Junior College info please

Most of the time junior colleges won't sign players until the late signing period, once the four-year schools have had their pick of players and it is determined who is going to be an academic qualifier. Since there rarely is anything for them to announce after the early signing period, juco's typically will wait until the summer to announce the initial crop of signees. Many times players will sign very late into the summer as the whole scene begins to get settled down.

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What is the timeline in being recruited by a JC? When does a JC coach make his commitment to a player?

Here in Texas, the top tier of prospects who did not go D1 for various reasons have already received offers and made commitments to JUCO's. I believe the intial signing date for JUCO's is in January. This past month, several JUCO's have hosted tryouts and have told participants that they are waiting to hear back on offers they have already made and will make a second wave of offers soon. This process should continue through the spring and into the summer.

CO

Thanks. So for a player thinking of 2 years at a Juco working hard to go on to play at another level is it the summer of his jr. year or the summer of his Sr. year that is important?

I08,

So nothing is set in stone until the last minute at JC's. Sounds like a lot more compitition at the JC level as many players from upper levels can come down and the JC coaches will wait for them.

gimages, nothing seems to be set in stone at any level until the last minute. Following is a comment made to me by a D1 coach in a recent email: "usually most division one schools will add two or three junior college players late in the summer because these kids have nowhere to go and just want an opportunity to try and make the team in the fall"

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Originally posted by Infield08:
gimages, nothing seems to be set in stone at any level until the last minute. Following is a comment made to me by a D1 coach in a recent email: "usually most division one schools will add two or three junior college players late in the summer because these kids have nowhere to go and just want an opportunity to try and make the team in the fall"

Infield08 - You're so true! The landscape can change dramatically at the last minute at any school. Kids end up getting drafted, a JUCO kid decides he wants to go on to another school instead and signs late with them, a coach decides in July that he's leaving that school which can upset the apple cart in several ways.

JUCOs do sign many of their players at their signing period which begins in mid January. Because of that, they're on the recruiting trail all the time - they don't have the restrictions that a NCAA coach has. However, they do typically add players right up until the last minute. My son when in HS decided not to go to a JUCO in July before his college season he'd signed with the previous winter for a couple of reasons (a big mistake, but won't go into that). It's the end of July and he has two JUCO offers in as many days. Also, JUCOs will get calls from scouts and college coaches that they work with adding players right up until the last minute because of various changes with those players. Their roster can dramatically change the couple of weeks before school starts.

giimages - Your spot can be upset in a moment at any school. Nothing is ever safe - that's just the way it is in competitive college athletics. A great thing about JUCOs is that you can go right now (well, after the break) and work out with the team. Talking with players is a great way to find out how the coach does things, do they consider him fair (talk with several kids - not just the star and not just a benchwarmer), and what their feelings are about the school, etc. That's a great opportunity with very useful info!

giimages - I just realized your from CA. Things may very well be a bit differently there. With schools that belong to NJCAA, you're talking baseball scholarship money that can be significant. I don't believe the CA offer scholarships to that level? That would change signing and recruiting a bit.

Observer44 would be a good person to PM. His son currently plays at a California JUCO.

A lot of good info and insight that I will keep in mind. Son likes a local Juco. His Grandfather was a water polo coach at for many years. Now retired. Grades are not an issue as he could go to other colleges. His mother did a Juco then 2 years at a CSU. So we have some history with that road. Baseball will not deciede where he attends school, but he sure would like to be a part of a bb team after HS. The school has a great field with views of the San Francisco bay area and is a top program. On a selfish side it is about 10 minutes from work. I have been known to leave work early grab a tri tip sandwich and watch a ball game. Don't tell anybody. Is there any difference in contacting a Juco about wanting to play for them?

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Originally posted by gimages:
Is there any difference in contacting a Juco about wanting to play for them?

Nope. Folk's opinions differ on if you should call vs son calling, send them a video vs not sending one..... Whatever approach you take with contacting any other school will work for the JUCO. Just like contacting any other school, be prepared with the same questions. Son should be able to tell them why he's interested. Being so close will give y'all a great opportunity to "investigate" various aspects of the program which is a great thing!

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Originally posted by gimages:
A lot of good info and insight that I will keep in mind. Son likes a local Juco. His Grandfather was a water polo coach at for many years. Now retired. Grades are not an issue as he could go to other colleges. His mother did a Juco then 2 years at a CSU. So we have some history with that road. Baseball will not deciede where he attends school, but he sure would like to be a part of a bb team after HS. The school has a great field with views of the San Francisco bay area and is a top program. On a selfish side it is about 10 minutes from work. I have been known to leave work early grab a tri tip sandwich and watch a ball game. Don't tell anybody. Is there any difference in contacting a Juco about wanting to play for them?

