NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Navigating through the recruiting process can be very overwhelming for a family, especially for the athletes themselves. These 17/18 year old student athletes are faced with a decision that will affect not only the rest of their athletic careers but their entire lives. It is important that student athletes are educated on every aspect of each school that they are deciding on. It is important when an athlete makes a final decision that they would want to go to that school if they were not going there for athletics.

Why?

Reason number one is that as an athlete you are only one ACL tear or break away from never playing sports again. Before you commit somewhere, ask yourself “If I can never play sports again will I still be happy at this particular school?”

In recent years a new issue in college athletics has created another reason student athletes need to chose the school based on other reasons outside of how much they like the athletics. As college coaching veteran Randy Taylor always says “make your decision based on the school, not the coach…”. While a coach can have a huge impact on your experience as an athlete, in this current environment college coaches are being fired, leaving for other schools or going to the pros. Coaches leave schools all the time and as an athlete you should have the security that if during your career, your coach happens to leave you will still be happy with where you are.

This is an issue that is most recently facing the 2012 football commits for Rutgers, yesterday in a very quiet move head football coach Greg Schiano was hired as the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A move that not even his assistant coaches were aware of until news broke via the media. News broke while the assistant coaches were waiting for him at Don Bosco Preparatory School to lock up two more top recruits. Rivals.com has noted that Rutgers currently has  17 verbal commitments before Schiano’s left for Tampa,  many of whom took to twitter to express their frustration and shock. In what could have been Rutgers best recruiting class to date, five days before signing day many of their top recruits are now questing whether or not they should jump ship, to the other top schools who are now coming after them.

These student athletes world has been turned upside down, but before de-committing from the Scarlett Knights they need to sit down with the significant adults in their life and go over the reasons they originally committed to Rutgers, if it was because of the coach they need to look at their other options, however they should also keep in mind that any school they go to there is a chance that during their careers that coach could leave as well.

Making a decisions as a young adult that will affect the rest of your life can be a lot of pressure on these kids, especially if they are only thinking of things from an athletic stand point. As an athlete you need to remember that less than one percent of all athletes will go pro in their respective sports. It is important to remember that they are going to school to receive an education and set themselves up to succeed for the next forty years of their lives.

TV rights and online marketing deals are usually the subject of collective bargaining agreements of professional sports leagues.  They are becoming increasingly important in college athletics as teams try to maximize revenue in any way possible.  But, High Schools arguing over ownership rights takes things to a whole new level. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association is suing the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and Gannett Co. after they streamed a webcast of a high school basketball playoff game.

The WIAA is making the argument that, “the association alone has the right to stream school athletic games online.”  They also argue that they have the sole right “to control the transmission, Internet stream, photo, image, film, videotape, audiotape, writing, drawing or other depiction or description of any game.”

Of course a counter-suit was filed with the WNA arguing, “WIAA has no right to interfere with Newspapers’ editorial discretion to report tournament events utilizing any technology of their choosing, including photography and Internet streaming, subject only to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions applied equally to all similarly situated journalists.”

The counter suit goes so far to claim that the WIAA is actually invoicing local newspapers for covering the events they have historically reported on for years.  Peter Fox the executive director of the Wisconsin Newspaper sums up their argument by saying,  “The issue for Wisconsin newspapers is the WIAA’s overarching claim of ownership of all these aspects of hometown, high school sports.”

Should the Association be able to claim ownership rights?  If not, does somebody else own them?  Would you still feel the same way if ESPN was making millions of dollars by showcasing high school games? (Don’t laugh, last weekend was the first ESPN RISE National High School Basketball Invitational)

What do you think?

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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?   

I enjoy Texas high school football in all of it’s glory – mythic and real.   My nephews’ alma mater, Katy High School, just won their second consecutive 5A (largest schools) DII State Championship.  To say I’m a huge fan even though I live in Chicago is an understatement.  Another reason I admire Texas high school football is that all participants are learning great life lessons by participating in the ultimate team sport and by being mentored by coaches who have outstanding character.  Here’s a great example.  I defy anyone to read this article written by Rick Reilly and not tear up.  As Reilly states at the end,

“Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it’s nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.

Hope.”

I’d love to see what you thought of this article.  So post a comment.  Happy Holidays!

