Rising Junior - gaugeing interest

c'mon trying to learn here

mrmom.......during junior year the interest from coaches is generally:
--maybe an invite to a junior day,
--emails,
--snail mail with updates about the team.

Grateful is correct. The junior year is the info year, letters invites to camps, junior days, and now I understand a phone call in March.
Take this year as an opportunity to research each school your son is getting interest from, instead of waiting for July 1st.
Recruiting time is very stressful for your son, many will attest to that. As a parent you can help to relieve that stress by helping him to narrow his choices as early as possible. On July 1st my son got a lot of calls, the following week much less, as he had told many coaches that first week he was not interested in their program.

Thanks Folks that gives me some perspective.

Here's my advice...
We are in the heart of the recruiting process. Thought we knew who was interested. Made many unofficial visits this spring. Son has literally 3 binders of letters, many emails, at least 10 junior day invites to some great schools, lots of calls in March and on July 1. Letters that say he is a "premium recruit", he was told he was on the top of their list, he was told he was an outstanding ball player, need I go on... It all means nothing!
Until you get an official visit invitation and they tell you they will be making you an offer, they are working you! Keep all your options open.

Sorry if I sound frank, but I wish someone would have hit me over the head with this info 6 months ago.

I decided this needed to be posted here as well as in another thread, "Verbals already?"

My son committed 2 weeks ago,after a pretty stressful & frenzied July ...That pressure is off, so now he's focused on enjoying fall, doing his best in school & Spring season, when it reves up again!
Good luck to all!! Enjoy the ride! Do your homework & it'll all work out.


Here's an interesting article on "quick decisions"...from Student Sports, part of Area Code.... I see much truth in the pressure to verbal earlier & earlier...Don't agree, but it is a reality...And often these recruiters then place a "price tag" on the kids head in relation to pro scouting or the draft, so best to do one's homework before making a verbal...

http://ssbaseball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=347180

IMO..Level of interest would go something like this...(Some of these are interchangeable)...
Again this is my opinion, would be interested to see a response from "the choir"....

Form Letters and propsect data sheet - Not worth the ink. Could be 1/1,000+?

Camp brochure - Not worth ink without call asking you to come to camp. Could be 1/1,000+?

Invite to Junior Day - You're on a long, long list but at least on a list. 1/100?

Spring contact call - Some progress, this is good. Don't get your hopes up. 1/50?

Call about attending prospect camp - enough interest to want to take a look. But if you were an important prospect they would have seen you and know about you already. 25-50?

Call informing you as prospect - another long list but there is hope. 25-50?

Recruiting Trip - When they begin spend money it shows a seriouness of intent. 10-20?

Offer - level of interest really depends upon what they offer. 10-20?

-----

By the end of July many top recruits have been offered. Many have verballed.

By fall many schools start to scramble for second and third choices. The closer to the fall signing date (Early Nov) the more interested school get in second and third choices. Doors begin to open as more recruits verbal.

November is feeding frenzy. Stuff happens, because a verbal comittment is non binding. Some shools get spurned. Some players take other offers. Some don't sign at all. Late offers are made, sometimes seemingly out of the blue. You may suddenly get serious interest.

After the November signing date shools reassess. What did we actually get? The process beging again for the spring signing date.

June, MLB draft robs programs of top recruits and the better juniors. There is no telling how many opening there may be. Know of two west coast DI schools who signed four '05 players to
NLI's just a few weeks ago.

Hope this helps. Again would be interested in the choirs comments

quote:

Originally posted by observer44:
Form Letters and propsect data sheet - Not worth the ink. Could be 1/1,000+?

Observer44, just want to check and clarify for myself and others. I agree that the data sheets by themselves are 1/1000+ , my son has filled out from some schools multiple times (they send 1 after seeing him play, even though there should be one on file).

They are important to complete, and should be returned. I know you were talking about level of interest, I just don't want someone to misread and think you can get to "offer" stage without some of the other 1/1000 steps first (for most players).

Sorry about that impression ND!.....Was lisitng level of interest from various contact methods of programs

You are absolutley right.

IMO Non Blue Chip beggers are not choosers. For us non Blue chips, you must leave no stone unturned. No matter how low the odds, unless the expense is beyond your means. You just never know exactly what is going to "catch" and what is not. Fill out every data sheet. Keep every letter. Even the ones you're not particularly intererested in. Know more than one player who ultimately decided that a school that was initially low on his list became the school that was the best fit.

As far as filling numerous ones out? Had the same experience. They keep sending them you keep filling them out. I am certain that many are just kept for marketing purposes for propect camps, but the single one that WAS sent with specific intent and gets back and into the right hands might just do you some good.

Thanks for squaring me up.

