want to register with NCSA as a verified student-athlete prospect, you will need to do some of this important work yourself.  Coaches need to see what you can do competitively, what kind of grades and test scores you have, and they’ll want to hear from you with some kind of personal statement so they get a sense for who you are and why you would be valuable to their program. Make sure you gather that information and distribute it to as many potential college coaches as possible.

September 1st has come and gone for 2008, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t take action to enhance your opportunities to hear from a college coach.  

The date does, however, give you a good indicator of where you sit on a college coach’s recruiting priority list.  Use that information to make sure you are where you want to be when it comes to getting the chance to play at the next level.  
 

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.”