Some help with recruiting on our own

Quite a bit here, but I'll start with congratulations, sounds like you have a talented son.  Because of that, perhaps it's time to sit down with him to see what his interests are, create a list of schools and come up with a plan for the next (busy) year.

Some other points:

Make sure your travel team is giving you what you're looking for and has the contacts with the schools you're son is interested in.  There was a thread started today about travel teams.  Read it, there's good feedback.

As a 2020, perhaps you should focus on D1 at this point, given they're part of that plan.  I think D2, D3 HA can wait.

Get a video, stats and start emailing the schools on your list

If you have urban D1 schools interested, perhaps you'll get suburban schools as long as they get to see your son

As far as going to the camp, I made a decision to not have any regrets during this process, so I probably went to more camps and spent more than needed.

Get ready to drive more than 6 hours on multiple occasions 

Good luck!!

What I am about to say comes from my son's and our family's experience.

- If the goal is D1 and you aren't one of those guys who are crushing HRs and/or standing out by throwing 95+ mph across the diamond or from the OF, you are one of many players who fit the same skillset as other. By many I mean a thousands. D1 schools are BOMBARDED by guys with my son's (and maybe yours) skillset every day with emails and videos. You know what makes a difference to these programs? Showing real interest in their program by showing up on their doorstep, at their camps. An NAIA head coach showed me his email inbox...one day, over 100 emails from players. Imagine how it looks further up the food chain.

- If the goal is D1 be prepared to go down a few rabbit holes before you meet the situation that is right for you, and by you I mean the school. Look, there are kids who get multiple offers and kids who can afford to field them and play them against each other (LHP who throws 90+ comes to mind here), but I would venture to say that most college hopeful players who are not potential HS draft prospects likely are going to get only one, maybe two Division 1 offers if they really have the chops to play at that level. I'm talking the guys who fill those "mid major" and "low D1" rosters. What you need to realize is the school is 100% in the driver's seat with recruiting. If they like you, you will know. They will call your son on the phone and talk to him (remember, telephones are still capable of voice calls). You need to get your son comfortable talking to coaches, because that is how they will initially assess their ability to fit into their program, unless they went 4-4 and hit for the cycle...but I digress.

- Getting a D1 offer starts with getting a relationship started with a D1 coaching staff, plain and simple. You can and should take advantage of any situation in which you can get in front of that staff. Larger showcases do that, but unless it is a Head Coach attended showcase, that assistant coach is going to be a gatekeeper who decides if he wants to get you on campus for the head coach to see and meet in my experience. Your mileage may vary, but that has been our experience.

- If you are travelling 6 hours away to visit that D1, consider yourself lucky. We have travelled cross country. It just depends on how important it is to your son to play at that level. If you get an e-mail that is clearly personal and not a generic invitation sent to thousands, you should strongly consider going. However, you also need to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff and understand college baseball programs augment their budgets via camps, and sometimes all that glitters isn't gold.

This is just our experience and only scratches the surface at what this often puzzling process of recruiting can be like. Wait, it gets even more fun when kids in your son's class get committed to schools that you can only scratch your head and go "I just don't get it, Johnny is way better than that kid."

I would say go.  What can it hurt?  Good experience for son.  Also, you mentioned that they were "hanging around him a lot", and he likes the school.  These types of opportunities will allow you, and your son, to determine exactly what he likes and doesn't like.  

I have a 2020, and my thoughts always center around, "how much is it going to cost?" College is expensive, and the baseball money for my position player is going to be very small. His goal is academic $$ - so how does that fir into your plan? Can you afford the school?

Cman posted:

I have a 2020, and my thoughts always center around, "how much is it going to cost?" College is expensive, and the baseball money for my position player is going to be very small. His goal is academic $$ - so how does that fir into your plan? Can you afford the school?

That has to be the goal, academic and/or financial aid package that includes institutional grant money. Consider athletic aid as icing on the cake. I have to think there are a fair amount of boys who will never be able to pursue their dream due to financial limitations, sad as that may be. If your son gets and maintains high grades and can achieve a good SAT/ACT test score, his chances of playing at the next level go up commensurately. Unless you are a draft prospect who is projecting for the first few rounds, bank on having some skin in the game financially. Your son can help minimize that by being an excellent student.

JMO

Have your son e-mail the the asst coach (also cc the head coach if you have his e-mail). Thank  him for the camp invite and also indicate "I am interested in your program and I hope that I made a good impression at last week's event."

