NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

There have been three well documented cases this year of athletes skipping parts of high school in order to seek higher challenges. Basketball player Jeremy Tyler is bypassing his senior year to play basketball in Israel, football star Stephen Alli has graduated early and is attending Florida, and baseball’s “Chosen One” Bryce Harper is skipping his final two years of high school to enroll in Junior College, perhaps allowing him to enter the MLB draft a year early. While it may seem as though these athletes are being pushed too fast, a closer look into their plans shows otherwise.

Jeremy Tyler completed his jump from high school underclassman to pro basketball player on Wednesday when he signed a one-year, $140,000 contract with Maccabi Haifa of the Israeli Premier League.

Tyler, 18, is the first American-born player to leave high school early to play basketball professionally overseas. The 6-foot-11, 260-pound Tyler announced in the spring that he was skipping his senior season at San Diego High because prep basketball had become boring.

Sonny Vaccaro, the former shoe company executive who’s been advising Tyler and his family, said Maccabi Haifa is a good fit for several reasons.

“I think it’s a very good deal for Jeremy because it’s a good team, he’ll play, they speak English and he’ll learn there,” Vaccaro said. “The reason we did one year was because it will give Jeremy time to understand how hard it is to be a professional, then he’ll do whatever he wants to do next year.”

Vaccaro said Tyler had five other offers, including one from a team for more money, “but Jeremy, his family and I decided it was more important to have a chance of playing than making a couple extra dollars. If Jeremy is who he’s supposed to be, he’ll earn a lot of money in his lifetime.”

In early May, Tyler told The AP that he was tired of facing triple-teams, being hacked and being limited to playing the middle when he felt he had much more to his game.

Tyler is expected to return to the United States when he becomes eligible for the 2011 NBA draft.

Tyler choosing the team that fits his needs the best instead of the one offering the most money shows that he understands what he needs to do to achieve his goals and is not simply leaving high school for a paycheck.

Stephen Alli is skipping his senior year of high school to move to the next level in his sport.

Alli, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound receiver from Toronto who attended Proctor Academy in Andover, N.H., was supposed to be the sleeper in Florida’s class of 2010. Now, he’s the sleeper of the class of 2009. Alli was scheduled to travel to Gainesville from Canada on Wednesday. If all goes well, he’ll practice Thursday with Urban Meyer’s squad.

Alli, 18, is an excellent student who considered Harvard, Boston College, Rutgers and Stanford before choosing Florida in June. “After I committed, I stayed in contact with the coaches,” Alli said. “We decided that if I graduated early and enrolled in January, that would be the best thing for me.” There was only one problem. Alli said Proctor officials told him they’d never had a midterm graduate, and they had no plans to start with him.

After discussing his options with Florida coaches, Alli checked with the NCAA’s Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse to find out what courses he would need to take to enroll early. An examination of Alli’s transcript revealed he had already passed the 16 core courses required for initial eligibility. He also had earned enough credits to graduate. After that, Alli needed only to be admitted to Florida for the fall 2009 semester. Two weeks ago, he got the good news.

Alli’s plan is phenomenal. He is obviously an incredible student who was eligible to enter college early anyway. He is now going to be able to test his academic merits a year early. Athletically, he is going to play for the best team in the nation, under one of the most successful coaches in Urban Meyer, and with arguably the best leader in the country, Tim Tebow.

Bryce will acquire his GED and enroll in the College of Southern Nevada, a junior college, a move that likely will allow Bryce to be eligible for the 2010 draft, in which he’s expected to be the No. 1 pick.

“But that’s not the priority,” Ron said, referring to Bryce’s draft status. “We’re preparing him for college. That’s the priority. He’s very bored in school. Maybe it’s because he’s always been around older kids. But he’s ready move on. He was very forceful. He said, ‘I don’t want to be bored any more. I want to do it, Mom. I want to do it, Dad.’ He definitely wants to do this. We spoke with his counselor, his principal and his coach, and they agreed he’s ready for this.”

Ron isn’t even entirely sure that Bryce will be eligible for the 2010 draft. “We haven’t got anything in writing yet,” he said. But the Harpers have been in contact with officials from Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association to make sure they follow whatever protocols are necessary to be draft eligible next year, including making sure he completed all high school courses and exams at least 365 days prior to the draft.

