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Archived Articles by Cathi Aradi
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Please Note: These archived
articles are reviewed periodically. However, any very recent change in
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if the article was originally written more than a year ago.
Sometimes the Truth Is a Bitter Pill to
Swallow
The college search is a journey, and while many thousands of
kids start the journey each year, 15 out of 20 will probably fall by the wayside.
Some will decide they just don't care about softball any more; some will be
prevented from playing by more important priorities. And many parents will
"price" their player right out of the market. The ones I'm
trying to reach are those who do have a bright and exciting future at
some level of college softball, but who simply want to know how best to get
there. Parents and players need to
understand the basic realities. That means turning a deaf ear to much of the
verbiage they hear from other parents and even some travel or high school
coaches. Many parents will need to put
aside their egos in order to: a) look at their daughter’s skills and
needs as objectively as possible; and b) try to be keep focused on what is most
important in this picture--e.g., getting a good education to prepare her for
life in the real world.
Although many of you know these things, let’s look quickly at
some basic facts:
§
There are about 1150 4-yr. college teams.
§
Roughly 25% are Div. I; about 23% are Div. II and all
the rest are D-
§
There's approximately a 70 to 30 ratio of private schools to
public or state schools.
§
Sixty percent (60%) of all colleges are small—as in having
student populations of 6000 or less.
§
Only about 55% of schools offer some type of "softball
scholarships," and the vast majority that do will not give out very many
(if any) full rides. (Those will usually go to major impact players--as
determined by the coach, not the parents).
§
All schools with softball dollars are limited in how much
they can give.
§
All scholarships must be renewed on a yearly basis. There
is no such thing as a guaranteed 4 year ride. (College coaches always have the
option of taking away athletic money at the end of any year. Most won't if your
player is doing her job--but it is an option.)
§
90% or 9 out of 10
schools with teams are in states EAST of
Like it or not, because softball popularity has grown so much
in the past ten years, kids who might have been "easy" recruits in
the 1990’s now are having to work twice as hard to find a good school to
recruit them. And unfortunately, it’s not always about how “good” a player
is. While the top 5% of all
recruits--e.g., the big time, high visibility players from the very top travel
teams in the nation--may still be fairly easily recruited because their
numbers aren’t growing significantly every year, the remaining 95% of recruits
have to be “noticed” in a pool of prospects that has become HUGE.
Parents
(bless their hearts) can (and should) be able to pick their player out of a
group of 500 others even from a block away. But college coaches will just see
this blob of players, and they will likely notice those with the most bells and
whistles, the brightest colors, or who are jumping up and down and doing
cartwheels. Does that mean those players are the best? Not at all. But they may
be the best at getting noticed.
Does Lady
Luck play a role in this? Sure. We all know of someone who played the
“game of her life” when a college coach was watching. She got recruited and things seemed to work
out almost magically. And I keep buying
lottery tickets every week because people do win. (But I haven’t yet. And that’s not
FAIR!!! I really DESERVE to win!!!) Your player may deserve to be
recruited and given a scholarship. But
that’s not going to be good enough for most kids. College coaches are people
too. They make mistakes. And you
can’t control those mistakes. You can
only prevent your own.
If I had a
magic wand, I’d wave it over all the girls who come to me saying, “I want to
play college ball.” In two seconds,
those who were passionately serious about this would turn green, and those who
weren’t would turn orange. Boy, would my
job be a lot easier! But alas, I don’t
have that wand. So, what gets a player noticed by a coach? Leaving out that 5%
of blue chippers and the 5% of kids who just happen to get lucky and looking at
the other 90% of prospects, what gets a kid noticed is her determination to make
coaches “see” her instead of some other player.
Whether it’s through sending out videos and making tons of follow-up
phone calls to coaches who are likely to consider her an impact player, or by
being able to come through with a “clutch” performance when coaches are
watching, this kid is willing to put her money where her mouth is. (In case you’re wondering, a “clutch”
performance is one where you come through with the really big hit, the really
big play or the really big pitching performance--and I mean big.)
Competition
is becoming so fierce (for spots on the “big name” teams at least), that
players will have to be single-minded in their pursuit of excellence if they
want to be considered by those “big name” programs. And that means making sacrifices and possibly
making some tough choices as well. College softball recruiting is a game
of musical chairs. There are only so
many seats available and when the music starts to slow down, you’d better grab
a chair or you may be out of the game.
There is good news in all of this, however. At least at the moment, kids who are willing
to consider schools other than the Top 25 Div. I programs; kids who are willing
to look at schools that are Div. II,
Life is
often tough. Sometimes it really
stinks. And it’s almost never fair. Well, recruiting is just like life. But a cup that’s half full still holds
a lot of water. And athletes who really
want to play in college can make it happen if they understand the game and are
willing to do what it takes to win. They
need the support of their parents and coaches, and these people must
stay grounded and live in the real world. We’re talking about teenagers here.
Unless they are exceptionally motivated and focused, most of them cannot
do this alone. So if parents just sit
back and wait for it to happen...if parents spend all their time talking about
how Washington and UCLA and Michigan are sure to recruit their kid...then they
have no one to blame but themselves when this doesn’t happen.
I would, of
course, wish for all kids that their “dream schools” would recruit them. But more than that, I would wish for every
would-be college player, a good school with a caring coach and a decent team to
offer her spot where she can play and make a genuine contribution. Ten years
from now, no one will give a hoot that most of these kids played college
ball--let alone care where they played it. Employers look at things like team work, work
ethic, commitment to excellence, willingness to make sacrifices, an
understanding of the real world, and oh yes, whether or not the prospective
employee has the education (and experience) she needs to prepare her for this
job. Funny, but that sounds a lot like
what college coaches are looking for in their recruits!
* * *
“IF THAT IS THE RULE, HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?”
This article is a follow up to a previous
article which was entitled, "But I
Didn't Know That Was the Rule!" (It
examined various NCAA recruiting rules that parents tend to ignore or be
unaware of.) That article also ran on
StudentSportsSoftball.com, and I received a fair number of emails from readers,
all of whom asked the same question: “If college coaches can’t talk to players
until after their junior year, how are so many juniors and even sophomores
making verbal commitments to teams?”
I’m going to address the rule portion of this question, and then do a bit of
editorializing about the issue itself.
The NCAA rules state that college coaches may not have face to face
contacts (meetings) with players (or their families) off campus until after the
player completes her junior year. (June
15th for Div. II coaches; July 1 for Div. I.) That means until those dates, college coaches
can’t phone you or talk to you at tournaments or games, visit your home, have
dinner with your family, etc. And “official”
or paid for visits are not allowed until after you start your senior year.
Coaches may, however, email or write
juniors and send sophomores a questionnaire in response to a player’s
letter. There are also no rules that
prohibit players from visiting college campuses at their own expense. Once there, they can meet with the team
coaches. There are some distinctly
“gray” areas within the NCAA rules that touch upon discussing scholarships and
so on, but there are ways “around” these gray areas.
So when you see that a player has made a verbal commitment to a college before
starting her senior year—e.g., before the time she could even take an official
visit—here’s generally how that comes about.
In virtually all cases, a college coach has seen the player in action at
tournaments, probably playing for a fairly high visibility travel team. This player might be playing on a top ASA
gold team as a freshman or sophomore and performing very successfully at the
level of the older players.
The college coach will then usually let the player’s travel coach know that he
or she is very interested in hearing from the player. (Obviously, if the player has started her
junior year, the coach could be emailing or sending letters to her as
well.) The player or her parent would
probably then call the coach and set up an unofficial
visit to the campus. (Coaches cannot
call you until after that July 1st or June 15th date, but
you may call them at any time. They just
won’t be able to return your calls.)
Remember, NCAA rules permit you to visit a college unofficially whenever you
want, so as long as the family pays all the costs of the visit, the college
coach is free to meet with this player, have her tour the campus, perhaps meet
with current players and so on. You will
find coaches may be a bit vague on how they work out the “details” of an early
commitment, but the truth is that it’s been happening in “revenue” sports for
quite a while, and it appears to be a trend at the top level of collegiate
softball too.
With that said, however, I am not alone in my opinion that the NCAA should
consider some sort of ban on early commitments, or failing that drastic move,
they should set up some sort of oversight process. I happen to think it’s hard for most 15 or 16
year olds to understand the commitment required to play college softball. Since I find many young adults aren’t sure
what they want to do this coming weekend,
let alone a year from now, it may be asking a lot to expect them to know what
will be best for them in terms of a college experience two or three years from
now. It’s easy to “wow” a player (or her
parents) with 100,000 people at a football game, the prospect of a National
Championship, and promises of a paid-for education, but that’s not the same as
really experiencing college life and the demands of college athletics
(particularly at a Top 20 program).