See if you get a response. The response may just be "you looked great - would love to have you at camp." Or perhaps, it's a little more than that. No matter how good your son is - and it sounds like he's a solid ball player -  you are helping him take steps towards an offer. Good luck.

WCP 

I would use the camp invite to open up a conversation with the coach.  Have your son (not you) email him back.  See what type of response you get.  Or better yet, have your son call up the coach.  See if there is a phone number or cell phone number on the camp invite.  If there is use it.  The coaches are used to this.  If there is a cell phone use that one.  If they do not answer have your son leave a message saying he will call back on a specific date and time.  That way the coach will know who is calling him at that date and time.  If they are interested they will answer.

Agree with WCP...have them express a more personal interest before paying for a camp...sometimes they are form letters..ask them about your son's specific position and whether they have someone already committed..nothing wrong with putting them on the spot before paying...if you get no response then you will make an informed decision..going thru this now with 2019..good luck.

Sounds to me like this is just another revenue invite. I would only attend after asking some questions. Did they mention specifically seeing him play last week. What was it that stood out to them about his play(specifically). Will I get one on one time with the HC. 

Did the email look personal or form? Sometimes players receive “we saw you play” emails from events they registered for but didn’t attend. The colleges obtain the registration list and mass mail for their camps. 

He emailed the coach and there is interest on their end. It was fairly evident but we just wanted to make sure. He asked point blank. So we will make the trip. We are certainly not rich but hopefully merit, athletic, grants and academic add up to a good amount where ever the search ends. 

Every college these days is crazy expensive unless you go to your state school and he doesn’t want to be in a school with 70,000 students and even those aren’t cheap. 

Lots of good advice here. Thanks. 

RJM posted:

Did the email look personal or form? Sometimes players receive “we saw you play” emails from events they registered for but didn’t attend. The colleges obtain the registration list and mass mail for their camps. 

The initial email was form. Maybe trying to gage my sons interest? It’s from a coach that was at a multi school weekend camp. During the camp the coach was watching him a lot and talking to him. The reply was personal to the point of saying they look forward to meeting his family this weekend. 

cebu75 posted:

RJM posted:

Did the email look personal or form? Sometimes players receive “we saw you play” emails from events they registered for but didn’t attend. The colleges obtain the registration list and mass mail for their camps. 

The initial email was form. Maybe trying to gage my sons interest? It’s from a coach that was at a multi school weekend camp. During the camp the coach was watching him a lot and talking to him. The reply was personal to the point of saying they look forward to meeting his family this weekend. 

Well, that sounds promising, Cebu. Take the time to go, see how he likes the campus, staff etc. Make sure you go into it with no expectations and that your son just plays loose and relaxed, it will help him show well. Let us know how it goes.

Good stuff above.  Camps can be expensive when added together, no doubt about it.  I thought of my son's camps merely as an investment into the future.  I realize now how fortunate he was to get a scholarship.  Every camp gives your son the confidence and experience to ideally do well at "important" camps and showcases.  Lots of pressure on these athletes to perform optimally in their short time period when it counts.  Those schools that may be the ideal fit should be concentrated on more than others.  I found out it sometimes takes a few viewings for the RC to see something, like a light  bulb suddenly went off in his head. Just when he thought one of his high interest schools have moved on without an offer, out of the blue they started an intense recruitment with him and it worked out in the end.  So you never know what may happen, keep it up. 

Be honest, ask about level of interest and go if that's what he wants to do.

I have no doubt the D2 program would like to have your son.... how many players do you think D2 team  lose to D1 teams?   A player just hitting the recruiting circuit gets some D2 interest and is all excited , loves the D2 school , but once the D1 starts calling, you'll forget the D2........ yours is a 2020 and could end up at a D1.... I'm not saying the D2 will not offer but with 9 scholarships and probably 35 players.... they will need to know 100% that your 'in'  at this point in the game for a 2020

bacdorslider posted:

I have no doubt the D2 program would like to have your son.... how many players do you think D2 team  lose to D1 teams?   A player just hitting the recruiting circuit gets some D2 interest and is all excited , loves the D2 school , but once the D1 starts calling, you'll forget the D2........ yours is a 2020 and could end up at a D1.... I'm not saying the D2 will not offer but with 9 scholarships and probably 35 players.... they will need to know 100% that your 'in'  at this point in the game for a 2020