“Even if he’s not [draft eligible in 2010],” Ron said, “he will play 55 games a year with a wood bat and receive an associate art degree. It’s a good situation for him.”

It might be easy for someone not familiar with Bryce, his talent and his family to think the kid is being pushed too fast, but the move to the College of Southern Nevada makes perfect sense. Bryce will live at home, take online and night classes, attend classes three days a week, carrying 12 credits, and be allowed to attend high school events with his former classmates and buddies, such as proms and homecomings. His older brother, Bryan, a pitcher, will transfer from Cal State Northridge and also attend College of Southern Nevada. Bryan will live in an off-campus apartment and will be Bryce’s roommate when the team plays on the road.

Harper has been given every opportunity to succeed. He is obviously a phenomenal talent, but, unlike the other two examples, he will be able to ease his way into his new lifestyle. The fact that he is living at home, will still get to participate in high school functions, and has his brother to help guide him throughout the season will make his transition smoother.

What do all of these athletes having in common? Talent, determination, and a plan. They all understand their long term goals and are making choices accordingly. While it isn’t smart for most recruits to leave high school early, they should follow the commitment that these players have. Student-athletes need to start working hard at improving themselves athletically and improving their chances of being recruited.

FACT: Less than one percent of high school athletes get a full ride at the Division One level.

I was talking to an A.D. the other day. He said, “Charlie, legendary former Jimtown (IN) High School football coach Bill Sharpe once said that in 28 seasons as a head football coach he had 5 players go D-1, and 2 of those were kickers. When he said that, it really opened my eyes that kids need to be open to all levels of College Sports.”

With that in mind, it should be a major priority to do as well academically and with Test scores as possible. The better the grades, the more options there are for College Sports. Period. Many of the athletes of the families that read this fall into the category of eventually getting a combination of athletic/academic money, or playing sports on an academic scholarship.

It is vital to “hit the floor running” at the start of the school year. 9th graders: you are on the clock academically from Day One. Next week I will write about a football player who has to sit out his freshman year of College Football because of a grade he made in 9th grade. 12th graders: Do not coast. You both could leave thousands of dollars on the floor.

This is an important time to sit down with each of your children and have a goal setting session. I did this with my two oldest yesterday, both who have the potential to play College Sports at the properly evaluated level. We set clear expectations of where they are to be academically and athletically. They are reasonable and measurable goals. They know what to shoot for this academic year. They also know the clear consequences of not reaching the goals.

Two books I highly suggest you read are “Athletes Wanted” by Chris Krause, which includes game plans on how to set goals with your kids, and “The Winners Manual” by Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. One of the reasons the Buckeyes are successful year in and year out is before every academic year they go through their Winners Manual and clarify their goals.

As a parent, I will be checking my kids grades and staying connected to their teachers. I will support them but hold them accountable. I will be fair, but firm. As Bill Cosby once told me, our job is to be their parent, not their friend. We can be friends with them later in life when they are grown. Right now our job is to help put them in position to attend a great college, get a degree, and play the sport they love. You have one shot to play college sports. There is no mulligan. Having an academic plan is vital.

When I delivered College Recruiting Simplified at Dryden (MI) HS last year, two parents told me they had told their son he would not get his drivers license until his GPA was 3.5. That was a powerful incentive. He reached it.

Michael Stonebreaker was an All American LB at Notre Dame. In the book Athletes wanted, there is a story about when he was in High School. His Dad said Michael would go to summer school if he ever made a C. He made a C on a class. He had to go to summer school to improve it. He never made a C again. That firm parental guidance led Michael to get a full ride at one of the nation’s most prestigious Universities.

As mentioned before, one powerful impact when I deliver College Recruiting Simplified is young people “get it” when I tell them how important academics are as far as their future in college sports. Why would a college coach sign someone with a 2.8 GPA when they can get someone just as talented with a 3.5? There is a lot of competition for scholarships out there.

One student at NorthWood HS heard me. His mother later told me he made straight A’s from there on out after hearing the message. Way to go, young man! Don’t you know he has a good feeling realizing he could reach that high level?

