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Tips to get to the college level.

CH Coach HMember
In my 20 plus years of coaching I have coached football, basketball, boys and girls, s****r, softball and track. A large part of my job has been helping student-athletes get into college. Here is a list of items that all kids hoping to get recruited need to do.

1. Take the ACT or SAT

The first thing a college ask for is what a student's GPA is, the second thing they asks is what their ACT or SAT score is and the third thing they'll ask is, 'who's offered this kid (a scholarship)?' Those are the magic questions. If a kid hasn't taken the ACT, it's going to hurt their recruiting process. They have to have an ACT on file to get an official visit.

2. Register for the NCAA Clearinghouse right away.

3. Get a quick answer

Send out information, (Grades, test scores, NCAA registration, stats, game film, etc. ) and correspond with them. And I want an answer. I want to know if this kid is what they're looking for, because colleges will string along players. What I want them to do is watch the film, look at the transcripts and see if that's someone they're looking for. We want a 'yes' or 'no' answer. 'No' is ok, but I don’t want to string a kid along, because we need to move on to the next school."

Don’t forget that most colleges now have an interest survey on their websites. Don’t depend solely on these but they are a good start.

4. Know your limitations

An athlete’s ability level is going to place them where they go. When you send film out and correspond with colleges, they're going to see film and they're going to know what they're looking for. So, you can't trick or confuse anybody. They're going to look at the film and say, 'this kid can play at this level.
And this is where parents have to be objective. Everybody thinks their kid is a little better than they really are. But don't try to force your kid into a division; he really needs to fit in to where his ability level is. If he's a Division II-type athlete, don't try to force him into Division I. If he, academically, needs to go to junior college to get those two years under him, don't try to steer him in the wrong direction. Remember a college education is the real Goal.

5. Look everywhere

I leave no stone unturned. Anybody that can help, I want their help. Whether it's a recruiting service, an alumnus, another coach on campus; whoever can possibly help you. Take all the help you can get, because you never know what person can sway a coach or get a coach to look at something. Your high school coaches are working hard for you, there's no doubt. But don't depend solely on your high school coach. There's ways you can help the process. Be careful when dealing with a recruiting service. Some are very good outfits that work hard to help athletes but some are little more than scam.

6. Good signs

If you are getting phone calls from the college, that's really good. Also, if you're getting personal hand-written letters, e-mails and text messages, you're really being recruited. Anything that shows an effort from the college coach, because (a coach is) not going to do that if he's not interested.
If you're just getting form letters, they're sending thousands and thousands of those across the country to everybody that writes, keep looking.

7. Pursue all avenues

If you're serious about a school, you need to send your kid to their camps. The colleges need to see these kids and the best way to see them is for the kids to go to their camps. If you can afford to send your kid to camps and you can afford a recruiting service, do it for your kids. If you can't, then you're going to have to rely a lot more on your high school coaches. Market and promote your kid as much as you can.

I hope these tips help you or your child in making it to the NEXT LEVEL
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TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
quote:
Originally posted by TRhit:
Coach H

R This site is for dishing out info which you have done---EAT INFO--- I did not take it as advertising--keep the info coming


TR,
You missed the link at the bottom which he removed to his video.

Coach,
Basic info that has been discussed at length.

#1. You need either an ACT or SAT.
#2. Register for the clearinghouse right away? What does that mean?
#3. This is a slow process, would you agree? If you are sending info out in the junior year, are you saying the recruit should have an yes or no answer right away? Who is we?
#4. I agree
#5. What do you mean by recruiting service, someone who takes money to contact college coaches for you? Alumni help?
#6. Yes, good sign a coach is interested.
#7. Not everyone can purue all avenues, pursue the one that is right for your player and fits your budget. I hope parents underastand that camps for some programs are used for recruiting and others to make money.

If you rely on your HS you may be in big trouble, many HS coaches have no interest in the recruiting process.

Just a few things I thought may be unclear to those who are not familiar with recruiting.
Last edited by TPM
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
Sorry all but, this "old time" poster usually knows when someone comes to try to sell their latest product or DVD. It might "appear" that they are trying to be helpful.

JMO

TR and proud-dad, did you see the link to his video before he removed it? You do know that is not allowed here, unless they do pay an advertising fee, correct?

TR, how do you know about his real varied experience, do you know this coach?
Last edited by TPM
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
Coach H,

I think TPM is referring to the link you first posted. I noticed that link suggested going to a recruiting service site. That is one thing I would disagree with you on. Anyway, as it pertains to most student/athletes.

