NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

How do you get the mental edge in your game?  How do you think and act like a champion?  Are you born a leader or is it developed over time?  Having the right thoughts during practice, competition and in your life is a critical part of “winning that college scholarship”.

 A credible source for learning “Championship Thinking” is Jim Meier.  He was an interval part of the Oregon State University Baseball Team who won back to back NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007.  Jim’s weekly internet show has guests who are the “who’s who” of the baseball world.  Next weeks guest (Oct. 29) is none other then Paul Mainieri, head baseball coach at LSU.

“Developing…Mind, Heart, Spirit”

 Why should I use a company like NCSA to assist in the recruiting process?  I hear that question a lot.  There are a variety of reasons why a family should consider NCSA, but I wanted to reference Bill Conley’s recent Recruiting column for ESPN.com for a few examples.

Because of the time commitment, college coaches do not have the opportunity to recruit national talent in the depth and detail they would like. As a result, schools find recruiting areas, or pockets, where they have had success in the past and put their limited time into those places. Success breeds success, and players who have a positive experience at a college or university become the best salesmen to younger athletes from their high schools or geographical areas. Often, a veteran player can convince a young player to take an official visit or attend a camp at his institution.

Over time, the college coach often establishes great relationships with the high school coaches in a certain area. High school coaches often are major players in the recruiting process, and the more comfortable a high school coach feels about a college program, the more likely he is to encourage his player to at least keep an open mind about that school.

Those types of long term and trusted relationships with schools are exactly what NCSA hopes to use to connect student athletes with the college programs that fit them.  We constantly hear back from schools about the types of players they are looking for and fill those specific needs.  For players at schools with less focus, NCSA fill the void of an established and trusted source.

The media has been a major recruiting tool for colleges that have traditionally found it hard to recruit on a national scale. The exposure given by televised games, sports shows, the Internet, etc., have given lower-profile schools opportunities to attract talent they might not have been able to reach because of geographic restrictions and tight recruiting budgets.

NCSA uses the internet and our Verified Scouting Reports to reach across the country and all division levels to give coaches the players they need and allow athletes from smaller towns to be seen by any school.

I urge any recruit to contact NCSA to learn why NCSA can help you!

Everything is now set for a showdown between the Phillies and the Rays in the World Series.  College baseball players have been a successful part of professional ball and that is no different in this World Series.  The Rays LHP David Price is only 17 months from throwing his last pitch at Vanderbilt.

Here is a run down of players who attended college on the Phillies and Rays:

Philadelphia Phillies

Brad Lidge – Notre Dame

Joe Blanton – U. of Kentucky

Jamie Moyer – St. Joseph’s U. (PA)

Chase Utley – UCLA

Eric Bruntlett – Stanford U.

Ryan Howard – Southwest Missouri (Now Missouri State)

Pat Burrell – Miami, FL

Tampa Bay Rays

Matt Garza – Fresno St.

J.P. Howell – U. of Texas

David Price – Vanderbilt

Chad Bradford – Hinds Community College and Southern Mississippi U.

Evan Longoria – Long Beach St.

Carlos Pena – Wright St. and Northeastern U.

Gabe Gross – Auburn U.

Ben Zobrist – Olivet Nazarene and Dallas Baptist U.

Andy Sonnanstine – Kent St.

Jason Bartlett – U. of Oklahoma

With out a doubt college baseball players are becoming more of a focus for Major League teams.  This is not only evident on MLB rosters but also from the June Draft.

Arizona State has landed on the top of the baseball recruiting list for 2008, according Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.  The Sun Devils compiled an amazing class of 20 players, led by 13 drafted athletes.

 The UCLA Bruins landed another stunning class led by New York Yankees’ first round draft pick RHP Gerrit Cole.  He becomes the first such draftee to enter college since 2002 when John Mayberry Jr. enrolled at Stanford after being selected in the first round.  The 6-foot-3, 195 pound Cole (Orange Lutheran H.S.) is topping out at 98 mph and his working speed is between 92-94 mph.

 Top 10 DI Baseball Recruiting Class Ranking.

1. Arizona St.

2. Oregon

3. Vanderbilt

4. Arkansas

5. Georgia

6. UCLA

7. Miami, FL

8. Florida St.

9. Clemson

10. Fresno St.

See the complete top 40 rankings.

Recruits always walk a hard line between what is the best for their team and the best for their recruiting potential.  High School coaches often ask players to switch positions or give up individual success for the good of the team.  I’ve spoken to many athletes who worry that a position switch will ruin any chance they have to receive a scholarship.

The reality is college coaches recruit players and athletes.  They usually aren’t too concerned where a player lines up as long as they have convincingly displayed the skills necessary to compete in college.

Recruits should consider the story of University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker. Jake was at one-time considered one of the top defensive back prospects in the country.  Eventually he established himself as a top flight quarterback and signed with Washington.  However, after breaking his thumb last weekend he has again decided to make a switch to benefit his team.  He will line up on defense for at least the next six weeks to try to help turn around his team’s season.

Switching positions can be very difficult, but by putting the team first you help yourself in a few ways. 

1) Your coach will remember your sacrifice and will be more likely to discuss your “team attitude” with college coaches.

2) It could lead to more playing time and more opportunities to shine on the field.  Who knows you might end up in the spot you were meant to be!

 Protect your home turf and invade your neighbors recruiting hotbeds.  In the past, the first part of that statement was especially true.  Now the recruiting battles being waged all over the country look like mass chaos.  Look at Minnesota Basketball Coach Tubby Smith.  A few years ago Minnesota was consistently losing its best in state players to other Big 10 powers.  In just a few short years he appears to have locked up the top two in state recruits for the 2009 as well as a blue chip point guard from California.

