3rd Party Recruiting Services

We used NCSA and they did exactly what was promised. The main benefit of the service was the hand-holding and keeping my son focused on the recruiting process. They offer some good things like a nice informative web site, posting player profiles, ability to post video, call in seminars related to the recruiting process, monthy review of college contact log, etc.

My son was put in contact with a good number of schools that matched his acadamic and baseball abilities by NCSA and strongly considered some of them. BTW, he has decided to play baseball at a school that saw him at a Headfirst camp and unrelated to any NCSA contact.

Having said all of that looking back on it they really didn't provide anything we couldn't have done on our own. I learned just as much or more from this web site about the recruiting process as I did from NCSA. Don't regret using them as there were benefits, but with the knowledge I have now I won't need them for son #2.

Some people that i know here in the midwest use a service called --college prospects of america . Cant tell you much about them . Maybe some other posters might have more info on them . They have a website you can check out.

I am against recruiting services and here's why. The recruiting service is a business. No problem there. They charge money for a service. That's the American way. Nothing more than free enterprise. That's what made America GREAT.

Here's where I have a problem. The recruiting process is a highly emotional event for the parents and the players. If the parent can see the process in the same light as the recruiting service, then it's fine for both to negotiate a deal. However that's not the way it is in 99% of the recruiting situations. Parents are so emotionally involved and afraid that their son isn't going to have an opportunity to achieve his goal that they are going to spend whatever they can to ensure he has that opportunity. Parents want to buy "Dream Insurance". Seizing the moment the astute businessman (or businesswoman) realizes the parents frame of mind and begins selling their promises of a "college scholarship". They prey on your vulnerability by proclaiming their close knit relationships with vast numbers of colleges just looking for a player just like your son.
I've listened to the speeches, the promises and the offers. The big difference with me is I was able to separate the business side of recruiting from the emotional side. Why was it different with me? Probably because I was a businessman and secondly I am a skeptic by nature and wasn't caught up in all the hype. I knew I had made a proper evaluation of my son, understood "fit", and was convinced I didn't need me to purchase "dream insurance".

Your son needs two things. Talent and Exposure. Exposure makes college coaches aware of him, and his talent drives the marketing effort. You can hire all the recruiting services in the world but it will be those two things that control the recruiting outcome.
Fungo

If your son is seen at enough showcases and he plays with a high profile travel team that works for him he is fine----

After I posted I went back and read what 1st&3rd said:

quote:

he has decided to play baseball at a school that saw him at a Headfirst camp and unrelated to any NCSA contact.

That is a perfect example of how "success" unfolds. The player received exposure from Headfirst camp and common sense explains his talent factored into his decision and the coach's decision making it a proper fit.

quote:

Originally posted by LovetheGame2:
As I have been conducting due diligence

Fungo and TR are spot on.

In continuing your due diligence, this site will give you overloads of information on things you can do to help get junior the exposure needed. It will also help you roadmap your plans to keep it all logical and manageable.

No recruiting service in the world is going to care as much about your sons future as you. This is not a secret network of contacts on a Rolodex that anyone can else can provide. It's simple roll up the sleeves, nose to the grindstone work and then follow through. Why put your sons outcome in someone elses hands when you know you can make the better effort?

Best of luck, it's not a difficult task.

In my opinion a service gives insurance to parents that the student/athlete is getting the "best deal".
But, I don't know that a service knows what that "best deal" is for your son. I found that by looking at options together my son and I became closer. It was always his decision, but I was there for him to bounce off ideas. In the meantime I needed to do my homework on Academic opportunities,Coaches, costs, etc. In the end I don't know if the "best deal" was taken, but it was "our deal" and to that end it worked out great for both of us.

My advice in 2x parts.

1.) Start a spread sheet. Diligently track your data.
i.e. Schools, coaches names, web urls, contacts received, number of underclassmen at your son's roster positions.
We started with around 50x targets, a mix across D1-3. Nine months later there were about a dozen real possibilities left.
ALSO, make sure to reply to every inquiry and response you get, even if only to say you aren't interested.

2.) Buy a tripod. Shoot game video ALL the time.
Its uncomplicated and cheap to do. Even if inexperienced, you'll get good at it fast enough. Coaches couldn't care less about a professional video production.
You will also love the videos in 5,10 20 years.
BIG NOTE: Make sure to make HD video backups (archives).

We used NCSA. I would not recommend.

I think that with effort AND using the AWESOME information on this website, you have the ability to accomplish everything that NCSA would provide, save the $$$$, and possibly use those $$$$ to attend exposure event(s).......

My 2 cents..........

Agree with Fungo's assessment of Talent and Exposure.
NCSA addresses some of the exposure elements, but a high profile travel team and/or attendance at showcases are more effective, IMHO.

For the same reasons already noted by Fungo and TRhit, I'm not a supporter of recruiting services. Many of the players who play in our organization are solicited by commercial recruiting services, and almost nobody in our program has ever used any of them. The student-athletes who've been offered scholarships are quality players who've played in tournaments that we compete in, and who've attended the showcases we've helped them gain admittance to.

Players need only a few things to be offered a college scholarship, roughly in this order.
1. GRADES!!! It doesn't matter how good of a player your son is if he isn't taking care of producing in the classroom.
2. Talent. If he's a good player on a team that plays where college coaches scout, he'll get all the looks he'll need.
3. Connections. This has more to do with his HS or summer team coach. If he's on a team where the coaches take pride in helping them move to the next level, college coaches will know about him without a commercial recruiting service.