I think most of what you posted is very good. I think your experience and knowledge will be respected here. I just disagree with the college recruiting services and the comment about your high school coach is working hard for you. I do agree with not depending solely on your high school coach. Recruiting services are a pet peeve of mine. Here is why I feel that way.

I want to be careful here so that it doesn't negatively reflect on any legitimate people involved in recruiting services.

Personally I am not a fan of recruiting services. Sometimes people start them when their normal business is not bringing in enough revenue. I know because we went that route about 16 or 17 years ago.

Here is what we discovered.

The most talented kids didn't need any recruiting service.

The least talented kids we couldn't help. Yet they were the most likely customers.

The rest needed to be seen one way or another and they didn't need a recruiting service in order to be seen.

I actually was a college coach years ago. At that time there weren't as many recruiting services around. One of the top services back then would send out big stacks of paper describing players. We found out the hard way that these player descriptions were not exactly accurate.

Once we drove something like 10 hours to go see a pitcher that sounded very interesting based on the recruiting service report. He was reported as a 6'4" RHP who threw around 90. We went to his game which was rained out. The coach let him throw in the gym for us. He was actually more like 6 foot tall and he topped out (indoors) off portable mound at 76 mph. The 6 foot we could live with, but he could not ever have pitched for any competitive college. That was a time consuming and expensive lesson. That recruiting service report didn't help him at all. It just cost us time and money. Guess it cost his family too.

Of course, now days video can save coaches some time. But 5'9 can look 6'4 in a video. Without a gun 80 can look like 90. But you can see arm action and mechanics so it is better than nothing. It might create some interest which could cause them to want to see the player. That is if they take the time to watch the video. They can get tons of them.

The new video based recruiting sites can be helpful, but I doubt many coaches really scour those sites looking for prospects. They spend their time going to events where they can see players in person. I think the way video works best is when a player is actually asked to send in a video. However, this is often used as an excuse to end a conversation.

Another thing about videos. We see lots of them. I have seen videos that do nothing more than cause a complete loss of interest. It amazes me how someone could go to all the trouble of making and sending out a video that only ends up proving they don't have the ability to play college baseball. Video can actually prove lack of skills sometimes easier than prove you have the skills.

Before sending out a video, think I would ask for an honest opinion from someone who would know how it looks. I've seen 15 minute videos of pitchers that I've shut off after watching the first pitch. All it took was a one pitch video to prove things. Same goes for infielders, outfielders, etc. sometimes you just know the player doesn't have the neccessary skill level after 5 seconds of viewing.

Anyway when we got involved in offering a recruiting service we quickly figured out that in order to be successful we couldn't turn anyone down. This meant that in order to actually help the players that paid us to get serious college interest we were forced to lie to coaches or at least exagerate things a bit. Then would that really be helping anyone? I know it wouldn't have helped us. other than bring in some much needed money. Our recruiting service didn't make it two weeks before we dropped it. We brought in $600 and we returned the money.

All things can help create interest. You can "market" all you want. However there's only one thing that works for sure. They have to see you play! That is the one thing that creates 99% of all college recruiting interest. If the marketing material causes them to see you, it has accomplished a lot. But college recruiters get volumes of marketing material. They also spend many days out there at events looking for players. If you were a coach which would you be most influenced by? The marketing material or what you have seen perform?

Another suggestion... when possible ask college recruiters if they use recruiting services and if so, which one. It is my belief that any college that relies on recruiting services is one of two things... A bad program or they're just filling enrollment quotas.

All this said, it's always possible that I am wrong. I would welcome any and all success stories based on recruiting services. Especially those at any high level college where scholarship money was involved. I know there are names of players, but I want to know how and why they were recruited rather than if they signed up for some recruiting service and then later played for Team USA or a high level travel team or went to a high level showcase event.
If they did things like that, they didn't need the recruiting service. It's more that the recruiting service needed them.

