Your Sports Destination
THE FIVE REALITIES YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COLLEGE SPORTS
The Reality you need to know about the Myths of college sports. You need advice you can trust from the people that can get you there. This will only happen once so - GET IT RIGHT!!
#1 THE RECRUITING PROCESS STARTED YESTERDAY
MYTH: My recruiting starts when I am contacted by a college coach most likely in my junior or senior year of high school.
REALITY: Due to the demands for an athletic scholarship and the increase of available information to college coaches, the recruiting process is starting earlier than ever before. According to the NCAA, college coaches are starting to identify 7th and 8th graders as recruits and are starting to offer scholarships to prospects before their freshman year.
ADVICE: You must understand that college sports is big business and you must be ready to play in that arena. You must also know all the rules and regulations about it. You can start by downloading a copy of the NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student/Athlete . Go to www.ncaaclearinghouse.net and get the facts. You need to start researching and identifying the right colleges that are the RIGHT FIT for you and start building relationships with those coaches. If you have not started this process, then you are behind and you better GET AFTER IT NOW!#2 RECRUITING STARTS WITH VERIFIED INFORMATION AND PURCHASED LISTS.
MYTH: College coaches discover talent by attending camps, combines, showcases, tournaments and high school games.
REALITY: College coaches depend on verified information from reliable sources and purchase lists of prospects as young as 7th grade. Most coaches attend tournaments, games and camps with a list of student/athletes they will evaluate, not with the hopes of discovering prospects. Over 84% of D-1 prospects are identified by the end of their sophomore year according to a recent college coach survey.
ADVICE: The average college coach recruits from multiple lists. Take advantage of credible sources to get your name on as many lists as possible. You must try to attend the National events the college coaches go to. The rest have no value to you for recruiting.
#3 COLLEGE COACHES EVALUATE PROSPECTS ON-LINE.
MYTH: College coaches initially evaluate talent by attending high school games and watching homemade video sent in by parents.
REALITY: College coaches do a majority of their initial evaluation by looking at video that has been requested or received from RELIABLE SOURCES. This is delivered on-line or digitally recorded with a professional format and look. If the coach likes what they see they will get in touch with you.
ADVICE: Make sure to have a professionally edited video that can be sent in an email with the right angles that the college coaches look for. You also need a Player Profile page with all your important information listed. Include all pertinent contact information for your references. This is very important because if they see that it was produced by someone that has not formatted it right they will not waste any of their time looking at it. Remember, they get hundreds of videos and DVD’s each year. Don’t make this common mistake because it can cost you more than just time and effort.#4 BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR TALENT AND WHERE YOU CAN PLAY.
MYTH: NCAA D-1 is the best option for collegiate athletic scholarships.
REALITY: There are over 1,800 U.S. colleges and universities that sponsor collegiate athletics and are able to offer financial packages. More than 94% of those opportunities fall outside of the D-1 arena. Here is the truth and breakdown on the programs: D-1[A] programs120=6%; D-1 programs 333=17%; D-2 programs 291=15%; D-3 programs 445=22%; NAIA programs 284=14%; NJCAA programs 516=26% totaling 1,869 programs.
ADVICE: Have a realistic understanding and clear expectations of the college programs you qualify for and can play at based on your athletic and academic performance no matter what division or arena that is. In other words if you have a GPA of 2.9 YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PLAY AT STANFORD!
#5 YOUR COACH CANNOT GET YOU A SCHOLARSHIP!
MYTH: Your high school or club coach is responsible for getting you a scholarship.
REALITY: The average high school coach has contact with fewer than 7 college coaches and most of them are local only. Student/athletes and their families are ultimately responsible for connecting with college coaches and must work with someone who has a track record as a Reliable Source.
ADVICE: Don’t eliminate 99% of your options by relying solely on your high school coach. However, a positive relationship with your coaches is essential; make sure you’re all on the same page. Start a relationship with the college coaches and stay in touch with them on a regular basis. Remember less than 1% of successful opportunities come from the high school taking the lead in this process.
THE FIVE THINGS THAT YOU MUST DO TO HELP MAKE ALL THIS HAPPEN.
#1 GET EVALUTED BY A TRUSTED THIRD PARTY.
FACT: Every student/athlete needs an objective third party evaluation to determine where they slot in and what arena they should be looking at for the right fit. All programs are not the same and having a knowledgeable third party helps set REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS of your current talent and skill. However, over time this all can change as you get older, bigger, stronger, and become a better athlete. You need to be realistic and proactive by looking at 100+ in all divisions. This list will change as you get older.
#2 CREATE AN ACADEMIC/ATHLETIC RESUME THAT CAN BE SENT TO COACHES AND SCHOOLS.
FACT: You need to have all your information telling about your academic and athletic achievements on a web page that can be sent to coaches and schools. You will also need a cover letter telling the coaches about your personal accomplishments.
#3 YOU MUST HAVE A TOOLS AND SKILLS VIDEO THAT LOOKS PROFESSIONAL AND SHOWS OFF YOUR ATHLETIC ABILITIES.
FACT: In today’s world you need to use technology as a tool to help you get there. Coaches now view players they want to recruit on video and if you have not sent them a video of your tools and skill, they don’t know you exist. Remember, if they do not know about you then you are not a potential recruit. The best way to do this is to have a credible third party produce your “Tools and Skills” video professionally. You will also need a reliable source to market you to the coaches.
#4 YOU NEED TO CONTACT 100 TO 200 REALISTIC PROGRAMS.
FACT: Most letters that come from most colleges are CAMP letters. They want you to come to a camp that they are going to have soon. This almost always is a FUNDRAISER event for the program and coaches. A letter from a coach or school doesn’t mean they are recruiting you. Coaches buy contact information from all over the country. The truth is they will send out 1,500 letters and make 50 phone calls for 5 players they need. You need to play the same game as they do. This is why you need to send information out to 200 programs, because only about 10% of the programs that see you will likely show some serious interest. That leaves you about 10 to 20 programs to actively consider.
#5 THIS IS NOT A 4 YEAR DECISION, IT’S A 40 YEAR DECISION - GET IT RIGHT!
FACT: You need a plan in order to be successful in selecting the right school. To do this RIGHT it takes hard work, perseverance, and a consolidated team effort between the student/athlete, parents, coaches, guidance counselors, and knowledgeable experts who understand the process.