Believe it or not, a lot of college coaches agree with me, and there is some
talk that the NCAA may take a closer look at this issue. There are many reasons why it would be hard
to ban it, but I hope something can be done.
It certainly gives an edge to those coaches who have the resources to
identify or connect with players early, and it puts a ton of pressure on those
who don’t. It also places a lot of unnecessary
pressure on families. Those players who
may be smart enough to know they’re not ready to make this decision as a 15 or
16 year old may feel they’re going to miss all the good opportunities. Some young athletes will almost certainly
make the wrong choices (for them) simply because they were afraid they would
lose out if they didn’t. And some
parents are so impressed by the prospect of a big scholarship that they would
(in effect) say, “To heck with sound parental judgment. Show me the money!”
On another note, however, it is critical that parents and players
understand one important fact about the early commitment process. Although these commitments get a lot of
coverage on Student Sports Softball.com, Spy Softball.com and so on, the
reality is that this group of students (and the schools they commit to)
represent a very small percentage of
the overall number of players in a given class of graduates. So when you read about these commitments,
remember that there will still be hundreds of college coaches looking for good
players when you are finishing your junior year in high school.
The only aspect of this issue that you may want to pay attention to is the type of colleges that get these early
commitments. For the most part, it tends
to be the bigger name, higher visibility Div. I schools that follow this
path. Because of that, it may be that
writing a Top 20 D-I program at the end of your junior year will be a waste of
valuable time. Remember, about 100
players a year will go to these teams, and 75% of all college players will be at Div. II,
Remember, this is just my opinion, and I know some folks will disagree. But theoretically, much of what the NCAA does
is designed to keep collegiate athletics fair and honest and to protect both
college athletic programs and young prospects as well. I hope they can manage to do that with this
very controversial issue!
* * *
Understanding Different Recruiting
Styles
In my work with
college-bound student-athletes, I often hear that parents and players are
puzzled or frustrated by the way college coaches recruit. It’s not hard to
understand this confusion when you consider there are over 1100 four-year
teams, three NCAA Divisions, the NAIA, and junior colleges; and they all have
their own rules and recruiting timetables. In this article, I want to help
families become better prepared for the recruiting process by looking at some
of the differences in how coaches recruit.
I’ll start with some
generalizations that apply to all types of colleges. First, it's important to
remember that coaches are people too! Each has his or her own personality--and
that's bound to affect how they recruit. Some coaches may be outgoing, like to
talk on the phone, communicate well with strangers, etc. Others may be quiet,
even shy, and perhaps feel more comfortable showing skills, running practices
or planning game strategies.
These individual
differences can affect the way a school recruits you. The head coach may leave
90% of the recruiting to an assistant coach. Or the head coach may do it all
himself. The coach who does most of the recruiting may hate phone calls, or
hate email, or not be great at time management, often leaving recruiting to the
end of the day or putting it off until tomorrow or next week. Some coaches
communicate better with adults than teens; others will be just the opposite.
One coach may feel touching base with a recruit once a month is plenty; another
may want to talk to you every couple of weeks; a third might email you several
times a week once the process actually gets underway.
My point is that you need
to keep these personal, philosophical and style differences in mind when you
start communicating with college coaches or they with you. I sometimes hear
families are upset because a coach isn’t attentive enough or because a coach
said she would call, then didn’t. I always favor the proactive approach—i.e.,
if you want to find out why something did or did not happen, go to the source.
So if a coach says he’ll call, and then doesn’t follow through, there’s no
reason you can’t call him.
I’m a huge believer in
moving the process along if at all possible. Don’t sit around and wait for
answers if you can go out and get them! Since most coaches recruit several
players at any given time, it may be a big mistake to take anything for
granted. Rule number one is this: If you have questions about what a coach is
doing or why she’s doing it, ASK! But remember, it's unfair to expect every
college coach to be the same in how he or she recruits, (not to mention how
they view your skills, your experience, and your potential to contribute to
their program!)
(Note: It's also very
helpful to understand all the NCAA and NAIA rules on contacts and
recruiting as they differ not only from each other, but within each division!
For example, if you know that D-I and D-II coaches may only phone you once a
week, you're less likely to be upset if a coach calls, talks to mom for ten
minutes then doesn't call you back for the rest of that week.)
Now let’s look at some of
the major differences in recruiting based on the differences in programs. There
are always exceptions, but these are general trends I’ve observed over a
number of years.
I sometimes hear parents or
players complain that while many of the Div. I schools they’ve written have
responded (if only with a form letter), the D-II or NAIA coaches haven’t sent
word one in reply. This is not unusual, because there are often notable
differences in both style and timing of recruiting--e.g., from D-I, to D-II,
from NAIA to D-III, recruiting will not be the same.
And even within divisions,
there will be differences. For example, I tend to find that the bigger the D-I
program, the more likely you are to get a quick response. Big schools with
well-funded teams are more likely to have a full-time staff, and their coaches
often spend a lot of time on recruiting. They may have an established
routine—e.g., letters and videos are opened, time-dated, examined and then
responded to following a specific schedule. In many cases, if you send a letter
to one of these programs, you’ll likely get an answer back within a month or
two. Coaches at the bigger Div. I programs may start tracking prospects
earlier, they may initiate contact earlier, and they may make recruiting
decisions earlier. Families are sometimes surprised when their athlete gets a
letter telling her a school has finished recruiting—and it’s only August!
This may, of course, be just
a form response and a nice way of saying, "Thanks, but we’re not
interested." However, it may also be true. A school that identifies top
prospects early in a given class, starts writing those prospects as juniors,
has them on campus for unofficial visits, talks to them in person at the first
allowable date, and so on, may indeed get commitments by the end of summer or
start of fall.
Statistically speaking,
however, this is unusual. Many Div. I coaches will not even finalize their
"short list" of recruits until late summer or early fall, and some
will still be looking for prospects after the fall tournaments conclude. At
smaller D-I schools where the coach may not even have a full time assistant, it
may take longer for you to hear back, and you may have to follow up with
a phone call. Still, most D-I programs will try to have their recruiting
wrapped up, with commitments in hand, by late winter or early spring. So unless
a team member gets injured or leaves the program, or an unexpected need arises,
you can typically expect D-I coaches to be done recruiting and looking ahead to
scouting next year’s prospects when summer starts.
The timetable at other
levels of competition may be different, however. Coaches at well-established
D-II, D-III or NAIA programs—e.g., those with good staffing, good funding,
etc.—may start looking at juniors in late spring or early summer,
assuming their current recruiting needs have been met. But it’s also not
unusual for these coaches to do very little recruiting until the fall. If they
have travel budgets that allow them to travel for scouting over the summer,
they may try to see kids who’ve written them. And some may begin follow-up
contact right away, trying to schedule visits and looking at fall commitments.
But, many D-II and NAIA coaches, since they are permitted to have players on
campus for workouts, will not have much contact with players until they’re
ready to schedule those tryout dates.
I've even heard from NAIA
and D-III coaches that they like to wait until the first "crush" is
over. Some have told me that they want to know the players are really willing
to consider their schools—e.g., they've adjusted their expectations after the
big D-I programs have turned them down. So these coaches may put off a lot of
their active recruiting until the end of the fall, after the early signing
period is over.
Another factor in the
recruiting timetable is money. Since D-II and NAIA coaches may have some
scholarship money to offer prospects, they may be more interested in getting
commitments earlier than Div. III coaches. The D-III coaches will not be
offering athletic-based aid, so they know players may not make their final
decisions until after they've been accepted and gotten their financial aid
offers. Consequently, it may be spring before Div. III coaches get most of
their commitments.
Coaches at smaller programs
generally have smaller staffs, and they may not be as efficient at responding
to letters and videos. If you’re looking at these types of schools, your
pursuit of their programs may be more important than their pursuit of you.
While these coaches might not respond as quickly, they may appreciate your
phone calls even more than coaches at big schools would. If you’re really
interested in a particular team, pick up the phone and let the coach know it!
Request a visit, ask about applying, and keep calling until you get an answer.
Once you get to the fall of
your senior year, you should begin seeing results from your marketing efforts.