Now, not every kid has been on the ball academically. It is not too late. Make a goal to finish strong this entire year. As Bob Chmiel says, Coaches see where kids have got their act together and make a sincere effort to improve. They will tell Admissions to watch for their improvement.

the University of Memphis suffered a black eye this week when the NCAA declared star point guard ineligible for their entire 38 win season two years ago.  As a result Memphis will now have to vacate all of their victories and Final Four appearance.  Coach John Calipari’s reputation suffered a blow as he became the first coach to lead two different programs two Finals Fours only to have that achievement wiped from the record books.

My question to you is, Who is to Blame?  Usually fingers point directly to Coach Calipari.  However, when  you really analyze the situation is he really to blame consider this report from Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News.

Before Derrick Rose could play basketball at the University of Memphis, the NCAA eligibility clearinghouse examined

Coach Cal and Rose

his academic records, including his standardized test score, and determined they met the minimum standards for eligibility to compete as a freshman.

Memphis accepted this verification and used Rose as the team’s point guard in 40 games, 38 of which the Tigers won, including five in the NCAA Tournament.

A little more than a month after Rose missed a free throw that might have clinched the NCAA championship for the Tigers, the Educational Testing Service cancelled Rose’s qualifying SAT score, technically rendering him ineligible to have played in that game.

Thursday, we were told two things about this transaction by NCAA infractions committee chair Paul Dee

• “When you have a situation where information is not known at the time, and information appears to be valid on its face, then I assess no blame. Because the score was cancelled after the fact, it’s hard to say that anyone could have foreseen that would happen.”

This was his response when asked about the apparent inefficacy of the clearinghouse that approved Rose’s eligibility.

• “The matter of initial eligibility is one of the NCAA rules where there is strict liability. Not infrequently, we find that information comes to light after a student/athlete has participated. For example, if a student/athlete becomes a professional …

“If the student/athlete is academically ineligible, the penalty is related back to the time.”

This was Dee’s response when asked how Memphis could be punished for unknowingly utilizing an ineligible player.

This outrageous double standard leaves Memphis with an historic season that has been erased from history. The NCAA has ordered the school to remove any banners or signs that acknowledge the 2008 Final Four trip and to remove any recognition of the 38 victories from its media guide and other publications. It even declared coach John Calipari will have the 38 wins removed from his career record.

Rose cheated.  Nobody denies this,  But why have a clearinghouse if its academic ruling don’t stand up?  What do you think?

Sioban Stahl was a 2009 graduate from Chicago, IL who will be starting her pre-season training at Monmouth College, this week. She was extremely successful and pro-active in her recruiting and her hard work paid off when she was offered a spot at Monmouth. Here is her story and what she has to say about how NCSA helped her:

“Receiving an opportunity to be a recruit for NCSA made all the work I put into my high school career a success. Coming from a city school, you need to fight for your goals because we are not as fortunate as many other schools. We are not provided with the best equipment, fields, or training. I have been playing soccer my whole life and I always knew I wanted to continue into college. With the help of NCSA my name was put out to many colleges that I would have never been in contact with without their help. NCSA will find the right college for you if you put in the work and effort; this is your academic and athletic career that you are responsible for. NCSA is there to guide and help you with your dream; keep in contact with your recruiter, always do what is asked of you, and you will find the college that is best for you.”

Sioban Stahl - Lane Tech High School Class of 2009

One of the most frustrating parts of the recruiting cycle is finding time to contact college coaches.  Student-Atheltes have extremely busy schedules.  They have to balance athletics, academics and perhaps a job or other extracurricular activitites.  This can leave little to no time to reach out to college coaches.

Well, if you think they have a long day, check out this USC Coaching Schedule from the Rips it Blog.

7 a.m. • Breakfast

9 a.m. • Practice (helmets only)

10:30 a.m. • Lunch

2 p.m. • Position group meetings

3 p.m. • Practice (full pads)

5:30 p.m. • Dinner

7:30 p.m. • Nightly meetings begin

10 p.m. • Nightly meetings end

11 p.m. • Bed check

This obviously leaves coaches little time to get in their daily recruiting meetings covering the prospects they are ALREADY targeting.  That means hopeful recruits that aren’t already on the recruiting board have little to no time to get discovered.  Coaches need to prioritize their time.  That is exactly why schools use NCSA’s Recruit Match Database.  They depend on reliable sources to find athletes, because they don’t have the time to look elsewhere.