I have no problem with businesses making money from representing a player who wishes to play in college. The problem I DO have with most of them is how they prey on parent's desire/desperation to see their son get a scholarhip to play in college, and the fact that many/most of these services are based more on the ability of the parent to pay, than the ability of the student/athlete to play.

With the current recruiting class, we've seen approximately three dozen of our players go on to play in college or pro ball. Not a single one had to pay for the assistance that was given to them to get their name out there. What they did pay for was team dues to cover expenses, and their own (substantial) travel and lodging expenses when we're on the road playing in the summer.

getmynameout.com is not a recruiting service but provides a platform and a process that you control and initiate It includes all the e-mail addresses to virtually every D-1, D-2, D-3 and JUCO throughout the county.
The site worked very well for us and is inexpensive. My guy's site was/is getmynameout.com/ericgrabe if you want to get an idea how it can look.

What timing! I got a call just a couple of hours ago from a recruiting service! The total cost was $895! From the way the guy spoke, 06catcherdad is right on the money:

quote:

they prey on parent's desire/desperation to see their son get a scholarhip to play in college, and the fact that many/most of these services are based more on the ability of the parent to pay, than the ability of the student/athlete to play.

We already know he's got the right people in his corner and is getting good exposure without paying extra, so thanks but no thanks.

Hi, floridafan. Where did he land?

He chose to go the JUCO route at Daytona. He had offers from D-1's, D-2's and numerous JUCO's. He had hoped to bypass college altogether before his injury forcing him to miss his senior year. This should work out well for him though. Yours had a nice hit this past weekend!

A player and his family can do everything themselves the recruiting service can do by charging a lot of money. It's also no sweat to the service if the player doesn't get placed. They;re no emotionally invested. Yet they have your money.

Make your own business plan off the advice you receive on this site. For softball (my oldest) I used a book written by an expert, Cathy Aradi. Everything I learned from the book is pretty much what I've read on this site relating to baseball.

I can't believe this is even being debated??

TALENT and a little effort


Talk about "good deals".

11.7 divides leanly, especially when newbies are guaranteed 25%

I am not for recruiting services. Just like RJM, my daughter (oldest-06) was recruited(DI). Used the same book and it spelled it out for you.(no recruiting service used) It's alot of work and just like a second job if done right, when it comes to recruiting. With that said, son is a 2010 and I would say in the middle of it all(recruiting wise). Still alot of work to be done. He and (myself) are not using a recruiting service for him either. We have been approched by some services. Many of kids on his travel team are using one particular service. Lots of $ we do not have. This service tells us that its sometimes boils down to "Who you know", meaning "they have the contacts". But for us we just can't do it. Son and myself, will do and are doing the same as we did for our daughter. Sure hope it all works out for my son.
I will say though, that there are alot more talented boys than girls and the opportunities are less for boys, even if they (the boy and girl) have the same level of talent. JMHO

quote:

Originally posted by LovetheGame2:
As I have been conducting due diligence there seems to be hundreds of these services that promise the world. What advice can anyone recommend, or service they have had a good experience with that I should contact? I have had a couple of conversations with a company called NCSA. Does anyone know anything about them? Also are there any critical questions I should be asking them that may expose a less than effective service? Thank you all in advance!!!

Welcome to the HSBBW!
Ask away about the recruting process, we'll answer your questions here for FREE! Save your money for the necessary camps and showcases and tournies where coaches can see him close up and personal.

If all works out, you can donate the recruiting services $$ you would have paid to help keep this site going.

quote:

Originally posted by bb10:
This service tells us that its sometimes boils down to "Who you know", meaning "they have the contacts".

That's reason enough to never use that service. They are liars.

Coaches choose talent and fits, period. There's no good ole boy network out there that greases the skids, opens doors, puts the good word in, or any other euphanism. If the coach likes the player enough, he gets an offer.

CPLZ, I kind of agree with you, but by no means completely. Baseball is a "people" business, and those who've been coaching it a long time with some success usually have at least a few good contacts who trust them. I've made a diligent effort to develop the contacts that I have with coaches at higher levels and have built trust with them over the years and I'll venture a guess that is the same situation with many other long time coaches who coach higher levels of youth (under college level) baseball. Those contacts can benefit the player who is good enough, but perhaps not the obvious one that any coach can spot from a long distance. There are a ton of players who fit into that category.

I think the key is that college coaches who know you, and know they can trust what you say, will take a look at players they might not otherwise spend much time considering. The best ones are obvious to everyone and they don't need much help, but there are many players out there who can and do benefit from someone passing along a suggestion about how they can help a certain college program. The key is developing those relationships in a manner that the college coaches know your motivation isn't a paycheck from the client, but rather looking out for the best interests of the player and trying to help their program as well. I've seen it happen many times, and I'm sure that TRhit, Coach May and many others have as well. There is actually a lot of communication that goes on behind the scenes between college coaches and HS, legion, Connie Mack, travel ball, etc. coaches about leads on who they might want to know about. I'll guess that 95% of what is discussed in that manner is completely outside the awareness of the player or his parents, and it goes on often.