NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Tufts University Head Coach, Cora Thompson shares some insights on recruiting with NCSA Coaches Corner.

1. How would you describe yourself as a coach?

I am very passionate about my job. I am enthusiastic, driven and very goal orientated. I believe that the most important part of my job is to make sure that every single one of my student-athletes has a great college experience balancing her academics and athletics successfully. I truly believe I have the best job in America!

2. What’s unique about the experience at your school?

There are so many great things about coming to school here at Tufts University! If I had to narrow it down I would point to the reasons our currents athletes chose Tufts. Here at our University, athletes get to compete at a really high level DIV III institution where they can compete for a conference, regional and national championship while pursuing other interests. Here at Tufts we do not have a traditional off season with a competitive schedule or mandatory spring training sessions and practices. As a result, many of our student-athletes take the spring semester to explore other activities on campus. We have players actively involved in community service groups, second sports (track, basketball, softball), the Tufts Campus Choir (whether they can sing or not! ) and many of our juniors choose to study abroad the 2nd half of their junior year. Without an official spring season, many of our student-athletes feel free to try new things.

Tufts is also located right next to the best college city in the country! BOSTON! With 60 + colleges and universities in the greater Boston area, there are no shortages of college students to mix with as well as the great opportunities that come with living near a city…career/internship opportunities, diversity, ease of travel by train, plane or car, and plenty of activities that are set just for college students. Boston is a city that needs the student population as much as the students need the city so there is a great working relationship between the groups! For example: free admission to museums, discounts on clothes, books, movie tickets etc…all by showing your student ID in Boston! Many of our players chose Tufts because of it’s global connections, the prestigious academics, and the incredible staff and faculty that are all still active professionals in their respective fields. However, I would say our proximity to Boston is a huge bonus for many of our players. They love that they live on a very beautiful campus but that they have easy access to a city that is just 5 miles away.

One last thing that we are proud of here at Tufts is the fact that there is no “jock culture”. All athletes here at Tufts must be just as academically qualified as every other student in order to be admitted. Athletes are not admitted purely on their athletic abilities. They must be academically competitive. Our athletic department is very proud of the fact that our student-athletes have a higher GPA than the rest of the student body. Our team GPA is a 3.42! As a result, the staff and faculty appreciate the contributions our athletes make in the classrooms and we are fully supported by the administration in every way possible.
Due to the location of the University, our athletes rarely miss a minute of class! We are geographically in the middle of our conference only having to ever drive 2.5 hours south or north and max 3.5 hours to the west! During the regular season, we don’t miss a minute of class!

3. What do recruits need to know about you?

I love Tufts and everything about it! Most importantly, I have lived the experience of a student-athlete here at Tufts. I attended Tufts and played volleyball and softball here while pursuing a degree in Psychology (I came in as a Civil Engineer!). Having been in my athletes shoes, I understand the intense academic work load and how challenging it can be to balance every aspect of your college life. I have a direct appreciation for what you will be asked to do here as a student-athlete.

Also, I truly believe that I have the best job in America and don’t see myself leaving. I love our sport, I love learning, and I am always looking for ways to improve as a coach so that I can push you to be the best you can be. Work in progress…all of us…always!

4. What do you look for in recruits?

I look for athletes who are passionate and mentally strong who have a great sense of self confidence balanced with humility. Athletes need to be self-motivated, versatile and have a strong work ethic as well as the ability and desire to self assess. It is important to be coachable while working within our team structure. The mental and physical investment and commitment of every player on our roster is also crucial for our success as a team. Players need to be able and or be willing to learn how to communicate effectively while operating in a team atmosphere. We are looking for players who have competed at a high level, who have the desire to not only succeed on the court but also in the classroom. We want players who want to be life long learners, who will bring great qualities to our court and hopefully leave with even more as they graduate to the next phase of their lives.

5. What is the one thing every recruit needs to do with the recruiting process?

I love when an athlete promotes herself by contacting me directly and following up. Make sure to stay in touch with the coaches you are most interested in playing for. Provide your transcripts, test scores, high school profiles and a brief skills video for us and let us know when and where we can see you play live. Promote yourself. Set your own meetings up with coaches. We want to get to know you as well as your parents and coaches, but YOU are the product we are looking to invest in. If we don’t know you, it will be hard for us to select you. Remember their are a lot more of you than us (College coaches) so be in touch often with questions, updates and calls if you are truly interested. This will set you apart from the many others.

