NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Kelly (Bowman) Stuntz and I delivered the keynote presentation on recruiting education to a large audience in the Kansas City Convention Center during the Final Four weekend. The American Volleyball Coaches Assocation (AVCA) partners with NCSA to bring recruiting education to families. Andrea Emmons, Sara Rode and Jim Broe of NCSA were there as well to personally meet with families.

Kelly was a 2-time All America setter for the University of Minnesota in the Big Ten. She played in two Final Four’s. Coming out of High School, she was heavily recruited. Penn State (winners of four straight National Championships in volleyball) head coach Russ Rose wrote her personal recruiting letters. In the end, the right fit for her was Minnesota, and she had an amazing experience.

Kelly is now recruiting coach in Volleyball for the NCSA Recruiting Network. She works with volleyball families in NCSA on the recruiting process, and with countless college volleyball coaches to help them connect with student-athletes.

Kelly interviewed Rich Kern earlier this year on the recruiting process. He is widely known for his website with everything from schedules in every division, results, rankings, articles, and much more!

There are two parts of her interview that I wanted to share with you. They transcend volleyball, really, and apply to every sport.

Kelly – What are some of the common recruiting mistakes that volleyball players make?

Rich – (1) Thinking you are a good player and sitting back thinking coaches and opportunities will come to you; (2) not worrying about your academics or taking it seriously; (3) if you can’t play DI then there is nothing else. There are SO MANY opportunities!

Kelly – What is the best single piece of advice you could give a volleyball recruit looking to play in college?

Rich – Focus on your Grades!! Coaches want players on their team who are teachable and open to learning. Coaches think of themselves as educators of life so they want athletes who make themselves available to learn and improve. Your attitude is very important. Not just how you handle yourself on the volleyball court, but off the court, communication, academics etc.

To read the complete interview click here

Before Kelly and I spoke, the Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), Kathy DeBoer, spoke to the audience. The AVCA does a tremendous job promoting the sport of volleyball. Kathy told the audience there are over 200,000 girls playing Club Volleyball. Remember what Rich Kern said before? The number one mistake families make in recruiting is “Thinking you are a good player and sitting back thinking coaches and opportunities will come to you.”

I constantly run into Volleyball families, and families in other sports, that fall under this category. They think recruiting will come to them….

There are SO many good athletes out there. I travel all over the country. I see them. The difference in recruiting success is often those that know how to play the recruiting game. Just because your child is a good athlete who is smart does not mean they will get a scholarship. Kathy gave a tremendous presentation. Like me, she constantly encourages audiences to be open to all the opportunities in college sports. If D1 is the right fit, great. If not, realize there are so many other levels out there. The audience chuckled at one of her points, that was made somewhat tongue in cheek. She said, especially at the D1 level, the college coach will hug the recruit after she has signed with their program. “We are so glad you are with us!” she will say. It’s a warm, fuzzy moment!

Then she will leave to go recruit someone better!

The audience laughed. Kathy smiled. She likes to needle the coaches. But, there is truth to it. Athletes must know that coaches are constantly trying to improve their program. Part of being a college athlete is embracing the constant commitment it takes to improve, or you could be a junior overtaken by a remarkable, poised freshman.  NCSA’s Rachel Hernandez ran at the University of Illinois. She told me once that she outperformed a senior in a time trial to run in an upcoming event. In the locker room the senior threw her spikes at Rachel.

Ouch! Hey, college sports, especially at the high D1 level, can be pretty darn intense.

In volleyball, and many other sports, families freak out about measureables. A mother will say, “The coaches feel my daughter isn’t tall enough to compete there.” Many coaches are hung up on those kinds of things. Some are not. It’s part of the reason families should start the recruiting process at least by the 9th grade so they can start to get educated on who is looking for what. At one major tournament earlier this year I spoke to one college coach that definitely wanted tall players. I walked twenty yards and talked to another that did not get into height, but that simply wanted players with heart that made plays!

The recent issue of Sports Illustrated has an insightful article on Patriots star receiver Wes Welker. The 5’9” 185 pound receiver is tearing up the NFL. Defenses look silly trying to chase him. In the article by Charles P. Pierce, the writer documents that Walker came out of High School as the Oklahoma player of the Year in class 2A. In the State Title game he had 150 yards rushing and receiving and 75 return yards, and he picked off a pass. He had no D1 offers, no doubt because of his size.

