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Gov,

My two cents.....I don't think you are going to find a much different academic recruit profile from Columbia from the other Ivys.  The academic metrics are pretty straight forward and well documented on a thousand threads on HSBBWeb. You either have those academic metrics or you don't.  The difference is the coaching and getting committments from the athletes you really want over the schools that want that recruit.  Columbia has won the conference 2013, 2014 and 2015 which is a lot harder to do than most people understand because athletic scholarships are not in play and you do rely on a contribution from every class including freshmen who can have an impact.  My son was on the Ivy last team to win the conference not named Columbia.   So, from my vantage point (on paper and seeing them in person for many years),  Columbia has out recruited its counterparts with quality and quantity every year and Boretti is a really good game coach.    So in years past many Ivy schools will get on average 8 recruits per year.  A couple to a few of those recruits may be future starters or competing for starting positions.  What I think Columbia has done is get more of those quality players for itself which leads to more internal competition and quality, but also keeps more players at Columbia that might have gone to another school in the conference.

The other thing is Columbia is trying to recruit players that want to go to school in NYC.  Let's face it NYC as a world class location and future opportunities is going to be a bigger draw (in general) for many over other Ivy cities such as Boston, New Haven, Providence, Philadelphia.  Princeton, Hanover and Ithaca are more rural or small cities.

Columbia has some momentum for sure.  Let's see how they do this year.  They've lost their pitching coach who took a similiar position with an ACC school.  I can't blame him for wanting to take a step up.   But winning 4 championships in a row would be a tremendous feat.   I'm betting against it.

As always, JMO.

Appreciate the comments Fenway.  Given the threads available on this site, there probably is a tendency to beat subjects up.  Having said that, Boretti hasn't had the normal "run" of an Ivy coach, causing more curiosity about Columbia.  It will be interesting to see how much longer he lasts at Columbia, he's probably being stalked by other high paying colleges within more competitive conferences.

 

Gov .... I have sent 6 or 7 profiles of players that were "bubble" guys. Always because of academics. Columbia has high standards as you know and there is very little a coach can do in most cases. Brett tends to recruit big players, not sure how his roster relates that nowadays since everyone is trending to small ball. All the players I sent to him ended up not qualifying academically. But that is the point, Brett still did his due diligence and contacted them all. He spoke to the parents and always let me know how things played out.

As has been stated elsewhere: 1900+ on the SATs, great grades at a good high school, and (very important to Columbia admissions) lots of AP courses junior year and fall of senior year. The more a player is a stud, the more Boretti will push admissions (albeit gently but firmly) and the more flexibility there are in these requirements--some but not a lot.

slotty posted:

Another quality Boretti seems to have is the mystical ability to recruit fewer jerks than other programs. Selflessness, team unity, and singleness of purpose are at the top of his list.

I've watched for the past years, Boretti has done remarkably well, definitely a coaching talent.   My 2018 seems to be more than interested in Ivy Ball...  Continuing the due-diligence...

My 2012 was recruited by Columbia.  I know it was stated earlier in the thread (2013 posts I think).  The athletic complex is not on campus.  It's a very nice facility, and it's 15-30 minutes by bus.  On campus facilities were one factor for my guy, so he passed on Columbia.  The HC and RC were great throughout the process and have tremendous reputations.  Just wasn't a fit for my son.

I think the players who do wind up at Columbia are happy to trade off campus athletic facilities for an incredible, actual campus (as opposed to, for instance, campus-less NYU) smack dab in the middle of Manhattan Island. But, it is definitely a legitimate personal preference--it's definitely not for every kid, as Fenway will attest.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, the players don't seem to mind the 20 minute shuttle bus to and from the campus--they catch 40 winks or bond w/ one another.

 

 

 

slotty posted:

I think the players who do wind up at Columbia are happy to trade off campus athletic facilities for an incredible, actual campus (as opposed to, for instance, campus-less NYU) smack dab in the middle of Manhattan Island. But, it is definitely a legitimate personal preference--it's definitely not for every kid, as Fenway will attest.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, the players don't seem to mind the 20 minute shuttle bus to and from the campus--they catch 40 winks or bond w/ one another.

 

 

 

Now that's a nice trade off, an incredible campus & a reminder 20m is no big deal, especially if you're heading to a great facility.  I've seen the photos and Slotty you've talked about it.  Along with a well coached & successful program.  Time will tell if 2018 is interested, but I will have no problem finding entertainment in NYC.  But, it will add significant costs to visiting my son in college.