My point is that recruiting maps are constantly shifting.  Just because a coach at a school isn’t recruiting your state doesn’t meant that things could change in just a few months.  Also, don’t think that this trend is only at top Division I schools.  Programs at every level are looking to add players from regions that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

A big reason for the change is technologies like NCSA’s Virtual Scouting Report and Enhanced Video.  They allow coaches options to quickly and cost effectively scout players all across America.  If finding the college scholarship fit is important to you, I suggest getting evaluated immediately.

Tonight the film Walking on Dead Fish opens in New Orleans.  It  details the story of how Hurricane Katrina changed so many lives and scholarship dreams.  At NCSA we strive to help athletes like those from East St. John High.

Coaches Monitoring You Online is the Future

 I wrote a few weeks ago about the importance of athletes engaging in responsible behavior in this new era of Internet hyper connectivity.  Sports Illustrated’s Selena Roberts wrote a fantastic article for the Point After column detailing the new reality of athlete supervision.  The entire article is a must read.

Some coaches require athletes to list them-yes, The Coach-as a friend on their Facebook pages, which is a lot like putting BEWARE OF DOG on their dorm door. With a click, The Coach has an all-access pass to a player’s social world. “Athletes are upset by it,” says Zeynep Tufekci, a sociology and anthropology professor at Maryland Baltimore County, who has surveyed more than a thousand college students, including athletes, in her research on the impact of technology. “I ask them, ‘Are you a star player?’ And they laugh because they’re not…. I’ve had athletes say they’ve been told, ‘Do not have a Facebook page,’ but given how they communicate, that’s not an option. It’s like being told. ‘Don’t have a phone if you don’t want to be wiretapped.’”

The Coach sees all, knows all As Tufekci explains, athletes fear being photographed with a red plastic cup in their hand at a bash because coaches view it as a symbol of alcohol consumption, even if they’re only drinking Yoo-hoo. “It’s guilt by association,” she says. The constant surveillance is creepy yet reluctantly accepted by athletes who realize they are acquisitions, stocks to be followed on a crawl. “Some things I personally don’t agree with,” says Oklahoma’s Nic Harris, one of the nation’s top defensive backs. “You take some of the individualism away from people. At the end of the day we’re seen as an investment. And the university wants to protect its investment. They have to protect what’s going on in your life for their best interest.”

The NCAA’s academic reform three years ago-demanding that programs meet graduation standards or risk losing scholarships even as institutions lower admission levels-is the latest reason for hypervigilance over athletes’ activity. It’s also allowed coaches on the BCS scale to monetize their players’ grades. Most say they are educators first, yet, oddly enough, their base pay doesn’t cover teaching. Take Nebraska’s football coach, Bo Pelini. He will pocket an extra $125,000 if the Cornhuskers’ graduation rate equals that of the overall student population’s.

If you are a college athlete or a recruit, whether you personally agree with the levels to which coaches are going to monitor you is not the point.  This level of hand holding is the new reality and there won’t be a second chance if you screw up.  So with that said, this shouldn’t be a distraction for most athletes and it actually could serve as a way for recruits to separate themselves from the pack.  Recruits who don’t make wrong decisions will increasingly stand out from those that do.  As the article points out coaches have a financial interest in recruiting athletes that engage in proper behavior, so if you are serious about being recruited I encourage making sure your personal choices never hurt your scholarship potential.

If you weren’t watching the thriller Monday night between the Cowboys and the Eagles you missed a heck of a game.  But, you also missed one of the all-time boneheaded plays I have ever seen.

The even more amazing part is DeSean had already made virtually the same mistake in high school!

When I talk to recruits I remind that coaches are watching them on every single play to make sure they play hard and go the whistle.  Playing with intensity on every play is a sure sign of mental tenacity and a willingness to compete.  I’ve heard of coaches deciding not to offer a scholarship because they weren’t sure a recruit was a real competitor.  Don’t put yourself in a position where you could be judged not worthy of a scholarship by showboating.

NCSA student-athlete and future Northwestern Wildcat Patrick Ward has been regarded as one of the top lineman in the Chicago land area and arguably the best to come out of Providence Catholic High School. You can’t ignore Patrick’s size at 6′7″ tall and weighing in at 295 pounds. After evaluating Patrick’s film, he is a mauler on the field and it will be tough for defensive ends to get around him at the next level. His massive build and long arms had recruiting coordinators across the country drooling.

NCSA recently caught up with the Providence Catholic tackle and here’s what he had to say:

NCSA: What influenced you to choose NU?

PW: Northwestern felt like the best fit. I felt at home there and the guys that are coming in have the same goals as I do. You’re a student first and athlete second.

NCSA: What advice can you give other athletes going through the recruiting process?

PW: First and foremost, keep your grades in order because education always comes first. Be open to all possibilities and don’t rule out a school unless you’re absolutely sure. Also, make sure coaches know you exist and do your best to get your name out there.

NCSA: What are your thoughts on the Big Ten and where the conference is going?

PW: The conference is down right now, but there are quality teams and I want to help Northwestern get better.

NCSA: How much assistance did NCSA give you in the recruiting process?

PW: NCSA helped me get my name out there and get scouts interested to watch my film and watch me in person. NCSA also gave me tons of information about the recruiting process.

NCSA recruiting analyst Tom Lemming was quoted in the Chicago Sun Times, saying Ward was “One of the fastest rising prospects in the state and in the nation. He has redefined himself this year. He has gotten bigger and stronger and has improved his quickness. Lemming also described this commitment as another big catch for Northwestern and head football coach Pat Fitzgerald. Many are considering this the best recruiting class in the university’s history with QB Evan Watkins of Glenbard North, Mike Trumpy of Wheaton North, and defensive end, Anthony Battle of Mount Carmel.