UVA

UVA is a great program and my '09 son has attended some very well-run camps that they put on. I know that once we got into their database, we started receiving a great number of camp invites. Having said all this, I don't think my son was being actively recruited by UVA. Maybe I am wrong, but I think they have one of the best camp "machines" around.

I am not trying to say they are not interested in your son....they very well may be. I just think they would show their interest with a stronger personal contact than a camp invite.

Just my opinion.

UVA is a first class University w/ a great baseball team, great coaching staff and great facilities. They use their camps all the time to find talent and in some cases eventually recruit those players who've attended. The one thing that I've heard repeatedly from the coaching staff at UVA is they want players that are interested in their program. This means they like to see you attend their camps, which in turn shows to them your interest in wanting to attend, thus if you're a player of ability and skill and are in a position that they're in need of, you'll receive significant attention while attending their camps. I would suggest if you're son is interested in playing for UVA to attend one of their camps and then ask some questions while you're there in person to get a better idea of where you're son is in the scheme of things. Best of luck to you're kid.

sulltiger24...

UVA recruits top baseball players from all over the country. Just take a look at their team roster which I'm providing a breakdown of the players home states as listed currently on their web site.

University of Virginia is top notch any way you look at them. Not easy getting accepted to UVA or selected as a team member.

Some showcase events publish and sell players personal contact information to certain groups and these folks send out invitations to "their" camps, showcases, etc. Yes, I'm sure some send "numerous invitations" just to pack their events as a money maker. That's something each family has to sort out by doing their research carefully before committing to any event. But the bottom line is if it's a school and/or team of interest to your son, then go for it and hopefully things will work out in your best interest.

Good luck to your son.

2008 Roster
-----------
VA 16
MD 2
NC 1
PA 2
KY 1
TN 2
NJ 2
GA 3
OH 1
NY 2
FL 2

2007 Roster
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VA 15
MD 3
NC 1
CT 1
GA 3
TN 2
WA 1
OH 1
NY 1
NJ 1
FL 3

Thanx for the responses. My son has received some interest from a couple of Big Ten Schools and some Mid-American conf. schools so far , so i was kind of caught off guard by the UVA invites at this point ( a school not in the midwest ) . I know Virginia is a terrific school and plays in a great conference ...and also doesnt hurt that its a bit warmer climate than here in chicago . We will definitely consider attending one of their camps.

My son also has recieved invites from UVA(2010)grad.
I posted a similar question on how did they find him.
One of the responses I got is it could come from questionaires. They ask on them to list other players that are good talented players. They have several ways to find players to fill there camp.

Good luck to you.

UVA runs several camps and uses them to generate revenue/asst. coach income supplements. As best I can tell they are buying lists in an effort to market their camps widely. Their camps are excellent but also heavily attended. An invitation is not an indication of recruiting interest in any way, shape or form. On the other hand, UVA does have its entire coaching staff present throughout its camps (a rare thing) and if you stand out, they do notice.

With the program's recent success, I think most would agree that the program as well as the coaching staff is one of the most respected in the region, if not the nation.

quote:

Originally posted by VirginiaPreps.com:
With the program's recent success, I think most would agree that the program as well as the coaching staff is one of the most respected in the region, if not the nation.

I think they have a fine program and staff like many schools. I also think that the best way to (maybe not easiest) find out about a staff is to talk to players about their interaction with the coaches and/or their position coach. Success on the field does not always relate to respect. This is a general statement about coaching staffs I am not pointing at UVA good or bad.

Sulltiger24,

Midlo Dad gives the most likely reason for your invite. Look at it like this.

Option 1) if your interest in their camp is just about their potential interest in signing your son then don't worry. Whether you go or not it won't make a difference if they want him he'll DEFINATELY know it.

option 2)If your interest is in getting good instruction I'd say you can definately get that.

Bottom line if your son is in the top 200 in the nation the first option is likely. if not option 20 always there.

One clarification --

UVA recruits a lot of kids not ranked in the top 200. In fact they love to find the undiscovered gems. So you don't necessarily have to write them off.

Midlo,

I agree with you 100%, they go about their recruiting very differently than most schools I've had interaction with and definately look for those undiscovered gems as you put it. They like to mold them and make them their own type of player and I must say have done a very good job.

If you've ever seen "A Beautiful Mind", Russell Crowe's character ends up winning a Nobel Prize for a breakthrough in choice theory that is traced to an experience he had in a bar as a young man with his buddies. Several attractive young women are gathered but one is clearly the most attractive. All the guys train their sites on her, except the lead character, who correctly figures that if he shoots for bachelorette # 2, he will have a clearer field and thus, more success. (And by the way, if you hadn't seen # 1, # 2 would've knocked your socks off in the first place.)

UVA applies this thinking to recruiting. Obviously, they want top guys, but they stop short of recruiting those they project as possible first rounders. O'Connor has said publicly that he refuses to tie up his scholarship budget on kids who will then go pro out of HS and leave them scrambling over the summer. In this, UVA differs substantially from, say, Arizona State or UNC, who make a habit of trying to land recruits at the very top of the charts, then doing their scrambling after the smoke of the pro draft clears.

UVA also prefers to recruit depth. So, they refuse to get into a bidding war for any one player. I have not heard of them making offers in the 80-90% range to anyone. They spread their money more. If you pursue UVA you will hear them say, "When you are ready to commit to us as your top choice, then we will talk money." They want to get you sold on the school and the program first, then see if you want it bad enough to take maybe a bit lower % than you might get somewhere else. Besides, if you're in state, it's still a great deal financially.

A 2005 Richmond area kid, then ranked # 4 nationally by PG, was passed over by UVA, and many at the time asked why. Three years later, Greg Miclat, the guy UVA got instead, has far outperformed that kid thus far.

I'm not saying this is the only philosophy that works, but clearly this philosophy does work for UVA. Whether it works for your son, now, that's going to depend on where he stacks up.