How many JUCO players go on to play after JUCO

HitaHomer1:

What you outlined sounds exactly like my son 2-years ago. Good student (also a LH postion player) that wanted to play ball. He was told the same thing, by the spring he had an offer at his choice D1, had 2 JUCO opportunities and a good D2 school in our state (no $).

He choose to pursue other options including several D3 schools. In the end he got a small scholly at his D1 1st choice school. However, he choose to go to a D3 school. Why? 4-year guaranteed grants beat a 1-year athletic schooly. Also, he knew that he would play earlier (in fact he played alot his freshman year).

In the end, the D3 choice was for him the right choice. He has had a chance to play all over the south, placed his freshman summer in one of the best collegiate leagues and found a program where he can grow as a person.

For a kid with a 3.5 GPA and good test scores, I would strongly recomend at minimum taking a look at good D3 schools that can offer him both strong academics as well as the opportunity to play ball.

Good luck.

One negative about Juco is that 2 years down the road the D1 that liked him may have a whole new coaching staff. One thing I have learen is that things are constanly changing.
The Juco route can be a good one and lots do get placed in D1 programs. It is less expensive if you chose your courses carefully. Lots of very smart guys go that route.
If you look at D1 rosters they are full of JC transfers.

ILBB is correct about the D1 BB scholarship is for 1 year but they automatically renew unless the coach cuts you. Happens but not too often. The accademic money renews if you maintain a 2.0 GPA in our case.

I am not sure of the fasination with D1 schools over other opportunities. They now have too many rules.

Plenty of kids go to JUCO and transfer, many feed into big D1 schools. Two of my son's teammates got drafted in good spots last year, both from JUCO.

D1 is the only school where your decision is binding and if things don't work out you have to sit. In this day and with new rules, be very careful.

Unless your son knows what he wants to major in, he can take the general courses that are needed for most degrees at a JUCO. Make sure you familiarize yourself with JUCO transfer rules.

On the other hand, the HS baseball player who lives and breathes baseball gets to college and realizes a whole new world exists. He needs to go where he will be the happiest, not just for baseball.

I think TPM's comments are right on. In addition, I'll say that if he commits to go the juco route, and something works out at the D1 school, he can always still go to the D1 over the juco. At least where we live, kids aren't committed to any juco program until they register and show up on campus. I coach quite a few kids who go on to play juco ball, and many of them still don't know where they're going in June, and some in July. We have four jucos in our town, in the top ranked conference in California, and many of the kids are recruited by 2, 3 or all 4 of them. The coaches ask the kids for commitments, but many of the kids change their minds from spring of their senior HS year to when they actually enroll. I even have a few juco assistant coaches on my staff, and they don't always know where different kids are going halfway through our summer season. If you think that sounds flaky compared to NLI commitments at 4-year schools, remember that many of these kids are going juco due to insufficient grades to get into a 4-year, or are majoring in baseball.

As for transfer rates, it varies widely among our schools. One thing you have to be rather careful about when talking to coaches, is how many of those transfers to 4-year schools are going on to play baseball versus just transferring to become regular students. Some of the coaches will boast that they transferred all or nearly all of their kids, and some get them all into 4- year baseball programs, but some only get a couple and the rest just transfer to finish their studies. To many people that might not matter, but if it does, be sure to check your details more thoroughly.

Just like at any 4-year school, overall fit is more important than anything else.

It is true that commitments to Juco are easily broken if a an offer comes from a 4 year program. The coaches are not happy about it but there is nothing they can do.
Yor course selection is very important inorder to max the transferable credits.
If you look at a 4 year school roster you will see the number of Juco transfers. There are a lot at almost every school you check out.

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Nice info so far...

We have one at DI, and one at JC....here are a couple more things to be aware of...

First, Some DI's thrive on JC transfers, others on developing 4 year players, some on 4 year stars, some a mix...be aware...while programs may change...good to know...

Second, How does your son FEEL? Beyond the numbers and logic it has to feel right. JC or 4 year it has to be fit that he feels really good/right about. Looking back two years later...My high academic DI would not have appreciated the JC experience regardless of the baseball fit...my JC would have felt buried at a 4 year program/school on a variety of levels.


44
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It is very difficult to predict changes. 44 knows that coaches leave and you often get close to that coach. New players come and go and it can be stressful.
You have to set priorities that are importnat. Some can go to a JC or 4 year out in the middle of no where and guys like my son can't. He feels he is missing something. I was the same way. His idea of a proper enviroment is Vegas. He is very active and needs activity and things to do when he is not playing ball. Location ranked 1st on his priorities. You are there for 2-4 years and you might as well enjoy it.
We applied to and got offers from a few JCs. One had been to the D1 world series 4 years in a row. Had a great P coach but it was in the country and he would not go. To him and me that became the most important issue. Accademics was second and BB took a back seat to those things. The only thing BB had to have was a schedile that included top BB programs.
Both avenues can be great and it really is a matter of fit for an individual.