Also, make sure that you research the academic requirements for admissions at all of the schools you are interested in to make sure that you are a viable candidate. Make sure that you are aware of the academic opportunities at each school offers so that you won’t waste your time (or waste the coaches time) if your major of interest isn’t offered there. Find out ahead of time whether or not a college or univeristy will be a good fit before you contact the coaches. You don’t want to get your hopes up or ours if it won’t be a good fit!

Finally, if coaches have summer camps or clinics, try to attend! This is a great way for us to see your level of play and more importantly get to know you as a person. Remember that as much as we are recruiting talent, we are recruiting great personalities. Camps and clinics can be a great way to show case yours!

6. What sort of questions do you really like to hear from recruits?

I am always impressed when a recruit has already researched the University and our program online before she comes to visit. This pre-research is important so that when you get to my office we can talk about this things that aren’t on the website. Questions we love to hear:
- How do your athletes balance their academics with athletics?
- How long are road trips and do your athletes miss a lot of class for volleyball?
- Are their any academic or major restrictions from being an athlete?
Other questions that touch on our team values or my coaching philosophy along with our priorities as a program are good ones to ask. Questions about the time commitment for in season and out of season volleyball activities are important to ask as well.

7. What turns you off when you’re recruiting a student athlete?

When an athlete does not have any questions for me, it appears that she doesn’t have a true interest. If you are planning on meeting with a coach, have a list of questions prepared and do a little bit of research ahead of time. Do more talking then your parents. Again, the recruitment process is about you and if your parents do all of the talking and ask all of the questions, it is really hard for us to get to know you.

We are also turned off by any signs of selfishness, speaking poorly about previous coaches or teammates, texting and or not making eye contact while meeting (believe us – it has happened!), and or the general “chip on the shoulder”. When we sense that a player is in it for her own stats or for guaranteed playing time…this player will not fit into the system we have worked so hard to create. Our team chemistry is far more valuable to us than wins. If we sense that a recruit would throw off this chemistry (even if she is incredibly talented), it’s not worth it to us to continue recruiting her.

8. What do you think your program is the most successful at?

We do a great job of offering our players a great collegiate athletic experience. So much so that they never want to leave as seniors and they always want one more practice after that last season ending ball drops! We have a high retention rate with our recruits actively recruiting only what we need to avoid just filling our bench with high numbers. It is important to us that players dramatically improve during their four years here both personally as well as athletically. We work hard to stay at the top of New England but also know that success is not to be taken for granted. We remain humble and know that every year is a new year with new challenges. We are a mentally tough program with the ability to adjust and stay composed throughout the inevitable ups and downs that happen during the course of a season. We are most successful at creating an inspiring, supportive and comfortable team environment every year where our players feel free to take risks as their push themselves out of their own comfort zones. My athletes are incredibly smart and creative young woman who are always looking for the next challenge. They push themselves daily on the court and in the classroom and take great pride in the awesome tradition they are building that is Tufts University Volleyball!

9. Why should a recruit consider your program?

At Tufts University, athletes have the chance to combine all of their passions in a balanced fashion. They will get to play for a very high level DIV III program while pursuing their academic dreams at an incredibly challenging and prestigious institution. In addition, they can get involved with other clubs and groups on campus and even study abroad. Tufts is a great place to come and “do it all” without sacrificing the quality of anything!

10. If a recruit is interested in your program, how should they reach out to you?

If you are interested in learning more about our program, please visit our homepage and fill out our online recruit questionnaire. This will get you officially in our system and then we can connect with you and send you even more information about the University.

http://ase.tufts.edu/athletics/womenvolleyball

If you are doing college tours, email and call ahead to set up a meeting so we can learn more about you and show you around our facilities. If you are a rising senior, you should send us a DVD, transcript, test scores and a high school profile as soon as possible.

Go Jumbos!

Have you seen the new NCSA video site?  In an effort to further promote our student-athletes we have launched the NCSA College Recruiting Videos Site.  http://www.ncsasports.org/college-recruiting-videos
To celebrate its launch we are giving away an iPad to the video with the most Facebook “Likes.”  How can you win?  It’s simple, just search for and send out your video to your family and friends.  Ask them to hit the “Like” button.

• You can email it
• You can Post it on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace
• You can tell your friends to look you up

You can spread your video in any way you think up!  The contest will run through July 26th at 12 p.m.

