Jupiter? East Cobb? Help!

D1 scholly offers up to 50%? And you say you cant afford it still? With his grades can he not get academic money to make up some of the difference?
Can you not applay for student loans to offset some as well.
His dream must not be to play D1 then. I don't get it? Something doesnt seem right.

Well in a year from now things may be better. But lets say I am losing my business and my income was were I don't qualify as yet. So a 50,000 yr college even to have to put out 15,000 a yr is not a good time. I couldn't even qualify for a loan right now. I have a few dollars put away for an ewvent or two. Does that make more sense?

An important equation of a good fit also is being able to afford it at the proper time. Or having a college want him bad enough to step in and see his value to them. That is why we took the full scholarship that was offered for now. I am sure times will get better or his talent will open more doors. But ,for now he is taking what the good Lord is providing! Some people can't get what they want when they want it. We are praying for good things to happen and just maybe they will. Thanks , sorry it doesn't seem right to you Eric G. That's life.

Sounds to me with your son's talent , his future will be bright . Due to my heart transplant recently I haven't worked since 2007 so I understand money being tough , luckily our son got a full ride and with Bright Futures here in Florida he should be able to play ball and get his degree without worrying about money . As far as showcasing goes , if you can afford it , let him play , at least until the draft next June . He's only a kid for so long , let him enjoy it .

You need to assess for yourself what the value of the expenditure will be. If you shell out $1000, what do you expect to get from that? You've already indicated that the 25 to 50% offers aren't substantial enough. Do you believe that the extra expenditure will bump his scholarship value up to a significantly higher amount?

Given the circumstances, the JUCO route seems a viable option. Expenses paid, draft elgible every year, getting core academics completed and has a good shot of transferring to D1 later at full scholarship.

Prime9: I totally agree. For the situation it makes perfect sense to accept the JUCO route. Get his core classes in, some guaranteed playing time (if he is that good), and all for free! The great thing about college ball is that it doesn't have to end at one school.

azallan: If he is this good, colleges should be making visits to see him play during his Senior season. Why not wait and see what happens? Sorry to hear about your business, but what a bright future your son already has!

Thanks for the input. Because he loves to play I will continue to give him opportunities to display his skills and at the same time he can build lasting memories. Yes, he may get some visits at school but because most of them already know of our current financial status they most likely will go after an OF that doesn't have that burden right now. That's ok too. He wants to see what it's like his first year. And then after the first year decide what to do next. Maybe then I will have somthing set up also. He really wants to go to Jupiter also,so keep him in mind if you hear of a team that needs another OF. Thanks again for the input. May you and yours build Great memories together! Have a Great Year!

azallen:

If he is a senior, I don't think he would be eligible for Jupiter any longer. I am not sure about this, but you should check. If he is eligible, frequently teams are looking for players, but it is not cheap.

Becuase he has a full scholarship already I have enough put away for a couple good Showcases and or Tournaments. He is a senior. Does Jupiter not have a place for Seniors to showcase in front of those gazillion scouts?

Jupiter is held in October - so your son will be a college Freshman during the next Jupiter event.

The only thing at East Cobb that might fit is the 2010 Grad WWBA tournament at the end of June. There are usually a lot of scouts at the WWBA Tournaments here.

What about the National Pre-Draft Showcase in Cedar Rapids IA, in May?

There is also the National Academic Showcase in Jupiter in June. With his grades, he easily makes that cut, I would expect.

Good luck with whatever you decide. It looks like your son has a bright future ahead whether on or off the field.

azallan, your son is obviously very talented. I hope you don't mind that I looked up his PG rating. While he did very well, he did not score a 9 or 10. (Btw, neither did my son). If his PG rating was accurate, I'm not sure you can expect much better than a 50% offer, especially since he's an outfielder. (If he were a pitcher, that would be a different story.) Hopefully, his excellent grades can net him a sizeable academic scholarship. If not, it would probably behoove him to go the JUCO route. Best wishes as you sort through your options!

AZALLAN,

We are rooting for you and Hunter. Good Luck my friend. I think your current decision is the best given the current circumstance.

RR23

What I would suggest is that you sit down with whoever offered you 50%. Hopefully it was an in-state university, so that the other 50% that you have to pay is as low as it can be for D1 play.

Ask the coach how he would feel if your son skipped summer ball to get a job. Also ask for the coach's thoughts on working part time in the fall, at least during the weeks when there are no fall practices going on. Explain that while you would love to see your son be focused on nothing but baseball and academics, the reality is that you're having trouble footing the bills.

I can't imagine that anyone would resent your asking for their advice this way. Worst case, he would say he didn't think it could work. Best case, you lay a foundation for them understanding when your son spends his summers flipping burgers or washing cars instead of playing in a collegiate wood bat league somewhere.

I don't know what things cost in AZ, but here in VA, even without something like FL's "Bright Futures" program, 50% of in-state cost is in the $7-9,000 range, and that amount can be covered with a combination of working and borrowing.

This is not to say the JuCo route is not also worth considering, but I don't know if your situation is going to improve in the next 2 years. And it may be tougher to get that 50% in 2 years, who knows. So while I don't disagree with your looking at the JuCo option, I would suggest that you not rule out the D1 option, either.