In past years many players decided to attend juco's for 3 main reasons:
1. the player did not have good grades
2. the player needed more development before attending a D1
3. the player was drafted and wanted to attend a juco so that they could be drafted again the following year

I have had both D1 (top 25 programs) coaching staffs and juco staffs tell me that with the new rules for D1, they will look harder at the juco position players. If they must invest 25% in a player they want to make sure the player can play and that they will make it with the demanding academics. The D1 schools still plan to get most of their pitching from the high school ranks.

For some JUCO players it may be harder to transfer with the new eligibility rules.

quote:

they will look harder at the juco position players. If they must invest 25% in a player they want to make sure the player can play and that they will make it with the demanding academics.

That was my concern for new guys after o8. Spend money on immediate impact guys. Possibly no BB money for more guys than before.

I remember when my eldest son was trying to make the same decision and I was thinking that he shouldn't go to a JUCO because he was a top academic student. He ended up choosing to go to a Juco for the following reasons:
He wanted to go to a place where he could play right away and not sit on the bench.
He figured that if he went to a JUCO he would have two years to be noticed by the Div. 1 schools and then he could transfer to a better school than the schools that were interested in him coming out of high school.
He figured that as long as he transferred into a strong academic program for his last two years, his years at JUCO wouldn't hurt him. (and we saw stats that showed that graduates of the JUCO that he was planning to go to were successful academically at Div. 1 schools when they transferred)
He ended up being correct about all of these things and he got to go to a great Div. 1 school for his last two years and it was the perfect fit. (and he was a starter in games for all four years)
When my second son was ready for college it was an easy decision because we knew the JUCO route was a good one, given his situation of also not being recruited by strong Div. 1 schools. He is going into his junior year now and playing at the same good Div. 1 school where his brother had attended.
(If he chooses the JUCO route: I think your son should tell the Div. 1 coach that he would really like to play at that school in the future and that he is going to be playing at ____________ Junior college this coming year so he can get the playing time.)

great comments, lots to consider, and thank you again for all the help.

We are going to call the coach back on one JUCO in particular that is close to the DI where he really wants to go. We'll see what happens. We now have
Plan A: Favorite DI
Plan B: JUCO or possibly other DI
Plan C: Favorite DII (official visit next month)
Plan D: Favorite DIII.
Now, how many times do you think the above scenario will change

quote:

Now, how many times do you think the above scenario will change

Ain't that the truth?! My husband and I can usually tell who is son's first choice for the moment by what school's jersey he is wearing that day.

TPM is right. The key thing is how your son feels. Would he feel comfortable academically and socially on a JC campus given his achievements in high school, and would he miss the experience of his first few years in college? Our son wanted a major D1, and not the JC route, and he will have to earn his playing time. His catcher from high school graduated a year ahead of him and has thrived at a local JC, although it is a commuter campus, there is zero social life for him, and the classes are less than challenging (according to him - but please all you JC parents, I mean no disrespect to any of your boys or your schools).

As far as baseball goes, the talent at a top JC is every bit as competitive as many D1s. Like 06CatcherDad says, don't assume anything based on promises of coaches.

Are the new rules we have been stressing over applicable to D-2 also? It seems sometimes that the rules follow D-1 and D-2 closely. What is the case with the transfer rule? Anyone know?

The new rules do not apply to D2's - only D1's.

My son was offered a great athletic scholarship by a top D1 school (St. John's) during the early signing period of last year while he was attending JC. We waited until the second signing period as there were other top D1 programs in the area looking at him, but the offers were slow in coming. When a top school has a vacancy for a specific position to fill immediately, college baseball recruiting coaches need a player with experience at that position right away. Although there are no guarantees that a recruited player will be the starter, the outlook for the player is bright because they wouldn't recruit you and/or offer scholarship money to you if they weren't interested in them and their regular playing experience at the JC level may give them a slight edge over another player who was sitting a couple of years.

JC, JUCO, Community College or whatever you call them, isn't a bad way to go, especially if you want to play, rather than possibly sit and wait.

Hello Redstormdad,

I am also from the Long Beach area. Welcome to the board. My son was also a JC transfer from a local JC to a D1. Really not a bad route to take. I my son's case it was academic, but I know guys who do it because they aren't sure where they are going. A big reason is $$. I do not know where else you can get a decent colege education at $21.00 per unit.

quote:

Originally posted by HitaHomer1:
................ And, if we relented and let him go JUCO, do you tell the DI coach, "I want to play for you, please remember me, I'm right over here at JUCOX". ??? .