D-I coaches can start returning your calls once you've passed July 1 following
your junior year, so here's an important guideline. If it's September, and
you’ve sent a video to a big college program, called and left several detailed
messages, and no one has returned your calls, it's probably safe to assume
they're not interested at this time.
Keeping in mind that D-II
or NAIA coaches may be setting up workouts with prospects, and you should also
start calling these coaches once fall comes. But you might want to keep calling
(particularly if you think they'll be able to see you play fall ball), and
perhaps try again after the first of the year before you scratch them off your
list. If you’re writing a lot of Div. III coaches, you may see even later
recruiting responses. So don’t assume they’re not interested just because they
haven’t written you. Just keep calling.
With so much competition
out there, and with recruiting styles and schedules so dependent on the type of
college as well as the type of coach, you should be very proactive. Look at
each college you’re contacting, and consider the factors that might affect when
or how that coach responds to you. Then make your follow up calls and stick
with it until you get an answer—even if that answer is no. While that big Div.
I college might be done recruiting in September, the odds are great that
there’s some other coach, be it at a Div. II, III, NAIA, or even another D-I
school, who would love to have you as a member of his or her team!
* * *
WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU
In the sport of softball,
NCAA Division I and II colleges are allowed to have an early signing period for
one week in November, and a surprising number of people think that if you don't
sign then, it's all over. Many families aren't even aware that there is a
"traditional" signing period which runs from mid-April all the way
through July. (Division
Seniors and their parents
often get caught up in an early signing frenzy, believing that if they don't
actually sign in November, there won't be any colleges left to recruit them.
Most would be surprised to learn that if you took all players who will
eventually sign at or commit to play at a college somewhere--including
D-
It is probably true that
many "high visibility" players--e.g., the top D-I prospects, kids on
well-known travel teams, etc.--will sign in November. But they only represent a
portion of the overall total. Of course, since many of these top prospects will
choose bigger name colleges, those particular teams may well be out of the
recruiting loop after November. But every year I find lots of college coaches
still looking well into the spring--some even into the summer.
I think early signing is
great for the player who finds a terrific school and team "fit" and
whose family can work with the financial aid offered by that particular school.
However, those players who don't sign early should not look for the nearest
tall bridge to jump off of. As the old baseball saying goes, "It ain't
over 'til the fat lady sings," and she's not even warming up yet!
But what if you don't find
the right school in the fall or you got a late start on your college search?
First of all, be sure you have several "Plan B" schools to which you
apply following their regular application deadlines. Whether it is a local
school, a school where you wouldn't play softball, or one where you'd try out
as a walk-on player, you need to have a college to attend. (Of course, some
players will decide college softball may not be right for them after all, so
they'll need a back-up school for sure!)
Once you've gotten those
applications out of the way, take a new look at your goals vis-à-vis college
ball, and try to decide how realistic those goals are. If you were shooting for
If you have been emailing
or talking with coaches, November is the time to really pin them down. You need
to find out if they are done recruiting or are still looking. If still looking,
do they consider you a strong prospect? If you are someone they want to
recruit, try to set up a visit--if not before Christmas, then after the first
of the year.
If you aren't getting much
response from the schools you initially pursued, consider contacting some new
schools. But think about focusing on Div. II, III, NAIA or Junior Colleges,
since these schools often start recruiting later than the bigger programs, and
they may still be looking. It's also good to remember you can go work out with
a JC or NAIA program at any time during your college search, but you can only
work out with a Div. II team until you start the semester in which you play
high school softball. (If you don't play HS ball for some reason, this
limitation does not apply.)
All colleges play in the
spring, so between practices, home games and road trips, many of these coaches
will have limited time in which to bring you in for a visit. The same thing
will apply to you if you live in a state that plays spring high school ball. So
it's smart to get on a coach's radar early--preferably in January--to allow you
to find a time to visit--and possibly work out--that works for both of you.
Don't be afraid to call
coaches; just be sure if you get voice mail, you leave a detailed
message--including your grad year--so they return your call. I hear from a lot
of kids that they're afraid to bother coaches, don't want the coach to get
angry, don't know what to say, etc. In my experience, most coaches are very
happy to talk with a player. You need to find out whether there's a
chance you can play at that school, and any information you get will be useful.
If a coach says, "Thanks, but we're done," at least you know to move
on. (As a side note, if you call a coach three or four times, leaving a message
each time, and that coach doesn't call you back, chances are good you can take that
school off your list.)
I have seen players stick
to their college search with dogged determination, through the winter, into the
spring and even into the summer. And it's almost always paid off if only
because most other kids gave up! Granted, most of the time, successfully
finding a college will mean adjusting your expectations to fit your
reality--and for some kids and parents, that's impossible. But for those who
truly want to play in college, if you are open to lots of options, keep
plugging away, and don't give up, you have a terrific chance of finding a
college that says, "We want you!"
* * *
West
Coast Players...Beware of Complacency!
I cannot stress
this enough. Each list doesn't include every player who signed/committed
at every school so far. But they are representative, and on the whole,
there usually aren't a lot of West Coast players being signed by schools
outside the West. There might be one or two in a group of five or six
signers at some schools, but many of the schools--D-I and D-II--had no players
listed who were from states west of
Be as open as you
can be. That includes looking at different regions of the country,
different types of colleges, and different ways to pay for your college
Don't assume anything.
If your coach says he or she will "take care of it for you," you'd
better say, "Thanks--any help you can give will be awesome, but I'm in
charge of my college search."
Be prepared to
adjust your expectations to fit your reality. Staying on the West Coast
may mean not getting scholarship money or it may mean playing at an NAIA
program rather than at a Div. I school.
When you start your
college search, do not just write the top 20 Div. I programs in the
country. Write a bunch of smaller D-I's, D-II's, NAIA's and some D-
I have found that
while more D-I schools are recruiting regionally, more D-II and NAIA and even
D-
Be proactive.
Until a coach calls you and asks you to come for a visit--giving you specific
dates--you should not take her interest for granted. Make your follow-up
phone calls, and show coaches how interested you really are. Whether
they're in
* * *
HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY WANT TO PLAY IN COLLEGE?
I wish there was some way I
could 'plug in' to parents' and players' heads and transfer my recruiting
experience and knowledge directly to that part of the brain that is responsible
for decision-making. Because no matter how much I talk, many kids and parents
still don't quite 'get it.' (And that's understandable given all the
misinformation that floats around the ball park!)
It is true that there are a
few travel teams who garner so much attention from college coaches that their
top players really don't have to do much other than play well to get recruiting
offers. But these kids represent a small percentage of the total number of
prospects. The vast majority of
kids will probably have to work very
hard if they want to find a college and a team. They and their parents simply
cannot make the mistake of assuming they/their daughter will be 'snapped' up by
college coaches just because she was All-League in high school or because she
hit two home runs last summer. They simply cannot
sit back and wait for the phone to ring.
When talking to coaches
about the college search process and recruiting, it has become increasingly
evident to me that many college coaches are simply overwhelmed. They not only
cannot see--let alone discover--every player out there, but many
of them can't even get through the mail on their desk! A coach who has 40
videos sitting in front of her may look at fifteen of them and find three
players she likes enough to call, go see play, etc. Because of that, she may
discover, recruit and sign a player long before she ever gets to tape number
37--which happens to be your daughter's tape.
Several coaches told me
recently that while the video is critical in getting them to consider a player
(particularly if they can't see her in person), follow-up was equally
important. One coach told me she had sent out about 50 requests for videos to
kids. Of the 30 or 35 players who actually sent tapes back only four or five
called to follow-up--e.g., to ask if she'd gotten the tape and to find out
where she stood with recruiting. This coach said she paid a lot more attention
to those four or five kids
because of their phone calls. It definitely made a difference in her response
to a player if she knew that player was so interested that she would make the effort to call--no
matter how scary that phone call might be!
Most coaches don't mind if
parents call unless they sense the parent is doing a 'hard sell.' But almost all coaches like it when a player is
brave or confident enough to call them herself. It tells them a lot about her
desire to play in college.
I will acknowledge that
some college coaches are too busy (or too disorganized) to return a phone call
or, in lieu of a call, to send a letter saying, 'Thanks, but we're not
interested.' So as disappointing as it may be, I usually tell an athlete if she
calls a coach three times over a couple of weeks and the coach just ignores
those calls, it's time to move on to other schools.