I apologize if my opinions offend anyone who would be among the innocent. Like all things, there is the good, the bad and the ugly!
BaseballGr8BaseballGr810+ posts
PG thanks for clarifying alot cause I was a little bit worried reading the original post. Especially about the recruiting service, mainly because I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing. I worried a split second that we might be missing out on something. Seriously, as a parent of a now hs jr. I'm just hoping we are going to do the right things to help our son maybe/hopefully play college ball. His 2011 summer team is set (as in the roster) and they are in process of signing up for tournaments. It's not a high profile team, and I don't know what else we can do. Money of course is an issue, but we plan to throw in some college clinics & camps along with HS and summer travel ball. What else can we do to help him "be seen" in the next years time? Whatever money we do spend I don't want it to be wasted money.

p.s. is it a problem if the player is only 5'9
Last edited by BaseballGr8
P proud-dadMember
quote:
Originally posted by TPM:
Sorry all but, this "old time" poster usually knows when someone comes to try to sell their latest product or DVD. It might "appear" that they are trying to be helpful.

JMO

TR and proud-dad, did you see the link to his video before he removed it? You do know that is not allowed here, unless they do pay an advertising fee, correct?


TPM
No i didn't see the link but that does take away from the fact,that you seem to be in "attack" mode toward a lot of new poster. You are one of the reasons i don't post.......... I have said my peace and will return to being just a reader......
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
quote:
Money of course is an issue, but we plan to throw in some college clinics & camps along with HS and summer travel ball. What else can we do to help him "be seen" in the next years time? Whatever money we do spend I don't want it to be wasted money.


I am not able to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. Anything I might tell you could end up being the worst advice you ever received. It all depends on your son's ability. Without actually seeing your son perform I can't say a thing. If he is extremely talented you just need to be seen by decision makers. If he lacks the necessary talent, anything you go to you might be throwing money away. It's not really the event by itself that causes players to get recruited or drafted, it all about the players ability.

I'm not trying to destroy hope or give false hope. The only thing I can say is if college coaches or pro scouts like what they see, good things will probably happen. If they don't like what they see people can market all they want and it is not going to be very productive.

So there might be what is called creating interest (marketing). but that isn't enough by itself to get colleges to commit. It takes two commitments for things to work out well, yours and the college. They don't commit money based on marketing efforts.
D dominick100+ posts
PGStaff

You're comments about recruiting videos and recruiting services is spot on, and to me, says it all.

I would add though regarding your comments about being watched in person, in our current recruiting system, I think players get a bit of an advantage by getting their foot in the door on travel teams and the like, by families willing and able to pay, that gets them seen by colleges. Therefore, coaches that just watch travel teams or showcase players only see a slice of the available players. Of course, coaches know this, and where their program allows it, they recruit big incomming classes, because they can only really learn about a player after they see him practice for awhile, i.e., take a bunch because we know we are going to get fooled on some. Frankly, it would be a fairer system if players could simply try out for coaches when they were seniors.
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
quote:
Originally posted by Coach H:
Just informative. Not supposed to be on that posting. I took it off. What do you disagree with?


PD,
If you (and TR) had missed the link in the first place, but then read his second post carefully you might have realized that he had a link that lead to his video (which lead to a recruiting site). JBB is correct, not a good idea for your first post to be an advertisement.

All I did was ask 2 simple questions, and said I didn't agree with some things posted, could you please explain how that was jumping on a new poster?

If CoachH wants to come here and share useful information, then bring it on, but I doubt that's gonna happen.

If you don't want to post, because of me, I agree with JBB, that would be a loss. I think the important thing to remember is who you are getting information from here, if you have been here and reading for awhile then you know who I am, I have no agenda, I have no reason to profit from this site, promote my player, etc. If I remember correctly TR states often that anyone can post on an internet messageboard and we really don't know who they are, do we? We don't know who this coach really is and yet he is stating he has more varied experiences than me? Actually I got the usual nasty stuff, so I do not feel that I should have to apologize, trust me if I do something wrong I will.

If it makes anyone feel better I will try to be a bit more tolerant of those with agendas.

PG has provided some great stuff here, I suggest that be the focus rather than someone who posted once.

And that's JMO.
Last edited by TPM
fanofgamefanofgame5,000+ posts
I read this thread and have just been thinking about it.I support TPM and her efforts to keep people from coming on here in the guise of helping, but advertising whatever they are promoting.

For you new posters who are looking for help navigating yourself through the maze of HS baseball, recruting, trying to play college, there is so much to learn and who do you trust

This unfamiliarity from parents as to what to do, where to go etc, is a BIG Business for many.Recruitng services are out there and many are good, but many promise things they can not deliver, and many spend a lot of money on them.