The JUCO on the hill is a really good program and has produced some very good players. That view and very good facilities for a Calif JUCO makes it a very pleasant program to play at and view games, but as others have indicated, Calif JUCO's do not provide athletic scholarships like other states, so who will show up on the first day of try outs is a **** shoot. It is highly suggested that you contact the Calif JUCO to let them know you are interested in them so they can get a good idea of what they are working with. I understand that there are specific areas that the Calif JUCO's can legally recruit from though a player can contact what ever JUCO they want to play for.

Agree about talking to Observer 44. He has extensively researched many CA schools and usually has all the answers! Also you might try posting on Norcal Preps message board as this topic has been covered on that message board. Good luck!

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Too kind...I possess just enough information to be dangerous...many will attest to that.

I have little new...I'd concur with what has been said...We do have experience with the CA JC system..

If we are talking about the same hill...the JC on the hill has a great rep. Solid program. Always among the best in NorCal. Many players get to 4 years. My Older has played DI with some of them. Check the "JC on the hill" website.

Beyond that...Make SURE you have an Entre. It has also been our experience with the better CA JC's that it is best to have a coach call to assure them that the player is legit, and/or send a resume/video. A follow up call would ask the program for a "work out" . We went through a couple of these workouts looking for the right fit and to get get a good feel for the coaches and them with our player. Others may know better than I, but it is my understanding that CA JC coaches can only recruit from in county, or in adjacent counties. Beyond those geographic boundaries the initial contact must be by player. One of our contacts was by a college coach contacting high school caoches in contiguious counties. The HS coach referred us and told us to call the JC. The better programs do however get creative and have a series of birddogs looking for potential recruits outside. Be assured that there will likely be players from all over CA, as well as other states.

The competition for spots at the better CA JC's is pretty intense...80-100 players out in the fall..lots of players being "redshirted" each year and lots of "redhsirt" returns to compete with. IMO many programs thrive on 2nd year freshman the same way that some DI's thrive on JC transfers. IMO this practcie is on the rise at JC, however the new rules may change that.

In our instances after a workout some very good coaches gave us a pretty solid idea of where our player would stand in their program. They obvioulsy will not provide guarantees, but it gives a coach a great look and gives you some assurance that they at least know who you are among the masses. Again the competition is very tough and will only get tougher with the new DI rules and the smaller rosters.

Let me know if I can help. Good luck!

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O44

Thanks for jumping in. Wow - "80-100 players out in the fall". What is the mix of the 80-100 players(walk ons,recruits,etc.)? I did notice on some JC web sites a large roster with a lot of redshirts. Does a freshman redshirt at a JC mean only one year of play in a JC is a 2 year school? Should we start contact now (jr. year) or wait till senior year? Do we call and request a workout or does the coach call after her gets some reccomendations? Thanks for the offer of help. I plan to take you up. I am sure we have some PM in our future.

gimages
Is your son a jr or sr this spring .If he's a jr you have plenty of time & options . Ca. juco's have a sophomore showcase held each year the 1st weekend in october, one for norcal the other is for socal . It's huge the majority of D1 & D2 schools & scouts will be there ! I was at the socal one in 06' if you plan to go to the jc ask the coach if he will send you to this showcase ,5 players from each jc is allowed to participate ,this will help you get to a 4yr school after your 2yrs at the jc , as for the redshirt issue , you have 3yrs to play 2.

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Originally posted by gimages:
O44
I did notice on some JC web sites a large roster with a lot of redshirts. Does a freshman redshirt at a JC mean only one year of play in a JC is a 2 year school?

You could either transfer after the two years just as you would have - you'd have an associate degree needed if you weren't a NCAA qualifier out of HS which you seem to indicate you would be. If you are a qualifier out of HS, you could actually transfer after just the one year, but that can be tricky because you haven't been playing. Then you can remain at the JUCO for three years and would have used two years eligibility. This is a very risky proposition because JUCOs don't typically offer the classes you'd need as a third year college student and to transfer to a DI school, you'd need to meet approx 3/4 of your degree requirement. I've known kids that have done this, but IMO it's a bit like playing with fire.

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Would piggyback/concur....

You do have 3 years to play 2...and frankly this is not the preferred route...you just need to be aware of that option and be educated, or educate yourself to the realities/pitfalls. You need to be very clear that you understand and be ready to take the academic road that you may have to take,(credits, degree %'s, upper-division major credits available nearby, credit transfer potential, Qualifier/AA needs...). You need to be very sure that the school understands what you want to have accomplished in order to keep you on track. Some JC's are very good in this respect others quite lax. If they are not sharp then you will have to be. Be assured that it is all very doable, but you need to be right on top of it, there is little wiggle room. great questions to ask the program when you go visit. Does this 3 year option happen? How well do your work within the academcis challenegs this option creates? How many per year? Do they get "placed" at 4 years? What % of your players play on at 4 years? "Where do they go?" How many get drafted?