At NCSA one of the things we feel very strongly about, and make sure to tell every student-athlete that we come in contact with, is the need for guidance throughout the recruiting process.   No matter how highly rated a prospect may be, the recruiting process is difficult and stressful. Having a support system in place is vital to making the right college decision.

However, I would warn student-athletes and families to make sure they are getting advice from a proper source.  Tennessee recruit Bryce Brown has been under media scrutiny for months due to his adviser, Brian Butler, and his “fundraising” tactics.  ESPN now reports that the NCAA is currently in Knoxville reviewing the amateur status of Bryce Brown.

“The NCAA continues to investigate [Brown] and his whole history going back to when he was young, and I know that bothers him,” Kiffin said. “It’s pretty unfortunate.”

At one point, Butler was charging money for recruiting updates involving Brown and other players on his PotentialPlayers.com Web site. He later stopped charging and made the information free.

The NCAA’s investigation of Butler dates back to at least February when DeCesare visited Wichita to talk to several people there about Butler’s relationship with Brown. One of the people DeCesare met with at the time was Brian Byers, who was Brown’s former high school coach in Wichita.

Butler told ESPN’s Joe Schad on Tuesday night that he informed the NCAA that he did not intend to break any rules.

Butler said that he has explained to the NCAA about fundraising he did. He said he understands that he would have put the eligibility of the players in jeopardy had the trips been exclusively “for athletic purposes” but that the central element was meetings arranged with academic staffs.

Butler said he took Brown and the other players on a trip during Brown’s sophomore year. He loaded the players on a bus and traveled to Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and SMU, among other schools.

“We raised money for the trips with barbecues in front of Sam’s Clubs and Wal-Marts,” Butler told ESPN.com. “I called it an ‘academic tour.’ My intent was to broaden the minds of our young players.”

Butler said in Brown’s junior year, the journey was to campuses such as Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa State, Illinois, Northwestern and Notre Dame.

“If I thought this could put any of the players’ eligibility in question, I would not have done it,” Butler told ESPN.com. “And I understand I could have been if it was just for football reasons. But I explained it all to the NCAA and I think they understand it.”

Butler said he did not spend any money out of his pocket for the trips, only spending what he raised for his non-profit entity.

“I know some people say I’m shady,” Butler told ESPN.com. “I know some people think I’m an agent. But I’m not. I’m just trying to help some kids. We did everything on the up-and-up. We didn’t take any handouts from anyone. I know my character. And I know I wouldn’t jeopardize these kids.”

Butler said if Brown is ineligible for any games, he’d take responsibility.

“I would feel terrible,” Butler said. “I just want everyone to get to know the person Bryce is and to see the great player he is, too.”

I would also feel terrible for Brown, but at the end of the day it will be his future that was compromised if he is deemed ineligible.  Recruits and families need to learn from his example, and seek out reliable third parties to help make sure their recruitment goes as planned.

As the summer months wind down and the start of classes gets closer, we must remember to stay focused on our basketball training and goals. Don’t take these next few weeks lightly before tryouts and practice starts on a regular basis.

Make sure you are weight lifting 2-3 days a week, condition yourself by running the mile 1-2 times a week and do extra speed drills 3-4 times a week. You need to be practicing on your shot, ball handling, and defensive quickness. Don’t lose everything you have built this summer and be ready once practice starts.

Are you ready? Will this be your year? Make it happen. Practice!

To get the inside scoop on official visits, I will give you a sneak peak at the critical information from Athletes Wanted – The Complete Guidebook for Maximizing Athletic Scholarship and Life Potential. 

Official Visits

If an institution pays for any part of a visit, the visit is considered an official visit.  The NCAA restricts official visits: a student cannot take more than five official visits to Division I and II universities, and a student can only take one visit per university.  With a few exceptions, official visits generally cannot begin until opening day of the athlete’s senior year in high school.

*Coach’s Tip:  Recruits should make the most of official visits.  They should walk around campus and get a feel for the atmosphere.  They need to determine if that university is a place they can imagine living for the next 4-5 years.  More importantly, they need to decide if this is a place they would want to attend if athletics were not part of the picture.  Remember, injuries are a reality of most sports and recruits need to be on campus for the right reason; an

education.

Scheduling Official Visits
 
By the time a recruit is a senior, a student should be comfortable calling coaches, and should have established relationships with several coaches.  If you are currently a senior and have yet to reach that point, click here to catch up.  Their best bet is to be upfront with a coach and ask if the coach plans to offer an official visit.