This site is paid for by Julie and supporters.Julie has asked TPM and others to help her moderate the site.I believe we need to be very careful in not allowing people to come on here with an agenda that could cause new parents to seek out help in the wrong way, or spending money they do not need to spend.

PG helps support this site, and he comes on here and helps parents, and ansers questions, participates in threads to help people.

This is not a place to advertise your company or anything else.This is a site that was meant to help parents of young players find answers to thier questions.

I did not see the original posters advertisement,but that is an explicit violation of the rules.

And I encourage people to post regardless of somebody disagreeing with them, or being uncomfortable.Build your confidence some and join in.Most if not all old timers are on here to help.

TPM, Cleveland dad, their boys play Minor league baseball, they don't need to spend their time on here helping people.People like TPM,Cleveland dad and soooo many others have a vast amount of experience, and many young parents would be wise to listen to them.

I can tell you that TPM,Cleveland dad, Coach May and many others have helped me so much during the years.

Somebody has to keep the integrity of the site.It isnt always a easy job.
CPLZCPLZ1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by proud-dad:
TPM
No i didn't see the link but that does take away from the fact,that you seem to be in "attack" mode toward a lot of new poster. You are one of the reasons i don't post.......... I have said my peace and will return to being just a reader......


Proud Dad,
Aren't you guilty of doing what you claim to be rallying against in this post? Jump out of the weeds, bash someone, and then claim you are going back into lurking mode.

One of the things that makes this site great, is the fact that the posters police it for scams and ads. TPM did exactly what many of us, including I, would have done, if we had seen a first post with a link to a recruiting service in it.

Everyones opinion is welcome here, TR is proof of that. Attach an ulterior motive to it, and it gets sniffed out and blasted pretty quickly.

I think it's great that Coach H voluntarily removed the link, that says a lot about him. I hope he sticks around awhile and participates. As I do for you also.
igballigball500+ posts
If I'm not mistaken it was PG who summed up recruiting services the best by posting awhile back that the business often required one to lie- either to the college inflating the prospect, or to the parents that their kid has more college prospects than they actually had.

Hopefully I accurately summed up his position which I agree with.
P proud-dadMember
quote:
Originally posted by CPLZ:
quote:
Originally posted by proud-dad:
TPM
No i didn't see the link but that does take away from the fact,that you seem to be in "attack" mode toward a lot of new poster. You are one of the reasons i don't post.......... I have said my peace and will return to being just a reader......


Proud Dad,
Aren't you guilty of doing what you claim to be rallying against in this post? Jump out of the weeds, bash someone, and then claim you are going back into lurking mode.



Everyones opinion is welcome here, TR is proof of that.


I think it's great that Coach H voluntarily removed the link, that says a lot about him. I hope he sticks around awhile and participates. As I do for you also.



Yes,you are correct, I should have let my thoughts and opinions stay mine. If the OP motive was to get his recruiting sight seen,then so be it. He could have been asked to remove the link in a different way and tone.
BaseballGr8BaseballGr810+ posts
Well we are at the beginning of this "recruiting journey". After watching him play for the last nine years, travelling hundreds of miles, now we come to his junior year of hs. The year that was always so far away is here already!
Is it more important how much he gets out there to be seen, or where he is being seen (by whom)? He is going to a college clinic today, hopefully he gets some good feedback.
Part of me wants to just say whatever, if it is meant to be and he's good enough he will play in college. Then there's the other part that worries even if he is good enough it won't matter if he doesn't go to the right places to be seen. Is this generally still early in the game for hs juniors now? I know that the seniors are just signing now, but how long does the signing for seniors last? In other words, when is the latest a senior would sign to play in college?
HC Hot Corner Dad10+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by BaseballGr8:
I know that the seniors are just signing now, but how long does the signing for seniors last? In other words, when is the latest a senior would sign to play in college?


Bgr8, I heard Pete Hughes, current coach at Virginia Tech and former coach at Boston College, say one time that the best pitcher he recruited to BC was someone he saw at an American Legion game in August after the kid's senior year. The boy had no plans to play college baseball, but after seeing him that weekend Hughes offered the kid and three days later the player started school at BC.

Is this typical? Of course not. Just pointing out that if your son does not get early attention don't get discouraged. Lots of players sign late into their senior year (including my son).
CH Coach HMember
Guys did not mean to stir up such a hornets nest. This was an article that I had written up and had emailed out and the link was attached to it and I just copied and pasted here without looking at it. I am a high school coach and I do have a sports related business but it is not a recruiting service.

