NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

“In the first episode of the second season of the Scouting Report, Jake Watts sits down with the one and only and broadcasting’s finest, Charlie Adams. Charlie not only gave Jake some tips about becoming a broadcaster (for all of the young aspiring broadcasters) but also what it was like to go through the recruiting process as a successful, proud parent. Charlie also talks about his speaking career and delivers his message to parents about how to getting their son or daughter on to college athletics”

Hello Coach Taylor,

What should a tennis highlight reel look like? I’ve seen some with people playing an actual match, I’ve seen people hitting the ball showing off their moves.  Which way is right? 

 First, a good highlight film for skill-centered sports like tennis should be a solid mix of rallying footage, match footage against a quality opponent, and skills footage.

 Rallying footage is the most beneficial for college coaches and should be 10-12 minutes in raw, unedited form.  Be sure that you are rallying with someone of a higher level in this film.  This will give coaches a good, clean view of how you perform on the court.  You should also have 5 minutes of match footage against a high quality opponent.  It is good for a coach to see you play in a match, but remember that most match rallies do not last long enough for a coach to make a sound decision on your playing ability.

 A few minutes of skills footage is good for a coach to see your footwork, technique, and stroke mechanics.  Just a few minutes of this film is necessary but could end up being valuable.  If you have experiences playing in doubles, you may also include 4-5 minutes of doubles footage showcasing your ability to work at the net as opposed to rallying from the baseline.  This is a good chance for the coach to get a look at different aspects of your game.

 Remember that these time amounts are approximates, and that they are regarding raw footage.  Raw footage is what you start with when making a recruiting highlight video before the video is edited completely.  If you are using a professional company to edit the video, you will send the raw footage along with any specific instructions as to which parts you would like on your recruiting film.

Nominate yourself to win a scholarship to an FBU Camp near you!

CLICK HERE

NOTE: You MUST type “NCSA Contest” in “Other” under “how did you hear about FBU”, to be considered to win.

FBU:  The ultimate 3-day football camp experience. FBU offers NFL Coaching, NFL Training, and College Exposure!  Learn more here.

My son is a good basketball player. Everyone tells me he needs to play AAU to “be noticed”. He plays tournament baseball during the summer. I worry that by spending thousands of dollars to play summer AAU ball, he will miss baseball and not gain anything. Does he really have to play AAU?

 Playing on an AAU team is generally a main staple on the recruiting resumes of most college basketball prospects.  One of the biggest deciding points in this decision should be your son’s age.  Big time college basketball recruits are expected to have played AAU basketball since around 7^th grade.

 Some of the hardest decisions in young student athlete’s lives are prioritizing one sport over the other.  It is possible for talented, hard working athletes to play multiple sports through high school and still be recruited.  As with other situations, this simply means the student athlete will need to be much more diligent in his or her recruiting process.

 If your student-athlete is far more serious a specific sport over others, it may be beneficial to focus on that sport year around.  On the other hand, high school is the best time to experience different sports and compete in different areas.  This decision is very sensitive to each specific student-athlete and must be thought about thoroughly.

Good Luck!

 If you have any further questions you can always call (1-866-579-6272) to speak with a national recruiting expert.

Video streaming by Ustream

Rules Violations, Team Dismissals, and Crime in College Sports Make Character More Important Than Ever

According to sportsillustrated.com, 1 out of 14 team members of the NCAA Football preseason top 25 have committed a crime.  Stories of team member dismissals, suspensions, rule violations, and crimes flood the sports news week in and week out for the NCAA.  Pittsburgh, pre-ranked 16^th in the NCAA, had 22 players on its roster charged with a crime either before or after enrolling.  A recent SI.com article breaks down the top 25 teams and how many players on each team had criminal records.

What does this mean for recruiting?  According to Coach Randy Taylor, “There are three things college coaches use (should use) to evaluate players: talent, academics, and character.”  Coach Taylor recognizes the main issue in college sports recruiting today: Some coaches tend to be only concerned with talent and not the other two.  “These coaches don’t last long, because the players don’t last long.” 

BYU’s Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team in late February, possible ruining a legendary season for the Mountain West school.  Michigan State’s Korie Lucious, a guard who led the Spartans to two Final Fours, was dismissed from the team early in the 2010-2011 season.  The list goes on and on, and it covers most if not all college sports.  Character can make or break any team, at any level.   

An athlete’s bad character can show up in many more ways than a police record or grade report.  Coach Taylor notices that “a great deal of problems come on the field, court, course, or pool because the athlete is unreliable, not disciplined, takes short cuts, not team players, and selfish,” according to Coach Taylor.

All of this points to one simple fact, character in college sports is important, it is relevant, and it matters in the recruiting process.  Coaches are not just looking for point percentages, 40 yard dash times, vertical jumps, or the speed on your fastball.  Coaches are looking for team members, contributors, and leaders.

My daughter is the point guard for her high school basketball team. She is a junior.  She  recently tore her ACL. She should be back on the court late in her senior season. She has  some interest from D1 colleges, but no offers. Now with this injury what would you suggest she can do to still get a scholarship? She really wants to play and is not opposed to going D2. Can you give us any direction, tips, etc?

Season ending injury is one of the most difficult road blocks in the college sports recruiting process.  When the injury occurs senior year, it takes away a critical time period in which a student athlete can impress college coaches before selecting a school. 

The way to make sure that you stay on top of recruiting despite suffering a serious injury is simple: diligence.  If injured, student-athletes must be even more diligent about contacting coaches, keeping relationships going, and assuring the coaches that they will be stronger than ever after recovery.  The first key to this process is full understanding the injury that you suffered.  This means:

1. Know what the injury is and be able to describe it
2. Know how long will you be out
3. Know what is projected date of 100%
4. Know what are you doing to rehab it

 Again, know that a serious injury will make any student-athlete’s college sports recruiting process an uphill battle.  While you are unable to play and during rehab, the other two aspects of recruiting are more important than ever: academics and character.  Make sure your grades are the best they have ever been, excel in and out of the classroom, and be sure that your relationship with your high school coach is strong. 

If you suffer a serious injury while playing high school sports, the contact aspect of recruiting becomes more important than ever.  Always remember to show interest in schools when contacting coaches, and tell them why you are interested. 

Good Luck!

If you have any further questions you can always call (1-866-579-6272) to speak with a national recruiting expert.

To get connected with the College Athletic Recruiting Network go to http://www.ncsasports.org/

With the costs of college rising each year, financial aid has become critical for families.  In fact, two athletes with similar grades, financial status and athletic ability can receive DRASTICALLY different packages.  The difference is your ability to navigate the financial aid process.  To help you…

NCSA Live will be presenting an exclusive, free webcast with Financial Aid Guru, Bob Shriner, to outline the 5 Secrets to help you maximize your financial package for college.

When:  Thursday, March 3rd at 8 pm EST / 7 pm CST.

In order to watch, all you need is internet access.  Simply, click on the link below a few minutes before the start time, turn up the volume and enjoy!

Click here to watch live:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/randy-taylor-presents-college-recruiting-simplified

We will be posting a free e-book for all the families that tune in and the location will be announced during the live chat after the event. 

Feel free to forward this to friends, teammates and coaches to include them in the session.

Special Chat Session:  Bob will using the chat feature after the webcast to answer questions you might have.  Stick around and take advantage.

We look forward to helping your family!