“I’m telling you,” Walker told Sports Illustrated. “It was dark everywhere. I didn’t have any choices. A lot of guys were getting scholarships that I thought I was better than, but I didn’t know what the deal was. I was state player of the year and I didn’t know what more I could have done.”

Recruiting Earth to Wes Welker– you could have played the recruiting game better. Like Rich Kern says above, he waited for recruiting to come to him, almost to the point of it being too late. Many times undersized athletes and those from smaller High Schools are going to have to work the process harder to convince college coaches they can play.

This may come as a shock, but college coaches and pro people as well make many mistakes in this area. They get caught up in measureables and miss out on the Wes Welkers. In their defense, if they were to sign too many small kids that didn’t pan out, they could lose their jobs, so they are often stuck between a recruiting rock and a hard place.

I talk a lot about knowing how involved your coach will get in the process. Wes’s high school coach reached out to over 100 college coaches at that point. Texas Tech responded. He ended up with a scholarship someone else had bailed on. Walker was awesome there, and then promptly had to prove himself all over again in the NFL when they felt he was too short too!

This is a serious time of the year for seniors. You HAVE to know where you stand in recruiting. Freshmen, sophomore and juniors – you need to start the process so that you can find the right fit.

To set up an Evaluation with a College Scout click here

Charlie Adams
NCSA Senior Educational Speaker
cadams@ncsasports.org

To bring recruiting education to your High School, Club or Special Event tell us more about your recruiting education needs here

Aside from the standard holiday traditions of parties, presents and spending quality time with family, this time of year also represents a valuable period for serious prospects around the country.  One of the main reasons that recruits fall behind in recruiting is because they are so busy!  Between academics, athletics and extracurricular activities, many recruits simply do not have a lot of time to dedicate toward the hours of work it takes to successfully execute a recruiting game plan.

The good news?

The holiday season also means that most student-athletes receive a break from school.  While many recruits around the country will spend their free time playing video games, shopping or watching movies, we want to make sure our community takes advantage of their new found freedom.

Below are specific tips for recruits in each class that you can use this holiday season to get ahead of your competition.  Each step should take no more than 20 minutes and it might change the rest of your life!

If you missed part one, be sure to check it out here

If you missed part two, be sure to check it out here. 

Seniors

What can you do?

Have you narrowed your recruiting list down to your Top 5-10 schools?  If not, login to your Recruiting Management System and use your “Recruiting Board” located in the middle of the screen to rank your schools.  ***The “Recruiting Board” is a free tool that EVERYONE can use regardless of whether you have verified or not.***  Seniors should have a more complete board than the other classes.

Use this board and proactively plan your next official or unofficial visit.  Many families find time over the holiday break to check out a campus and you should try and do the same!

Juniors

What Can you do?

How many college coaches have you talked to on the phone?  Most of you probably did not realize you have been able to make phone calls to college coaches since…forever!  Phone calls are an important step in building a relationship with a college coach and practice makes perfect.  Although the college coach might not be able to call you back, try making a phone call or two.  Even leaving a message will be good practice.  Next week we will give some tips for “best practices” when it comes to phone calls with college coaches.

Sophomores

What can you do?

Now that you have started building your list of 50-100 target schools, it is important to make sure you get on the “recruiting lists” of those schools.  If you have varsity experience, put together an email that includes a link, to your updated NCSA Recruiting Profile to start developing a relationship with that school.

If you do not have varsity experience, we encourage you to visit the schools website and begin filling out questionnaires to get your name in their database and on potentially on their mailing list. 

In order to update your Recruiting Profile, login here. (EVERYONE should have an updated Recruiting Profile for college coaches.)

Freshmen

What can you do?

For starters, continue to read Athletes Wanted.  If you did not download your digital copy last week, click here to get access. 

Next, start reviewing the “Freshmen Recruiting Checklist” that we have compiled to keep you on track.  This will help you plan the next 6-9 months of your year and guarantee you are ahead of your competition!