My thoughts on recruiting services are that some are good and some are not like most everything else in this world. Just do some research and make an informed decision.

I do appreciate the input and like I said before I do not know everything, if I did I would not be looking at different forums trying pickup new ideas and new ways of doing things. One of may favorite quotes is from Generl Patton to a young officer, "we can both learn something from each other."
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
quote:
Bgr8, I heard Pete Hughes, current coach at Virginia Tech and former coach at Boston College, say one time that the best pitcher he recruited to BC was someone he saw at an American Legion game in August after the kid's senior year. The boy had no plans to play college baseball, but after seeing him that weekend Hughes offered the kid and three days later the player started school at BC.


This is that pitcher and Legion Ball was over when Pete Hughes and many others saw him.

From Baseball America

Lambert's Last Shot At Baseball
Pays Off

By John Tomase
May 26, 2004


CHESTNUT HILL, Mass.--The hockey sticks were stowed for the 60-mile drive north into New Hampshire's White Mountains.

In just a couple of weeks, Chris Lambert would begin a postgraduate year at the Holderness School in Plymouth. Maybe the defenseman would earn a scholarship to UMass or UNH. Maybe his juniors career would explode. Maybe he'd emerge as an NHL prospect.

But Lambert had another love, and he figured he'd give it one last shot. So on Aug. 17, 2001, he attended the Perfect Game Northeast Showcase in Wareham, Mass.

Lambert arrived at Spillane Field an unknown. The shortstop had captained Manchester Memorial as a senior, then won an American Legion batting title and MVP that summer.

New Hampshire baseball awards mean about as much as Florida ice fishing trophies, so Lambert the baseball player went undrafted and unrecruited. But he had a secret. And when he finished sharing it, he became the most sought after amateur baseball player in the country.

Chris Lambert, it turns out, could pitch. His fastball topped 95 mph. His curveball had bite. The high school sophomores and juniors trying to hit him with wood bats had no chance.

"I pretty much went into it saying, 'I'm either going to throw my arm out because I'm never going to use it again, or nothing's going to happen,' " Lambert recalls. "I was going to play hockey anyway."

Cue sound of needle scratching off phonograph. Just days before the start of fall semesters, Lambert found himself at the center of a recruiting war. Clemson wanted him. LSU wanted him. Vanderbilt wanted him.

"It was like nothing I've ever seen," Tim Corbin, the Vanderbilt coach who was then Clemson's recruiting coordinator, told BA last summer. "I've never seen an unsigned senior who was that good that late in the summer."

Lambert's hometown Boston College Eagles won the battle. He enrolled at the Heights on Aug. 24, started classes in January, and joined the baseball team that spring. Out of nowhere as a freshman, he beat Rutgers' Bobby Brownlie for Big East Pitcher of the Year honors.

"I had two and a half weeks to make my decision and it wasn't like I could visit the schools," Lambert says. "Pack your bags, pick an airline, and where you land is where you're going to spend the next four years. It was a scary decision."

Two years later, he's wrapping up a college career that requires a full page in the media guide just for his awards. Despite an inconsistent junior season, he's likely to go no worse than early in the second round of the June draft. He could easily become the first Eagle ever selected in the first round.

Not bad for a New Hampshire native who pitched three innings in high school ("My coach thought I was more valuable to the team at shortstop") and only played baseball on the few days that didn't include ice, snow and temperatures on the wrong side of freezing.

"I think I'm just starting," Lambert says. "As far as baseball goes, I'm just a baby."
M MWestbury10+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by BaseballGr8:
PG thanks for clarifying alot cause I was a little bit worried reading the original post. Especially about the recruiting service, mainly because I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing. I worried a split second that we might be missing out on something. Seriously, as a parent of a now hs jr. I'm just hoping we are going to do the right things to help our son maybe/hopefully play college ball. His 2011 summer team is set (as in the roster) and they are in process of signing up for tournaments. It's not a high profile team, and I don't know what else we can do. Money of course is an issue, but we plan to throw in some college clinics & camps along with HS and summer travel ball. What else can we do to help him "be seen" in the next years time? Whatever money we do spend I don't want it to be wasted money.

p.s. is it a problem if the player is only 5'9


I did not sign a college scholarship until May of my senior year. I was a slightly above average high school player. What worked best for me was to call JUCO coaches and work out private workouts for them. I wasted money on showcases my sophomore and junior years. I simply was not good enough to stan out in a big crowd. JUCO's, atleast here in Georgia, take a large fall roster because alot of kids cut themselves either with grades or leaving school. I pitched my butt off in the fall and made the spring roster.

