NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Hey guys!

Okay listen up. I know that you have been told all these different things when it comes to being recruited. You have heard these ideas from coaches, parents, and other players. Well let me just tell you from my point of view since I have recently completed this process. I am not a patient person. I will let you know that up front. So if you and I are similar in this characteristic, then you will cherish this knowledge. Yet, I will not go further and call it wisdom for I am young and only experienced in this once, even though it was at first hand.

I hope by now that you have figured out that I also don’t sugar coat things. I am very honest. That’s what I call it. Others say I am blunt as a butter knife. Call it what you must but I will keep my advice short and to the point.

Things you must keep in mind throughout this process:

• Grin and Bear it…This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Cherish every moment of it!

• Swallow the pill called Pride…Keep your good behavior at all times. ALL TIMES!!!

• Don’t Act your Age… Use your mind and not your mouth. Don’t be a TEEN!!!

• Talk the Talk… Even if you aren’t interested, keep on talking. It’s part of the game and manners!

• Patience is a Virtue… Believe me! I had to learn that the hard way. Just go with it!

• Go to Boot Camp… Hate to tell you, camps are your number asset. I don’t like them either!

• Take a Chill Pill… Don’t worry about anything. Things will work out for the best!

Okay, okay. I know what you are thinking… this all sounds like the place with fire and brimstone. Well, all I can respond with to that idea is… yeah it can be a true pain some times. But, don’t let the negative attitude drag you away from something that could possibly and probably will turn out to be amazing! I am not bitter toward the conclusion of this process whatsoever. There are not enough words to express my enthusiasm. Therefore, I know that you will succeed in this. No doubt!

Good Luck and Best of Wishes!

All or Nothing,

Casey… a MTSU Blue Raider

I recently had an opportunity to ask Steven Fisher, of San Marcos High School in California, a few questions about his experience at the Team One Futures Game which was recently played on October 23^rd in Peoria, Arizona. Here is the quick interview:

It is quite the honor to be invited to play in the Team One Futures Game. How did you receive the invitation?

I was noticed for the Futures Game at a Team One event located at Orange Coast College. From there I was invited to play in a Team One All American preseason event where I was a standout among others from across the nation. The Team One preseason event was a compilation of all the best kids from this 36 team, preseason event. Again, all the kids from the pre-season event were seen somewhere in the nation and were the best from whatever state they came from. From there the best kids from the pre-season event were selected for the Team One Futures Game.

It sounds like a lot of fun; can you describe your time at the Futures Game?

The Futures Game was tons of fun, not only did I have the chance to show my talents in front of many college recruiters, I also got to play against the best kids in the nation that are my grade. We started the night off by going through a major league style workout. First we stretched, took batting practice, took grounders and prepared for the game. We played in the Peoria Stadium Complex where many great major leaguers have played.

Did you learn anything while you attended the event?

Oh yes, one thing that I learned while I was there was that baseball is such a fun and simple game and can be seen in so many ways. We were around coaches from around the nation and they knew so many little things about the game. Just being around those coaches rubbed off and created a relaxing atmosphere and brought the fun in the game out. Even though this was the biggest event I had been to the coaches seemed to really lighten the mood and bring the best out of us, keeping the game loose and competitive. I really enjoyed myself.

What kind of exposure did you receive while playing there?

There were more than 30 college recruiters sitting in the stands with radar guns pointed directly at home plate all writing. It was pretty neat.

Since you have gained experience playing in a big game with a lot of scouts, what advice can you give to other student-athletes if they ever have an opportunity like that?

Take a step back and look at the big picture. The game of baseball is very simple and hasn’t changed much since it was created. When you step into the batter’s box and see your name on the score board, go ahead take in the moment, it’s pretty awesome, but make sure you step out of the batter’s box and clear your head before the at bat begins. Go out there with confidence, but remember to play your game and not try to impress the scouts.

Tell us about what you’ve learned since being with NCSA. 

Since I have been with NCSA I have learned many valuable tips from the coaches and advisors there, but most importantly I’ve learned from the coaching calls where I had a coach or player or somebody talk to me or the group about their lifetime experiences and what they would do if they had a second chance. Now, as I am getting older, I am starting to understand that you only get one chance at life. This is definitely one thing that drives me to continuously get better and to chase my dreams full speed ahead. NCSA is definitely a place that can help me if I have questions about college, future, or daily life.

