Hi Everyone. My son is a 2022 MIF and has shown an interest in Point Park University. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about them? They are NAIA ad based in Pittsburgh. What concerns me is they appear to have over 70 (yes 70) on their roster. I assume they will be cutting half of the team this fall, but maybe they are building a JV team? Any insight would be great. Thank you.
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There are no roster limits for NAIA programs so many of them bring in as many players as they can. Especially if they are paying full freight. Tuition is revenue and these schools use athletics to bolster revenue by bringing in numbers. Some schools give monetary bonuses to coaches if there rosters reach certain thresholds - which I think is despicable. Big rosters translate into limited options (if any) for lots of kids. Of course, none of this is explained to a player (or parents) during the recruiting process. It’s up to you to figure it out. Caveat Emptor.
Don’t consider having a JV team a plus. JV players rarely move up. New recruits make varsity first. JV teams are revenue generators.
You say your son has an interest in them... do they have an interest in your son?
PP has a consistently competitive program and the HC has been in place for some time. He relies heavily on a pipeline of JC transfers, dropdowns and players from Puerto Rico, the Dominican and Venezuela, due in part to his personal and professional background. So, it can be particularly challenging for an incoming freshman to earn playing time and/or a roster spot. NAIA schools do have athletic scholarship to work with, so if your son is getting interest from them and they are offering decent scholy $, that is a good sign that he is the type of player that can contribute in the program. Yes, they do fall in the category that adbono describes with large rosters, so do be ware and let the scholy offer be an indicator.
You can go on the team website and view the rosters from the last several years. They will end up with a reasonable number, so yes, there will be lots of cuts from the current fall roster. But, you will clearly see that most on the final roster fit what I described above.
@cabbagedad posted:You say your son has an interest in them... do they have an interest in your son?
PP has a consistently competitive program and the HC has been in place for some time. He relies heavily on a pipeline of JC transfers, dropdowns and players from Puerto Rico, the Dominican and Venezuela, due in part to his personal and professional background. So, it can be particularly challenging for an incoming freshman to earn playing time and/or a roster spot. NAIA schools do have athletic scholarship to work with, so if your son is getting interest from them and they are offering decent scholy $, that is a good sign that he is the type of player that can contribute in the program. Yes, they do fall in the category that adbono describes with large rosters, so do be ware and let the scholy offer be an indicator.
You can go on the team website and view the rosters from the last several years. They will end up with a reasonable number, so yes, there will be lots of cuts from the current fall roster. But, you will clearly see that most on the final roster fit what I described above.
Thanks. No, we have not had any contact with the HC yet. It is just one of the schools my son is interested in. They are about 4 hours away and they have not been at any of the showcase my son attended this year so there is really know way for them to see him.