To sum up, I found that calling JUCO coaches worked best for me because the workouts were free, I was not battling bunch of other kids, and JUCO recruiting rules, or the lack of, allows them to take a flyer on players.
HC Hot Corner Dad10+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by PGStaff:
quote:
Bgr8, I heard Pete Hughes, current coach at Virginia Tech and former coach at Boston College, say one time that the best pitcher he recruited to BC was someone he saw at an American Legion game in August after the kid's senior year. The boy had no plans to play college baseball, but after seeing him that weekend Hughes offered the kid and three days later the player started school at BC.


This is that pitcher and Legion Ball was over when Pete Hughes and many others saw him.


PG, I should have known two things. First, my rapidly deteriorating brain would "misremember" some details of Lambert's story. Second, your organization would play a role in this remarkable story. I would imagine stories like this are some of the most lasting rewards in the work you do.
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
Hot Corner Dad,

No problem at all, it's just that the Chris Lambert story is a real good one. Truth is the first time we heard about him was when he pitched an inning in a Legion game.

His father signed him up for the NE Showcase in Wareham. About a week before he called our office and told us that Chris probably wouldn't be attending. He didn't see any reason for attending that late and that Chris had decided what he was going to do (he was an outstanding hockey player).

I asked him if his son really throws 92 mph (That is what our people reported). His dad said he didn't know for sure, but he thought he did throw that hard. I don't ever talk people into attending any event, but in this case I told his dad that he should get him there and if he does what we think he might do, good things might happen.

Obviously Chris and his dad decided to attend and it became one of the most amazing recruiting stories ever. Programs like UNC, Clemson, Vanderbilt, LSU, Georgia Tech, Baylor, Stanford, etc. all made a play. So did his dream school, Boston College. Remember this was just shortly before colleges started fall classes.

He also was offered to sign as a free agent by some MLB clubs that were at that event in Wareham. Of course, the offers were not large ones. That was the only other advice we gave... Don't sign now, you'll be worth much more later on. He did become the first Boston College first round pick. I don't remember the exact number, but I think it was $1.5 million or so.

Anyway, it's one of those stories that every college coach and MLB scout in attendance that year will never forget. And yes, it is these rewards that mean the very most to us.

So not to confuse anyone, all we did was hold an event. It was Chris Lambert (and his father) who deserve all the credit. No matter how Chris's baseball career turns out, this was a true success story.
HC Hot Corner Dad10+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by PGStaff:
I asked him if his son really throws 92 mph (That is what our people reported). His dad said he didn't know for sure, but he thought he did throw that hard. I don't ever talk people into attending any event, but in this case I told his dad that he should get him there and if he does what we think he might do, good things might happen.

He also was offered to sign as a free agent by some MLB clubs that were at that event in Wareham. Of course, the offers were not large ones. That was the only other advice we gave... Don't sign now, you'll be worth much more later on. He did become the first Boston College first round pick. I don't remember the exact number, but I think it was $1.5 million or so.

So not to confuse anyone, all we did was hold an event. It was Chris Lambert (and his father) who deserve all the credit.


Sorry PG, but one of the three statements you made above doesn't hold water. As a counselor my job is paying attention to people and helping them notice their strengths hidden in their own testimony. You convinced Mr. Lambert to come to the showcase, and you persuaded them that waiting three years for the draft would be wise. So while the Lamberts deserve credit for taking advantage of the opportunity, I think it is underselling your role to say all you did was host an event.
playfairplayfair500+ posts
Integrity of the site is the right "theme of mind" with the posters.. New or old.

The reason this site is so successful is that there is always a high level of quality in posting here. Really, everyone for the most part has the genuine interest of the baseball player in mind when contributing.

The OP had some good things to contribute but tainted their legitimacy of their original post with a link to a money generating site unknown and unverified by the regular populous here.

TPM jumped on it but I think a lot of us would have given the first chance at it.

PGStaff, what you said was very very true.... "You can market all want, however, there is only one thing that works for sure....They have to see you play!"

Thx for giving the opportunity for the boys to play and be seen, but more thanks for being a straight shooter here... This site.. For the parents or the players to read it straight up...