Let's keep this simple:

Try Alternative A: Go to school, finish school.

Try Alternative B: Go to work.

Then Alternative C: Alt A, then Alt A, then Alt B, than maybe Alt A again, then Alt B.

QED

cheers
Bear

quote:

Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
ILBB is correct about the D1 BB scholarship is for 1 year but they automatically renew unless the coach cuts you. Happens but not too often. The accademic money renews if you maintain a 2.0 GPA in our case.

BB scholarships (grants) do not automatically renew each year. Most schools say no matter what happens if the player stays out of trouble (academic or socially) they will renew them even if they are hurt or don't perform on the field, there are others that will cut them even if they have done fine on the field in hopes of making room for other players or had over committed new money not thinking that some will show up on campus or a drafted player they though would sign does not.

Next year should be interesting to see how many of the "books only" guys get their grants reduced to nothing. Others may also take non-performers' money away to make room for the 25% minimuns and the large amounts they want to give.

Sorry to get off the topic of JC's, but I thought it important to clarify the automatic renewal of BB money.

Son is sophomore at competitive JUCO in the south and was a starter as a freshman. Two weeks ago he sustained a shoulder injury that required surgery and will be out for 5- 6 months. Fortunately, it was non-throwing shoulder. He has been medically redshirted, but I am confused on how you can play a 3rd year at JUCO if you are on track to graduate in Spring?

He had a few D1's that were showing interest before the injury. Can a D1 school still make an offer this spring or summer if we stay in contact with these coaches?

To address the question about playing after JUCO, it would vary depending on the strength of the sophomore class and the program, but I would guess maybe 1/2 of the sophomores continue playing ball.

Eaglefan,

Redshirting is an option whether you're in a JC, NCAA or NAIA school to give the student athlete another year of eligibility. Our son redshirted his first JC year due to non-playing time and graduated his third year with an associate degree. The transferable credits are important and can actually assist him with entry into the college/university they intend to transfer to.

Depending how interested the D1 recruiter(s) is in your son and the position they need to fill when they need to fill it is another question to consider. It may be something you can ask them.

Redstormdad,
Thank for the reply. But in the case of being redshirted your freshman year, you would know that you could spread your credit hours out a little and not sign up for 15/16 credit hours a semester.

What is the difference if you only need 14 to graduate in the spring...but now you are medically redshirted? Can you still play the 3rd year, after receiving your AA degree?

Eaglefan,

Based on our experience and what I've read on the NCAA website having to need the 14 credits to graduate means just that. Finish the credits needed to fulfill the graduation requirements as long as he is granted the redshirt status by the coach and league (and his doctor), he has another year of eligibilty.

I'd check with the your state's Commission on Athletics or whoever oversees the league and confirm his status, as well as the NCAA for a definite answer.

Hi HH1!
We were in a similar situation 4 years ago with our second son. He was a top student with a high SAT, late round draft pick, and even had several D1 offers. However, his offers didn't feel right for him, so he decided to go the JUCO route in hopes of better options down the road.

We were skeptical at first, but he really enjoyed his JUCO experience both on and off the field. Off the field, he took every advanced JUCO class that he could, which really helped in the transfer process. Everything transfered to his D1 major and he graduated with honors 2 years later.

On the field, things didn't go as planned. Even though he loved his JUCO baseball experience, knee and shoulder surgeries set his development back. His best option out of JUCO was as an "invited walk on" to the D1 of his choice, arranged by his coach. At the D1, he didn't make the final roster cut his junior year, but technically was red shirted to allow continued use of the facilities. By his senior year he was ready to "hang up the cleats," but gave it one last shot. He made it through the final roster cuts and eventually even made the travel team. It wasn't the road that he had hoped for, but he finally took the mound last spring in several Big 12 conference games and those experiences meant the world to him!

You never know what twists and turns the future will bring ...especially in baseball. However, if your son follows his heart, gives every opportunity his best shot, and looks for the positives in every situation he won't have any regrets ...and he'll probably discover God's purpose for his life along the way.

Neat story, TxMom. Congrats to your son for persevering!

Thanks Txmom and RSD,
I just got off the phone with the NJCAA and they confirmed that he has 3 years of eligibility, in the case of a medical redshirt, and can play a 3rd year, even if he had his AA degree and unlimited hours.

Of course, most of those wouldn't transfer after a certain amount. But it was recommended to graduate and leave all options open.

Loved the story TXmom, as it is encouragement for those that have a few bumps in the road, as far as injuries go. We do not know the plans laid out for our sons, and it will likely be shown to us later in life.
Thanks.

I'm not gonna lie i play ball at a juco and it was the best decision i ever made. I signed with a school i never thought i could go to.