For recruits entering freshman, sophomore, and junior year, all the work you do in the recruiting process leading up to your senior year will dictate how many official visits you are offered.  Get started now.

If the coach extends an official visit offer, the athlete should ask what he should bring on the visit.  By this point in time, the coach should have the student-athlete’s highlight or skills video and profile.  The recruit will also need to send a copy of their transcripts before taking the official visit and be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Recruits should be prepared to answer questions from the college coach.  For example, if the coach asks what other colleges the student-athlete is considering, the athlete should always list universities that are comparable to, rivals with, or are better than the one they are visiting.  If a coach believes their competitors are recruiting the prospect, it will raise the athlete’s stock!

A recruit should be aware that being offered an official visit does not necessarily mean they will receive a scholarship or a spot on the team.  The coaching staff has identified the recruit as a top prospect, but the official visit gives them the opportunity to judge personality, lifestyle, and character.  They often use “hosts” to help get a real flavor of the student’s personality and character.   Usually, coaches will match recruits with team members who host them around campus.  These hosts are also evaluating student-athletes.  The student should act as natural as possible, but remember that coaches want athletes who will be positive assets to their university and team.  At some point during or after the visit, the coaches will ask the host about the athlete, so the student-athlete needs to be positive, courteous, and respectful.

Though it isn’t a guarantee, many offers are made during an official visit, and parents might not be with their children when the offer is made.  This tends to make both athletes and their parents uncomfortable.  To navigate through this situation, athletes can simply tell coaches that they need to let their parents review any financial information before committing.  If a university really wants the athlete, the coach will wait a few days or a week.

A recruit who feels pressure can say, “You are my number-one choice, but I promised my parents I would talk it over with them before making a commitment.  For how long will this offer be extended?”

*Coach’s Tip:  Since the NCAA restricts student-athletes to taking only five official visits, he or she should be sure to use them only at schools that are likely fits. 

Athletes Wanted Fast Facts – Official Visits:
<< If a Division I or II coach does not extend an offer for an official visit, the athlete is probably not high on that coach’s list and not being considered for a scholarship<<

<<With a few exceptions, football programs are limited to offering fifty-six official visits, basketball programs can offer only twelve official visits, and baseball only twenty-five.<<

For more information about Athletes Wanted or to check out the entire guidebook, click here.

Next week we will cover why September 1st might be one of the most important recruiting dates in the entire process!

“How do I get rated as a 5 Star athlete?”  It’s one of the most frustrating questions I hear from families.  The reason it is frustrating to me, is that the student-athlete would be so much better off worrying about getting evaluated by COACHES not internet sites.  Of course you don’t have to take my word for it:

“At Missouri , we have an extensive evaluation system. We do not look at stars. We could care less if a guy has 3 stars or 5 stars. That never comes up during our evaluations. We do what we do in evaluating athletes and we feel good about how we do it. We ask a set of 15 tough questions about every athlete we recruit. Those 15 questions have nothing to do about catching a ball, fundamentals or speed. This isn’t about any of that, it’s about the total person and his character. We put these questions to every staff member, then we vote on an offer or no offer. We want players that can run, are tough. And will compete.”

Gary Pinkel

Head FB Coach University of Missouri

“When we recruit a player, he may be rated a 4-Star or 5-Star player by someone that has never coached a down or even played a down. They haven’t analyzed the game films the way we do. He’s just somebody that carries the mail. What’s too bad is the player is then saddled with those expectations. He can’t possibly live up to those expectations and if he cannot live up to someone else’s expectations, he becomes severely frustrated. Sometimes the standard is impossible. Our coaches understand that.”

Nick Saban

Head FB Coach University of Alabama

“Boy, if stars really meant something, I’d be in trouble. We don’t pay any attention that stuff. We don’t care what list a kid is on, we have never evaluated kids that way. We have our criteria and if he’s above the line for us, we recruit him even if he only has one star.”

Mike Riley

Head FB Coach Oregon State University

You might be thinking, “What about sports other than football?”  The fact remains across ALL sports that coaches recruit players, and they later get ranked.  Coaches don’t recruit based on rankings.  Coaches recruit based on evaluating.  How do you get evaluated?  CLICK HERE