Rich Kern, the volleyball guru, talked to NCSA about what he has learned, and what advice he would give to young volleyball players.

If you are involved with volleyball on the club or college level at all, a player/coach/parent, you’ve most likely visitedwww.richkern.com to check some rankings or scores. He is widely known for his website with everything from schedules in every division, results, rankings, articles, and much more! He was the pioneer as far as getting information out to college coaches.

NCSA’s Kelly Bowman played volleyball at the collegiate level at University of Minnesota and professionally. At Minnesota, she was a first team All-American and made 2 back to back Final Four appearances. She is NCSA’s head volleyball recruiting coach.

Kelly Bowman – Rich, you are recognized as one of the leading experts in the game of volleyball, and volleyball recruiting. What got you to this point?

Rich Kern – Well I was involved with volleyball in the 80’s, coached and played a little here and there. I really fell in love with volleyball when I discovered the University of Nebraska program. Back in 1995, there was no way of getting information on volleyball programs. He did a search (yahoo was the only search engine at the time) on volleyball programs and the search only returned 7 programs! Nebraska was not one of the schools listed, so I approached the school and offered to help them get a website going. Coach Pettit said yes and that he saw the value in it. I went on to develop their website. I would post scores, schedules, press releases, etc. I then took it to a national level to help other programs get their information posted as well. This is how I really got going with my own database (RichKern.com) and it just escalated from there; having a storage facility for volleyball data, schedules, scores, etc. There were others like it at the time, but they charged a fee and never really lasted. With the time and experience, I was able to build a strong report and a trusted opinion with colleges coaches.

Kelly – In your opinion, where and when does the recruiting process begin?

Rich – Birth! Only kidding, but not really… The recruiting process begins when athletes learn to make their own decisions and are ready to take the next steps. It’s what you do with opportunities and how you handle not just the athletics, but your academics as well.

Kelly – How has recruiting changed within the last 5 years with technology as well as with volleyball coaches asking commitments from students earlier and earlier (or younger)?

Rich – The internet has changed EVERYTHING! Coaches have palm pilots or blackberries with access to player info, databases, schedules, etc. YouTube and other such channels have also changed the way Coaches obtain video. Back in the day there was no such thing as getting video online and it was all in hard copy format. Do you send VHS or DVD? Now technology enables athletes to really control how their information is updated and distributed to Coaches.

Kelly – Is it easier for the ‘middle-tier’ schools to get those top players that in the past were hard to get in on the recruiting with?

Rich – The volleyball bar is just being raised higher and higher every year, so the middle tier programs will get players that a couple years ago they may have not. Club volleyball has a lot to do with this change. Top 5 recruits however are still going to be going to those top 5 programs.

Kelly – Can you comment on the dynamic of club volleyball in recruiting and how it is balanced with the high school team?

Rich – In the volleyball world, High School doesn’t mean much. Club volleyball is the real deal. If you are serious about playing in college then you need to try and play club volleyball. In my opinion, club teams that don’t allow their players to play other high school sports are only limiting the players and possibly burning them out. Coaches like well-rounded players that can adapt and learn things from other experiences as well.

Kelly – For an athlete who is underexposed, what advice would you give her?

Rich – Get exposed! Join a club team that fits what you are looking for. Get a realistic evaluation as to what you should target at the college level. Get exposure by attending national tournaments or even local camps where coaches know you. Camps are not great ways to be “discovered” in my opinion. I do like the AVCA Showcase that happens during the Final Four. This is a great opportunity for athletes to showcase their talent in front of thousands of coaches. Parents also need to recognize when they should start getting involved. Paying attention to academics, understanding what is needed and being proactive. Also, know your options! There are so many options for volleyball athletes at all of the division levels (DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, Junior Colleges). Be proactive and explore all options. Last but not least, take initiative. Show interest in the Coaches/Program and almost recruit them so to speak. Coaches want you to communicate effectively.

Kelly – What are some obstacles that college volleyball coaches face?

Rich – Budgets are the main obstacle. Some schools have large recruiting budgets that they can use to handle their recruiting and some are limited. The support from the Institution itself can also be an obstacle. What expectations does the school have and what kind of support are they giving the volleyball program.

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.

NCSA would like to thank Rich for taking the time to help educate our audience!

