Campus Invitation

in my experience, this is just a simple introduction. don't worry about asking the right questions or getting a feel for their "interest" yet. you'll know that soon enough. as long as son is polite, shakes hands firmly, makes eye contact during conversation, etc. he'll be fine.

also, these visits are good for your son to watch how the staff interacts with players. make sure to go early and watch bp and warm-up drills. funny story with my son, also class of 2010. after his first visit he looked at me and remarked that he felt like a piece of meat......i laughed i had noticed the same. every coach on the staff shook hands to judge his grip, grabbed his shoulder and eye balled him up and down! he's a little over 6'2" and 205 lbs. it was too funny! hope your son's not shy.......

if son has a true interest in the school for academic reasons, it would be a good time to visit the admissions office, tour the campus, etc.

L8 breaking made a good point. This visit should be more about your son sizing up the school and less about them sizing up your son. However, I think the firm handshake and lots of eye contact when spoken to is just a good habit to get into. More importantly, your son can talk to the players and get a sense of how they feel about the program. I doubt he'll get completely honest feedback..but he might want to ask general recruiting questions like what's it like to be recruited? What was the adjustment like from high school to college fall ball? What kind of majors are the players pursuing?

I agree with L8 and Newcomer, go and enjoy the time on campus and any time you get with the coaches. Just be yourself (your better self of coarse).

As to some things you might ask; a) how many guys are you recruiting at my position (not just freshman but also JC transfers, b) find out how many guys already there in your position and when they graduate/draft.

Also be prepared to answer some questions like; what other schools are you interested in, what other schools are interested in you, what do you think about our facilities, what did you think about XYZ school's facilities.

Try to plan other visits if you are still interested after the first visit. I have said this before but I believe the school coaches like to see that you are VERY interested in the school. One way to do this is to visit them as often as possible. Many programs will make offers on unofficial visits to watch them play or see a basketball game. My son recieved verbal offers during such events.

Best of luck to you, and relax and enjoy it.

With our travel team we make one recommendation to the players and parents on our weekend trips: in the downtime visit the campuses in the area. Just driving thru a campus can give you an idea as to whether it fits you or not. For me the initial step is liking the campus environment.

TRhit and newcomer are right on. Visit schools and realize that you are checking them out as much as they are checking you out.

When we were at the College Select tournament in Rhode Island last fall, we got to visit URI, Brown, J&W and Roger Williams. My son didn't like URI or J&W off the bat. He fell in love with the Roger Williams campus, but unfortunately, the coach wasn't looking for catchers..