It's also good to keep in
mind that at many of the 'big name' programs, they have secretarial staffs to
write nice letters and handle PR for them. I often hear that a player has
gotten a gracious letter from the #1 or #2 or #4 school in the nation saying,
'You're a fine athlete. If you decide you want to attend our college, please
let us know. We'd be happy to have you try out as a walk-on....etc., etc.'
Yet I may also know the
odds on this player making the team--forget starting--at that school are very
slim. I know the coach at that
school. He or she has signed four seniors from nationally- known travel teams,
and he or she will have twenty kids trying out as walk-ons, including several
more players from those same big name travel teams. He or she will keep two or
three, and the rest of the kids will get cut. It's a business and that's how
it's run. But the school's or team's image is important too, and no one wants
to deliberately hurt a player's feelings. Hence the nice letters welcoming you
to walk on.
I've had many parents
complain about some coach who wrote their daughter a blunt 'rejection' letter.
And they'll often contrast that with the 'big name' school coach who sent a
lovely letter saying she was welcome to try out as a walk-on. Personally, if I
was the parent of a player who passionately loved the game and who really
wanted to play, I would much
rather a coach tell me the kid wouldn't make the team than lead me on.
Sure, she's welcome to try out. But at
that point, she's already chosen the college, enrolled, moved to the school and
turned down other colleges where she could really play. Now if playing softball
isn't that important, but attending
But if your athlete really,
really wants to play, you can find a team that will give her that opportunity
even if it's not the #1 team in the nation. Believe me, there are lots of
coaches at smaller programs out there who love
to hear from a player who's interested in their school.
Five or ten years ago, if
you just wrote a coach and maybe sent a video, you had a good chance that the
coach would try to see you play or would respond to your letter at the very
least. That's not enough any more. There are just too many kids in the mix. You
almost have to do something that makes you stand out. Obviously, it's terrific
if you can do this on the field during a game when a coach is watching you. But
it also helps if you are willing to try to sell your love of softball to a
coach.
That's where the phone
calls come in. Coaches know how hard this is for you, but they are more likely
to take you seriously because
it is so hard. So is college softball! Make that effort, take the chance. You
may get turned down; that's part of life. But you may also steal a spot on a
team away from another player who couldn't or wouldn't make pick up the phone!
* * *
HOW TO
With each passing
recruiting year, I see proof of softball's growth at the youth level. More high
school and travel teams are becoming competitive, and the/re's a definite
increase in the number of student-athletes who are dreaming of playing softball
in college.
Softball talent, just like
softball teams--college and youth ball--tends to fall into a pyramid shape; and
I don't expect this to change. Just as there will always be more average
players than there will be Lisa Fernandez or Michelle Smith types, there will
always be fewer college teams at the top and a lot more in the middle and at
the bottom of this pyramid. But the overall
level of college team competitiveness is rising every year. This is
due to better coaching, better equipment and technology, better experience and
a bigger and better pool of talent to draw from.
Players who five or six
years ago might have walked onto many Div. I teams and been guaranteed a spot
are now scrambling to get themselves recruited. Last spring, I saw many
families on the brink of despair because their athlete didn't have a school
offering her money or even a starting spot. Granted, many of these families had
been sitting around "waiting" for it to happen--e.g., they assumed
coaches would find their player and recruit her just because she was a strong
athlete. But there were also players struggling to find spots who had written colleges, had sent out videos, and had tried to let coaches know they wanted
to play in college.
The process of finding a
college is much like finding a job, and the tighter the job market, the more
you have to work. I know the
process as I outline it in my book works. Proactive marketing, contacting
coaches, sending out videos, and never stopping does produce results. But I also have to warn parents that
because of the pyramid structure of college softball, there will be far fewer
spots open at top schools and far more players wanting to go to those schools.
And the bigger the talent pool, the more coaches can pick and choose which kids
they want to recruit.
It has become more
important than ever to identify your athlete's "target zone" early in
the recruiting process. In the "old" days, players could write five
or ten schools, and if those schools weren't interested, they could then write
another five or ten, gradually working their way down the list until they found
schools where they would be "impact" players. (The key to being
recruited as a player is to find the school where you will make a difference.) Now, many families take way
too long to do this. Where players think
they can play and would like to
play may not be where they are most likely to make a strong contribution to the
program and therefore be a "hot prospect."
I try not to discourage
players by telling them they are unlikely to be recruited by
In my experience, it's a
lot easier to hear that a Top 20 Div. I team doesn't want to recruit you, if at the same time, you are hearing that
a smaller D-I or good D-II/NAIA school has a spot just for you. Yet, many kids
(or their parents) would rather risk giving up softball than approach schools
that aren't "big name" programs.
As you're sitting around
waiting for a coach to call think of these numbers. Every fall, roughly 3500 to
4000 young women will enter four-year colleges as new recruits destined for the softball team. Of this total
number, 75% will go to play for Div. II, Div.
Too many parents waste time
insisting that their player is in the elite "blue chip" pool of
recruits, when in reality she's in the much, much larger pool of "very
good" athletes. Because of this, these families take too long to realize
that their player may have to accept a Div. II scholarship or an NAIA talent
award or a Div.
I would certainly never
recommend that a player go to a college she hates just to play softball. This
is always a big mistake. But I do urge athletes to expand their horizons and
consider colleges they might not have heard about or colleges that are farther
away from home than they originally wanted. College coaches do want the best
talent they can get. But almost all coaches will take a long hard look at the
player who most wants to play and who really wants to be part of their program.
So the more open an athlete is and the more willing she is to take a look at
lots of different types of colleges and college teams, the greater are her
chances of being some coach's "dream" recruit.
The recruiting game is like
the game of musical chairs. There are way too many players competing for too
few seats. If the music starts to slow down, you had better grab the first open
chair. If you don't you may find you are out of the game all together!
* * *
SOFTBALL "WINDOWS OF
The
way a family approaches the college search process is based on a lot of things,
not the least of which is the athlete's commitment to finding the team and
school that are right for her. Some families are very "gung ho,"
wanting to write colleges when the player is a freshman or sophomore. Others
are more laid back or perhaps take a lot for granted--e.g., they are pretty
sure their athlete will just be "discovered," recruited and signed.
In any case, they often wait until her senior year before panicking and rushing
to send out letters and tapes.
Is there a right answer to the question of when to start the college search?
Technically, there isn't. You can get lots of different input from
coaches--travel, college, high school, etc. While it's true that a few college
programs may spot young players they want to watch, there's a catch there. They
want to identify the next Lisa Fernandez or Cat Osterman--e.g., the next phenom
. If they can find that player when
she's young and get her interested in their college and team, so much the
better. But most athletes will not be the "greatest athlete of their
generation." And, we all know of players who as sophomores are solid (but
nothing special), but who become outstanding recruits by their senior year (and
vice versa!)
Parents need to remember that NCAA college coaches are supposed to follow NCAA
recruiting guidelines. They are not supposed to write players for recruiting
purposes until the start of the junior year, and they cannot talk to players in
person about recruiting until July 1 following the junior year (for Div. I
coaches and June 15 for Div. II coaches). Yes, they can send out a generic
questionnaire to sophomores. But that's it. They're not supposed to be telling
freshmen and sophomores that they want to recruit them! Another key factor is
that not all college coaches are created equal when it comes to recruiting.
Some have great support staffs who can be churning out letters on a weekly
basis to players. Others lumber along like dinosaurs struggling to respond to
letters and tapes that came in six months ago! Some schools have identified
their rising senior prospects by early summer; called them and set up visits by
early September; and have the players signed by November. But, other colleges
may aim to sign one player in the fall and the rest in the spring; and some
sign none in the fall, waiting until after the early signing period to get
serious about recruiting. And, even those coaches who want to be done by in the
fall often find themselves in March, April, May or June still looking for
recruits.
Since my approach to the college search centers on helping families get the
best return over the long period of time with the least amount of confusion and
as little duplication of effort as possible, I usually recommend following this
time table.
END OF THE SOPHOMORE YEAR: If your athlete is playing on an 18/U team that goes
to
START OF THE JUNIOR YEAR: If your player is on an 18/U team or Gold team that
goes to a major fall tournament that coaches attend, you again have the option
of sending out the post-cards. They should also start the NCAA Clearinghouse
process.
MIDDLE OF THE JUNIOR YEAR: Have her schedule the
SPRING OF THE JUNIOR YEAR: I consider late January to late May the opening of
the best "recruiting window of opportunity." This is when I encourage
players to make their skills video; and a tape made at this time should work
for them all the way through the recruiting process. This is also when they
should begin putting together packets to send to coaches. They can include the
video or wait until it's requested, and they can let coaches know where they'll
be playing over the summer. As soon as school ends, have their high school send
the EC a 6th semester transcript.