If you would like to find out which college programs you qualify for and get your information recruiting information verified, call 866-579-6272 or click here to start the evaluation process.  Verified information is 4 times more likely to be accessed by college coaches!

National Letter of Intent:

The Signing Period ends on August 1st. This is the last 31 days for a student-athlete in the following sports to secure an athletic scholarship to a DI or DII program: Field Hockey, Soccer, Track & Field, Cross Country, Swimming, Baseball, Softball, Tennis, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Wrestling, Ice Hockey, and Water Polo.

Visits:

Remind student-athletes to take time to visit college campuses over the summer months. Plan to visit colleges around summer tournaments, games and family vacations. Reach out to the coach prior to visit, do not just show up on campus and hope the coach is available.

If a student-athlete is a top tier recruit, the unofficial visit during the summer may be the vital key in securing their scholarship offer and spot in the team. Majority of DI and DII program intend on having the recruiting done as early as possible. This also includes top level DIII and NAIA programs.

Camps:

All student-athletes should attend a few camps, combines and/or showcases throughout the summer months in order to get evaluations of their skill set, stay conditioned, compile additional video and get exposure.

Reminder: Don’t plan on getting discovered, prepare to get evaluated!

JULY RECRUITING CALENDARS

Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball:

• July 1-5 Quiet Period

• July 6-15 Evaluation Period

• July 16-21 Dead Period

• July 22-31 Evaluation Period

Football: Quiet Period.

Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, Men’s Lacrosse,

Women’s Lacrosse, Cross Country/Track and Field: Contact Period

PHONE CALLS:

Juniors, 2011 Grads (Division I):

1. Men’s Basketball, Men’s Ice Hockey: DI – 1x per month.

2. Women’s Basketball: DI – 3x in July (max one per week).

3. Women’s Ice Hockey: DI – 1x per week starting July 7th.

4. All Other Sports EXCEPT Football: DI – 1x per week starting July 1st.

Juniors, 2011 Grads (Division II):

1. All Sports: 1x per week.

Sophomores, 2012 Grads (Division I):

1. Men’s Basketball: DI – 1x per month (includes letters/emails).

2. Men’s Ice Hockey: DI – 1x per month (includes letters/emails).

3. Women’s Ice Hockey: DI can call Internationals 1x from July 7-31.

JULY RECRUITING TIPS

Football: End of June and the beginning of July is the best time during the summer to reach out to coaches, as coaches’ head out for vacation in July and August to get ready for pre-season.

Fall Sports: Recruits should reach out to coaches during June and July, as fall sports will be getting ready for their seasons in August.

!!!ALERT: DI coaches are always recruiting and looking at athletes, however, at this point in the recruiting process there is not always a spot available or money tied to that spot. Seniors this late need to look at walk-on spots, junior colleges and understand that they may need to tryout.

University of Tampa head volleyball coach Chris Catanach is in his 27th season in charge of the Spartan program, leading the team to one of the elite programs in the country with 18 Sunshine State Conference titles, 24 NCAA appearances, 12 trips to the Elite Eight, two national runner-up finishes and the 2006 NCAA II national championship.

1. How would you describe yourself as a coach?

Intense, focused, competitive and demanding.  I will do anything within the rules for each of my kids and I ask them to return the commitment.

2. What?s unique about the experience at your school?

We are a top 10 Division II Volleyball program with 18 SSC titles, 11 NCAA Regional Titles, and 1 NCAA Championship (2 national runner ups) yet winning is not everything to us.  Providing a successful experience is everything to us.  Success on the court, in the classroom and socially.  We would rather use our fundraised money to travel the team to Europe in the summer than to recruit two more scholarship players.

3. What do recruits need to know about you?

Intense, focused, competitive and demanding.  I will do anything within the rules for each of my kids and I ask them to return the commitment.

4. What do you look for in recruits?

Jump and athleticism is more important than size for us.  I want hard working kids who will put in the extra time to carry on the tradition of success.  Work in the gym, weight room and classroom are equal.  If you are lazy in the classroom you are lazy in the gym or weight room and vice versa.  I want kids who choose our program, I don’t want someone who settles.

5. What is the one thing every recruit needs to do with the recruiting process?

Find a program and school that will challenge you as a player and student.  Too often the school decisions are made for the wrong reasons.

6. What sort of questions do you really like to hear from recruits?

Can you see me contributing to the future success of the program?  Where is the weight room?  When do we start?