My name is Megan Mayfield and I’m going on a softball scholarship to Lynn University.  Being recruited isn’t something that just happens overnight and you can’t just rely on talent alone, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes.  Between team and individual practices, the hours spent on the practice field are uncountable. If you’re struggling with something, work on it until you get it. Go out with a coach, a parent, or even one of your teammates and practice it until you get it. Playing softball is only part of the process; you can’t be recruited if no one knows about you.  You have to get your letters out, get them out early, and make them personal. No coach wants to get a mass email; if you can’t take enough time out of your day to personally contact them, why do they want to take time out their day and personally come watch you?  When you get to the tournament, you can’t do anything more so relax and just do your best.  Make yourself standout from the rest of the team, my coach will tell you that the only reason she started watching me was because she saw me take off on a dead sprint to my position in outfield. Do something to get yourself noticed, be loud, be focused, hustle, or wear bright crazy sunglasses anything to make them look at you, because they’re looking at you they’re watching you.

There are ups and downs to be recruited.  Being denied is the worst part about the recruiting process and I was denied like there was no tomorrow.  I’ve been told that I was too small to play college ball since I was a kid, but when a college coach says it, it can be discouraging. However, I was determined to get recruited so I shook that stuff off and kept doing my best. The first time a coach waits behind the dugout after your game to talk to you is the most exciting part of being recruited. In your mind you’re thinking I did it, I got recruited and now all those practices, games, batting slumps, everything else pays off. The NCSA did the best they could’ve done for me, they put reality in perspective. They made me realize how competitive being recruited was and they helped me have a chance in that competition by telling me what I needed to do. They gave me an upper hand on all the other athletes that didn’t have someone walking them through the long process.  The only thing I can tell anyone wanting to get recruited is never give up, hustle everywhere you go, be competitive,  challenge yourself, and most importantly have just have fun.

Here are some of our latest college baseball commitments for the 2010 class:

Brian Monette to the University of Southern Illinois – Carbondale

Brian Essig commits to the University of the Pacific

And David Johannessen decides on Florida Atlantic University

Congratulations to our latest commitments for baseball in the 2010 class:

Cody Smith to San Diego State University

Christopher Divarco to Northern Illinois University

Ryan Mas to University of North Carolina – Charlotte

We wish you the best of luck and we look forward to hearing about your success in the future!

A couple of great websites that I look at often to keep track of which players are committing to what colleges are PG Crosschecker and College Baseball Insider. Check these sites out to see if any of your senior competitors have committed or who has committed to the college you are interested in.

On this blog you’ve learned a great deal about the recruiting process, including the 5 things everyone should know and the 5 things everyone must do.  One thing that all student-athletes must do is contact a minimum of 100 college coaches.  If you wonder why, check out what happened to this highly rated D1 football prospect just 4 days before signing day.  What would you do?  Should you always have a back-up plan?  Even 4 days before signing day?  What do you think?   

It isn’t often that a high school coach bans a Division I football coach from his campus.  Especially when that coach’s name is Steve Spurrier.  But, that is just the case in Atlanta where Tucker High  Coach Franklin Stephens told reporters that Steve Spurrier is no longer welcome.  The rift began when South Carolina told Tucker High LB Jonathan Davis that it was pulling his scholarship offer.

“The bottom line … what South Carolina did to Jonathan was wrong,” Stephens told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Coach Spurrier accepted blame for the situation … [but he] is not going to do anything to fix the situation, therefore South Carolina will not be recruiting any more Tucker players.”

Initially this looks like a case of poor recruiting ethics, but beneath the surface things look a little murky.  Rumors are floating about poor grades, and a rogue, since departed, assistant coach who may have offered Davis without the consent from the staff.

Davis has spoken about moving on and realistically it is his only choice.

“No sir, I don’t feel that way about anybody at South Carolina. Actually, I’m thankful they [South Carolina] called me when they did and broke it off … I know it’s late in recruiting, but by letting me know then, it still gives us a little time to find another school. What would’ve been very disappointing would’ve been to sign with South Carolina, get up there next year, and then not get a chance to play because none of the [remaining] coaches wanted me there in the first place. So it’s better we ended things this way. I still have time.”