I know schools can't send anything but a questionaire until Sept. of their Jr. year (right?) But do many get questionaires before then? My son is a jr. LHP, 6', 165lbs. Went to PG underclass last yr.-got an 8, throwing 81 with accuracy, "advanced hitting ability", etc. Went to Top Prospect this year, throwing 84, don't have ratings yet. He's been a starting Varsity pitcher since his freshman yr-he's at a 5A school in the Houston area. He's been to two college camps-they seem interested in following him at the time, but no questionaires. He's not on one of the "Big 3" offseason teams-we didn't want to spend that much yet and he wanted to stay with his local friends-but that will change this fall hopefully. I guess I'm just curious if I was jumping the gun in expecting him to get some interest at this point?! He's also a very good student.

Ormom....

Questionaires mysteriously seem to get to some players early. I think the intent is to get a leg up. The excuse is didn't know class. We got some when son was a freshman.

85 for a LHP is getting right on the border of turning heads - lefty's do not have the same velocity because they are...well...lefties.

IMO, I would would become more proactive, I immediately establish a list of preferred schools (20-30) equally distributed between dream schools, good fits and fallbacks and thgen I would research them in depth, including the baseball programs. I would also send a introductory letter to each recruiter and follow them up with a phone call expressing interest. Lots of the schools have prospect information on line.

I would go back to the programs who you spend camp time with and reestablish contact. I would ask for a frank assessment.

In a nutshell,would suggest a more proactive marketing plan, don't wait for them to come to you. The reality is that like it or not, that is the reality of the current recruiting process for the non blue chips.

ORmom, who will your son be playing with in the fall?

ORmom & others - There is no need to wait for those questionnaires. Be proactive and have your son let colleges know of their interest! Most programs have on-line profiles for prospects to complete on their baseball homepages. I suggest filling out one for every school that you are interested in. I also agree with sending personalized intro letters to colleges with your own profile/questionnaire attached. (the recruiting tips on the HSBBW homepage have samples). Unless a coach has seen you play locally or at a showcase they've attended there is NO way they are going to know about you unless you tell them! So don't sit back and wait, get your son's name out there. You never know what is going to spark the interest.

It is also VERY true that you will only know who is REALLY interested when they are making you an offer. The number of questionnaires, e-mails, phone calls, etc. are only guesses and should never be taken as an assurance of a future offer. Until you are talking specifics...NO chickens can be counted!

ORmom.
There are more than the "Big 3" in Houston area.
Suggest you contact gloveman, leftydad, kevin in missouri city...or some of the better facilities down there. see http://www.houston5abaseball.com, too.
Be proactive, as RHP05Parent suggests... Have him fill out questionaires, email & call coaches.

Thanks for the responses. He's on a team that is very good, but the team has done very little this summer. Coach is an ex-pro and should have a great program but it's been disappointing. ( Actually, it's also been kind of a nice break too before the push really starts) I just feel for the Srs. on the team.

Gloveman, he's going to play for Kyle Chapman in their league so hopefully that will lead to a chance on their summer team. Mike Rutlege said if they don't play in the fall with them, you can't be on the summer travel teams.

Mrmom,
Very good question. RHP05Parent is right on. I think all parents want to know where their son stands early in the game. About all you can do is get a “feel” for the way things are going because noting is hard and fast at this point in the game. Invites to camps are meaningless, but at least it indicates his name is on a coach’s list. Look for any kind of interest from coaches and scouts. Unofficial visits to colleges should shed some light on what the colleges think about your son. Remember, you can go to any college and ask any coach his opinion of your son. You can also pick up the phone and call coaches. It’s kind of nerve wracking being unsure of what’s going on. Trust me; if you stay proactive it will all start to make sense. One good source of information is the showcase promoter. The showcase promoters are privy to a lot of information about which coaches are looking at which players.
Best of luck,
Fungo

Great post Fungo...

Some great inputs here from several folks. This is long so bear with me--I am sharing with you my son's recuiting experenices from this past year. Be proactive DO NOT EXPECT your HS coach to do it for you. They are busy with school. Quite honestly I followed the examples and guidelines on this website under recruiting. We knew our son was getting looked at by word of mouth by several D1 and JUCOs. The summer before my son's junior year we sent a letter, newspaper clippings, stats, the schools number and the coachs number. In Septmeber of his Junior year he received questionaires to be completed from all the schools he sent letters to and some others too, to be completed by the coach and him. Interest level begins to show. The schools continue to follow up with the typical recruiting letters, schdules, handwritten notes (this is when we relized who was really interested)etc. Also asking for his baseball schedule. In March (a first this past year by NCAA rules), he received several calls from around the country, interest levels rising again, he starts slimming down his choices but does not cut any school out. For every letter he received or call he received HE ALWAYS emailed and called them back. One school in particular was really doing a tremendeous job of staying in touch--he took an unofficial in April of his Junior year and he made a verbal committment. His decision--he loved the coaches, the school and he has a couple of friends on the team. This was not easy he was also the starting QB on the football team and was getting a lot interest from D1 schools to play QB (yes after he decided on baseball committment he gave up football)that is another story. He immediately notified all the other schools of his decision--very professional coaches in the collegiate ranks, all emailed or got word to him to say "good luck" and if you change your mind before signing date keep us in mind. In July of this year he still got several calls but he was quick to thank them but he was headed to original choice of school. Now for the bottomline: Dads, Moms and juniors you must help yourself, if you are a sophomore or definitely a rising Junior start now sending those letters to show interest. Yes they will respond and yes they will want to see you preferably at one of their camps. Also, help yourself by attending at least one or two regional or national showcases via PG or other route. Tons of scouts and coaches attend these showcases. If they are interested I assure you - you will know! Again, I apologize so long but wanted you get my son's first hand expereince.