RE: The Mix of players in the fall...obviously depends upon the school (More good questions)...but you likley will have some "lettered" returnees, some "recruited" walk on's, some "offical" Redshirts who the program looks at as such, some unoffical redshirts who likley were cut the year before and are giving it a second shot, a handfull of NCAA "drop downs", and a whole bunch of players who simply walk on with good skills/background, a dream, and hope. As posted above, the numbers alone dictate that you ought to establish program contact long before the first day in the fall.

RE: Year of contact...(Another good qustion for the program) Our experience is that most of this happens in CA in spring of the senior year. Before that the programs know that most players are busy chasing 4 year options and baseball $. The Natural baseball time line brings players to appreciate the the CA JC's in the spring. We saw lots of players doing the same things that we did in the spring of senior year. IMO, while early won't hurt. It has been said by many much smarter than me, that coaches love players who are passionate for their program.

RE: CA JC Sophomore showcase..agreed, great program...and agreed, great work - if you can get it.
I had no idea that there were 5 spots offered per program (good info)...this fall our JC only sent two players (pitcher and catcher)and this JC program is simply loaded at every position, and one of CA's best year in and year out.

RE: Proceedure...Lot's of ways obviously...Here is one..IMO, Talk to your HS/travel coach, get an honest view of your play at the level of the "JC on the Hill"...assuming that is a match, ask the coach if he has suggestiosn and if he could please call them with an reccomendation...debrief the HS/Travel coach, figure interest level, establish method of contact...continue contact with the college coaches...go to their games, introduce yourself, send them schedules of your games....hope to get a work out at some point, or they will come see a game(s) and get a good picture.

Good luck!

44
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The other option to consider if you KNOW you will redshirting your first year is grayshirting.

You attend the JC your Freshman year as a less than full time student - taking for example 9 units fall and spring semester. You can work out with the team but don't play in the games - just like a red shirt. The difference is that your NCAA clock does not start until you are a full time student - therefore that first year does not count. Your second year of college begins with 18 units under your belt - and a year of college workouts - but you are still regarded as a Freshman with zero years burned off your 5 year cycle.

Obviously this is very tricky business - and you need to validate the exact path with the NCAA and your JC college coach - but it does eliminate some of the problems in the 3 years at a JC path.

08

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Yep...

Grey shirting will give you a year to develop athletically and a year to get ahead academically.

One of the more difficult parts of the grey shirt (unless I am mistaken) is that the instant you enroll in 12 units your clock begins...makes no "clock difference" if you decide after fall practice that you will drop under 12 units and take an off year...you are still now offcially on the clock, and your year becomes a redshirt and you now are looking at the difficulties of the above mentioned 3 year JC program.

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Of course, you can work it the other way as well - enroll in 9 units Fall Semester and then increase it to 12 or 15 in the Spring if you (and your coach) decide that you are going to play in the Spring. This obviously works best if you have AP or other preexisting college units before you start college so that you don't fall behind progress towards your degree.

8

Nutitup is correct about 5 players allowed from each JC, except its rare to see a coach send 5. Our son was one of the fortunate ones from his JC to attend the SoCal Showcase in 06 mentioned earlier. His JC coach sent 3 from the squad that year and only 2 this past year. Yes, there were probably 70+ recruiting coaches there and all were looking for talent to fill some holes in their programs. If you have a good showcase the calls start coming in very quickly, if not right on the field before you pack up your gear. It worked out for our son who's now on the roster at his D1.

Regarding redshirting, thats what happened as well to our son his first JC year. The JC coach was up front about our son playing behind two sophmore catchers he was trying to place in other 4 years institutions. Our son played in fall ball and non conference games his first year, which redshirted him.

I recommend asking alot of these before mentioned questions of the JC coach you are considering. Also look at their transfer rates from previous years as to how many players went on to 4 year colleges and universities, as well as how many continued on with baseball.

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And a fall grey shirt (under full time) will affect any financial aid.

Good follow up RSD...

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IMO all coaches should send 5 players to each showcase , the goal is to get as many players as they can to a 4 yr school , no matter what div. it is , that's the reason why (most) players go to jc , it's up to the player(family) if it's the right fit for him (them) . Some (not all) are going to move on. All it takes is 1 coach (scout) to like you.Go where you have the best opportunity to play .IMO try not to redshirt unless it's a medical redshirt.

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Go where you have the best opportunity to play .IMO try not to redshirt...

I would agree...this thread went a little too far down the "shirted" path...Redshirts and greyshirts are situational tools...

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