He is making the best of poor position, but I can’t help but wonder if things would have turned out better if he had some better guidance throughout the recruiting process.  Could he have seen this curve ball coming?  That is anyone’s guess, but I hope that this story will cause recruits to pause and really think about making a commitment.  Without a solid relationship to a coaching staff that commitment might just be an empty promise.

Fox Sports recently ran an article discussing the recent trend of scholarship offers coming as early as the 8th grade.   At least 10 sophomores and a handful of freshman basketball players have already committed.  In response the National Association of Basketball Coaches passed a non-binding rule asking coaches to not offer scholarships or accept commitments from players before June 15th following their sophomore year in high school. 

But, basketball is far from the only sport being affected.  Virtually every single NCAA sport has coaches offering and accepting scholarships earlier than ever.  Many are concerned:

Haney, the NABC executive director, said it’s difficult to predict if a junior high player will make enough progress on the court and in the classroom to live up to a commitment.

“Kids committing in the eighth or ninth grade, in some cases they haven’t even taken a core course toward initial eligibility,” Haney said.

Davidson coach Bob McKillop said college presidents and deans of admissions need to stop coaches from offering seats at their universities to players with no high school academic credentials.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski worries about high school students getting preoccupied with college instead of focusing on high school academics and experiences like the prom.

“They’re going to get screwed up a little bit,” Krzyzewski said. “You’ve got to stay in the moment. As a parent, I think you would be concerned.”

Morgan, the sports ethics expert, said coaches under intense pressure to win sometimes do things they otherwise wouldn’t. He said it’s up to the schools to stop them.

“Institutions can’t get off the hook here,” Morgan said. “Simply leaving these kind of decisions up to the coaches is an abdication of an ethical role of these institutions.”

However, some defend the open system.  Coaches at small programs argue the only way they can compete with larger BCS schools is to get started early.  Others point out that by committing early an athlete can help minimize distractions and focus on school.  Some even say its un-American to limit when someone can make a choice.  What do you think?

The recruiting process moves extremely quickly.  If you blink an eye your chance at playing in college could blow by before you even get a chance to get started.  So recruits need to prepare early in their high school careers so that they can act quickly when the times comes.

 However, sometimes recruits can move too quickly. and make a decision they will later regret.  Boston College Linebacker Mark Herzlich sat down with The New york Times to discuss his recruiting story. 

I guess my recruiting story was a little different than most people. I came out of high school and was decently recruited by some A.C.C. and Big 10 schools. It really came down at the end to Virginia and Boston College. And UVA was my first choice. I committed to there the summer before my senior year in June. I loved the campus, it was a great place and I could see myself fitting in there. They also run a 3-4 and the outside linebacker spot would be ideal for me there. To be honest, most other schools had recruited me as a defensive end. Boston College was another one who said we’re going to give you a shot at linebacker. In high school I weighed 260 and I was more projected as a defensive end.

The recruiting process was done and I didn’t take any visits before I committed. I had unofficially seen schools. My commitment to UVA happened and the season started. I was watching them and came down for a game and didn’t feel as at home as I had during the recruiting process. This is right at the time that Al Golden and Ron Prince had left. I was a little different. I would say that my relationship with the coaches hadn’t grown to the extent where it really affected my decision too much. It was more the fact that when I was down there and I was down there around the program, it didn’t seem to be a good fit for me. With these questions in my mind, I talked to my parents about it. I said that I made a big decision and a big commitment and I don’t know if it was right one. I did have a great relationship with the Boston College coaches, who are now down at N.C. State, so I called up Jason Swepson and asked him if I would be able to come up and take a visit because I wasn’t sure about my decision to go to UVA. He said, yeah sure, you can take an unofficial visit up here and we’ll keep it under the radar. You can tell UVA if you would like, not tell them if you don’t like. He said I need to give you a call back because I need to check with Coach O’Brien to see if your scholarship is still available. He called back and an hour later and said that it was. I came up a week later. It was between their last game and their bowl game, before they went out to Boise. I stayed with a player and then spent the night with my family and basically just realized that this was the place. It was the atmosphere, the coaching, the type of player that I loved. Basically I left, called UVA and told them that I had taken a visit. They weren’t very receptive to it. Basically from then on it was B.C. all the way.

Luckily, Mark took the time to visit schools early on in the process.  If he had not been so pro-active early on he wouldn’t have a relationship with Boston College to fall back on.   That being said, choosing a school is such an important decision that you shouldn’t commit until you feel ready.