I guess we’ll find out this weekend and for sure Sept 1 what this school is thinking. My son wants to play D1 but at the same time doesn’t really care. And he’s more of a small school kid. And all his life he’s been in mediocre teams that he’s carried so winning at this point is like whatever. He does his best and moves on with his life. I’ll tell you just for my sanity I wouldn’t mind a decision sooner than later. I’m tired already of all the driving and hotel expenses. I think he’s getting tired too, but ofcourse I want him to make an informed decision so we’ll keep grinding. Hopefully some more interest comes through in the fall ball circuit. 

cebu75 posted:

bacdorslider posted:

I have no doubt the D2 program would like to have your son.... how many players do you think D2 team  lose to D1 teams?   A player just hitting the recruiting circuit gets some D2 interest and is all excited , loves the D2 school , but once the D1 starts calling, you'll forget the D2........ yours is a 2020 and could end up at a D1.... I'm not saying the D2 will not offer but with 9 scholarships and probably 35 players.... they will need to know 100% that your 'in'  at this point in the game for a 2020

I guess we’ll find out this weekend and for sure Sept 1 what this school is thinking. My son wants to play D1 but at the same time doesn’t really care. And he’s more of a small school kid. And all his life he’s been in mediocre teams that he’s carried so winning at this point is like whatever. He does his best and moves on with his life. I’ll tell you just for my sanity I wouldn’t mind a decision sooner than later. I’m tired already of all the driving and hotel expenses. I think he’s getting tired too, but ofcourse I want him to make an informed decision so we’ll keep grinding. Hopefully some more interest comes through in the fall ball circuit. 

Try not have the fatigue and lack of caring be transparent, as college coaches are looking for the extreme opposite.  It's a tough, long and somewhat expensive process, and you and your son should embrace it. 

Put another way, a coach told us that he's seen a thousand kids this past year, and has a recruiting class of 5 kids.  For us to be one of those thousand kids to be called in and given an offer, is because you checked all the boxes we're looking for: Talent, love of the game, enthusiasm, etc.

Coaches will read body language as much as they do the pure talent.  I'm sorry, but your response doesn't paint an enthusiastic/positive picture, but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

If he is 50/50 on D1 and doesn't care about winning what exactly are his goals?  Is he academic first and baseball second?

Generally, I think camps this early on are not a wise expenditure.  If it were a year or 18 months from now (for a 2020), then a camp can be effective if the goal is to shove yourself under someone's nose and try to close a deal.  I would make an exception and go earlier if the player really had his heart set on one particular school and was pulling out all the stops to get an offer from that particular school.

I think you could visit the school (the way any non-athlete would) to see if he likes it AS A SCHOOL.  After Sept. 1, he is eligible to take an "unofficial visit," so you can gauge their interest by asking the coaches if they would meet him while you're up there.  If they make it an "unofficial visit," you'll get no help with travel expenses, but they could provide the player and his parents with football game tickets.  If they do that and they devote time to meeting wtih and talking to him, that would answer your question 100%.  You might even leave town with an offer in hand.

He does need to take care not to go to the point of getting an offer unless he's ready to commit.  If they offer, they're going to want an answer within a reasonable time frame.  And if you act like you want an offer only to sit on it indefinitely while you shop around, you can burn a bridge.

I will say, I was glad to see the follow-up note that the son had taken the initiative of sending his own e-mail.  In these communications, the parents may serve as proofreaders or advisors, but it's his job to do this.  As for "not being good on the phone" or such, well, as my dad used to say, "You ain't gonna learn any younger."  If he's not good at an essential adult skill, the proper approach is not to try to construct a world where he never has to improve.  The proper approach is to steel yourself to do it anyway, and to repeat until you do get good at it.  Honestly, it's not that hard anyway.  He just has to get over the fear of it, same as if he were asking a girl on a date for the first time.  (Would you do THAT for him?  Of course not.)

One thing coaches want to know is, can this kid survive and thrive at our school?  Conversely, if we put money on him, is he going to be overwhelmed and flunk out come the end of his first semester, and never even play for us?

When you realize this, you can see how important it is for him to emerge from his adolescent cocoon and start tackling things in a way that shows everyone he comes into contact with that he is mature and prepared to succeed --not just on the field, but in the classroom and in managing his life when he's several hours away from parental support.