2018 has gone from 148/150lb to 171 since Sept 1, some solid strength added.  Wonder how long it will take him to convert that to actual power.  Already seeing a few extra mph in IF velo and Exit.  Keep telling him it's a process and enjoy the journey.  

GOV, folks at Columbia are extremely supportive of the job Coach Boretti is doing. Some information I received indicated the school has already been successful in retaining him when openings elsewhere were possibly available.

If we look at their 2016 schedule, they start the season in FLA followed with a long trip to Southern CA where they will battle very top programs (nationally) such as USD, Pepperdine and Long Beach State.  There is little doubt these trips give the program terrific visibility not to mention challenges against some of the upper echelon in  D1 baseball. 

Speaking with people who are strongly connected with Columbia, and a more recent graduate (a former pitcher who was drafted,) it seems like the NCAA's are a goal and not just to get there.  They know depth is a reason they have done well but not won a regional.  The impression I have is Columbia baseball feels like they can get to a Super.  Easier said than done but one could get the impression the baseball program is a reflecting what their football results are not, and there is a lot of pride in baseball, as a result!

Nope, but please let me know if your son ends up there.  My wife and I are going to move back to NYC next year,  and I'm thinking that Columbia is going to be my adopted team. It's an easy subway ride from our future home, plus my dad was a grad.  I'll hit a few Yankees games to root against them, and a few Mets games to cry into my beer, but mostly I think I'll follow the Lions.

Midwest Mom posted:

Last post on Columbia was two years ago.  Any new insights?  Anyone's son commit here?

Phenomenal facility which is a  20m bus ride from the campus, the bus picks up athletes right at the main gate mid campus hourly (maybe on the half hour during prime time).  If you've visited you likely know that.

Boretti has had a lot of success at Columbia and it's likely a matter of time before he moves to a power conference.  He's a very nice guy, my son would have liked to play for him.  In sons case Tischler (RC) had a few MIF's he really liked and had seen play well before Boretti had seen my son.  Boretti was then on the hunt for a big bat SS who would likely move to 3B.  The talks fizzled out.... 

I'd suggest spending time on the subway from Columbia campus to midtown area to see if your son is receptive to living in the big city.  Walking around campus will give you a feel for the student population.

Ensure your son is engaged with both Tischler and Boretti and they're both on same page.  Boretti is known to yield to Tischler.

A couple of random thoughts, in no particular order:

Boretti is tough but fair; he demands a lot of his players and they will jump through rings of fire for him. He delegates a lot to his assistant coaches but there is no doubt as to who is boss.

Every year Columbia's early, non-league games are with top-level programs, which has made for some tough spring trips (W-L-wise) but undoubtedly prepare the team for their Ivy-league opponents and, if they're lucky, NCAA tournament opponents late on in the season.

Boretti and staff do a great job in terms of preparing the team and making sure they execute according to Boretti's philosophy and game plans.

The school administration and athletic department have devoted a lot of time, thought, and resources to athletics in the last, oh let's say, eight years. This represents a marked change in approach and philosophy. Still, the campus and student body are exceedingly diverse in background, interests, and make-up; athletics in general are but a part of the whole enchilada.

Ultimately, your son must be excited by the prospect of going to college in NYC and all that if offers--it's certainly not for everybody.

 

 

JCG posted:

Nope, but please let me know if your son ends up there.  My wife and I are going to move back to NYC next year,  and I'm thinking that Columbia is going to be my adopted team. It's an easy subway ride from our future home, plus my dad was a grad.  I'll hit a few Yankees games to root against them, and a few Mets games to cry into my beer, but mostly I think I'll follow the Lions.

Will do JCG!  Love the idea of adopting a college baseball team.  They need all of the supporters they can get.

Columbia was probably my son's top choice. Went to their camp as a rising Jr. Facilities as mentioned are off campus. The locker room is in a very old building behind the football fields and not impressive but there is a new building there that has a study center with theater-style multimedia athletics classroom, as well as a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning center. There's more development planned for the site. Most of the Columbia players my son spoke with got 28 or 29 on their ACT which is lower that we both expected to hear. Coach Tischler is first rate in terms of his communications. He always responded to my son's emails over the next year, kept communications open and in the end let him know when there were no more MIF spots avail over this past summer. Like many Ivy's their recruiting schedule is moving up and they look to get commits now for rising juniors.

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