Download the Recruiting Checklist Click Here.

We have one more week in the countdown…if you want it.  Let us know if you are finding our Tips helpful by commenting below or hitting the “Like” button!

This week the Big Ten continued their string of huge announcements when they unveiled a new logo and the names of their two football division in response to Nebraska joining the conference. The two divisions will be called the Leader and Legends divisions respectively.

Commisioner Jim Delaney explained the reasoning behind the names:

“‘Legends’ is a nod to our history and to the people associated with our schools who are widely recognized as legends – student-athletes, coaches, alumni and faculty. ‘Leaders’ looks to the future as we remain committed to fostering leaders, the student-athletes who are encouraged to lead in their own way for the rest of their lives, in their families, in their communities and in their chosen professions,” said Delany. “We’re proud of our many legends and even prouder of our member institutions that develop future leaders every day.”

However, some were not thrilled with the new names calling for more traditional names like East and West. Today Commissioner Jim Delaney stood behind the Big Ten’s decision.

“If we’re not building leaders for the future, we’re not being true to what we aspire to to use competition to build and sustain future leaders,” Delany said.

NCSA is 250% behind the Big Ten’s logic and has been promoting what our founder Chris Krause calls “Athledership.” What is Athleadership?

Our goal is to transform individuals, communities and our country by bringing positive human qualities to bear on family, sport, business and our future.

This journey starts with a personal and financial commitment by an athlete and their family. It develops through success and failure on the sporting field and in the classroom. It culminates in a leader whose example serves as an inspiration to others.

Through this three-stage process – Commit, Succeed, Lead – we become a family united by our love for sport and each other.

What we demonstrate is the quality of athleadership, the ability to be their best selves through a lifelong partnership with the NCSA.

Check out this incredible video of 10-year old Jay Fleming beating his competition with only one arm!! An incredibly inspiring achievement!!

Laura Zeamer was just getting up from a nap when I reached her to talk about her successful college athletics recruiting process. The 12th grade volleyball standout had taken the ACT earlier in the day to get her score up one more point. It was the second time she had taken the test.

“One point higher and I qualify for another academic scholarship,” she told me. As we continued our conversation, she said a lot of important things regarding finding the right fit to be a college student-athlete. No matter what your sport, you will be able to apply successful recruiting principles that she learned along the way.

Laura’s father Jerry came to hear me talk when I delivered NCSA’s College Recruiting Simplified at a major Club Volleyball event. She was an 11th grader at the time heavily involved in Club Volleyball. She had one particular school that was really interested in her. Wanting to make sure they did everything right in recruiting, they took advantage of NCSA’s ability to connect college coaches with her, as well as the many other tools available to families in the recruiting process.

“Being in NCSA lets college coaches know I REALLY want to play college volleyball,” said Laura. “After a few weeks I was getting a lot of communication with college coaches. I couldn’t believe how many college coaches said, ‘We saw you on NCSA.’ The College Search Map within NCSA was very helpful. All of the Tools helped me organize everything and figure out what school was best for me.”

Before joining NCSA, Laura had been recruited by a handful of schools. Being a  6’1” volleyball player (photo to left) will get you noticed by some regional Universities, which is what was happening to her. She had started playing Club in 9th grade for a team that played a big national schedule, going to events across America. “The misconception people have about Club sports,” said Laura,“is they think, ‘I play Club so people will see me.’ They have to understand the number of girls that play Club across the country. There are thousands and thousands. The college coaches aren’t necessarily going to come to you. We used NCSA to get my name out more.”

At the time her Dad heard “College Recruiting Simplified” Laura was being recruited hard by Winona State University, a D2 Minnesota University a few hours from her Jackson, Wisconsin home.

“Recruiting was going well with them,” Laura said. “NCSA gave me assurance that a lot of other schools would recruit me too.”

Laura was team captain for Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School High School and earned first-team all-conference and honorable mention all-state honors. She earned KML’s Best Offensive Player award. Along the way, Laura spent a lot of time making sure she found the right fit athletically, academically, socially and geographically when it came to making a decision that would impact the next 40 to 50 years of her life.

