College camp vs. Showcase

I've been sorting through the same issue. For some good advice, see this thread:

http://community.hsbaseballweb...ases-and-tournaments

I suspect that these college specific  prospect camps vary widely, just like showcases do. My son did a Trosky showcase last summer, thought it was the most pointless thing he ever did.  But he also did a college specific prospect camp, where the coaching staff was very, very accessible and involved.    He had a great time and we got great feedback.   So I think it's probably a little "Buyer Beware."  Don't know how you separate the good from the bad ones - the ones that are legitimate recruitment tools for the school from the ones that are pure money makers.   But maybe they are always a mix of both.  I assume most kids they invite to these camps that have no legitimate interest in whatsoever.  They just want their money.  

When doing individual program prospect camps it's important to talk with a parent whose son experienced the camp. The most important thing is decide what schools are the target, where to get in front of them and build a business plan based on schedule and budget.

As you are probably aware, Stanford Camp and PG National Academic are a few of the biggest events for high academic prospects so you are on the right track with those on the schedule.  Son should contact recruiting coordinators of schools of interest, tell them he is interested in their program and ask if they will be in attendance. That's an easy way to open dialog. 

Regarding specific college camps, most schools do them as fundraisers.  Many do multiple dates and will have an "invite" date/time where kids of specific interest are asked to attend.  Otherwise, if there is no dialog prior to attending, it is really a crap-shoot.  Again, son should contact RC to determine if there is any level of reciprocal interest prior to attending.  If follow up dialog on their part is generic, that tells you something.  If you get something a bit more personalized, ask for a time to meet with HC before or after camp.  This will probably give an indication if there might be genuine interest. 

I would add the following:

My son attended a showcase last summer as a soph. We did it more to just get his feet wet and see how they were ran. What I noticed was that a lot of the coaches at that showcase were not what I would call "the decision" makers. Another words, the HC or RC.

Since then when he is invited to a showcase I have tried to determine who is attending. Most, but not all, showcase companies will post the coaches names who will be in attendance. If they do, you can go to that school's website to see where he is in the pecking order. For those that just list the school and not the coach I might be inclined to email the school and try to determine who is planning to attend.

On the camp front I think its pretty obvious which are "prospect" versus "capital" camps. A camp priced at under $100 and is for high school aged kids only is more likely a prospect camp versus one that is $300 and includes ages 8 - 18.

Also, atleast here in Texas, most of the school camps allow other local schools to also attend. For example Texas State's camp last summer had several JUCO and some smaller 4 year colleges also in attendence. I know TCU also allows other schools at their camp in August.

I would also add that if he has been invited to the Area Code try out that's about all the exposure he's going to need. Reports from the one here in Texas say that college recruiters come out in droves to that try out and things moved very fast for a kid that attended it whether he makes the team or not.

It depends on sons position too IMO. If he doesn't pitch he needs to make sure they play games and not just indoor camp. My son went to camps as pitcher indoors and was able to show his skills. Two D1 schools expressed interest and asked for  pitching schedule and one has come To HS game.  The other had college games that conflicted when he was pitching and they said they ll try and come during playoffs. We will also be near school for Summer tourn so they can see him then. They put on a  great camp. HC greated kids at door and all assist were there as well as a few D2/D3 coaches helping out.

only problem with both camps/showcases is they can get too big. Ask how many attend. It's hard to stand out among 150 players when u only get a few at bats during scrimmages. 

Good luck

In Division I, if you limit your showcase participation to those that involve only the Head Coach or Recruiting Coordinator, more often than not, you're making a mistake. Here's why:

The NCAA allows 3 coaches to be designated as traveling recruiters. In the large majority of cases, the Head Coach, Hitting Coach, and Pitching Coach are the 3 designated. Either the Hitting Coach or the Pitching Coach will usually carry the additional title of Recruiting Coordinator.

To leverage their presence and extend their coverage, the 3 coaches tend to divide their responsibilities regionally, They'll travel regularly to schools and showcases in their assigned region, and they'll return with copious notes about each player they observed. When they return, they share their notes and summary comments with the other two coaches; and, periodically, they sit down and decide as a team which recruits go on their actively-recruited board.

The assistant who doesn't happen to carry the RC title tends to carry every bit as much weight in this process as the one who does.His observations and evaluations are every bit as significant as the others.'

(Something else to keep in mind: Third assistants...often referred to a "volunteer assistants"... can travel to clinics if they are paid instructors. While there, they can talk to and evaluate players they instruct. Often, they return to the office with the same sort of notes and evaluations that the more senior coaches routinely provide. In this circumstance, their summary comments can have a great deal to do with a recruit's standing in the eyes of the other coaches.)

Great info -- thanks!

Thanks to all for great information!