START OF THE SENIOR YEAR: Families need to ensure their player is on track and
keep the process moving forward. If they haven't heard back from the schools
initially contacted, follow-up phone calls may be in order--particularly if
they have sent a video. Seniors need to remember that no coach will give them
any realistic feedback on their chances of making a college team without either
having seen the video or seen the player compete in person.
Seniors need to sort colleges into three categories: the "Thanks, but no
thanks" category; the "We don't know yet" category; and the
"Yes, we're definitely interested and would like to talk to you, bring you
in for a visit, have you apply to the school, etc." category. As the senior
year progresses, the player's goal should be to constantly empty the
"No" category, to move the schools in the "Maybe" category
into either the "No" or "Yes" category, and to find out
which schools in the "Yes" category may be a good match for her.
If families take advantage of this "window of opportunity," they are
more likely to be on track throughout the process, while at the same time
avoiding having to write schools three or four times to get a response. For
most kids, the college search tends to be more like a marathon than a sprint.
The key to winning is stamina, persistence and the ability to pace yourself.
Starting at the most optimum time makes this a lot easier. Start too early and
you may have repeat and repeat and repeat your efforts. Start too late, and you
may miss the boat completely at a lot of schools!
* * *
BE SURE TO
When it comes to
recruiting, many families (and players) often make the mistake of assuming
certain things are true. Then when their college search gets stalled or
derailed, they are confused and upset. What I hear most frequently is one
version or another of this simple phrase, "It's not fair!" Right there is where the problem
begins. People assume or take for granted that because they think something should be a certain way, it
will be. Unfortunately, that's all too often not the case. You might be lucky
and find this out early enough to change your perspective. Or you might not
accept it out until it's too late.
One of my goals as a
recruiting consultant is to help families approach the college search from the
perspective that is most likely to
get them the results they want. And that means accepting right from the
beginning that this process is very likely to be unfair. While it may be true that their athlete is very
talented, has terrific competitive experience, is a good student and a
wonderful human being, none of
those things guarantees recruitment.
The above qualities may
factor into her recruitment, but unfortunately, they don't guarantee that
things will work out fairly or logically. The simple truth is that there are
some important factors in the recruiting equation that parents can
control...and some that they can't. If you understand this and work your tail
off to stay of top of the things you can
control, then you may be able to lessen the effect of those things you can't control. For example, your athlete
can control her grades (at least to the extent that she gets the best grades she's capable of getting.) The athlete
can determine how hard she works to make the most of her athletic ability--she
can choose to go hang out with her friends rather than putting in extra time at
the batting cages or on the mound. She can choose to play the toughest competitive
schedule, and she can decide how much she hustles.
To some extent, the athlete
may be able to control how she performs under pressure; parents or coaches may
be able to help by encouraging the practice and drills that build confidence
and help her succeed. But if she's only successful when no one is watching or
when she's playing against weaker competition, and can't produce when it
counts--e.g., when coaches are there to watch her--fair or not, she may have
trouble convincing those coaches that she can play for them.
Families can control how well they market their
player, and they can focus on the types of programs where she's most likely to
be successful because these are the teams that are most likely to recruit her.
But parents can moan and groan
until they're blue in the face and it's not going to change the mind of a coach
who just doesn't see what they see when looking at this athlete.
Parents can't control whether or not college
coaches make recruiting mistakes. But they can
help their college-bound player avoid making college search mistakes if they
work from the correct premise. Assume
that this process may not be fair, that it may be confusing and that you're not going to change the process.
All you can change is your approach to it. But changing your attitude may give
your athlete an edge that players who are more experienced or even more
talented may lack!
* * *
PLAYING RECRUITING ROULETTE
This is a follow-up to the
article that ran last month. It has to do with "playing the odds." Collegiate
recruiting is a gamble in the
purest sense of the word (for both the coach and the player.) Statistically
speaking, the odds are that only about one in ten players who hope to make a
college team will actually come up a winner after her dice are rolled.
Not all high school ball
players will be dealt the same hand, of course. Coming from a strong softball
area or program with high visibility will increase your odds somewhat. Having
an unusual amount of talent or spectacular grades also may slant the odds in
your favor.
Not all would-be college
players have the same desire to play either,
and the more a player really wants
to play in college (because she just loves the game and can't imagine not
playing), the greater are her chances of finding a team. And there are things
parents and players can do to increase their chances of "winning" in
the recruiting game. But many players and their families don't want to do these
things...or are only willing to do them to a certain degree.
I cannot stress how important
it is to identify the odds that are in your favor before you begin your college search. Recognize the
"rules" you've set for yourself at the start of "play," and
understand how these "rules" may affect your odds of winning. For
example, if your personal "rules" state that you will be a winner if
and only if you're recruited by a Top 25 Div. I team, then your odds of winning
at recruiting roulette go way, way down--unless you happen to be one of the top
one hundred ball players in the country. (Statistically speaking, about
75-100 kids total will
be become new players at the Top 25 programs in the country every year.)
If you're willing to change
your game "rules" enough to consider playing for one of the top 50
Div. I teams or one of the top 30 Div. II teams, then your odds increase
somewhat because now you might only have to be among the top three hundred ball
players in the country! And, of course, if you relax your "'rules"
enough to talk to all good
college teams that might be interested in you, then your chances of being
recruited go way, way up!
Considering schools where
you will be actively recruited
versus making a team as a walk-on player will also drastically increase the
recruiting odds in your favor. Every year I hear many girls say they're going
to walk on at "Big Name" University because they're just sure (or
more often their parents are just sure) they can make the team. And occasionally it does happen. But more
often than not it doesn't (or if it does, the player finds out she'll be a two
to four year bench-sitter and she quits). Then the player has to admit either
that it really wasn't that important to her to play college ball or that she
made a big mistake in choosing this school and team. Yes, we all hear about the
lucky unknown who tried out for
You should, of course,
choose the college where you'll be happy and get the education you need. But if
playing softball is important to you, there are many hundreds of wonderful
colleges with good softball teams--but the vast majority of them are not D-I,
Top Twenty programs..
One other big factor in
your "odds" game is money. If you're lucky enough to have parents who
will contribute financially to your college education, then your chances of
finding a team and a school are significantly higher because you can choose
from many, many teams. If you will only go to a school that will give you a
full ride softball scholarship, your odds decrease immediately and
drastically--again unless you happen to be among the top two or three percent
of all the players in the country. Being able to get academic-based,
minority-based or need-based financial aid may help increase your odds. But if
your family is expecting or insisting that everything be paid for, you may be
out of luck. Unless your family can demonstrate significant need, or you are at
the very top of your class, getting a full "package" is pretty tough.
If you're asking who does win at the recruiting roulette game,
the answer is actually pretty simple. The player with the odds of coming up a
big winner is the ball player who passionately loves softball, has good grades,
lots of motivation, an open mind, and supportive parents who understand the
"realities" of winning at this game. This player will most likely be
the one who will actually do
everything she can to make the most of her odds. And in so doing, she will
likely pass up better, more experienced players who haven't figured out how to
"beat the odds!"
* * *
WHICH TRAVEL BALL
As recruiting becomes
increasingly competitive, choosing to play for the right travel team can be a
major decision for a player and her family. I won't go into the really
hard part of selecting a travel team--i.e., determining up front whether or not
the coaches are the best ones for you! I've given up suggesting ways (short of
consulting a crystal ball) that players can determine ahead of time whether a
travel ball coach is a good fit, let alone whether he or she is a) being honest
(and will stay that way); b) being honest in the moment, but with little
likelihood he'll be saying the same thing in six months; c) believing
she is being honest, but already developing contingency plans; or d) just
telling you what you want to hear.
There are two other
important questions I frequently hear, however, when it comes to choosing a
travel ball team. The first revolves around whether or not to play
"up." Parents of high school freshmen and sophomores often ask me if
I think their daughter should play 18/U or 18/Gold, particularly if it means
she may not get as much playing time.