“I had a couple of Division One schools talk to me,” said Laura. “I wasn’t quite tall enough for them as a Middle Hitter. At 6’1” they said I would make a good outside hitter, but my vertical leap isn’t that great. I knew if I went D1 I wouldn’t see the court much in games and I did not want to go to primarily be a practice player. D2 gives me a place where I can be very competitive and be a good player. I could see myself possibly being an impact player there. Nothing is promised. What I liked about the program is the current players talked about how much Coach Dave Simon continued to make them better. They said he was always teaching.”

When speaking on the Recruiting Process and how to connect with Scholarships, I talk about starting the recruiting PROCESS as early as possible. She took a couple of unofficial visits to Winona Sate and went to their Camps twice. It was by going to their camps early in High School that word got to her that she was “on their recruiting radar.”

When choosing Camps to go to, I always encourage people to make sure they are Camps at the right level of College that the athlete would eventually play for in College. Had Laura been going to the Penn State Camp, or the University of Texas camp, they wouldn’t have been realistic fits for College. They would not have had her on their radar. She had a realistic evaluation that D2 was the right athletic fit for her.

She was looking to play at a University that wasn’t too big or too small. “I liked that the size of Winona State is 8000 students,” she said. “I didn’t want to go to a University where I would get lost in the crowd or one so small that everyone would know me. That was what I was looking for in College. I liked that Winona State is 3 ½ hours away from home. It is far enough away to be independent, yet still be able to come home for weekends.”

When I speak on Recruiting, I often give examples of the different kinds of scholarships that are out there. Families often hear about “full ride D1” and have no idea about the other kinds of scholarships. Remember, less than 1 percent of High School athletes will get a “full ride D1 athletic scholarship.” The massive majority will play the sport they love in college on a combination of scholarships.

Laura got a significant athletic scholarship. It wasn’t full, but it covered most of tuition. Because of her ACT score, she is able to connect with a sizeable merit scholarship, and she is in the process of applying for more. Most of her college will be covered.

“I am looking at majoring in Biology and maybe some other science,” Laura told me. “I want to eventually go to Grad School and focus on Physical Therapy or something along those lines.”

Laura is ranked #1 academically in her senior class. She carries a 4.0 and has taken Honors Classes in such subjects as Anatomy and Physiology. She has scored a 31 on the ACT.

She told me she has never had an issue with burnout in playing Club. She has loved Club and High School. “There are days where you don’t want to go to practice,” said Laura,” but in a match you or a teammate gets a big Kill and it is all worth it!”

Laura earned a significant scholarship to Winona State. She did what it took to get her name out there. She found the “right fit.”

Charlie Adams, NCSA Speaker

cadams@ncsasports.org

To get into the Recruiting Database that Laura was in, click here

NCSA is constantly staying on the cutting edge of Technology helping you keep up with the latest recruiting new on series of Social Networks and mobile devices.  Be sure to follow the NCSA properties that fit you best!

NCSA on Youtube

NCSA on Twitter

NCSA on Facebook

Tom Lemming on Facebook

Charlie Adams on Facebook

Ask Coach Taylor on Facebook

I was delivering NCSA’s College Recruiting Simplified presentation at a NIKE ESPN Rise Football Combine in Cincinnati a few years ago. I got to the event early and started talking to Ohio High School football coaches about the opportunity for the athletes there to play college ball. I will never forget what one longtime Ohio High School football coach said about the opportunity to be a college football player. He said he encourages his High School players to keep playing at the right level in college, especially if they have a passion for the game of football and the ability to play it at the next level. He tells them that they have High School Football and possibly College Football, and that is it.

Then he tells them something that hits them between the eyes.

He says after that window to playing is closed, “good luck getting 21 other guys in full pads to have anything remotely resembling a real football game.”

Wow. That really hit home. It is so true, especially for football players.

As I sometimes say, you have the opportunity to play High School and College sports, and then it’s “slow pitch softball.” You’ve got that time frame of ages 15 to 22, and then it’s onto the real world. Sadly, for those that don’t understand recruiting, that can lead to being age 37 wondering if they could have played their sport in college.

In the powerful video “The Spirit of NCSA” narrator Bob Chmiel says, “You will go through the recruiting process one time. The day after Signing Day or Graduation, you don’t want to have any regrets.”

