Air Force

Are you complaining?

There are certain things in the "process" that you do not ask questions about

quote:

There are certain things in the "process" that you do not ask questions about

Hardly a helpful comment. And one learns so much when you are too intimidated to ask about the "process".

KD, Navy recruited my son. We never knew Navy saw him play on the field until contact was made. I'd also bet the AFA coaches have spoken with the top select coaches in DFW looking for references on your son. Enjoy the recruiting cycle. Best wishes to your son.

TR, maybe I wasn't clear with my post, but I'll try to clarify.

I don't want my son, nor does my son want to go play college ball for a team that takes anybody, regardless of their talent, as long as he has the grades to get in.

While the educational aspects and career aspects of attending the AFA highly outwiegh the success or failure of the baseball team, it takes a lot of the fun of playing the game if you are on a team with a bunch of kids that have no business being there other than they have good grades, a good SAT scores and a recommendation from a Congressman.

(not saying that is what the AFA wants, but I was curious)

Just wanted to chime in and add a little more to this topic....
We were at the Perfect Game Sunshine East showcase tis past weekend. Two of the assistant coaches from Navy were in attendance.
Can't say how AFA saw your guy, but it appears USNA is out there scoting for players. (FYI...they had a new HC last season.....I think they were around a .500 team).
Just some added info....

Going to any of the academies is an HONOR and with their standards they don't load up

dbg

for your info many kids are seen and nobody knows if the coaches were there---my own son got a scholarship and was never seen by the coaches themselves--they had talked with other coaches---that is why I say you dont ask--you just accept it

KellerDad,

Obviously, I know nothing about your son's abilities, but I assume since he is going to the Stanford camp that he has both the academic and athletic talent to prosper.

I do know a little bit about the Service Academies baseball programs because we have been following them closely for over a year. One thing to understand about all of the service academies, is that the student bodies are made up almost completely of accomplished athletes. Something like 90% of every entering class were High School Varsity letter winners. Not only do the students all have to be academically qualified, but they have to be physically and medically qualified as well.

The service academies do a great job of scouting on a national basis. They have to because unlike a regional university, they are required by law to admit a proportional number of students from all states. The service academies are regular participants in many PG events and any tournaments where there are a high number of talented baseball players.

Having said all of that, the reason to go to a service academy is NOT to play baseball. It is to serve as an officer in the US military, for a period of time or perhaps for a career. If your son wants to fly F-16s, his commitment after graduation will be 9 years instead of 5. There are many sacrifices that cadets must make in order to receive the education which is now valued at $350,000. (Sacrifices such as not being able to sleep in in the morning, not missing class, not having the freedom to go wherever you want whenever you want, not having your summers free to play collegiate summer ball, etc.)

But if it is the right fit for your son, in terms of education, discipline, career, it is hard to beat advantages that a Service Academy education provide.

When my son first became interested in Army's program, he said that playing baseball in college was his first priority and that West Point seemed like a great place and a great program to do that in. It has been interesting to watch the shift in his thinking as he seriously contemplated the larger issues of life and career. Now he is at the place where he wants West Point with or without baseball. I am very pleased to see that development in him, because I think baseball alone would not be strong enough to see one through the extradordinary challenges of a Service Academy.

BTW- my younger brother went to AFA. If you are interested, perhaps we can get together at Stanford and talk about some of the other pros and cons.

Best wishes to your son.

If your profile is updated... how can a coach call your 16 year old son?

momandcpa,

The service academies, by NCAA rule, are exempted from the July 1 contact date. This is because the time frame and difficulty of obtaining a congressional nomination make recruiting much more challenging.

The service acadamies can initiate contact any time during the junior year. The only limitation is that the number of contacts allowed are the same as the regular NCAA limitations. For that reason (at Army at least) the admissions office is not allowed to make any contact with a recruited athlete (only the coaching staff is allowed to make contact) so that there are not any compliance issues.

Thanks for the great post montanadad.


And yes, my son is now 17 and will start his SR year this fall.

VERY interesting. Thanks for the post. Congratulations, KellerDad... very exciting for you and your son!

I also want to say thanks to Montanadad for taking the time to share some really useful information. I'm not sure why some people even bother answering questions when their only answer is "are you complaining?" or "don't ask questions, just accept it". That's nuts - I thought the whole purpose of this forum was for people to ask their questions and be reasonably sure someone with some experience will be willing to share what they know.

my3 - I was joking with KD. Guess I should have used a much bigger smiley face.

As for providing help, I've given KD the name and number of an AF player's dad with whom he can talk.