This came earlier this fall to my son from a top academic D1 coach. His emails are very good advice for all, so I thought I would share. Its a good follow up to our other threads on HFirst.
What’s your take on summer camps, clinics and showcases?
Every year, it seems as though there are more and more “opportunities” for high school athletes to showcase their abilities to college coaches. In the college baseball world, that certainly holds true but with that growth of recruiting options comes a level of uncertainty for the prospective student-athlete. Players and their families are often overwhelmed with the number of options they are presented with and wonder if they are allocating their time and money in an effective and efficient way. Those options often include, “local” summer coaches/ programs, travel ball opportunities, showcases, and individual school camps and clinics. Every event/ opportunity will undoubtedly try to convince you that it is the best means of playing at the college level. While each opportunity has its own unique advantages and disadvantages, I think every high school athlete should have the following goals going in to the summer before their senior year…
GOAL #1: EXPOSURE
For the first and only time in your playing career, your priority is exposing and soliciting yourself to college coaching staffs. You need to determine what schools are of interest to you and where they’ll be next summer in the hopes of crossing paths with them as often as possible. Depending on the schools you have an interest in, your family’s recruiting budget, and the summer schedules of those coaching staffs, you can map out an effective and cost-efficient summer that will showcase your abilities to college programs.
GOAL #2: PLAY COMPETITIVELY
Showcases, camps, and clinics serve a purpose in recruiting. The biggest downside however is that it removes players from a competitive atmosphere. If you can occasionally return to the competitive setting of games and competition, it will absolutely help you once you get to the college level.
THE IDEAL: If my son was a high school baseball player looking to attend a high-end academic institution, here’s the path I would have him take…
Summer after FRESHMAN year: Maximize the number of competitive games he plays and avoid worrying about attending any showcases. However, if there is a showcase that does not conflict with his team’s schedule and includes a number of schools that are of interest in him, it will definitely be beneficial to get to know those staffs and to accustom himself with the showcase setting.
Summer after SOPHOMORE year: Maximize the number of competitive games he can play in and make a point of attending at least one showcase to accustom himself with the showcase setting.
Summer after JUNIOR year: Determine which showcase/ events you will attend. Then, find out if there is a team that you can also play on whose coaches will allow you to attend these events. Some programs will restrict players from doing this while others are more flexible. Ideally, you attend a good number of showcases and camps and are still able to play competitively when you have the time.
Summer after SENIOR year: Return to the competitive setting of a team and play as many games as possible.
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