A part of this is that the parent must never, ever, do the work for the player.  The parents' involvement is limited to (a) any call upon the family's financial resources, and (b) making sure the player doesn't choose a school that is beneath him academically.

bacdorslider posted:

If he is 50/50 on D1 and doesn't care about winning what exactly are his goals?  Is he academic first and baseball second?

He’s practical. He knows he’s going to college for an education to make a great life for himself as well as the experience of being on a team and having teammates that bond during games and outside. D1,2, or 3, winning or losing that can be accomplished.  He likes playing and being a part of a team  He has a great tune in HS Varsity basketball team and they stunk. But the team sticks together. Goes out after those wins and has each others backs. That’s all he wants  

CTbballDad posted:

cebu75 posted:

bacdorslider posted:

I have no doubt the D2 program would like to have your son.... how many players do you think D2 team  lose to D1 teams?   A player just hitting the recruiting circuit gets some D2 interest and is all excited , loves the D2 school , but once the D1 starts calling, you'll forget the D2........ yours is a 2020 and could end up at a D1.... I'm not saying the D2 will not offer but with 9 scholarships and probably 35 players.... they will need to know 100% that your 'in'  at this point in the game for a 2020

I guess we’ll find out this weekend and for sure Sept 1 what this school is thinking. My son wants to play D1 but at the same time doesn’t really care. And he’s more of a small school kid. And all his life he’s been in mediocre teams that he’s carried so winning at this point is like whatever. He does his best and moves on with his life. I’ll tell you just for my sanity I wouldn’t mind a decision sooner than later. I’m tired already of all the driving and hotel expenses. I think he’s getting tired too, but ofcourse I want him to make an informed decision so we’ll keep grinding. Hopefully some more interest comes through in the fall ball circuit. 

Try not have the fatigue and lack of caring be transparent, as college coaches are looking for the extreme opposite.  It's a tough, long and somewhat expensive process, and you and your son should embrace it. 

Put another way, a coach told us that he's seen a thousand kids this past year, and has a recruiting class of 5 kids.  For us to be one of those thousand kids to be called in and given an offer, is because you checked all the boxes we're looking for: Talent, love of the game, enthusiasm, etc.

Coaches will read body language as much as they do the pure talent.  I'm sorry, but your response doesn't paint an enthusiastic/positive picture, but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

To say I’m not tired would be a lie. I’m not gonna lie. That doesn’t mean we aren’t grateful and excited when we meet a coach. I have two other younger kids also and it gets to the point where they’re ignored a bit which I don’t want. Luckily this weekend they don’t have anything so it’ll be a nice family getaway to NH which is awesome. 

Good reply Midlow Dad for everyone. I’ve never babied him that’s why he is the way he is. 

His demenour though is quite and because of the way he looks he just looks a bit intimidating. Nicest kid though. As far as the phone goes it hard because kids these days don’t use the phone anymore to talk. But yes he has to work on it for sure 

cebu75 posted:

CTbballDad posted:

cebu75 posted:

bacdorslider posted:

I have no doubt the D2 program would like to have your son.... how many players do you think D2 team  lose to D1 teams?   A player just hitting the recruiting circuit gets some D2 interest and is all excited , loves the D2 school , but once the D1 starts calling, you'll forget the D2........ yours is a 2020 and could end up at a D1.... I'm not saying the D2 will not offer but with 9 scholarships and probably 35 players.... they will need to know 100% that your 'in'  at this point in the game for a 2020

I guess we’ll find out this weekend and for sure Sept 1 what this school is thinking. My son wants to play D1 but at the same time doesn’t really care. And he’s more of a small school kid. And all his life he’s been in mediocre teams that he’s carried so winning at this point is like whatever. He does his best and moves on with his life. I’ll tell you just for my sanity I wouldn’t mind a decision sooner than later. I’m tired already of all the driving and hotel expenses. I think he’s getting tired too, but ofcourse I want him to make an informed decision so we’ll keep grinding. Hopefully some more interest comes through in the fall ball circuit. 

Try not have the fatigue and lack of caring be transparent, as college coaches are looking for the extreme opposite.  It's a tough, long and somewhat expensive process, and you and your son should embrace it. 

Put another way, a coach told us that he's seen a thousand kids this past year, and has a recruiting class of 5 kids.  For us to be one of those thousand kids to be called in and given an offer, is because you checked all the boxes we're looking for: Talent, love of the game, enthusiasm, etc.