My answer to this is
generally, "Yes, by all means." There are certain questions I'd
ask before committing to playing "up," but it can be a great
experience for a number of reasons. You should decide if this particular 18/U
or Gold team is actually a better/stronger team than the best 16/U team she'd
play for. Playing--even all the time--on an 18/U team that only travels to
small local tournaments doesn't necessarily offer a lot of benefits. You need
to find out beforehand if the team has an established track record, goes to
major tournaments such as the CO Fireworks, the Rising Stars Showcase, ASA or
AFA Nationals, and other well-known venues that attract a lot of college
coaches. And you need to ask specific questions about what the team coaches do
to help their players move on to college. You should also try to discover--if
possible--whether she will really get enough playing time to help her put into
practice what she's learning...at practice!
But experience has shown me
that younger kids who play for established older teams often benefit in many
ways. She may get excellent, experienced coaching; she should have the chance
to compete with and against better players--which should make her a
better player; and she'll have a year or two to see the tougher pitching (or
better batters) before it has to "count." In other words, if she
plays up as a freshman or sophomore, she can play part time, get used to
traveling, get used to seeing college coaches everywhere, and have lots of time
to adjust to a higher level of competition. If she doesn't succeed immediately,
it won't hurt her because she'll be learning. And while coaches may be watching
and making notes for the future, she's too young to be actively recruited yet.
So there is much less pressure to perform "under pressure."
I generally see positive
rather than negative results from playing "up." But it's true, not all
kids are ready for this big move. If your player doesn't understand that
sitting 50% of the time on a great team still offers lots of opportunities to
shine and to grow as a player, then this may not be for her. If she doesn't
have collegiate aspirations, there's certainly no need to play up--particularly
if she would be sitting a lot. And some 15 year olds just are not socially
mature enough to be spending a lot of road time with 17 and 18 year olds--or
even returning college players. But overall, if I had to choose for my athlete,
I'd jump at the chance to play on a good older team that welcomed her. Getting
comfortable early at the top level of competition can help a player be relaxed
and ready to compete when it really counts--when college coaches are there to
watch her!
The second question that I
hear frequently is the opposite of the first one. Time and time again
parents want my assurance that it's just fine for their junior (soon to be
senior) to play "down" on a 16/U team. Unfortunately, I can't respond
to this question with the same enthusiasm I showed for the first one. Once in a
blue moon, I'll say it's okay for a junior to play down, but for the most part,
my answer is always a resounding, "DON'T!" I know, sometimes it just
can't be helped. The only good team within a two-hour driving distance may be a
16/U team. Or she may not be recruited by any 18/U teams except the local rec.
ball club. And of course, if your player doesn't have collegiate softball goals
or is just planning on walking on at the local J.C., it's likely to be fine for
her to play 16/U as a junior.
That said, however, here
are the two best arguments against it. First, despite what 16/U coaches may
tell you, college coaches scout far less at 16/U tournaments. Yes, some will go
to 16/U ASA Nationals--though they're often there to look at the class a
year behind your player's. But can you guarantee in November or March that
your junior's 16/U team will go to Nationals? And yes, if your player is very
strong and has done all of her college search homework--sent out
letters/resumes/videos in the spring and followed up with emails and
postcards--and her 16/U team goes to a major tournament like the CO
Fireworks, some coaches will certainly come watch her play. But the
"random discovery" factor for most 16/U players is much smaller. And,
since coaches can't be in two places at once, they'll almost always choose to
go where they can get the most bang for their buck.
This means if a coach has
to choose between seeing a couple of the kids who've written him playing in the
16/U division or seeing 15-20 of the prospects he's considering in the18/U
bracket, he'll be watching the older teams. No matter how you slice it, there's
just no way coaches can spend as much time watching 16/U teams. So if you need
to be seen in order to be recruited (and most kids do), your chances just
aren't as good if you play down.
The second, and equally
important, reason not to play down is the competition. While there are great
16/U teams and outstanding pitchers and hitters, the older kids, particularly
at the Gold level, will generally be stronger. If you're a junior playing 16/U
ball, you're the oldest--and theoretically--the best or most experienced. So there
are not nearly as many challenges to your game. Then, all of a sudden, you have
to go up to 18 or Gold in the fall of your senior year, and now you have
to adjust immediately to pitching--if you're a hitter--or batters--if you're a
pitcher--that your teammates have been facing for a year or two. And you may
have to do this under tremendous pressure because this may be the only
time college coaches get to check you out.
I can't tell a family what
to do. And yes, kids do need to be happy playing softball because there's no
other reason to do it. College coaches want you playing because you love the
game, not because they might give you a little money. Still, you have to ask
yourself, is it more important to be with my friends right now or to play
college ball in two years?
It's certainly not
impossible to get recruited or to find a college softball team after playing
16/U as a junior. However, I know a lot of parents who would tell
you--hindsight providing 20-20 vision and all--that the biggest mistake they
made with their daughter's college search was letting her play 16/U her junior
summer--when she had other options. Sometimes you don't have them; and
sometimes this might just be the best choice for your athlete. But if
this is the route you choose to go, be sure you plan wisely, map out her
college search early and thoroughly, and be prepared to hit some roadblocks
along the way.
* * *
A WINNING ATTITUDE IS A BIG
Many athletes and their
parents will use the player's performance in game situations as an indicator of
her recruitablity. If she goes three for four and makes a great diving play on
a ball, they're convinced all college coaches will want to recruit her. If she
goes "0" for the day and boots a couple of balls, they're sure no
coach will even look at her.
The player's (and her
parents') attitude towards the game is often tied to her performance. If she's
hitting, fielding or pitching really well, she smiles, she's happy and her
parents are ecstatic. If she has an off day, reactions can range from simply
"getting down on herself" to rage and tantrums.
I have also seen cases
where a player is doing very well in a game, but other team members are
struggling and not "showing" as well as they would like. In this
situation, parents (and occasionally the player herself) may get upset, talk
about finding another team, complain about the current players and/or coaches,
and create a very unpleasant environment. If you asked them why they were
acting this way, they would tell you that the team's performance was hurting their player's chances for success.
Performance is important. No one would argue that a
player who can't hit or field will probably not make it at the college level.
And it's equally true that college coaches look for a 'clutch performance' when
scouting a prospect. But just as there are many different levels of collegiate
competition and many different types of college coaches, there are many levels
of success among players. The "blue-chip" player, the girl in the top
1% of all players, will probably--even on a bad day--look better than a very
average player does on a good day. But college coaches know that even top
athletes have "off" days now and then.
When scouting, how much
attention a coach pays to any given athlete may also depend a lot on whether or
not the coach has a context for that player. In other words, when a coach just
randomly stops at a field for five minutes to watch a team he or she doesn't
know, if your player is having a really bad game, the coach will probably move
on and not pay her any more attention. However, if the coach had gotten a
letter from her, seen her video and liked it, and knew your player was very
interested in his or her college, that coach might still take the time to watch more than one inning. He or she
might even come back for another game to see if this poor performance was the
result of an 'off day.'
It's also good to remember
that college coaches don't just look at mechanics or skill level when
recruiting athletes. Although these things are very important, most coaches
also look closely at a player's attitude, work ethic, sportsmanship, and other
qualities that can't be measured by 'statistics.'
It's completely normal for
young adults to get discouraged, depressed or frustrated when they don't
perform up to someone's expectations--whether it be their own, their parents'
or their coaches'. But learning to deal with this frustration is as much a part
of being a successful competitor as is learning to hit a change-up or throw a curve.
Softball is a team sport and failure is just sometimes part of the game.
When recruiting, many
college coaches will specifically try to look at an athlete's performance in
challenging situations; and they will definitely be interested in how she copes
with adversity. When the ump has an inconsistent strike zone or the team isn't
playing up to its potential, coaches want to know how the individual reacts. Does she throw her bat
and helmet, stomp around angrily, sit and sulk on the bench, or in other ways
fail to adjust to the situation? Or does she rise to the occasion, try to keep
her teammate spirits up, try to perform to her best?
Loving the game and being
competitive enough to hustle even when it's ninety degrees and you're losing
will tell a college coach a lot about how you will cope with the demands of
college softball. In between innings if you drag your butt out to your position
at shortstop and just lob balls to the first baseman, laughing when you miss a
ball, this may give a college coach the impression you lack intensity or that
you can't stay focused.
If you sit in the dugout
and sulk when the coach pulls you for a pinch hitter or when the coach asks you
to bunt, you pop up because you really want to hit away, this may tell a
college coach you're not a team player and you're only interested in your own
performance.