 Former Recruiting Coordinator at Notre Dame and University of Michigan and current NCSA Speaker, Bob Chmiel, recently presented a Recruiting 101 Seminar at Owensboro High School in Kentucky.  Senior Guidance Counselor from Owensboro, Jane Prince, played a key role in bringing Coach Chmiel to educate families and student athletes. 

Aside from her role as Senior Guidance Counselor and high school coach, Jane is the mother of a current collegiate athlete and wife of a former collegiate athlete.  The bottom line is that Jane has experienced recruiting from several perspectives.  NCSA caught up with Jane to discuss the importance of recruiting education.

NCSA: What motivated Owensboro to bring in an expert to educate families about the recruiting process?  Why NCSA and Coach Chmiel?

We will be working with NSCA this January to help my son achieve his goal of playing college football.  He is currently a sophomore in high school.  I’m also a Senior Guidance Counselor at Owensboro High School in Kentucky and coached high school tennis and swimming.  Over the years, I worked with many high school athletes.  My husband is the Head football coach at OHS and played college football at The University of Kentucky. My daughter plays college basketball at Georgetown College (NAIA).

Five years ago, another teacher and I formed a program at this high school to prepare high school athletes to become college athletes and I thought the NCSA presentation would be an excellent opportunity for parents to hear information about the college recruiting process from an outside source.  We were just lucky that our guest speaker was Coach Chmiel.  He is able to tell stories about his life experiences that get the attention of his audience and pull them in for the real message.

What was the most valuable information that Coach Chmiel passed along to families in your opinion? 

He had some excellent suggestions like:

• Don’t send film to a college without the specific name of the coach that you are sending it to…..unidentified film goes in the trash”
• Separate yourself from problems or problem people

He also talked about three important aspects of an athlete necessary to be successful: (1) Strong academics, (2) good character, and (3) always give 110 % on every play and in all preparations to play.

What are some of the most common misconceptions about the recruiting process that families have?

Most families wrongly believe several basic concepts:

(1) That most athletes are discovered like a Hollywood movie star for their scholarship

(2) DI level of play is the only one that provides financial assistance

(3) It is the high school coaches’ responsibility to get their athlete a scholarship

(4) Academics really are not that important if they are talented enough athletically

(5) Every scholarship, in every sport is a full-ride.

What type of advice would you give families who are going through the process for the first time as not only a guidance counselor, but also a mother and wife of collegiate student athletes?

• Start preparing your potential student/athlete in the 9^th grade by explaining the core GPA and the NCAA process. Register at the beginning of their junior year with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Keep constant tabs on their transcript and daily grades.

• Build a resume of sports accomplishments and awards as well as community service and inter-scholastic activities and honors. Save it in your computer and update it with everything they have accomplished each month. This resume should be sent to college coaches. This allows them to see the student/athlete as a person that is active and has good character.

• Choose a few good sports photos to have on hand to send with your resume and other sports related scholarships that they may apply for, such as state sportsmanship scholarships for example.

• Form good relationships with high school coaches; remember they will give the final recommendation.

• Learn how to speak to the media; you are representing your family, community, school and yourself. Complement your teammates and coaches in interviews; you didn’t get there on your own.

• Play other sports in high school, it’s good for you and makes you a more appealing athlete.

• Fill out all sports questionnaires, even to schools you may not attend. It’s a small world and coaches change jobs every day and may remember you.

• God gave you a certain body size and ability. You may be of size for the big time and you may not. Be thankful for whatever opportunities may come your way at any level whether it is DI, II, III, NAIA or Jr. College.

I really could go on and on…….there is so much for them to know……

Would you encourage other high schools to provide recruiting education similar to the seminar at Owensboro?  If so, why?

Yes, it was very helpful to hear Coach Chmiel.  He didn’t try to force the NCSA on his audience. He simply gave his educational message about the recruiting process and informed people about the NCSA at the end.  I think this made people more interested in the NCSA material. Parents are really misinformed about athletic scholarship and need a lot of help in the process.

 If you would like to learn more about potentially scheduling a Recruiting 101 Seminar, click here.

A company in Boulder Colorado is now attempting to answer the age old question, ” What sport should my 2-year old specialize in?”  How are they answering such a complex question?  By analyzing a child’s genetics!  Atlas Sports genetics is now offering a $149 DNA test to identify those athletes that are genetically predisposed to either speed/power or endurance characteristics.

