2 sports helpful or not?

Welcome to HSBBW...I like your question, his situation sounds pretty similar to a lot of posters' sons. I'm going to post based on what happened with our experience, so others may disagree.

Playing basketball didn't (as far as we know) help him get recruited. The fact that he could hit and run and qualified academically was all that mattered to the coach. It also didn't hurt him, because he only played basketball in the winter, and then a little bit in the summer on days when he didn't have baseball. He still went to all the tournaments and showcases that he would have had he not been playing basketball.

Personally, I think playing two sports (or three) is great for a number of reasons. You play with different kids, stay in good aerobic shape, have fun, and you lower your chances of feeling "burnt out" from just baseball, if you'd be playing in tournaments and such on the winter weekends.

In summary, I'd advocate that he absolutely continue playing basketball because it won't hurt his chances to play college baseball, and some coaches might like his athleticism even more.

Two sports comes with a price, especially basketball. It's a price many kids have successfully paid, but there is definitely a price.

Basketball season almost certainly runs well into baseball season. There is the risk of injury, of course. And there is less time for baseball camps and other development activities while he is playing basketball.

None of this is to say two sport kids don't get recruited for baseball. They do. Some coaches like two sport kids because they know they probably have more upside from their current baseball skill level (since they have never played year round.) I have also had coaches tell me that two sports is a marker of more athleticism.

My son played football and baseball, which is a little easier to do than basketball and baseball, since the seasons don't run into each other. It did mean giving up fall baseball and the tournament opportunities, however.

He would never give up the experience he had in football. It worked for him, no injury (thank God!) and his college coach actually encouraged him to play it his senior year after he committed.

The best reason for kids to play two sports is that they have fun! High school is a one time deal. If they enjoy it, do it.

Are there risks, and does it come with a price? Of course. Everything in life does.

My remarks would ditto Rob Kremers... and I agree with him 100%.
Fungo

Just one example, but at least half of the players on my sons DI team played two sports in high School, some three. Several were recruited in more than baseball. Three were all state in other sports. The other sports were primarily basketball and football, but there were some that played hockey, wrestling and even golf. Two of his teammates are currently playing football and baseball in college.
Don't know how they do it, but they are really disciplined, dedicated young men

We asked about this during the recruiting process, and several coaches encouraged it.

quote:

will playing hoops hurt his chances in any way?

That could depend on his academic intentions.

Some kids have the discipline to attend practice non-stop and still stay at the top academically, but MANY can't.

Only you can factor that.

My son is a catcher in baseball and a tailback/linebacker for his high school football team. The feedback we got from most colleges was that they liked the mix. The perception I believe is that football could add a little toughness to a player. He committed to a college the other day and the coaching staff told him to enjoy his senior football season and that they would try and make it up to a game.

Basketball is a great sport to combine with baseball. It provides conditioning, agility and hand-eye coordination training simply by playing and practicing.

SportTom, if you son enjoys pitching and his coaches are responsible with him, I think he should continue if it's fun for him. He's already got great size and is young, so why preclude anything at this point?

Always stress the grades!!! Make sure he has time for homework and studies.

TRHit is a great resource on topics like this. A message to him could be of value to you.

Good luck!

My older son is a pitcher who quit baseball during college, took it up again after graduating, and was working up to some major league tryouts this summer. He loves to play "pick up" basketball at the Y; he recently sprained his ankle so badly that he had to have therapy for 2 months and take off for 3. No tryouts this year!

In 2004, when I sold the Area Code games to Student Sports, I requested their list of high school football players from the Nike Camps.

The QB, wide receivers and running backs was my target group for inviting each player to a AC tryout.

The pro scouts supported this plan and it resulted in three players for the Area Code games and the Goodwill Series in Australia.

Several scouts will attend basketball games and track meets to search for athletes.

Bob Williams

Thanks for the replies, keep the good words coming. We were thinking that the 2 sports would be of value, it shows he is an athlete, not just a baseball player. Thanks for the reminder about the grades, he finished freshman year with a 3.4, but I think he is now just catching the importance of his grades. He sees players GPA listed right next to all their stats! So I am thinking he will be a bit more motivated for his sophomore year.
We are leaning towards sticking with basketball, he does have nice size for that also. He is actually officially 6'3 now! I like what Baseballdad1228 said about basketball providing that conditioning, agility, and hand-eye coordination. Plus he doesn't have as much burn out or overuse injuries. Thanks again, your input is so helpful in this process.

Play it all, especially if he enjoys and brings value in both sports; afterall, he only gets one go around in high school. As others have mentioned, many college coaches see multi-sport athletes as more well-rounded athletes in general. He may be an anomaly, but ask Ben Sheets if playing basketball was a detriment to his baseball career (he pitched less than 30 inn. his sr. year due to joining baseball team after basketball season).

My son played three sports through freshman year in a large classfication high school where it's a big deal to play two. His soph year the basketball coach cut him for not attending any offseason workouts even thought he was the starting point guard on the freshman team. He was busy playing baseball from from spring to fall and played s0ccer in the fall.

Without basketball the winter of soph year he worked out at baseball and physical conditioning and his baseball skills took off. Also he added strength and weight instead of running off weight on the basketball court. He still plays in the town high school rec program because he loves basketball. It's decent ball with all the cut basketball players ** and athletes from other sports.

I don't buy into getting hurt in one sport preventing playing baseball. My son stopped playing football because he didn't want to get hurt and not be able to play baseball. He had a freak injury to his MCL playing baseball.

** A lot of these kids would make a team at a school that's not a basketball power.

My son played football and basketball in high school. It cost us the opportunity of attending baseball showcases and perhaps some doors that would have opened. Nevertheless, he would not trade the priceless memories of playing football and hoops with his buddies for anything. I couldn't agree more. He wound up with a scholarship to a nice NAIA school for baseball and could not be happier.

If your son enjoys playing hoops by all means keep playing. The memories will last a lifetime. If he's good enough to play baseball in college, and is willing to work for an opportunity, he'll get one.

For the pitching question, i'll share my personal experience. I pitched and played outfield all the way through high school, always assuming i'd be an outfielder at the next level. My school recruited me as a two-way player so i kept working on the pitching. One fall season with a .150 batting average later and i was a pitcher only.

Another example is the Roth guy from South Carolina who went there as a first basemen and ended up winning 2 games in the CWS. The announcers made the comment that he could probably throw out his first basemens mitt.

Never hurts to keep the option open.

Yes good point about Roth at SC.
And I guess I hadn't really considered the different benefits of keeping the options open, son is a decent pitcher, so I appreciate you personal insight.
BTW, we were there at the CWS to see Roth pitch...great experience!

If they enjoy the sports they're involved in and having fun and are maintaining the grades, then definitely it's a plus and there's no negatives whatsoever being a multisport athlete. There are benefits to playing multiple sports with the physical conditoning. Another aspect is the mental conditoning. My son made varsity as a freshman in his other sport and got experience competing at the county and state levels early in his HS career at a high level with a top ranked team in the state. While the baseball team did not match the same success, when he made varsity baseball, he was mentally ready for competing in baseball's county tournament and had a very successful and productive playoff experience in the games he played in.

following on zomby's post about being ready mentally: when you get used to playing in a rival gym packed with people who want to see you fail, a few hecklers at a baseball game don't seem too bad.