Remember, you never know
when a college coach or a scout is watching you. From the time you show up at a
tournament or game, you should be performing--in every sense of the word--to
the best of your abilities. Whether you're just hitting soft-toss during
pre-game warm-ups or making a leaping catch to save the game, coaches may be
watching. When you're carrying gear after the game or sitting on the bench
keeping stats for your coach, someone may be watching. And a decision to
recruit or not recruit you could be based on how you handle yourself in these
situations.
Finally, parents should keep in mind that the same
cautions apply to you. While coaches are scouting your player, they may also be
scouting you. Although it seems farfetched, I know of situations where coaches
have decided not to recruit a good athlete simply because they watched her
parents "act out" in the stands. The coaches saw the parents and
realized the athlete would probably not fit in with their team--or at least her
parents wouldn't! It may be difficult for some parents to understand, but the
reality is when your athlete joins that college team, you have to say good-bye.
Even if you've coached her for ten years, you will not have any input once she's in college. Where
she plays, when she plays, what pitches she throws, whether she hits--these are
all decisions the college coach will make without your help. And whether or not
you like what the coach is
doing probably won't matter a bit.
As a family, it's a good
idea to talk about the emotional aspects
of softball. Look at how you all handle pressure and try to gain some
perspective. The more positive you can be during the tough games, the more
likely you are to leave a positive impression on a coach!
* * *
SUMMER SCOUTING IMPRESSIONS
I spend most of June and
July on the road, often at major tournaments like the Colorado Fireworks. This can be an
exhilarating (and scary) time for players, particularly those who will start
their senior year in the fall. It sure wipes me out!
Each year, I see new things and am reminded of old ones that are part of the
college search for players or the recruiting process for college coaches. I'd
like to mention or remind you of some of these things that might help keep you
aware, motivated and on the right track during your college search.
Observations from/about
College Coaches
They all go to big tournaments with lists. If
you're not on that list, it will be very hard to get noticed unless you're
hitting the ball to the fence on a regular basis--when the coaches are
watching. (Sorry, but that's just the way it is.)
Coaches prefer that
parents not approach or talk to them unless they (the coaches) have
specifically requested a contact. (Parents: read
the NCAA rule book and memorize
the rules on contact. I see parents breaking these rules right and
left--sometimes coaches too--but you may not realize your daughter's
eligibility to play could be jeopardized by what you consider a harmless conversation
about a college's football team.)
Coaches really need to know accurate grade point
averages--NCAA core and cumulative--and SAT or ACT scores.
Almost all coaches
are looking for strong, consistent hitters. Most will tell you they'd rather work
to develop a player's fielding skills than have to teach her how to hit. Unless
you're incredibly lucky or amazingly athletic, becoming a good hitter is a
matter of learning the right mechanics (teaching your muscles what to do),
developing a keen eye and teaching yourself very good discipline at the
plate...and then practicing to get even better! Again, it may not be fair, but
clutch hitting is what gets coaches' attention (if you're not a pitcher)!
When they're
scouting, it's virtually impossible
for coaches to differentiate between the travel ball player who sees college
softball as a beginning--e.g.,
when she gets there, she'll work even harder, become an even better player,
etc.--and the travel ball player who sees college ball as an ending--e.g., she's been doing this
summer ball stuff to get a college scholarship or to get into college. As far
as she's concerned, once she's there, she gets to level out and have a good
time. She doesn't have to get any better. But if you ask coaches, they will all
tell you it's the first type of player they really want.
There are way too many kids out there for coaches
to see all of you. Don't assume because they're watching your game that they're
there to see you. You need to show them you're motivated enough to put some
effort into your college search!
By the end of a big
tournament like the Colorado Fireworks or at the end of a series of tournaments
(this year some coaches went from Phoenix, AZ to Las Vegas, NV to Kelso, WA, to
Aurora, CO to Lancaster, CA in the space of a month!), coaches are bleary-eyed
and exhausted. And I can guarantee you they won't remember everyone they've
seen. If you want them to remember you, follow up after the tournaments with a
call or email to find out if they even saw you play...and to ask where they are
with recruiting.
Observations for/about
Players
You may just be having a bad day. But a
rotten attitude turns coaches off faster than anything else. If you don't want
to be playing softball, don't play. (Mom and Dad will get over it--eventually.)
Occasional frustration is natural and understandable. But coaches want to see
if you deal with adversity in a positive or negative way. If you're struggling,
don't throw your bat or helmet. Go ask for help and figure out what to do to fix
the problem. If you're not performing well at the moment, focus externally and
support your teammates instead of sulking and feeling sorry for yourself.
Weight training and
running will be part of your
college experience if you play softball. Don't wait until you get to college to
figure this out. Start now. You'll feel better, look better, perform better and
have more stamina. And you'll be way
ahead of the other freshmen starting school with you!
College coaches really prefer to hear from you. They're not recruiting your mom or
your dad or your pitching coach. No matter how scary it is, if you're not
motivated enough to call coaches, talk to them, etc., they may figure you're
really not that interested in playing college softball for them.
Don't ever just
take the SAT or ACT once--unless you score a 1600 or 36 out of the gate. No
matter how unpleasant it is, work to raise your score. There's way more
academic money than athletic money available and coaches look for kids with
high test scores.
Observations for/about
Parents and Youth Coaches
No matter how much you would like to be playing college
ball, it's not going to happen. The coaches will be recruiting your daughter or your player. If she doesn't want it, you can't make it appear that she does.
Ask her on a regular basis if she's sure that playing in college is what she's
wants. If it is, help her learn how to reach that goal. If it's not, let her do
something she enjoys--and you can go get a life!
Learn the recruiting
rules. And unless a coach specifically asks you to find him or her, don't
approach coaches to chat about their teams or about your player. (I'm making this point twice because it's so
important.) Don't jeopardize your player's eligibility and then use
the excuse, 'Well, I didn't know.'
Find out what your
daughter or player's grades really are. Learn the difference between an NCAA core GPA, a semester GPA and a cumulative
GPA. This is critical information for many college coaches.
Support your player
in a positive way. No matter
how frustrating it is for you, it's ten times more so for her. Do you think she
wants to be striking out???? Don't you think she'd prefer to be hitting line
drives to the fence or throwing an incredible rise ball??? Your negative
comments simply make things worse. They never make things better. If your
player is struggling, be helpful, not hurtful. Help her determine whether her
problems are mechanical or mental. If they're mechanical, then get some expert
advice on how to fix them; and remember, it takes a lot of repetitions to
change muscle memory. If she's in a mental slump, help her discover ways to
build self-confidence, to develop discipline. Ten years from now, chances are
the quality of your relationship with your daughter (or with future players if
you're a coach) will be greatly improved if you leave your ego out of it and
help your player learn the positive lessons softball has to teach....not the
negative ones.
* * *
Why Consider Smaller Schools
Many people
(including college coaches themselves) are surprised when I tell them that 75%
of all college teams do not compete at the Div. I level. That has a very
specific impact on college-bound players because it means that 75% of those
who go on to play in college will be competing at a Div. II, Div.
Families are often
surprised when they hear that many D-II teams or NAIA teams beat D-I teams when
they play them in the fall. And top
D-III teams beat good D-II teams as well.
One thing is certain. Not all
teams are created equal at any level
of competition. Just as there are D-III
or D-II teams that struggle to be competitive, there are also D-I teams that do
the same. Athletic funding really varies
from school to school, and the commitment to hiring top-notch coaches,
providing state of the art facilities, and so on, is just as likely to be
present (or absent) at an NAIA school as it is as a Division I college.
Realistically, how
many players will go on to professional careers in softball or make it to the
Olympics? (Maybe 1 percent.) Dreams are great, but it's your life after college that college is supposed
to be about. Where you get your degree,
what kind of education you get, how good your grades are, and the completeness
of your collegiate experience should determine what schools you consider, and
not whether the team is D-I or D-III.
Many parents are
somewhat surprised and disappointed to find out that there are D-I teams that
are only moderately competitive, and that many D-I schools are not fully
funded--e.g., instead of having 12 scholarships, they have 2 or 5 or 7. Yes, if you are recruited by a top D-I team,
you may be offered more scholarship money than if you choose a D-II or NAIA
program, but what if you're not necessarily a top 2% prospect? You might find that a Div. II or NAIA school
puts together a better package based on academics or need or other factors than
a smaller D-I school could offer you.
While there is probably more money available overall at the Div. I
level, the fact still remains that 75% of all college players will not be
playing at D-I schools.