I’m sure to most parents this seems like the biggest scam since the pet rock, however it points out just how far some parents are willing to ensure their child has an athletic advantage.  Today student athletes are are specializing in a single sport at earlier ages than ever.  Many student athletes are getting scholarship offers as freshman.  The point is that every student athlete that is truly serious about college recruiting needs to get started at an early age.

Some point out that many student athletes don’t receive scholarship offers until their senior year, but they fail to recognize just how much their options have been limited by not getting started early.  Student athletes can start calling coaches as freshman and if they are really committed to playing in college they should take advantage!

NCSA Board Member and friend Kevin Carroll, a.k.a The Katalyst, stopped by NCSA headquarters last week to share his D.R.E.A.M. message with our team.  I urge everyone who watches this to use his message to find your red rubber ball.

Recruits always dream of running out onto the field under the bright lights with thousands of fans cheering.  They think how much joy they will feel while playing college sports.  I just wanted to take a minute to remind everyone just how much work it takes to play at the next level.  The New York Times examined the work habits of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.  I am sure many will be shocked at the extra time Tebow puts into the game outside of practice.

But one aspect of his life has gone virtually unnoticed outside the team: In his evolution from a run-first battering ram to a polished passer and decision-maker, Tebow has found paradise in the flickering light of game film.

“He’s as hard of a worker as I’ve ever had,” said Coach Urban Meyer, whose No. 5 Gators (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) face No. 8 Georgia on Saturday in a game that will essentially eliminate the loser from the SEC and national title races. “From the weight room to film prep to practice, when he’s your leader and quarterback and he works as hard as he does, it has a positive effect on the team.”

Tebow said he voluntarily spends 20 hours a week digesting film of opponents, far more time than he devotes to studying for school. (He has a 3.81 grade point average.) And he said he spends about twice as much time with Mullen than he does with anyone else. Mullen said he shares more time with Tebow during the season than he does with his wife, Megan.

A recent afternoon spent watching film with them made it apparent that the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Tebow derives as much joy from poring over the nuances of the game as he does from lowering his shoulder into an oncoming safety.

“I love it,” Tebow said as he flipped through film of Georgia’s defense on Sunday. “I love just studying teams. I just love football and everything about it in general. You just have to have a passion for it.”

I bring up this point to make sure athletes understand the type of work it takes to be successful at the highest level of college sports.  During my time at NCSA I have seen numerous athletes turn down Division I scholarship offers simply because they feel more comfortable with academic/athletic balance at Division II, III or NAIA schools.  Their path may not fit conventional wisdom, but it is the right fit for them.

Many fans of high school football remember Coach Rush Propst, who was featured on MTV’s hit reality show “Two-a-Days: Hoover High.”  The show portrayed him as a loud mouthed, win at all costs type of coach.  The portrayal ended up becoming prophecy as the coach who led Hoover High School to five Alabama State Chamionships ultimately resigned under duress when ethics and rule violations came to light.  A 68 page report commissioned by the school board concluded that Coach Propst may have helped engineer the altering of grades and encouraged teachers to give preferential treatment to athletes. 

Despite his past, Coach Propst was hired this season to take over the football program at Colquit County High in Georgia.  Principal Bob Jones summarizes the hiring with, ” This community is about second chances.”  However, the community remains divided over the hiring.  The school board was split 4-2 on choosing to hire the coach.  The core of the issue was, is hiring a $95,000 coach with baggage putting too much emphasis on high school sports? 

Coach Propst certainly doesn’t think so.  “Is high school football out of whack?” he asked. “Is it too important? No.”

In every sport an athlete must condition and strength train.  How you perform this activity is just as important.  If you are a baseball player, would you go for a long distant run?  Baseball consists of explosive movements that are short to moderate.  So why would you go on a three mile run?  Endurance can be established with long sprints.

Now that baseball players are in the off season it is important to establish a strong base for the upcoming season.  A player must “report to camp” in top physical condition in order to compete at the highest level.

A baseball workout must contain some key ingredients.  1) Work on your baseball skills such as hitting, fielding and throwing. 2) Strength train in the weight room.  3) Conditioning by running poles, base running and long sprints. 4) There must be a proper warm up and cool down routine.  5) There must be a proper core (your core is you’re your knees to chest) routine.