Headfirst Showcase

$795.

http://www.playheadfirst.com/s...l_honor_baseball.jsp

I have not been to one but they are supposed to be the best for high academic kids.

My son attended one of the Richmond events last summer, 254 players but an amazing 123 coaches. The best accessibility of coaches for players of any event I've been to. The cost is high, but these guys are setting a new standard and the follow up from coaches was/is in the dozens for my son. Well worth the time and money.

We probably saved money attending headfirst because after Richmond my son cut down the number of on campus visits we would make and cancelled fall events, as all the coaches we needed to see were in Richmond. It was incredibly attended and well run. Make sure you have the academic numbers to make it worthwhile. We have tremendous respect for Brendan Sullivan and Team. This event is intense but FUN. The player needs to be prepared to walk up to coaches and start a dialog to get the most out of attending. I highly recommend that you start your coach dialog before the event so the guys know who you are before you get there. Incredible experience for your academically focused baseball player.

I went in Jupiter. Really well organized, and the coaches were extremely accessible.

Marlins

You have a PM

Were the coaches there actually intersted or did they seem to be doing it just for the money?

My son did three headfirst camps -- one as a rising junior; two as a rising senior. Did two camps in california; and one in Richmond (actually 20 miles north of Richmond).

For my son, the camp was a tremendous recruiting opportunity (even as a rising junior).

The coaches (and there were many) were there -- in mind, body and spirit. They were accessible and even gave brief talks about their schools between games to the players (and parents). Additionally, the Sullivans each gave brief talks which really impacted my son -- younger Sullivan played at Duke (older at Stanford) and had some great introspective observations about the positives and negatives of his collegiate career.

Now, IMHO, the top d1 schools were few and far between. Of the 120+ schools at the richmond camp, the overwhelming majority seemed to be d3's; there were a few ACC schools, no SECs, almost all the Ivy's, and smaller D1's (Wofford, Davidson, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Georgetown, etc.). Check out the list of attending coaches at the headfirst website (unlike many camps, the number of coaches who actually attended the camp far exceeded the coaches listed on the site [because the site only listed the coaches who actually worked the camp; there were an additional 40+ coaches who were present evaluating the talent but who could not interact with the player/parent until the camp ended -- those coaches/schools were not even listed on the site])

And, the coaches from the schools were the top guns -- mostly either the recruiting coordinator or the hc.

I thought that the baseball talent was a notch below the Stanford camp.

We got our money's worth (which is all you can ask in this day of everyone trying to get your money).

For us, the headfirst camp was a link in the recruiting chain that turned out to have been a very important link. My son wound up being contacted by literally dozens of coaches from the richmond camp and will be attending one of those schools.

One important note: most (not all, but most) of the schools are towards the top end of the academic spectrum and a player (parents) should really do their due diligence and make sure that the academic record of the player is compatable with the schools that are recruiting at the camp -- otherwise its not the right camp for you.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Goosegg:

Now, IMHO, the top d1 schools were few and far between. Of the 120+ schools at the richmond camp, the overwhelming majority seemed to be d3's; there were a few ACC schools, no SECs, almost all the Ivy's, and smaller D1's (Wofford, Davidson, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Georgetown, etc.).


I only copied part of this post for a reason. The HEADFIRST Showcase is exactly what is described above... It is an ACADEMIC showcase for small highly competitive academically focused Ivy League and small Liberal Arts schools and NOT D1's from the ACC or SEC which are traditionally D1 top 10's. This type of showcase is great for an above average/average high school player looking to play at the next level but truly focus more on academics.

Loveumbb


Well said !!!

Loveumbb

You are correct. However, UVA, Richmond, W&M and Duke were also there (most likely because it was close)

Still highly recommend this showcase if you have high Academics goal.....

& Virginia Tech, Navy, Army

quote:

Originally posted by dad43:
Loveumbb

You are correct. However, UVA, Richmond, W&M and Duke were also there (most likely because it was close)

Still highly recommend this showcase if you have high Academics goal.....

I would actually consider UVA, W&M & Duke as Academic Schools and not necessarily baseball powerhouses, the same for V. Tech and Navy & Army.

I know three Seniors from Miami who attended a few weeks ago in Jupiter and all three are quality High School Baseball players with above average academics. But definitely not D1 material so this was the perfect showcase for them. Of the three only one has received offers.

Thanks for the info, just have to find a way to afford it

NYMet22 - Yes the Head First Showcase is a great showcase if your son is academically inclined, and he is mostly interested in mid-D1/D3 schools. Yes there were D1s from A10, Patriot and Ivys leagues and also top notch D3 schools. If your son is interested in mostly upper level D1 schools (ACC, SEC, etc), I would go to those D1 school camps. I think it is real important to understand where your son fits in terms of skill level because it is $795. The "vibe" that I got from a couple of the D1 coaches is that they are looking for that "diamond in the rough" or a couple of players that stick out amongst 240 kids. My son had a lot of interest as a result of this camp. We got to meet many coaches and continue a dialogue until he committed this Fall. One last thing, send info ahead of time to the coaches for the schools you are interested in. Some will reply, others will not reply but it gives you a starting point. Good luck, it was a great experience for us.

The headfirst showcase seems to have just the right type of schools we have been looking at. My only question is after you email the coach in advance, how is he supposed to know who you are while you are at the camp.

The kids have face to face access to the college coaches during the Showcase. So, your son can walk up to the coaches at the appropriate time and begin a dialogue. The Head First Showcase folks encourage it. That is why it is so important to start a dialogue in advance with some of the coaches for the teams he is interested in. They will also seek him out if they are interested. We had about 240 kids at the Richmond Head First Showcase from kids mostly in the Northeast and MidAtlantic. It is difficult to stand out. If you have their interest before the Showcase, more power to you.

just came back from the Nov showcase in FLA. Highly reccommend, very well run and quite a few letters of interest for my 2011 followed