This game is hard, the success rate is dismal... 2 hundred thousand hands reaching out for a spot on the top of a pyramid only built for 2 thousand hands.

Many drop off the pyramid along the way.

Now Im not saying dont use a recruiting service or go to a PG event but I am saying the old adage "trust but verify credibility" before you choose any particular route.
BaseballGr8BaseballGr810+ posts
Another question. I was reading on another thread here about college coaches being able to talk to a player at a "camp" during the "quiet period" (something I only just learned about). When I went to the ncaa website I couldn't find it anywhere. Does anyone know where it is? I didn't even know about all these different "periods" before this weekend. I only knew that coaches couldn't contact in writing till sep 1 of jr yr, and by phone on jul 1 after jr yr.
Last edited by BaseballGr8
06catcherdad06catcherdad1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by BaseballGr8:
Well we are at the beginning of this "recruiting journey". After watching him play for the last nine years, travelling hundreds of miles, now we come to his junior year of hs. The year that was always so far away is here already!
Is it more important how much he gets out there to be seen, or where he is being seen (by whom)? He is going to a college clinic today, hopefully he gets some good feedback.
Part of me wants to just say whatever, if it is meant to be and he's good enough he will play in college. Then there's the other part that worries even if he is good enough it won't matter if he doesn't go to the right places to be seen. Is this generally still early in the game for hs juniors now? I know that the seniors are just signing now, but how long does the signing for seniors last? In other words, when is the latest a senior would sign to play in college?



BBGr8, to answer your questions at the end of your post referenced above, yes it is still fairly early in the recruiting process for student-athletes who are juniors. Most juniors have not yet played a single game of varsity baseball, and college coaches will only very rarely have any interest at all in a kid who hasn't yet played varsity. As for the number of seniors who are signing now, the early National Letter of Intent signers are only a small percentage of the seniors who end up playing college baseball. As an example, last Wednesday all of the early signers from our region, the Sacramento area, got together to sign their NLI's as a group. There were only 8 boys who had NLI's to sign, out of a metropolitan area of about 1.3 million people. Trust me, a lot more than 8 boys who are currently seniors in this area will end up playing college baseball. I hope that gives you some perspective on what 'early' means.

The best things your son can do have mostly already been discussed here. Earn as good of grades, and test scores, as he can acheive. Play high school baseball with all his heart, and when summer comes play for a quality team that plays in games and tournaments that college coaches attend. If he has a genuine interest in a particular school and they've shown interest in him, consider one of their camps. Consider attending a showcase, and I'll say it, the Perfect Game showcases are the ones to attend. There are other good ones too, but PG runs the most widely followed showcases. Summer teams, camps and showcases are all very much 'buyer beware' opportunities, so do your homework. Be realistic about his ability and where he 'fits'. Another important, and too often overlooked aspect, is what is the total 'fit' of the schools your son wants to attend? There is so much more to college than the baseball team, and too many student-ahtletes and their parents don't pay enough attention to that fact.

If you're worried about what is too late, consider that from our 2009 Connie Mack League team we had 2 players who committed to their ultimate college choice in July after they'd graduated from high school. These were not low level schools either, as one is now playing for Cal St. Fullerton and the other went to St. Mary's, which is a very highly regarded private university that plays in the West Coast Conference and costs $45K per year to attend. They both received athletic scholarships less than 8 weeks prior to the start of classes. This type of thing doesn't happen often, but it does happen nonetheless.
Last edited by 06catcherdad
R RedSoxFan21500+ posts
OP states that you must take the ACT or SAT, or coaches will not talk to you until you have such a file. But he goes on to specifically say you must have an ACT file. Is that just an example, or, more specifically, is it ok just to have the SAT and not the ACT? The SAT is much more popular here in RI from what I have seen from having two daughters in/out of college.
BaseballGr8BaseballGr810+ posts
quote:
06catcherdad
thanks so much for taking the time to write that post, it is much appreciated. I am feeling hopeful for my son, and I realize there is still alot of time. You are so right about being realistic as that is something I always strive to be when it comes to my sons "talent". Though, I can honestly say he's not a bad player! Serioulsly, it doesn't really matter what kind of player I think he is, it matters what the coaches think. Of course that isn't all there is to it. There are so many other important issues, like getting good grades. I know sometimes threads can turn from what the original poster intended, but if we could just pass by the things we don't agree with, there is alot good help and information on this site. Roll Eyes
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