Veteran Dads/Coaches - a Question for you

Some great posts this week about college scholarships and finding the right fit for your son to play at the next level - if possible. (Academics is clearly the first priority for most - if not all - the kids.)

But, if your son does have an opportunity to play at the next level, some of you guys have been through this before and many of us could benefit from your experience with some basics:

- What questions did you ask when you started looking?
- What questions do you wish you had asked, but didn't?
- How did you help your child finally decide on the right place?
- What would you do differently now looking back?

Thanks for your thoughts in advance....

 

I would start here:

http://hsbaseballweb.com/recruit_timeline.htm

then I would go to here: This part will have many different areas to check

http://hsbaseballweb.com/

You can spend hours soaking in all of the information. Then I would suggest to come back here and discuss any questions that you may have

 

These are some great questions and it is what TBR does best. I would like to get some responses to this: One member helping another.

 

Pay Attention to the School as an Academic Institution

Pay attention to the school. Know if it will be a good academic fit for your child. Some places offer great programs and great academics, so for these institutions it really isn't a concern. But, for other places, while the program may be good, the academics may or may not be; so you have to be cognizant of "life after baseball". Most kids will end their playing career in college, so just be sure that your kid gets academically prepared at the school he selects. Make sure he can go to graduate school or be prepared to compete on the job market when he graduates. Also, with the new transfer rules, the selection of the school becomes a bit more important. Don't fear the small privates as these schools tend to have a lot of academic support money and can generally put together an athletic/academic package that can make the cost comparable to public institutions. In other words, explore all your options and compare costs, academics, campus life, and other on-campus opportunities in addition to the baseball program.

 

Great points DB. As one can tell, it does take doing your homework

 

While having athletic ability goes without saying and there are timelines for any number of registrations that need to be completed, grades are of utmost importance. Particularly with baseball, unless you are throwing 90's, there is not a lot of scholarship money. You make it real easy on the recruiters if grades warrant academic money, there's a lot more of that available and even the small schools can put together some amazing offers as we learned.

Last summer made me a firm believer in the Showcase Teams. I know that you can find any number of opinions on this subject, but from our experience I do believe that you need to get with a solid Showcase Program that actually plays where the recruiters are.

Make sure that the school you choose actually has a curriculum that you are interested in, as was said in an earlier post, for the vast majority, baseball won't be how you earn your living after college.

Take a look at the roster, if you're a catcher and you see that there are 3 ahead of you that are returning, your playing time may be limited. If two of the three will graduate, then that school may be hoping you knock on their door. When recruiting letters come, give them the courtesy of a reply even if you are not terribly interested in that school, these coaches all talk.

Once you identify several schools that fit your interests, let the coaches know that you're interested in going to school there. Some will be better about responding and reciprocating the interest than others. If you don't hear back keep trying. They have a hierarchy of needs that they are trying to fill first and just because they may not respond immediately, does not mean that there is no interest. Arrange to visit and speak to the coaches on a school visit or attend their camps, they all have them.

Make several visits so that your student gets a "feel" for the school. I have two in college now and both knew when they set foot on campus which school felt right for them and, afterall, they are the ones that have to make it work. Also, take a step back and let your son do the talking on these visits. While we want to help them as much as we possibly can, it's your son's moment and ultimately his relationship with the coach and his ability to communicate that matters.

Unfortunately you only get one shot at this. If we did it again, I'd start small as far as the prestige of the program goes. Let your son develop some interview skills and practice fielding their questions before going to see the schools he is really interested in. We began our tour of schools at Auburn, great hospitality, absolutely wonderful coaches and a top rate facility. My son, who normally has no trouble communicating with adults, was in absolute awe of the surroundings and the treatment. When the coach simply asked him "Why Auburn?", he really struggled for words. So, you can go in with your list of questions, but also, be prepared to give some answers.

We didn't get a lot of say in the matter when decision time came, he had been talking to several coaches and one night came downstairs and told us, with no discussion, he just got off the phone with the coach, he committed. He had been sitting on one particular offer for a few weeks, saw who else was signing and made his decision. I can't help but admire the maturity, but it took us a bit by surprise.

As for what I'd do differently, I'd relax, enjoy the time I got to spend 1 on 1 and try not think that I actually had any control of the situation. You can spend a lot of time, money and energy chasing showcase events, playing on travel teams and going to camps (which are all important), but in the end, whenever you step on the field, simply play hard where ever you go, they'll find you. We spent quite a bit of time with some great coaches and visited some impressive schools and programs and out of nowhere an offer came that was too good to be true from a school that, at the time, wasn't even on our radar and we had no idea were even looking at him.

With all of that said, above all, Have Fun with the whole process. When you look back through the years once he has made a decision and how you and your son arrived at this moment, you'll experience a range of emotions as one door closes and another opens. It's really an incredible journey that I feel I have been fortunate to have been taken along on.