Coaches will read body language as much as they do the pure talent.  I'm sorry, but your response doesn't paint an enthusiastic/positive picture, but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

To say I’m not tired would be a lie. I’m not gonna lie. That doesn’t mean we aren’t grateful and excited when we meet a coach. I have two other younger kids also and it gets to the point where they’re ignored a bit which I don’t want. Luckily this weekend they don’t have anything so it’ll be a nice family getaway to NH which is awesome. 

Sounds like you have a well rounded son who enjoys the game.  If I may throw my 2 cents in based on what I have observed, this might make it a little easier in what level to focus on.  I will speak in "generalities', there are always exceptions.  At the high school level players make the team based predominately on their talent.  The advanced/elite players will have a drive to get better or stay on top, which includes extra practices, lessons, weight training, proper nutrition, and such.  At the next level many times talent alone won't lead to success.  For D1 school it is almost a must to have a strong drive, confidence, winning/successful goal, etc.  The D1 players who don't put in the extra work, lack the desire, minimal effort will find it difficult to play.  Maybe at low D1 schools you can get by but still would be tough.  D2 and D3 also require a great deal of work ethics and effort, so it may not be a good choice if the attitude going in is having a good time, hanging out with teammates, traveling, etc.  College baseball must have some killer instinct, to leave your sweat/blood on the field, to be prepared and ready when you are given a chance to show what you got.  A teammate of my son rarely played in the 4 years at D1 but he enjoyed every game and practice.  What he lacked in physical talent/ability he made up for it in enthusiasm and effort.  I asked my son why he continues to play, he said because he loves the game and program.  He realizes he lacks the talent of others but wants to be part of the group.  His effort and work ethics is what kept him on the team.  Talent alone works through high school.  Those that excel and progress  in the next levels have to rely more than just talent.  Hope things work out.

cebu75 posted:

Good reply Midlow Dad for everyone. I’ve never babied him that’s why he is the way he is. 

His demenour though is quite and because of the way he looks he just looks a bit intimidating. Nicest kid though. As far as the phone goes it hard because kids these days don’t use the phone anymore to talk. But yes he has to work on it for sure 

Yes, good reply bu Midlo, however, I don't think it's too early for a 2020 to attend camps.  Rather, I think this fall is the ideal time.  12 months from now, he should have an offer.  18 months from now he'll be starting his spring season of his senior year, already accepted in a school.

Sometimes I don’t express myself the best in words in English as it’s my second language. 

I would say my son is very prideful (maybe too much so) and always does the best he can do. He works hard and goes a step further than most his age as he’s at the gym everyday while still working on baseball and baseball. 

It’s just that he understands baseball is a team sport that’s hard to win games yourself on a consistent basis. So if his team loses he doesn’t sweat it unless he had a chance to change the game. In basketball he knows he can drop 25 and guard the other teams best player and win it himself. In baseball he just does the best he can do knowing that it may have zero impact on the game. I wanted to him to box or wrestle as that’s an individual sport but the wife said no way. 

cebu75 posted:

Sometimes I don’t express myself the best in words in English as it’s my second language. 

I would say my son is very prideful (maybe too much so) and always does the best he can do. He works hard and goes a step further than most his age as he’s at the gym everyday while still working on baseball and baseball. 

It’s just that he understands baseball is a team sport that’s hard to win games yourself on a consistent basis. So if his team loses he doesn’t sweat it unless he had a chance to change the game. In basketball he knows he can drop 25 and guard the other teams best player and win it himself. In baseball he just does the best he can do knowing that it may have zero impact on the game. I wanted to him to box or wrestle as that’s an individual sport but the wife said no way. 

Sound so like you have a very talented and motivated son.  I say send him to camps, let him spend time on various campuses, playing with other good players and talking with coaches, getting feedback and compliments, etc.  I think he'll find his way and enjoy the values of being on a team.

Oh yeah, your son plays SS.  Have you seen the SS in the MLB and how they impact the game?  Just saying.

Good luck!!

CTBBallDad He’s very hard on himself. There isn’t a play he doesn’t think he should have made. He’s rangy and tall so the 3rd baseman can miss a ground ball and he’s mad he didn’t make the play. 