You don’t get a mulligan in recruiting. Dad might hit a bad tee shot on the golf course and say, “Time to reload,” and tee another one up. Not in recruiting.

Sadly, many athletes do have the regrets Coach Chmiel refers to in the video. They wait too long to start the recruiting process and settle for an average situation and so-so scholarship package, or they miss the boat entirely. They think the coaches will come after them. They simply don’t know what to do. Many have worked hard as a student and as an athlete yet recruiting is stagnant. They have no idea how proactive they must be. They have this love of their sport and want to keep playing it in college, yet nothing much is happening. They get frustrated and eventually resign themselves to going on and being a regular student in college. When they get there, they experience the empty feeling of not playing their sport. It is like something is missing. It is an experience no athlete that has a passion for their sport should go through. Intramurals is fine for some people, but when you have the ability to be a college athlete, you belong out there on that stage.

As NCSA’s Izell Reese says, “Just because your good doesn’t mean that will find you.”

I delivered College Recruiting Simplified at a High School not long ago. The girl who holds every school record in swimming at her school literally came from practice to the Talk, where – still towelling dry – she sat down next to her mother to hear the 5 Things You Must Know and the 5 Things You MUST Do to have successful recruiting experiences. The swimmer is a 12th grader. Despite owning every school record, the college coaches still aren’t beating her door down.

The clock is especially ticking for seniors. The academic year is about halfway through. Where do you stand in recruiting? Do college coaches know about you? Have you had offers? How are your visits going? Too often athletes think the process “will play out.” Recently I spoke at an event. A young man who is one of the top distance runners in his city told me he had not heard from a college coach. His time in the 5K is 16:00 which is very good. That’s like a basketball player averaging 15 points a game. Still, nothing is going on. I asked a High School football senior next to him how recruiting was going. He said, “I haven’t heard a whole lot. If I don’t get an offer I guess I will go on and be a student in college.”

Every December and January I get emails from parents, especially football parents that go along these lines: ‘Charlie, my son is a 6’1”, 225 lb linebacker who was all conference. His coach hasn’t got him a scholarship yet. I thought it was the job of the coach to get him a ride?’

Last year about this time, tThe mother of one of the best players of a state championship volleyball team told me all her daughter had at the D1 level was one school that didn’t have money for her freshman year, but that they could possibly get her a scholarship after that year. The school is far off. Who knows if it has her academic interests. They should have started the recruiting process early. If I had a nickel for every parent that says, “We should have started this process earlier….”

Too many kids read about the top 100 or so athletes in their sports that get chased by college recruiters and feel recruiting will come to them as well. It can, to some degree, to good athletes, but I find most athletes and families have no idea how much more proactive they must be. I spoke at a Club Volleyball Tryout session with a mother who has had four children go through the college recruiting process. Two played at high level D1 programs Pitt and Stanford. She said her and her husband finally figured out the process and how to find the ‘right fit’ in college athletics with their FOURTH child.

If you are struggling in any area it is vital you have an Evaluation to see where you stand in the recruiting process today. Whether you are a senior scrambling or a junior, sophomore or freshman wondering what you should be doing, get an Analysis. I have talked to so many families who have come out of the Evaluation with a much firmer grasp of what the heck they should be doing and how the ‘recruiting game’ works.

To see where you stand in Recruiting click here

To bring a NCSA Speaker to your School, Club or special Event to educate families, coaches and athletes on the Recruiting Process click here

To watch the goosebump raising Video ‘Spirit of NCSA’, click here

Charlie Adams
NCSA Speaker on Recruiting/Father of current N.C.A.A. student-athlete
cadams@ncsasports.org

Aside from the standard holiday traditions of parties, presents and spending quality time with family, this time of year also represents a valuable period for serious prospects around the country.  One of the main reasons that recruits fall behind in recruiting is because they are so busy!  Between academics, athletics and extracurricular activities, many recruits simply do not have a lot of time to dedicate toward the hours of work it takes to successfully execute a recruiting game plan.

The good news?

The holiday season also means that most student-athletes receive a break from school.  While many recruits around the country will spend their free time playing video games, shopping or watching movies, we want to make sure our community takes advantage of their new found freedom.