7. What turns you off when you?re recruiting a student athlete?

Families looking for the scholarship first.  First thing out of the recruits mouth is “ I’m looking for a full scholarship”.

When I am evaluating kids I look for the intangibles:  How do they react to an error by them? By their teammate?  Bad call by the official?  Pouter, up when the team is winning but down when not.  Respectful to coaches and opponent coaches.

8. What do you think your program is the most successful at?

100% graduation, academic and athletic success.

9. Why should a recruit consider your program?

Great City, Great School, Great Volleyball Program.  We play for conference, region and NCAA titles. You will be challenged to become a better player, person and student.  It won’t be easy but it will be worth it.

10. If a recruit is interested in your program, how should they reach out to you?

Call me at 813-323-1093.

Former Colgate University player and New Jersey native Julia Shackford was named the Associate Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Rutgers-Newark by Coordinator of Volleyball Operations Karl France in August of 2008.

She brings a background as head coach of the Digs Volleyball Club out of New Milford, NJ, over the last three seasons while finishing fourth (2006) and third twice (2007 and 2008) in Garden Empire Volleyball Association (GEVA) regional play. Shackford served as assistant coach for the North Atlanta Volleyball Club, helping them to a pair of top 15 regional finishes in the USA Volleyball Southern Region 2004 and 2005.

1. How would you describe yourself as a coach?

I am a very demanding coach and can be loud at times.  I expect my players to put time in both on and off the court to better their game and make the team stronger and I have a knack for making my players buy into my system and ways of doing things.  I push my players to be better every day than they were the day before.

2. What’s unique about the experience at your school?

Rutgers-Newark is definitely an urban campus and we are surrounded by a number of other schools and opportunities that cities provide.  We are located only a short drive/train ride to Hoboken and Jersey City, as well as New York City, and many of our students are able to work or have internships in NYC.  We are a premier institution, consistently ranked in the top 10 public schools in the country.

3. What do recruits need to know about you?

Recruits need to know that I am always available to speak with them and talk to them about our school, our volleyball program, and their plans for the future.  I always have my cell phone on, so whenever works for them to call, generally works for me.

4. What do you look for in recruits?

I look for recruits who are self starters and who are taking a real hand in their own recruiting.  It makes a huge difference to me if a player gets in touch with me or responds to my email or phone call, rather than having their parents get back to me.  It’s nice for parents to take a part in the process, but the players are the ones who I need to get to know and have a connection with.  They’re the ones who will be coming to play for me, not their parents.

5. What is the one thing every recruit needs to do with the recruiting process?

The most important thing every recruit should do is be honest with everyone about what they’re looking for.  It’s one thing if a recruit doesn’t quite know what they want right away, but as it gets closer and closer to deciding where they want to go, they need to be honest with themselves, their parents, and the coaches who are recruiting them. If you are not interested in attending a certain school, tell the coach that.  No one will think any less of you if you’re honest and tell them that their school is just not quite what you’re looking for.

6. What sort of questions do you really like to hear from recruits?

I really like to hear questions about the team and about how a recruit would fit in with the team.  My team is very tight knit and it’s always great when a recruit asks to stay and wants to spend time getting to know the team.

7. What turns you off when you’re recruiting a student athlete?

There are a couple big things that turn me off to a particular recruit.

The first is that she does not take time to get back to me, she has her parents do it.  Once a recruit gets to college, she’s the one who will have to deal with and speak to her coach, not her parents.  It’s best to start the communication before that point.  The second thing that really turns me off to a particular recruit is if she (and/or her parents) have a particular idea about playing time and about how great of a player she is.  I love confidence and self-assurance in my players, but inquiring about and insisting upon playing time during the recruiting process doesn’t leave a good impression.  On my team you need to earn your playing time – freshman or senior – I’m putting the best team on the court that I can, so you need to work for it.

8. What do you think your program is the most successful at?

Right now our program is all about teaching and steady improvement.  We have a small number of returning players, but they’ve all learned a lot and have steadily improved over the past couple years.  We’ve also gotten them to take more of a roll in keeping themselves in shape and seeing that as a college volleyball player, you need to be proactive in trying to make yourself a better athlete every day.  It’s not just when you’re in the gym for practice, it includes making sure you’re going for treatment if you need it, eating right, and making smart decisions about how you spend your time.

