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Verbal committments

Discussion in 'Softball Forum' started by cheeze105, Sep 8, 2006.

  1. Braves

    Braves Watauga Pioneers #6

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    Just kidding with ya T. Our visits were enjoyable too...well, most of them
     
  2. CFBall

    CFBall Senior Member

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    oh i know. i think too many folks wanta be "committed" for the sake of being "signed early" (i am great and should be signed early) and miss out on the process and big picture. softball for 5 more years and then Career starts in choice field.....enjoy those visits, learn, ask questions and find your place where you can get the best education possible and can enjoy some of best days of your life! just my 2cents again.
     
  3. Bmac1

    Bmac1 Full Access Member

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    CF, 100% correct with your 2 cents. My DD just went through the process with an opportunity to commit early to several very good schools and one coach she really liked. However, she decided to wait things out at the expense of a possible lower scholarship offer from this one school who had given a deadline for her to make a decision. She was not quite 100% about this school, so she took a chance and waited so to evaluate things more.

    The bottomline is if she would have committed early (one offer was made in January), she would not have known the level of interest others schools ended up having in her, especially after having a very good summer of travel ball. The schools that asked for an early commitment were smart in doing so, it's just that in her situation, she just needed more information to make good comparison.

    By being patient, she was able to decide on an offer from a school that met all of her needs and expectations as compared to other schools that met most of her needs and expectations.

    As for the WCU situation, in no way can you fault Coach Smith for taking advantage of such a great opportunity. This opportunity came out of the blue and is a huge step in the advancement of her career. There are many talented players on the WCU team with a strong fondation and they will continue to do well. I imagine they have something to prove now.
     
  4. LBlues 1

    LBlues 1 Full Access Member

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    Great comments

    Lots of great comments in this post but all situations are different. Early signing or committments may be the right thing for some people. Maybe they did their homework early, maybe they went to all the schools they were interested in attending or maybe the school of their dreams came forward. I will be honest, I try to get all my kids signed prior to Nov. 15 of each year and believe me it is like a huge bolder was lifted off them. So far not to bad of luck with schools but coaches can sometimes sell better than they deal with girls!:twocents: :twocents:
     
  5. goducks

    goducks Full Access Member

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    Eyes wide open

    We started taking our DD to college campuses as a freshman. We made a list of 50 schools that offered three possible things she wanted to major in. We went to countless camps, games and walked around the campus. We talked to students, professors, coaches and players... but mostly just watched. The interaction, attitudes and personal approach to the college experience for the student athlete is there to be seen and often heard. We scored each school as a 'yes', 'possible' or 'no'. The yes schools we went back to learn more, the possibles were sifted and re-sifted and the no's were dropped. 50 became 15 which became 7 then down to the 1. Before making the final decision DD sat through several classes, interacted with the students and faculty, ate in the cafeteria and talked to team members about their experiences in a casual atmosphere. Amazing what you can find out if you take the time to watch and listen! Several colleges contacted DD for visits and she respectfully declined because they weren't on the list. She only went to a couple of 'possible' schools for visits just to see if she got a different feeling.
    Our DD gave her verbal early but only after the financials were finalized in a written proposal from the coach with the total break-down of where the $ was coming from. From that day she told every coach she was in contact with that she had verbally committed and her decision was final. She signed with the school she verbally committed to, sent Thank you cards to all of the other coaches and finally sighed with a big smile on her face...what a relief thats over!:twocents: :blah:
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2006
  6. cheeze105

    cheeze105 Moderator Staff Member

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    sweet, way it should be, and way it should be done.
     
  7. nsrtopscout

    nsrtopscout Full Access Member

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    Caveats

    There are two instances when I believe a recruit can, and should, step away from a verbal commitment and give the situation more consideration. First, if there is a coaching change. The chemistry between a coach and player is very important and a kid should have the option to meet and talk with the new coach before signing the NLI. Second, if the college for some reason drops a kid's intended major, which can happen. I believe when the coach leaves or the college pulls a major the kid should not be obligated to the verbal commitment. Otherwise, it is a commitment which at the point of signing all parties have lived up to their end of the intended verbal agreement.

    As for the Dad who believes his kid's opportunities have passed her by because of the verbal agreement, if a reputable program wanted her that badly, there are other solid programs out there still in need of a solid player and good kid. As a senior or a senior's parent, the NCAA does not stop you from making calls directly to college coaches. From my perspective, while the new coach would probably like to see all the kids who "verballed" sign, it is not a certainty and the coach is not obligated to you. Moreover, the chance is that he or she is going to bring a recruit or two with them from their previous recruiting efforts at their former college.

    So, I'd advise you to follow these steps: (1) Contact the college athletic director ASAP and ask if the new coach will be required to honor verbal commitments made to the former coach. (2) If the AD says it is possible that the committments may not be honored, make haste with Plan B. Get on the phones ASAP.

    Yes, some doors will be closed. Others, though, may still be cracked open. You may have to grovel a bit, but it will be worth it in the end.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2006
  8. Braves

    Braves Watauga Pioneers #6

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    That would be correct and prudent
     
  9. Dukedog4

    Dukedog4 Full Access Member

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    Recruiting Pressure: Strategy to avoid

    This is a tough one. It's not clear from this post how early this offer was made but this is another case where you can use the official visits to buy some time. They cannot be taken before Sept 1 of the player's senior year so the player can simply explain that she does not plan to commit until she has made her official visit. If a coach is not willing to go along with this then the player should cross that school off her list. Any school not willing to afford a player an official visit before expecting a commitment is ignoring the spirit of the NCAA recruiting process. Nothing illegal about early offers but to expect a decision from the kid prior to even the official contact date (July 1 before senior year) is bad business. My DD made it clear early in the recruiting process that she was taking her visits. She spread her them across six weeks. Only one school gave her a decision deadline prior to the November signing period. It was reasonable in that it was one month after her visit (it was her first visit).

    If the '07 kids currently committed to WCU had adopted this approach they would have visits scheduled to Western and other schools with the decision still ahead of them. I recognize, however, that recruiting is getting earlier all the time. Pretty soon we'll have 12U showcases! yuk!
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2006
  10. bubba hut

    bubba hut Bubba Hut

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    Sounds great

    That was the plan , to take the visits that is. But, This all went down between the Cardinal Classic and the ASA Nationals in KY. It was a matter of get in , or move over.
     

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