Recruiting is a term you hear from the time your daughter starts playing
competitive ball at the 10U or 12U level. Initially you anticipate it, look forward
to it, and often times make many decisions based on your perception of it. You
dream of it as the process that would allow your daughter to play the game she
loves while getting her college education paid for!
As it approaches, you realize how little you really know about it, how intimidating
the process can be, and how “small and uneducated” it can make you feel. You
find yourself relying on stories told by other parents who came before you, on
rumors about coaches, teams or colleges, hear-say of offers made to one player
or another, and on what little information you can gather from a website. All too
often players and parents make a hasty decision brought on from fear! What if
I don’t get an offer from the school of my dreams? What if I don’t get another
offer? A certain coach hasn’t contacted me. What if they aren’t interested? What
if…What if…
I describe the recruiting process as the art of you doing your “homework”, which
will allow you and your daughter to make the most important decision of her
life up to this point, based on information and facts. The key is for you to feel
educated, informed, and in control of this process. Knowledge empowers you to
make better decisions!
I offer to you a perspective based on 25 years of coaching college softball at the
highest level. I bring information that college coaches aren’t allowed to discuss
at seminars like this due to NCAA rules. And I offer information that can only
be gathered from spending 25 years behind closed doors with recruits, parents,
support staff and college officials that can make this process a productive and
fulfilling experience.
I look forward to sharing this information with you so you can enjoy the most
rewarding recruiting experience possible!
Recruiting Education Seminar
2011 16A Western National Tournament
- Dates…and Updates
- New Recruiting Rules
- Which School is Right for You
- “Facts” vs. “What you Hear”
- Initial Contact
- Emails…What you Don’t Know
- Value of Camps/Clinics….What you Must Know
- Conversations with College Coaches…What They Say…What They Really Mean
- Exposure Tournaments…What They Don’t Tell You
- You and Your ASA Team…The “Teamwork” Required Between Players and Coaches to Maximize College Opportunities
- The Role Your ASA Coach Plays in Your Recruitment
- ASA Coaches…Making Sure You are a Trusted Resource for College Coaches
- ASA Coaches…How Tournaments can “Label” Your Team
- ASA Coaches…What to Include in Player Profiles and Recruiting
- Booklets…What do College Coaches Really Need
- Playing the Game…What is Really Important…From the ASA Coach’s
- Perspective, From the Player’s Perspective, and From the College Coach’s Perspective
- Versatility vs. “Utility Players”…What are College Coaches Looking For
- Making a video…Is it worth the Time/Money
- The Cost of College…How to Break it Down…Including Dorms vs. Apartments, Food Plans and What They Don’t Tell You, Transportation, etc.
- The Value of an Education
- The Most Important Information You Will Hear as A Player Going into College
- Financial Aid…Do Your Homework…Know the Facts
- Bridge Programs…
- Summer…What College Coaches Expect From You Once You Commit…
- Communication…A Vital Key to Success
- Parents…What are Your Roles…How Involved Do You Get…What You Need to Know
- Get to Know your Academic Counselor
- Dorms vs. Apartments…What to Consider
- Transportation…Does my Daughter need a Car the First Year
- College Campuses and Crime
- Answers to Questions You Have About the Recruiting Process, College and Beyond