Good Job, JJAub1

Especially in the motivating department. Most sons want to go to a certain school and do not want to reply to the smaller schools or schools they have no desire to go too. I like to think of each letter or a questionaire as a honor that someone thought enough time to send it or sign off on it. To the critics , I know some letters or questionaires have a pay to play camp sometimes, but I still think it is good feeling for your son. I think a reply from your son with his signature on the bottom shows alot of maturity.

My two cents

according to ncaa rules you cant be recruited until the summer between your junior and senior year
if you talk to coaches before that it is generally because you impress them at a showcase elsewhere
if you impress them they cannot call you but they can request that you call them which is allowed or that you come and make an unoffical visit

My son who is a 2007 graduate received a package from a major college today that was sent priority mail. In the package among other things was a letter stating that they had seen him play and he was on their list of top recruits. In the letter it said for him to contact them and they would get him three tickets for a football game of his choice. The letter was hand signed by the head coach and the recruiting coordinator. Does this mean anything or is this normal?

It is called an "Invitation for a junior visit"...; and, a good thing.

Any invite is a positive sign

Congrats to the '07, however since Jr Day typically occurs in 1Q 2006, I would suggest your son email/call the Head Coach and confirm his info and realize your son is unable to officially visit since he is 2007 HS graduate to be!

smallball6355 -
Yes, this is normal & does mean something. The colleges are allowed to give a maximum of 3 general seating tickets to any school event. This invitation says that this college has an interest in your son and he is on their list of players to follow this year. It's a good sign and your son should be congratulated! Not to be taken as a guarantee of a future offer, but as a definite sign of interest.

.

ORmom..


At times like this it is well to remember that if a player really wants to play ball that there is a time a place for all. There are some rocky moments in the process for sure, but things will come into focus. Adaptions and adjustments will be made. Patience, hard work, and perspective will be rewarded....in the end, even if someimes it is not exactly the reward that one may have sought.

Frankly It is early in the recruting process for non blue chips. Know scores of kids with no current perceived interest. Welcome to the club, it's a large membership.

Ask schools that have seen him for an honest asessment, change the things that you can, accept the things you can't and adjust the process. Don't sit back and stew, there is not time for that, keep working, keep asking questions, keep working on answers, keep looking for the right fit, keep up the communication process...

As for the injury, good words from the doctor are to be grabbed and held. This is GOOD NEWS! Know a score of kids who had Tommy John senior year who are still working the dream. Use that worry energy on getting better physical therapy, rest, Ice,....)

Keep working...It's a long bumpy road...but well worth it if your player holds the dream...


.


.

I reccommend that your son be proactive in their college selection. If there are certain schools you as a family are interested in then you should pick up the phone and call their coach. To me its better then a letter, I get to guage a kids interest and excitement about playing through a conversation. Its not easy for a kid to have the nerve to call a coach and say "Hey coach I think I can help your program" to me that means alot about his character and maturity. There are plenty of players I would like to have on our program that I will just never get a chance to see or hear about, but I know they are out there and they could help us. So if players are more proactive and approach us it could be a good situation for both sides.

ORMom - First of all, there are many here that understand the worries you have for your son. Many of us have fretted over what we were afraid might be a baseball or season ending injury - usually turns out to be minor thing and they're fine. So, prayers for your son and have him evaluated soon.

Secondly, my HS '05 is in a great place, so we can't complain or have regrets about how we did things, but I would do some things differently now. Simply, because I've learned. I think the advice you got from Greenville is very good. That's the one thing I would have my son do differently. Pick up the phone more and be more proactive in general. He started getting many letters his sophomore year that he never responded to simply because we were ignorant. We didn't know what to do.

So, get shoulder looked at ASAP, make a plan (prioritizing, applying, visiting, writing, showcasing, and calling)and remember to include phone calls. Also, please let us know how your son does.

Thanks for the responses. I don't mean to sound so whinny about everything-just a bad day We'll get him looked at and fixed up! I also know he'll find a place to play when the time comes-he's got plenty of time. He's a good lefty so I know somebody will want him He's got two great high school seasons left to look forward to before college so... the next chapter begins.

The vast majority of kids who play some level of college ball probably had to scramble to get their slot. There are hurdles to overcome, for sure, and we are never alone in that regard!!

For example, I somehow have to get my son "exposed" even though my job has us over here in Korea!! It's not going to be easy for us, that's for sure -- but we'll do what we can and see how it goes.

Best of luck to the vast majority -- "do not go gentle into that good night!" ATTABOY!!