when a college invites you to thier camp

Check the camp out with others who may have attended previously

Could be you are on a generic list

Ever notice that all camps fill up fast.

Once you fill out the recruiting questionaires it leads to more mail, most likely invites to camp programs. While many programs find possible recruits at their camps, do know that the purpose is to raise money.

If this is a school your son is interested in, you might possibly consider. I would inquire about the camp, not all camps are created equal. Just heard recently of a well known school having a poor camp (coach was barely seen at all). And if a head coach attaches his name to the camp, I would expect he should be their to run the camp. If not, possibly it may just be run by assistants and or scouts.

If a school is really interested in a player, not attending their camp will not make a difference.

You might want to read about this on other threads on this site. Some people swear by them, but our personal experience is that unless there is more (personal call or the like), it is nothing more than an opportunity to be seen, which as you have indicated, alot of time and money just to be seen. Of course, if this school is at the top of your list, and you will grab at any opportunity to be seen. . . .

If you've been getting the phone calls from this particular school and have had an on going dialog, your being recruited or there is some interest on behalf of the school. If all the emails and letters are about the camp, I firmly believe your a prospective donator...

My son has an invite to a prospect camp. This prospect camp is after the early signing period (Nov 8-15) and well before the April 11 late signing period. Is this a bona fide camp or a money maker?

From what I've seen at a couple of camps, the answer is probabily, both. A few serious looks and a lot of cash.

I say this because at the camps I took my son to, it was obvious who was being scouted. The whole coaching staff was always somewhere around watching a few of the kids.

Catch15,
Let me commend your on being proactive in your son’s recruitment. Being proactive opens doors but it also has a downside in that it opens you up to solicitation letters from college camps. That in itself is not all bad if you have determined your son’s talent level prior to contacting colleges. By determining fit, you can eliminate most of the schools that would NOT be a good fit for your son and focus on those colleges where your son can play. If I were in your situation and was unsure if this was JUST another camp invite to generate revenue for the college team, and before paying airfare and camp fees and hotel expenses I would call the recruiting coordinator and ask him his opinion of your son. If he doesn’t know your son, then I would pass. Another suggestion is to go with what your inner self is saying. Most of the time it is a good indicator of what you should do. Not that I did it right but my son only went to two camps while being recruited but he received many invites. The camps he did attend were schools HE targeted ----and NOT schools that targeted him.
Fungo

The key is the line where the coach says there are other D1 schools in attendance.
Would you want other D1s to see the recruit if you are interested in him ? Has he seen your son? This is definitly a fund raiser but that does not mean you shouldn't attend if you are interested in the school and feel you have a real chance to get recruited . Do the research and then decide if it is worth the expense. Once you attend a showcase expect lots of invites to others. I often felt they sell the list of players to others.
We got solicitation from several like Blue Chip , local Colleges after a tournament in Long Island. How do they get the name and address ?

the copied post to another question follows as it may be helpfull

quote:

some confusion can be cleared if we note the NCAA's definition of "prospect"
(short for prospective student athelete)

per the NCAA "You become a “prospect” when you start ninth-grade classes" (period)


colleges identify potential recruits by scouting them (showcases, hs, summer, etc)
occasionally someone previously unknown shows up at a camp & gets some attention
occasionally someone known but unseen will be encouraged to attend
full camps generate more revenue


that's not to say players don't get identified & recruited from a camp - a few do

it is a great way to get better aquainted with the school & staff if you're already being recruited by them



quote:
Why would a D1 school have other schools(mainly D11 and D111) at their showcase camp?
the larger schools have more resources, assistants, and larger recruiting budgets, etc -
they're much further along or have already identified the guys they're after.
coaches from other schools are great staff & maybe can pick up a player or two


hope that helps