Something else you
have to consider is what you want your college experience to consist of. Do you want to take part in student
government, perform with the theater or music department, play another sport,
do internships or research projects? It
may be next to impossible to do any of this while competing at a nationally
ranked D-I program. Are you thinking of
graduate school, maybe law or medicine, after college? When you apply, they'll look at your GPA and
your MCAT or LSAT scores. Softball
experience will look nice on your resume, but it will not get you into a top
law school. It really may be better for
you to have a particular undergraduate academic experience instead of a certain
athletic experience if you want to achieve your future goals.
Or perhaps you're
at the other end of the spectrum. You're
a great athlete who's being pursued by major university teams. But you have to work very hard to get C's and
B's, and just getting into college will be a big achievement. While many D-I programs have excellent
academic support systems, the demands of 65 or more games a year, conditioning,
practices, road trips, etc., may make it difficult for you to succeed in the
classroom without constantly feeling overwhelmed. You might want to consider a smaller school,
where student-teacher ratios are 20-1, and where you will be helped to succeed
by professors who know who you and can keep you on top of your academic game as
well as your athletic one. You might
play only 40 games a season, but be more successful and much less stressed!
I always recommend
prospective college players go watch top D-
* * *
Happy? Miserable? Happy? Miserable? What Works For Your Daughter?
Throughout
the year, I get periodic emails and phone calls from parents describing how unhappy
their daughter is on her college team.
She may love the school, like the players, etc., but she’s not getting
playing time, and she’s heartbroken.
When the coach recruited her, he or she created a glowing picture of how
it was going to be once she was there.
But the reality is completely different.
Parents want to know what they can do, why does this happen, what are
her options, etc.?
In
order to help prevent this from happening to your daughter, let me suggest a
few things to consider ahead of time.
Then I’ll look at a couple of ways you might handle this situation if it
does come up.
BEFORE SHE CHOOSES A COLLEGE
When
a coach is recruiting a player, he wants to present the best case scenario for
the prospect. Some coaches paint
glowing pictures that make it sound like all your daughter has to do is show up
and she’ll be the #3 hitter, batting .400 as a freshman. Other coaches are cautiously optimistic,
telling her that if she works hard and develops as they hope, she should get
lots of playing time. A third group of
coaches may be bluntly honest (particularly if they see your daughter as a role
player or if she’s considering walking on at their schools.) They may be very straightforward and tell her
she’ll have to work hard to get a chance to contribute, and that there are no
guarantees.
But
it almost doesn’t matter what they really say! Most families will hear what they want to
hear. And that means they expect their
daughter will play—even when the coach indicates it could well be otherwise. Thus the disappointment of sitting the bench
can be crushing, for both parents and child.
Coupled
with this is a (frequently) first time sense of powerlessness. In the past, if things didn’t work out on a
given team, parents might have confronted the coaches, perhaps complained
loudly in the stands, and often ended up finding another team. But you can’t do that in college. (Well, you can complain loudly in the stands,
but that’s about all.) And in fact,
interference from a parent generally makes the situation worse.
So
how do you avoid this? Honestly,
sometimes you can’t. If your player just
doesn’t make the jump to college level competition as you expected, she may find herself on the bench. You can come up with fifty reasons why she’s
only hitting .098 or her ERA is 12.10, but you’re not the one stepping into the
batter’s box or setting up on the pitching rubber. If she doesn’t produce, she probably doesn’t
play.
I
know I’ll get internet tomatoes thrown at me by parents who insist that their
child can play for UCLA or Tennessee
if just given the chance, that she is
an Olympic caliber player, and so on.
But consider this. Since 98-99%
of all kids will be done as serious softball players once they graduate
college, wouldn’t you rather see your child spend that four years actually PLAYING—even if it’s on a lesser-known
team?
Most
parents would deny that they’d rather see their kid unhappy on a big name team
they can brag about than see her happy and successful on a smaller team that none
of their buddies have heard of. But if
my experience counts for anything (and it should), there are quite a few
parents whose behavior indicates this is actually how they feel. (At least this is how they feel before she goes to that bigger program
and is miserable.)
If
you want to avoid having to deal with a player who’s sitting the bench and
hating life, there are a few things you can do when choosing a college.
1.
Ask the right
questions, and really listen to the
answers. See how many other players are
currently on that team or have been recruited to fill your daughter’s likely
college position. If there are already 3
kids who can play catcher, chances are your daughter will have to fight for a
spot. That pressure is more than you can
imagine…trust me.
2.
Don’t assume the
bigger program is the better program—for your daughter anyway. Yes, it might be fun to tell other parents
that Suzy is at a big name college. But
again, trust me when I tell you it won’t
be fun when they ask you how she’s doing and you have to tell them (or figure
out how to avoid telling them) that she’s sitting the bench or she’s hitting
.102, or worse, that she hates softball now.
3.
Don’t put a dollar value on her playing experience. Yes, it’s great to get the most money you
can. But is that money really worth it if she’s miserable? There are loans, jobs, grants and various
ways to pay for college. If she wasn’t
playing softball at all, you’d still have to figure out how to cover her
expenses. Would you rather borrow $3000
a year or forego that new car for a couple of years so that your daughter can
love every minute of her college softball experience? Or do you prefer to sell her happiness for
$20000, for $10000, for $5000? And keep
in mind that changing colleges may end up costing you more than you ever got in
scholarship dollars if she hates it there and wants to come home.
For
my money, the happiest college players are usually kids at D-III programs. They aren’t getting a dime of athletic
money. And it’s amazing how many of them
love softball more now than they did in high school.
Be
smart. Look at the experience of the
kids sitting the bench versus that of those playing somewhere else. Consider lots of options and be honest with
yourself about your financial needs versus your ego needs. Assess each school your athlete is
considering, making sure you understand the worst
case scenario. If your daughter can
be happy with this, then you’re probably okay.
ONCE
SHE’S ATTENDING A COLLEGE
We
all make mistakes. Athletes do sometimes
choose teams and colleges for the
wrong reasons, and that’s just part of life.
If you find yourself in a situation where your daughter is very unhappy
because she’s not playing, you do have some options. This applies mostly to players who are in
their sophomore year because it’s not unusual for freshmen to sit. And, assuming the college itself is a good
fit, I believe players should give a school at least one year to see if the
situation improves. But by the time she’s
well into her sophomore year, it should be apparent whether or not she’s going
to have a chance to play.
If
she’s sitting the bench and is truly miserable, but doesn’t want to give up
softball, there are a few things she can do.
1.
The player, not the
parent, should go talk to the coach.
Don’t do it before or after a game; pick a quiet time. Don’t approach the coach in a confrontational
way. Simply ask the coach to be honest
about why you’re not playing, what you might work on to improve your skills,
and what it would take for you to get the playing time you want.
2.
If the coach makes sound suggestions, act on them. If it means more time in the weight room or
in the batting cage, do it. Work twice
as hard as any other player on the team, and show the coach how much you want
it. If you do everything the coach
recommends, and things don’t improve, you will have a very legitimate reason to
consider leaving.
3.
If either the coach indicates you’re never likely to be more
than a role player, or, you do everything the coach asked for and still don’t
get any more playing time, parents and player will have to sit down and decide
how important softball is. If the
player is happy at the college, maybe it’s time to put down the bat and
glove. Even if it means giving up a
scholarship, she can finish her education and move on with her adult life.
4.
If, after some serious thinking and family discussions, the
player decides she wants to find a school where she can be a contributing
player, do it the right way. The player
or her parents can’t just pick up the phone and start calling coaches. She will have to talk to her coach, ask for
her release, and assuming that it’s granted, she can then start contacting
colleges.
But
don’t make the same mistake twice. Understand that transferring will probably
mean that mom and dad have to pay for school, at least for awhile. The player may find she still has to prove
herself once she gets to a new program.
So be smart. Look for a team
where she can realistically make an
immediate impact. After all, there’s no
point in transferring only to sit the bench again.
For
most players, this may mean going to a different kind of team. It doesn’t necessarily mean the team won’t be
a good one, however. A player sitting
the bench at a mid-level D-I team might be able to start right away at a good
D-II or NAIA team. In some cases, the
player might have to go to a smaller, less competitive program, but remember,
it’s all about the playing time.
If
you’re smart and lucky, you will choose wisely out of high school. Finding the right team is always about more
than the dollar and the name. Re-arrange
your priorities if necessary. Finding a
team where you can contribute as a freshman (or definitely by the time you’re a
sophomore) should be higher on the list than either the affiliation or the
scholarship!
* * *
© Collegiate
Softball Connection 2012