Age to Start Showcases

quote:

growing in height and will probably add speed to his arm. Yet, he still dominates in his small high school

Yes.

If he played varsity this year, I would have him start now. Believe me the coaches/scouts will definitely take his age into consideration.

Let him attend some now to see what they are like and to get his name out. The as he gets older, when he attends more showcases he won't be as nervous as he will be if he waits until later to start attending them.

I agree with BigWI.

I don't look as age as much as is the boy playing varsity ball and contributing--- and Yes the coaches will take his age into consideration fully understanding that he has fare from fulfilled his potential

Agree with BigW and TR.

The quicker they start, the better that they can compare themselves to top-notch players and they get a chance to see where they have to work to improve their play.

Attending a good quality showcase will open your sons eyes. Being from a rural area as well, my son began to work harder as he saw different talent levels in both travel ball as well as the showcases. Not that he did not work hard before, but it really did give him a better mind set, which helped him to get a little more focused.

my opinion on showcases for freshman is more for the kid and parents to judge where they stack up, vs getting much attention from scouts.

By attending, your son will get an idea of competition outside of his local area. Don't worry about the scouts and enjoy watching how your son plays against people he has not grown up playing against.

I have to agree that the showcases for freshman are more for the kid and parents to judge where they stack up. We recently attended PG's U15 Midwest Showcase.

Attending the showcase opened our eyes on where my son fits in and has given us some idea of the things that we need to work on to improve. His numbers/readings weren't up at the top of the list during the skills portion, but he played fairly well during the games portion.

My son had a great time in a no pressure atmosphere, we were able to gauge his level of play, he made some friends (learned a few things from other players), played on a great field, and got to see how a showcase is run.

Additionally, I was able to meet other parents in the same situation and do a little networking. One parent/coach has indicated interest in my son playing as a guest on their travel team during a tournament in the Omaha area.

Based on our experience at this showcase, and a little focused work on increasing velocity and running speed, we intend on attending additional showcases, especially those in the Midwest.