Below are specific tips for recruits in each class that you can use this holiday season to get ahead of your competition.  Each step should take no more than 20 minutes and it might change the rest of your life!

If you missed part one, be sure to check it out here 

Seniors

This is crunch time!  You are in the fourth quarter of the recruiting process and time is running out.  Many colleges have completed their recruiting for the class of 2011.  If you are still looking for opportunities, some coaches are looking, but you need to take action now.

What can you do?

How many college coaches have seen your most recent video footage?  What sort of feedback have you received about your highlight / skills video or full game footage?  If you have not received any feedback, you really need to get this in the hands of college coaches.  If you have already sent out your recent footage but not yet heard back, reach out to those coaches through email and phone.  If you have received feedback, but still do not know how serious the coaches are about recruiting you, follow up with them and find out!

Juniors

With the recruiting class of 2011 winding down, the attention of college coaches around the country is quickly turning to YOU.  Top DI universities have already extended offers to many 2012 grads which should give you an idea of how quickly the process is moving.

What Can you do?

How many college coaches have seen you play?  Most juniors wait around for coaches to come out to their games, tournaments or showcases.  Unfortunately, college coaches do the majority of their evaluations online from trusted sources or through requested DVDs.   Don’t fall into this trap!

Many juniors who have varsity experience have sent their highlight or skills video to college coaches and are in the process of receiving feedback.  If have not done this, spend 20 minutes putting together a game plan on your next step. If you have yet to receive varsity playing time, this would be a great time to make sure you know what coaches are looking for in a video so you can prepare for your time when it comes.

Sophomores

The Sophomore class might be reaching the most critical time in their recruiting process….and most do not realize it!  September 1st should be circled in the calendar of every sophomore around the country.  Every recruiting action you take should be done with September 1st in mind as that is the first day you can receive recruiting letters from college coaches.  The work you put in between now and then will dictate how many letters you receive!

What can you do?

Once you have received a Recruiting Evaluation to learn what steps you can take to maximize the athletic scholarship process, begin building your list of 50-100 potential colleges you can target.  A great place to start would be the NCSA College Search Map which is a tool available to all athletes.  You can select any state in the country and find the colleges that offer your sport and gain access to critical information about that school.  In order to check out the college search map, log in here and click on the “college search map” icon in the middle of the page

Freshmen

Every freshmen needs to get educated about the process.  How many freshmen understand recruiting and have taken proactive steps to get ahead?  Not many.  Hopefully our network is using our weekly advice and winning the recruiting race.

What can you do?

Start reading Athletes Wanted – the complete game plan for maximizing athletic scholarship potential.  This might take more than 20 minutes, but by simply starting the book you will be ahead of most athletes your age.  You can download a free digital copy by clicking here.

Make sure to check back next week when we will new steps you can take to maximize your athletic scholarship potential!

Coach Taylor – Typically, when does a student athlete who plays basketball in college re-sign for the next year?

For someone who is receiving an athletic scholarship from the university they play at, you must re-sign for it every year. This usually occurs at the end of your spring season or over the summer for the next year. Also, for various reasons, a coach could choose to not renew an athletic scholarship for the next year.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

You can also get your questions answered directly by contacting an NCSA Recruiting Coordinator at 866-579-6272.

Coach Taylor – My son just finished his 2nd year at a Junior College. He is now being contacted by Div I coaches and being invited for visits. My question is, do schools cover the travel for player and a parent, or just player? We would like to make the visits together…

The school is allowed to pay for lodging, transportation, meals, and entertainment. That includes (1) round-trip transportation (rental car or airfare) for the student-athlete between home (or high school) and the campus, (2) you (and your parents) may receive 3 meals per day and (3) complimentary admissions to campus athletics events. This is the maximum of what they can cover, but unfortunately every athletic department and even program has different recruiting budgets than can change every year. They can chose how to split this up any way they like, so they might not be able to offer all of these. So when you’re setting this visit up, make sure to ask what they can offer to pay for, traveling in your case, so you are prepared for this.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

You can also get your questions answered directly by contacting an NCSA Recruiting Coordinator at 866-579-6272.