I do agree that it's not likely that continuing to show will increase anyone's offer above 50%. That's already a strong offer for an outfielder.

Yeah the 8.5 PG rating was ok. He hit the balls hard but right at people. That hurt in the wow factor. Thanks,His 50% offer was out of state of course and too far away to offset living expenses and or a friend to help. Hunter is happy with a great JUCO program for now. I was just woundering if we should still be proactive at this point. He will do his best to put up good numbers in his Senior year and his first year at AWC. He signs his papers on the 18th of this Month. He is excited and so am I for him. I just wish I could do more. But then I think it's Hunters wish to go JUCO first to fill out and get ready to go into D1 as an impact player rather than a spot player his freshman year D1 or D2 ,D3 if he wishes to pursue academics instead. I really appreciate the advise and wish you all the BEST! Who knows in a year or two I may hit the lotto or be in a position to afford 50% or even 25% if the offer goes down. Thanks again everyone!!!!!

Midlo:

Good comments. The problem in Arizona is that only two schools play DI baseball and both recruit nationally. Grand Canyon might move up to DI, but for now they are D2.

The junior college system here is amazing for baseball, but in regard to DI baseball it is nothing like Virginia or North Carolina where, as you know, there are perhaps more than 12 schools in each state playing Division I. It can be tough in Arizona for a talented player who for many reasons either wants or needs to stay in-state.

azallan,
There are a number of schools that offer in state tuition to either...

...schools on bordering states, or

...high academic students.

Junior was offered in state tuition at a number of schools due to his academics, and they weren't as good as Hunters.

Thank you! I will be looking into that for his second year in college. I have some homework to do. But plenty of time to research it.And so true Jemaz about AZ schools.

AZALLAN,

Did he ever applied to U of A or ASU and what was their response to you ? With your son's credentials, I would think they at least give him a look.

RR23

RR23, My financial situation made it to where I couldn't pursue them if I wanted to. Besides, Hunter is wanting to play now. He also likes to start out small with talented players and work his way to the top.Like Yavapai ,they say that their interest is peeked in him but since they recruit nationally they wanted to wait to see the whole menu before making a committment. They will be in the hunt for Hunter if he shows his talent in the D1 JUCO Division that he will be playing in. You know that Yavapai and Central Arizona and others in that Division will be sending out 90-95MPH pitchers. If you can put up a .300 plus ave. in that Division using wood you will be needed and wanted at the next level. So I really didn't make an effort to get him there yet. Hopefully he will continue playing at a quality level. We are excited for him and your son as well. Can't wait for the season to start. We have a couple of players on last years Championship Team playing college ball we are excited to follow also. Did you know that Mingus was chosen to play one of their season games at the Diamondback Chase Field. I think it was because Mingus beat the Nationally ranked Notre Dame Prep team twice to win their back to back State Championships. That should be a Great scouting opportunity for him and the Team. Hope his turn in the rotation doesn't fall on that day! He is an OF and a pitcher by Coaches choice. He may be in the mid 80's to upper 80's by then. But not enough to impress scouts as a pitcher. he locates well , has a good change and curve ball but will not over power anyone. I'd rather showcase his 6.6 to 6.8 range in the OF. Guess we will have to wait and see! Take care RR23 and good luck to Ryan.

Azallan, save your money and concentrate on son's last HS season. There are expenses that come up in JUCO that scholarships don't cover. Our son was suppose to be D1 material but grades took care of that and we are in the same boat, can't afford D1 anyway. Son really likes his JC coach and the program is nationally known. He will get plenty of playing time unlike most of D1 Freshman. The two years of JC will hopefully give you time to save up more too. Good luck.

azallan, can he get on a team that plays in 18u tournaments? If he's not eligible for the 17u WWBA East Cobb week maybe he can go to the 18u week. I would think their could be a fair amount of colleges their that week. Of course PGStaff can answer that better.

The more I learn about Juco's in southern and western states the more they make sense for a lot of kids. If JUCO fits your present situation and his baseball embrace it. His level of baseball talent will be satisfied and your financial situation is not burdened more. Win, win situation to me.

Every player/family is unique and I believe that their is a comfortable fit for all circumstances. We just have to understand our own situations, whether self inflicted or not, and make the decisions that make the most sense for the player and the family.

Good luck.

Yes he is 18 and would have to be on 18U Team. But then you can't just show up there without a team can you? Anyone need an OF? Hey PG maybe you have some contacts that could use an OF? Or maybe a PG team? Pass his profile on to anyone interested PLEASE and thank you.http://recruit-match.ncsasports.org/fasttrack/profile/profile.jsp?clientID=159946

AZALLAN,

I think in the PG/WWBA website, you now have the capability of placing an application to a particular tournament/showcase you are interested in and see if there would be a team interested and get back at you. You can start with that and see what Mr. PG Staff says.

Here is the link..
PG Player/Team Bulletin post
RR23.

I don't have answers for your questions, but it seems to me the cost of a week or two chasing showcases around will cost about the same as the 50% D1 money you would need to pay. I am certain that Uncle Sam does not turn down loan money- have your prospect apply and see what happens. Good luck!