Top Gun Camp???????

I went to the Arlington camp last fall and I really enjoyed the camp and had fun playing. However, I was told that there would be over 30 coaches there and that I would receive an evalutation in the mail around Christmas time. Well, I ended up getting my evaluation letter in mid-February and it had my times and stuff on there but the only thing from a coach on there was to keep training and i will improve. I understand that I wasnt the best player there but I still would have thought that I would be given some pointers on what I need to work on and things like that. It seemed like an awful lot of money to pay to get told something I already knew. Just my two cents though, you might have better luck than I did.

I recieved my letter today.This just doesnt seem like the best prospect camp out there,and the price is off the wall.

Hardhitter and FC27 - I think you might find your money (or your parents money) would be better spent on Team One or Perfect Game if you plan to attending a showcase soon.

My '07 has been getting letters from TG since 2005 - all inviting him to Las Vegas events since we're on the West Coast. We've been back <2 weeks from East Cobb 18U WWBA - now he rec'd a TG invite for Florida too. Probably not a coincidence, tournamant rosters = mailing lists. Read up and spend those hard earned $$ wisely so you get the maximum exposure.

my son attended the top guns in las vegas. the camp was very well run. the lectures were helpful, and all the colleges on the brochure were at the camp. look at the list of colleges on their brochure and if you are interested in some of them the camp may well be worth your time.

Oh the coaches are there alright. But are they actually recruiting or there for another reason? My son went and did great by the standards listed. Haven't heard from one school though. Oh sure we got more letters abouts camps from those coaches. Might be the only exposure you get is sun exposure from the 110 degrees out in the Nevada desert. I would say just go to the camp of the school you actually are interested in.

hardhitter...I would advise you to pass if I were your dad.

Interesting opinions on this topic. Price off the wall? Hardly. You'll pay $200-$375 for a 3 day showcase camp at just about any D1 school, so $575 for the chance to show yourself in front of 20+ D1 coaches seems like a bargain to me. I sent my son in '05, he received his evaluation shortly after attending, heard from 3 schools that had not seen him prior to the event, and was worked with on the field by the head coach of 3 programs. The classroom information was worth the price in my opinion. Are they making money? Sure they are, but is it a bargain? Only you can decide.

I don't think the price is off the wall. But when you calculate the travel costs it does get high. Slugger- how many players were at the event you took your son to? We had over 200 in Vegas. I was told by a coach (who was there) before we went (after I had signed up) that its hard for them to see players there because there is so many. So he wanted us to fly our son to his camp. Then when we arrived home UNLV wanted us to fly the kid back out there for another camp with them. I just got the impression they are selling camps and not actually recruiting. I hope it works for somebody because thats what people expect. I just find it very hard to believe that you don't hear from a single coach. I didn't think the overall talent pool was that strong either.

Baller, I believe there were around 220 in '05, and after hearing from friends who took their son in '06, the talent may have been better in '05. I wasn't there this year, but they were disappointed in velocities, mainly. Travel costs are relative only to each players location for any camp, so I won't focus on that issue. Being in OK, a camp at OU or OSU is cheap for me, but if my son wants to be seen by ASU, then it becomes an expensive week/weekend. We did get info from several schools regarding their camps, and I'm certain that it is part of why the coaches come. BUT, it's very hard to find anything that can bring that many D1 schools together for players to participate in front of and with, and that is what sold me on it. I had already registered my son for another camp at a D1 school prior to top guns, but for a date after top guns. While there, the coach from that school sat with me in the bleachers for 20 minutes discussing what he liked about my son and even had his evaluation sheet with him (he wasn't one of the coaches that worked with him at top guns, but had his sheet????). They expressed interest in him and have continued to show interest without sending me anything more on their own camps. I did receive camp info from a few others, but that, in my opinion, is to be expected. What impressed me the most about Top Guns and the coaches in attendance was how they monitored batting practice and how players got on and off the field. When a player jogged on or off the field, or was lazy getting down the line, pencils went to work. They can't watch every swing or see every ground ball or fly ball fielded/thrown during workouts, but they can monitor hustle- and did. I know the coaches are looking for that lump of coal they can polish into a diamond, or that player that has slipped through the cracks, but overall, I was very impressed by the camp and if I had another son, would send him in a heartbeat.

We went to TG six summers ago.
If we could have changed our decision to go to Vegas we certainly would have.

$575 for the camp,a few hundred for the hotel,airlines or if you drive gas and motel.

Thats builds up very fast.Id feel much better spending my money and my moms money on a program I hear nothing but good things about,like a perfect game,or a t96.

just my opinion.

Not just your opinion. Those were my thoughts exactly, when I decided that one could go in the trash.

My sons went in the circular file as well

Unless I'm mistaken. After the early signing period in early Nov. It's the quiet period with no off campus recruiting. Of course if the coaches are working the camp they can attend. Also I would think that College coaches might avoid the Thanksgiving weekend for travel and stay home.

My son also received an invitation to the camp over Thanksgiving weekend in Florida. My question for anyone who may know is will all these D-1 coaches they have listed come to a camp instead of spending Thanksgiving with their families? The coaches they show coming to Florida are not young assistant coaches. They have Ron Polk, David Perno and Mike Fox listed. Anyone have any suggestions?

Another question. My son has just received his 4th invitation to the Topguns Thankgiving showcase in Florida. Why would they send him 4 invitations? I'm still curious if anyone has an opinion as to whether or not the D-1 coaches listed will all actually be there? Thank you for any input.

In Las Vegas this summer the majority of the D1 schools listed did in fact show up. It wasn't always the head coach but the majority were. What are 2 major vacations spots in the US? Las Vegas and Orlando.

quote:

Originally posted by 2007baseballdad:
My son also received an invitation to the camp over Thanksgiving weekend in Florida. My question for anyone who may know is will all these D-1 coaches they have listed come to a camp instead of spending Thanksgiving with their families? The coaches they show coming to Florida are not young assistant coaches. They have Ron Polk, David Perno and Mike Fox listed. Anyone have any suggestions?

I would call Georgia oor UNC and ask if they are attending. Many times a showcase lists names of schools or coaches who have attended one of their camps in prior years. Not saying that is the case here but if Coach Fox attended a camp/showcase up in NC run by an operator some operators will list the coaches name in future mailings.