Its a fun process , my family has been to lots of places we wouldn’t have gone if not for his travels and I’m proud of him and I think baseball is a way of being. He will be so successful in life not as a baseball player “most likely” but at his career. Every day baseball prepares him to succeed in life. I’m a big basketball guy, but even I know baseball makes better people, teaches more lessons. He’ll be learning lessons this weekend as he goes out on his own away from his club team to explore. I’m quite proud of him for that. I offered to the other parents on his club team to come out but everyone just wants the club owner to place their kids I guess. Shame. 

Incase anyone is following. The weekend went well. The coaches watched him like a hawk. He hit great, fielded as usual. The coaches were engaged with him during the camp. 

After the camp the coaches held him back for a talk about 10 minutes. “The only position player that got a talk” Coaches gave him good feedback, my son asked some questions and the conversation ended with “We will get back to you” What that means I have no idea. As he’s a 2020 I don’t think any offer could have been made there anyway. A player gave him a campus tour. My son did send a follow up email thanking them for their time and saying how he liked the school. 

I would hope if it’s a pass they just shoot an email and say so. Especially after he showed a lot of effort to get all the way there. If it’s a yes maybe they have to put some stuff together or wait till Sept? As a parent you feel bad for your kid when they want to be wanted and have to deal with these grown up emotions at a young age. I know how hard it is emotionally when you’re interviewing. Anyway that’s the update. 

cebu75 posted:

Incase anyone is following. The weekend went well. The coaches watched him like a hawk. He hit great, fielded as usual. The coaches were engaged with him during the camp. 

After the camp the coaches held him back for a talk about 10 minutes. “The only position player that got a talk” Coaches gave him good feedback, my son asked some questions and the conversation ended with “We will get back to you” What that means I have no idea. As he’s a 2020 I don’t think any offer could have been made there anyway. A player gave him a campus tour. My son did send a follow up email thanking them for their time and saying how he liked the school. 

I would hope if it’s a pass they just shoot an email and say so. Especially after he showed a lot of effort to get all the way there. If it’s a yes maybe they have to put some stuff together or wait till Sept? As a parent you feel bad for your kid when they want to be wanted and have to deal with these grown up emotions at a young age. I know how hard it is emotionally when you’re interviewing. Anyway that’s the update. 

Thanks for the update, sounds like he had a great weekend.  Time to move up and target some D1.  Options, options, options....

cebu75 posted:

Incase anyone is following. The weekend went well. The coaches watched him like a hawk. He hit great, fielded as usual. The coaches were engaged with him during the camp. 

After the camp the coaches held him back for a talk about 10 minutes. “The only position player that got a talk” Coaches gave him good feedback, my son asked some questions and the conversation ended with “We will get back to you” What that means I have no idea. As he’s a 2020 I don’t think any offer could have been made there anyway. A player gave him a campus tour. My son did send a follow up email thanking them for their time and saying how he liked the school. 

I would hope if it’s a pass they just shoot an email and say so. Especially after he showed a lot of effort to get all the way there. If it’s a yes maybe they have to put some stuff together or wait till Sept? As a parent you feel bad for your kid when they want to be wanted and have to deal with these grown up emotions at a young age. I know how hard it is emotionally when you’re interviewing. Anyway that’s the update. 

Was this a D1 school?   Maybe someone can chime in but walking the campus with a player at this age may be a NCAA violation.  Sounds like good interest.... he could end up end up anyway from the 1 to 4 at the position on their recruiting list.  As a he is 2020 they are still looking but I think you are on the list.  "We will gt back with you" is not quiet " do you have any other offers"  can I get your grades  etc.

Good news, Cebu!  

Question... in your OP, you mentioned that travel coach handles everything with travel ball.  Has he been contacted by this school?  involved in the process?  Would he be an advocate for son?  In addition to being a good (and hopefully trusted) reference, often the travel coach can expand the pipelines of communication.

Also, I agree with BDS... typically, "we will get back to you" means some interest (level yet to be determined) but not the "ready to offer stage".  So be patient and keep working the plan with other schools in play.  Also, unfortunately, it is often the case where they do not let you know if they decide to pass.  So, don't count on that and don't take it personally if that happens.  All too common.

Bacdoorslider D2 school. It was a camp so the coach could talk but not recruiting stuff. Though he did ask how is your recruiting process going. My son just said “It just started, but it’s going well” The coach didn’t go on the tour. It was a baseball player/student that did it. 

Cabbagedad, this was my son going out in his own to look at schools. The travel coach knows he went but isn’t in on this unless they call. If they did call I’m sure he would have nothing but good things to say, though his coach wants him to go to a D1. He’s one of the better players in the organization and it is a business. So it looks better for the club if more kids go D1. 

