My thoughts about this post began to form this morning as I posted to another member about information on a school.
I actually felt a little silly posting the school’s baseball webpage link. Then, after reading the head coach’s bio, I posted that link. Then I looked at the roster and the stats. Because of the experiences that I have had, the puzzle just started coming together.
I realized just how important that toehold of a start is. That simple process answers many questions and creates others.
After that, I read Vector’s post about his experiences with the WWBA Perfect Game tournament in Jupiter.
Having been there makes all the difference.
Next, I read the thread about “What are the top three questions that need to be asked”. With apologies to that recent poster, but, it is not the first time that has been asked. The baseball world does not hold an exclusive on the question either. I have been asked that often in the business world, too, whether the subject is new employees or an acquisition.
I think the “top three questions” plan is a normal reaction to entering into an unknown process.
Not knowing injects fear and cynicism into play and reinforces perceptions that are not always accurate.
The majority of the posts here are from the parents and players point of view. Of course, I am not a coach, but my experiences have allowed me to learn to appreciate their perspective.
The official visit process starts after a conversation between the coach and your son. “Would you like to come to my school for a visit?”
The coach would likely offer a couple of dates that probably include a home football weekend.
Once the date is settled, the coach’s assistant will follow up with an official letter notifying you that an official visit has been scheduled and some explanations about the requirements that must be met for an official visit.
You will need to fax a copy of your unofficial high school transcript so that the admissions department can determine if you will meet the school and NCAA requirements.
Your travel arrangements will be documented and your airline ticket or funds to reimburse for your auto travel will be included. As I recall, they can only pay airfare for the recruit and not the parents, but they can reimburse for auto travel costs.
We checked into the hotel as instructed under a reservation made by the school.
As instructed, we met the coach at a local restaurant for dinner. There were three or four recruits, three or four current players, and two or three coaches at the dinner. The coach introduced everyone and told each recruit the name of their host player for the weekend.
The conversation at dinner was very general. It included comments by the coaches on the seasons that the recruits had just played. He commented on his schools past season, his thoughts on his next season and the conference. Keep in mind that your first season is still more than a year away.
We were given an agenda for the entire weekend.
After dinner, the coach asked my son if he would like a nighttime tour of the campus. He toured us through the campus and we talked baseball while we rode along.
The coach was a good salesman because when we got back to the room my son said, “Dad, if the rest of this visit goes the way tonight did, this is where I want to go to school.”
I think the coach met us for breakfast at the hotel on Saturday morning.
He took us to the campus where we were introduced to a couple of young ladies who were campus ambassadors. They gave us a more detailed tour of the campus and directed us to the academic advising office. The adviser went over my son’s transcripts to make sure that he was on plan to complete the necessary requirements. He explained the tutoring program and showed the new athletic academic advising building where he would be when my son started school.
They had someone give us a tour of the dorms where he would be staying and another person explained the meal plan and how to arrange the meal plan in the spring to accommodate the baseball travel schedule.
We toured the training facilities and the dressing room.
At lunch time, we met another group of players and the rest of the coaches and trainers.
We were then taken to the football game early where we enjoyed some tailgating. We had a pass for a special entrance where we were taken onto the football field to meet some of the players early and be on the field when the teams made their entry.
We sat with the host player during the game and if we wanted something from the concession, there were a couple of those lady ambassador’s there to get it for us.
After the game, the host player took me to the hotel, and, he and my son went out for the night. The player was local and they attended one of his high school alma mater games. It was a good time for my son to get a really good idea of what it was like to be on the team by talking to the host player.
On Sunday morning, we met the coach for breakfast for about an hour. He offered my son a scholarship and explained all of the details about how it would work and how the remaining three years would work. He went over everything about academic admissions, housing, and the meal plan again. He said, “I am giving you the opportunity. What you do with it is up to you.” He explained “the opportunity’ to my son and how he thought he would eventually fit into the lineup. He explained that there was an incumbent senior at his position and that other players would also be signed at his position now and next year.
One question that always comes up is how much time does the coach give you to make a decision. In this case, we were only days away from the signing deadline, so the coach didn’t have a lot of time to give. So, he said, “I know this time is short, but go home and talk to your mother, and if she has any questions, please call me. But, I need for you to give me an answer by Tuesday morning.”
So, it was important to understand the coaches perspective in this instance, otherwise, we could have missed a great opportunity
We didn’t have three top questions to ask before the visit, but all of our questions were answered without asking.
Time for lunch.
Original Post