9. Why should a recruit consider your program?

Rutgers University-Newark has so much to offer.  We are a premier institution with excellent programs in the research sciences, business, nursing, education, you name it.  Our location and proximity to New York City provide opportunities not afforded many institutions.  In terms of volleyball, traditionally we have had a very successful program here at Rutgers-Newark, and we are currently rebuilding to bring it back to the top of our conference.  I am looking for players who want to work hard and fight for a starting spot, right away, and who are invested in bringing home a conference championship.  We have opportunities for the right players to come in and help rebuild the program.

10. If a recruit is interested in your program, how should they reach out to you?

The best way to get in touch with me is via email:

jshack@andromeda.rutgers.edu.

We are always focused on answering your recruiting questions.  Its our firm belief that spreading recruiting education is a necessity to ensure that qualified student-athletes maximize their scholarship potential.  The following is the best of  “Ask Coach Randy Taylor” series.  Coach Taylor has been named the nation’s top recruiting coordinator by ESPN.com and high school football recruiting analyst, Tom Lemming. He most recently served as the Director of Football Operations for the University of Minnesota.

You can always 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.

Unofficial and Official Visits

How do I set up unofficial visits?

How many official visits can I take?

What is the difference between official and unofficial visits?



Do DIII schools offer official visits?

What should I wear on a campus visit?

Do I have to know a coach to take an unofficial visit?

How should we contact coaches about visits?

How can I schedule college visits during spring break?

Are official visits for ALL sports?

Scholarships/Financial

What types of financial aid packages are available for DII and DIII?

When should I expect a written scholarship offer?

Do DIII schools offer athletic scholarships?

Can you get paid to play?

How do I secure financial aid?

Do Ivy League schools offer athletic scholarships?

What to do with a verbal scholarship offer?

Are there any tax implications with athletic scholarships?

Are we on pace with financial aid?

How do college coaches divide scholarships?

When should we express financial need to a coach?

If I get hurt will I lose my scholarship?

Should we expect a full ride?

Academics

Is there a different application process for athletes?

Can I get recruited even if I am home schooled?

What GPA do I need to play in college?

When is it too late to take the ACT/SAT?

Recruiting

Should my son/daughter call the coaches?

What role does the eligibility center play in the recruiting process?

When is the best time to call a college coach?

What division level can I play at?

How important are stats in recruiting?

How do you get on a coach’s recruiting list?

I get nervous talking to college coaches.  What can I do?

Do summer camps help with exposure?

Do college coaches come and watch high school games?

When should I ask a coach where I stand?

Should parents write letters to college coaches?

Where can I find recruiting questionnaires for college coaches?

Should I fill out all those questionnaires?

What happens during a coaching change in recruiting?

Should my son/daughter have heard from college coaches?

Rules and Regulations

The contact rules are confusing! Can you clarify?Can a coach rescind a signed national letter of intent?

What are the restrictions about emails from college coaches?

What about text messaging?

Can college coaches talk to 7th and 8th graders?

When can a college coach call?

How binding is a verbal commitment?

When is the earliest you can make a verbal commitment?

NCSA

How can my son get “pre-evaluated”?

What about my question?

What is “verified” information?



Do coaches really use NCSA?

What is recruit-match technology?

Videos

What do college coaches look for in a highlight video? Just ask Tom Lemming…

Where do I send my highlight video?

Do I need to edit my highlight video?

How do I get my video to college coaches?

When should I use full game footage?

Coaches

What about the politics?

What questions will a coach ask ME?

How do I find out where I stand?

Should I simply use a coach’s email address from the website?

How can I tell if the coach is seriously interested?

How can I find the right contact info for college coaches?

What should I include in my first letter to a college coach?

How should I respond to college coaches?

Why haven’t I heard back from college coaches?

Question to ask a college coach?

High School

Why would a high school coach hold back letters?

What can I expect from my high school coach?

Should we consider transferring high schools?

How do I decide which club team to play for?

I attend a small high school, will this hurt me during the recruiting process?

Do I have to start on my high school team to get recruited?

My high school team is terrible! What should I do?

Should I start on JV or ride the bench on Varsity?

Can I still play in college if I don’t play in high school?

What should I do with my newspaper clippings?

How can I show leadership in games?

What should I do if my coach is holding my recruiting letters?

Should student-athletes request letter of recommendation?

Miscellaneous

The one tool to answer ALL of your recruiting questions!