One of the camps he went to on his own this month the coach mentioned he doesn’t even bother to contact the travel coach as he knows he won’t get an honest assessment. He actually said he would call the HS coach before he calls a travel coach. So I guess every coach has their own style. 

My point is, camps are generally not all that helpful, unless you are dead set on the particular school and ready to commit.  You're better off playing in high exposure venues at this stage.

cebu75 posted:

One of the camps he went to on his own this month the coach mentioned he doesn’t even bother to contact the travel coach as he knows he won’t get an honest assessment. He actually said he would call the HS coach before he calls a travel coach. So I guess every coach has their own style. 

This surprises me. Quality travel coaches of quality travel teams have reputations of feeding players to college ball and being objective assessors of talent. These coaches contact college coaches and promote their talent. 

I know if my son had said he wanted to play for Vanderbilt his travel coach wouldn’t have blown smoke up Corbin’s rear. He would have blown off my son. He would have told him Vanderbilt wouldn’t be interested. 

RJM posted:

This surprises me. Quality travel coaches of quality travel teams have reputations of feeding players to college ball and being objective assessors of talent. These coaches contact college coaches and promote their talent. 

I know if my son had said he wanted to play for Vanderbilt his travel coach wouldn’t have blown smoke up Corbin’s rear. He would have blown off my son. He would have told him Vanderbilt wouldn’t be interested. 

Don't want to go on a tangent too much here, and I get where you're coming from RJM, but this isn't the case for everyone, especially in many smaller cities (like where I live). There are about two "quality" travel organizations in our area, and they each largely promote players from about two of their teams (out of several at each age group). If your kid is on one of those other teams, the coaches essentially are young/local guys who may or may not have any contacts and seem to be in it primarily for the summer money. If they do have contacts, they are often local/regional which isn't helpful if your son is interested in areas outside of that. Just my two cents .

tequila posted:

RJM posted:

This surprises me. Quality travel coaches of quality travel teams have reputations of feeding players to college ball and being objective assessors of talent. These coaches contact college coaches and promote their talent. 

I know if my son had said he wanted to play for Vanderbilt his travel coach wouldn’t have blown smoke up Corbin’s rear. He would have blown off my son. He would have told him Vanderbilt wouldn’t be interested. 

Don't want to go on a tangent too much here, and I get where you're coming from RJM, but this isn't the case for everyone, especially in many smaller cities (like where I live). There are about two "quality" travel organizations in our area, and they each largely promote players from about two of their teams (out of several at each age group). If your kid is on one of those other teams, the coaches essentially are young/local guys who may or may not have any contacts and seem to be in it primarily for the summer money. If they do have contacts, they are often local/regional which isn't helpful if your son is interested in areas outside of that. Just my two cents .

I understand. There are different circumstances in different sitauations. Someone once asked me what’s different about competing to make teams in large high schools versus small high schools. There are logical answers like numbers. I went to one of the largest high schools in the country. My kids went to a large high school. We did what was necessary. We didn’t think about it. 

RJM posted:

tequila posted:

RJM posted:

This surprises me. Quality travel coaches of quality travel teams have reputations of feeding players to college ball and being objective assessors of talent. These coaches contact college coaches and promote their talent. 

I know if my son had said he wanted to play for Vanderbilt his travel coach wouldn’t have blown smoke up Corbin’s rear. He would have blown off my son. He would have told him Vanderbilt wouldn’t be interested. 

Don't want to go on a tangent too much here, and I get where you're coming from RJM, but this isn't the case for everyone, especially in many smaller cities (like where I live). There are about two "quality" travel organizations in our area, and they each largely promote players from about two of their teams (out of several at each age group). If your kid is on one of those other teams, the coaches essentially are young/local guys who may or may not have any contacts and seem to be in it primarily for the summer money. If they do have contacts, they are often local/regional which isn't helpful if your son is interested in areas outside of that. Just my two cents .

I understand. There are different circumstances in different sitauations. Someone once asked me what’s different about competing to make teams in large high schools versus small high schools. There are logical answers like numbers. I went to one of the largest high schools in the country. My kids went to a large high school. We did what was necessary. We didn’t think about it. 

I hear ya! That's another one that often can't really be predicted or generalized. My son's HS has 2500 students about 10 of which can actually play baseball.