Your Recruiting Homework

Summer seems far away at the moment and holiday events are more likely on your mind, but the secret of building a recruiting plan is the word "PLAN."  The earlier you start the more likely you are to wind up with a result that will meet your goals. 

"If you don't know where you're going any road will do."  The point is to have your destination or at least a number of possible destinations in mind when you begin.  All your recruiting efforts will be of little value if you wind up at a college or university that isn't a good fit for you.  So Step One is know what you're looking for.  There are dozens of college selection web sites, books, and applications.  Use them to make a list of schools and visit.  Use all your criteria to make your list:  your field of interest, coed or not, public or private, city or country, local or far from home, dorm or commute.  Good resources for this first screening include: Peterson's College Guide, College Confidential.....
Do all the work you can screening schools until you have your best shot at a visit list. 

Then visit each school when it is in session.  Do the tour.  Hang out in the student union.  Visit a class or two.  See if you can stay overnight in a dorm.  In other words, walking through an empty campus is almost a waste of your time.  Get the feel of the campus and the community around it.  You will know when a campus feels "right." 

After your visit make a list of colleges that would be good fits for you.  Make sure your grades and standardized scores are in their admissible range.  Research the lacrosse team, its record, the coaching staff; look at the roster and measure its strength at your position; look at the home towns of the team. Are they all local to the college or regional?  Is there anyone you know?  If so, get in touch with them and ask them about their experience. 

Now you have a list of target schools that feel right, are within reach academically, have the kind of lacrosse program where you feel your position and skills may be needed, and where the program feels good.   Now you're ready to start contacting coaches.  For each college write several paragraphs about why you want to go to that school specifically.  It might be because they have a special major, because of their location, the strength of the lacrosse program, the reputation of the quality of the coaching staff, the organization of its curriculum.  Each one must be unique and believable.  Coaches want to know that you have taken time to consider their program and truly want to be there. 

Now, write a letter (not an email) to each coach by name (no "Dear Coach") and express your interest in his school and his program.  Include your paragraphs as to the reasons for your interest, and go on to provide a brief overview of your athletic and academic record.   Include a statement of your schedule of games, tournaments and camps for the next season and invite him to attend.  Tell him that you appreciate his interest and hope to hear from him.  At the same time, go to the program's web site and complete the Prospective Recruit Questionnaire. 

Look at the locations of your schools and choose camps and tournaments which make it easy for coaches to attend.  Consider "guesting" with local teams for tournaments.  Research what camps the coach attended last year and consider attending.  Most obviously, attend the on campus camp of the school in which you have the greatest interest. Not only will the coach get to see you (and you him), but you will gain valuable insights into life on campus.

Prepare a video highlight reel with the best quality games and technical production you can.  If you can afford to use a commercial service do it.  If not survey your friends for the best techie you can find and make this a priority.  Complete your lacrosse profile (many sites offer free services for this), and draft a cover letter that is directly and personally addressed to the coach. Keep the coach informed of your schedule updates.

 Spend some time learning the NCAA rules regarding recruiting.  If they are clearly not interested move on to other schools. Learn what you can and cannot say to coaches.  Equally, find out what they can and cannot say to you and the schedule of their recruiting program.   How to talk to coaches is a subject in itself so read on for another blog entry..

Planning is the key to recruiting.  Doing your homework on this major life decision.  Put your best effort into each step of the process.  Four years of your life and all that that leads to depend on how well you do this homework assignment.