A recruiting story I heard recently reinforces the value of open and honest communication between recruited players and college coaches.
An invitation had been extended by a coaching staff to a player to make an unofficial visit during one of the college team's weekend series. As the date drew nearer, the recruit (who is an excellent student) called and explained that his family's current budget didn't support the weekend trip that both sides had envisioned. It was obvious that the recruit was quite disappointed that he wouldn't be able to come to the college's campus.
Hearing of the tight family budget for the first time, the recruiter asked if the recruit and his parents were familiar with the FAFSA program and additional, academic sources of assistance. As it turned out, they really hadn't begun investigating the subject yet. In response, the recruiter was able to provide some potentially valuable information to the family; getting them started down the right path.
If this player ends up receiving academic aid that will enable him to receive a college education and play baseball at the same time, the unofficial visit missed will pale in significance to the student aid discussion the initial conversation prompted.
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