We are proud of our ongoing efforts to inform athletes and families about the college recruiting process of which we are a part.
A vast number of youngsters start playing lacrosse each year (facts).. of these a certain number find a love for the sport and may stand out in skill development. For others the skill development may blossom later. The first young team leads to another level, U10, U12... and the level of play and challenge increases. These are critical times for young lacrosse players. Finding good coaching which focuses on basic skill development, team play, and sportsmanship will provide a sound base for the major challenges to come.
By U13 and U14, boys are moving in more advanced club teams and Rising Freshmen scholastic teams. Coaches expect more; games begin to become more challenging, and as surprising as it may seem, college coaches are beginning to pay attention. So these years are the time to support your son's interest with the level of supportive coaching matching his interest. If the interest is there, this is the time for clinics, youth programs with good coaches, developmental camps, even private lessons, and certainly encouragement for lots of casual play. Recent changes in recruiting practices have pushed recruiting to younger and younger ages.
By U14 and U15 (Rising Freshmen and Rising Sophomores), the top players will be identified at camps, club teams, coaches and others and it becomes significant to signal to college coaches your son's interest in colleges. Here comes the rub: at this age few boys are ready to understand the significant dynamics of college life that will match their interests. This means that as parents it is incumbent on you to support college visits, attendance at college nights, online campus tours, discussions of life in the big city, small town, coed or singer gender school, large college or small, special majors or liberal arts. Recognizing that these are likely to change it remains important to balance the glamor of the college interest with the reality of the role of college in life.
By U16 and U17 you should be well into active college recruiting mode: helping your son identify a range of colleges, reaching out to colleges, gaining a realistic appraisal of his skills, completing the standardized examinations, understanding the admissions standards of his college interests, and helping your son reach out to coaches and evaluate their responses By this point you should be planning your son's profile, highlight video, recruiting camp attendance, continued college visits, understanding of the college recruiting process and rules and more.
We will continue to write more about these steps in future blogs. Meanwhile if you have questions drop a note to me.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
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.
"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.
Tweet Your Way To Recognition
The world of college recruiting is a dynamic one, and the dream of "if you build it, they'll come" is even less true today than ten years ago. Even as the sport expands into new areas of the country, the number of skilled players in hotbed areas offers easy pickings for college coaches with limited time and even more limited travel budgets.
Luckily, the internet offers a great levelling effect for players to get the attention of college coaches with a variety of tools that can be used to great effect. Most college coaches have been adept at using the tools of internet communication and will be responsive to your presentation online.
An important starting note. The song says "you are what you are, and you ain't what you ain't." In planning for college it behooves you to know the difference. Set your college goals for schools that fit you, feel right, and offer a path to your adult life. Athletically, know your level of reach. Get feedback from coaches as to the reality of your dreams. Don't be afraid to think big, but don't set yourself up to frustration and failure either. So, make a list of colleges that are a fit academically, socially, and athletically.
Create a video highlight reel. There are many guides for this, but the key is WOW! - powerful, well produced, complete presentation of your skills. Place it on YouTube and be sure that it loads quickly, plays well and has your contact information at least. A screen shot of your academic and bio information is helpful.
Go to the lacrosse page of each college - usually athletics, mens' lacrosse, and get the email address for all the coaches. Most often the recruiting is done by an assistant so all the addresses are important. Then navigate to the Prospective Student Questionairre and complete it. This will signal your interest and put you on the radar as a candidate.
Send the coach a letter (yes, snail mail is still helpful) saying you are interested in their school and why. Don't be vague. "I am interested in ______ because of the friendly community, my anticipated major, the quality of faculty, proximity to family..." whatever it may be, but be real. Include a DVD of your highlight reel and your contact information.
Now you are ready to show the coach that you are a great find for his program. Email him your schedule for school or club games, tournaments, and camps. Tweet your specific tournament schedule, number, game schedule, and any honors such as all star selections. Your goal is to make it easy for him to see you play, have someone scout you, or notice your achievements in quality competition.
Engage the coach and respond to communication from him or his staff. Be timely. There is an expectation of responsiveness online and delays are seen as lack of interest. Respond to all contacts. Even if it is from a second choice school respond genuinely. Coaches talk to one another and are looking both for good athletes and people who are easy to work with. Be respectful. The internet is no place for snide, snarky.
Monitor all your online presentations. Everything you write and post is fair game for review. If you have some inappropriate photos or crude text it will work against you.
Whether you are in a hotbed area or the remote part of the midwest, the internet and its tools can assist you in achieving your post high school goals.
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