When should I commit?

What is the NAIA?

What happens if I change my mind about my commitment?

How important is a third party in the recruiting process?

Why haven’t I heard from my dream school?

What is a National Letter of Intent?

Should I tell a college coach about a past injury?

How do I register for the eligibility center?

What happens if I do not perform well at a camp or combine?

How can I register on rivals.com?

When do I have to decide on my position?

How do we market two-sport athletes to coaches?

What do I need to know about football camps and combines?

Can you explain the transfer rules? Part 1, Can you explain the transfer rules? Part 2

I don’t like my school options.  What should I do?

Even he is looking for an offer?

When are DI, DII and DIII rosters finalized?

What are the benefits of DIII and NAIA Universities?

NCSA’s College Coach Corner recently received feedback from Coach McDowell about the Women’s Volleyball program at Emory University. Here is what she had to say:

1. How would you describe yourself as a coach? Passionate, positive and absolutely love what I do.

2. What’s unique about the experience at your school? We have the best of both worlds…a Top twenty academic institution that is competing for national championships year in and year out.

3. What do recruits need to know about you? I will do everything possible to make this the greatest four years of their life.

4. What do you look for in recruits? High character people who are motivated to excel in the classroom as well as on the volleyball court.

5. What is the one thing every recruit needs to do with the recruiting process? Be honest about what they are looking for from day 1.

6. What sort of questions do you really like to hear from recruits? I like all questions…it tells me something about who they are.

7. What turns you off when you’re recruiting a student athlete? If I see any kind of selfish attitude.

8. What do you think your program is the most successful at? Graduating special well-rounded committed young woman!

9. Why should a recruit consider your program? Because they can graduate from one of the premier academic institutions in the world while competing on a great team that gets to play for a National Championship.

10. If a recruit is interested in your program, how should they reach out to you? jmcdowe@emory.edu

Ever since I was little watching my older cousins play high school volleyball, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I was going to play Varsity high school volleyball, and then college. I fell in love with the sport in 5th grade when I started playing club volleyball at Straight Down Volleyball Club. It was very low-key, with practices on Friday nights and tournaments on Sunday mornings. It was enough, though, to hook me on volleyball. From there I went to Club Elite, to First Alliance Volleyball Club, and ended my high school career with Sports Performance Volleyball Club. They were a very well-known volleyball club and very connected in the college volleyball world. They helped me by making a volleyball skills video and having contact with many college coaches.

My first unofficial visit was after my sophomore year club season, to Western Michigan University. It was a great first visit, I enjoyed the school, but was eager to see more! Through my volleyball years, and talking to a lot of people and watching my cousins go through their recruiting process, I got the understanding that I could play division I volleyball, but did have to be realistic about the schools I was looking at.

When I started getting countless letters, emails, and huge media guides, I was so overwhelmed, and knew I had to lay down some requirements so that I could start narrowing down my search. Some of my requirements were that I didn’t want to be a plane ride away (but was willing to consider it), had to be Division I, bigger than my high school, and even silly things like they had to have a Starbucks nearby and there had to be a football team.  From here I started going on many visits, in my search for my perfect fit!

When I first heard of Bowling Green State University, I had NO idea who they were, and assumed their colors must be green and something. Good thing I didn’t have a “cute color” requirement, because Bowling Green would have been nixed, being that their colors are orange and brown. Even so, it seemed like a nice school, and some people had heard of them in the sports world because they had a good football team at the time. When I went on my visit, I really loved the school! BG’s campus is on the smaller side, all compact, with a cool old gym and a really nice big Student Union. It was big enough where you won’t know everybody you see, but at the same time small enough that you could roll out of bed and get to class in five minutes.  Also, something that I also looked into was the academics.  I knew I wanted to do something in sports, and BG has a well-known Sport Management program that really sparked my interest!  Through many great meetings with school administrators, coaching staff, weight staff, and the team, I knew it would be a great fit for me! They ended up offering me a full ride scholarship and a few days later I happily accepted being a Bowling Green Falcon!

I feel very lucky to have chosen a University that I loved and enjoyed playing at my four years, as I know many girls I’ve played with in high school that have transferred many times. I am now an intern with NCSA, and am discovering what an awesome resource this company can be to high school athletes. To have access to this company and its connections is something everyone should look into, and the fact that there are so many success stories coming out of here, I am very proud to be a part of this great company!