So You Want to Play a Sport in College? How to Get Recruited to Play

1. St. Michael’s Catholic Academy So You Want to Play a Sport in College?How to Get Recruited to Play Charlotte Knepp, Director of College Counseling Ed McCabe, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach

2. At St. Michael’s, We Believe The goal is not^ to be successful at athletics – the goal is to use athletics to be more successful! During the course of this presentation, we hope you will see what we mean. only

3. To use athletics to be successful, you must: • Set realistic goals • Understand the Recruiting Process • Develop and work a plan to pursue your goals

4. Why Play a Sport in College? For the pure joy of it! What else?

5. Goal Setting What Else?What is your goal? • Scholarship? • Play professionally? • Enhance admission to college (including highly selective colleges) and your college experience? • Enhance post graduate employment opportunities?

6. Goal Setting Some Perspective on Scholarships • About 2% of all high school athletes are awarded athletic scholarships • Very few “full rides” are offered • Average award is $10,409 while annual tuition range for NCAA schools is $20K - $50 K • Academic scholarships are more plentiful than athletic scholarships – $11 BILLION available through colleges alone, see, www.meritaid.com • SMCA Class of 2010: 60% received non-athletic scholarship offers totaling over $9 million See Charts 1, 2 & 3

7. A Little Perspective on a Professional Career in Sports Goal Setting • Percentage of NCAA student-athletes who become professional athletes: • Men’s Basketball - 1.2% • Women’s Basketball - .9% • Football - 1.8% • Baseball - 8.9% • Men’s Ice Hockey - 3.7% • Men’s Soccer - 1.6% As the numbers show there are more than 400,000 NCAA student-athletes and most of them go pro in something other than sports. See Chart 4

8. Goal Setting A Few Other Facts • Over 1800 colleges and universities offer athletic programs • More than 80% of all college athletic opportunities are not with Division I programs • “At many Division III colleges, including the top academic institutions, varsity athletes make up a third or more of the student body.” The New York Times

9. Goal Setting Post graduate benefits for College Athletes • A study by NCAA, College and Beyond, reported that former athletes earned 15.4% more than their non-athletic counterparts • 80% of female Fortune 500 top executives describe themselves as former athletes, Univ. of Virginia study • Student-athletes graduate at a rate 1% – 2 % higher than the general student body, NCAA Graduation Rates Summary

10. A former varsity football and basketball player and now an executive director at UBS, “We try to recruit people that can work in a team environment, are competitive and driven, . . . many times athletes have those traits…” Ken Marschner At a Goldman Sachs recruiting reception Justin Chukumba (Yale ’10), said he noticed that many of the recruiters and directors in high positions were former athletes, “I think in some ways [student athletes] are highly contested or sought after, since they have already proven they can stand physical and mental pressure.” For athletes, from water jugs to the water cooler Yale Daily News, 2008

11. Goal Setting Review Goals • Athletic Goals: • Given the facts and figures, remember to “shoot high, but aim low” • Don’t limit your search to just Division I -- there are many great opportunities for you as a collegiate athlete at some amazing colleges • Remember why you like to play your sport • Review your Academic goals – remember you probably will go pro in something other than your sport!

12. Collegiate Athletic Governing Bodies The Recruiting Process

13. The Recruiting Process NCAA Division I (commonly referred to as “D1”) • Highest level of intercollegiate athletics • Huge time commitment by the athlete; there is no “off-season.” Playing a sport becomes a job with pressure to perform • College football teams are further classified as Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Div. I-A) and Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Div. I-AA). The differences between these levels are: • the quality and depth of talented athletes and • the philosophical/financial commitment a university makes to its athletic program.

14. NCAA Division II (or “D2”) The Recruiting Process • Division II teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student athletes • Limited scholarship opportunities • Substantial time commitment • Includes smaller schools with lesser known athletic and academic reputations

15. The Recruiting Process Division III (or “D3”) • Division III is the largest within the NCAA • Division III athletes receive no athletic scholarships, but merit and need-based aid may be available • Generally, athletes compete because they love their sport. They are highly skilled and competitive, but the time commitment is not as huge as Divisions I and II • Some colleges maintain concurrent membership in two

16. The Recruiting Process NAIA • National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is the governing body of a group of smaller colleges • Time commitment and scholarships vary depending on the school and the sport • 280 NAIA colleges with approximately 45,000 student-athletes

17. The Recruiting Process National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) • Approximately 500 junior colleges • About 50,000 student-athletes See Chart 5 for a comparison of NCAA Divisions

18. What Coaches Want The Recruiting Process Coaches evaluate recruits in three areas • Athletic ability – size, strength, speed, skill, and the athlete’s future potential • Academic achievement – GPA, test scores, ranking • Quality of character – work ethic, desire to compete, other extracurricular activities (community service, scouting, etc.)

19. How Coaches Identify Prospects The Recruiting Process • Purchased lists from scouting services, located in the U.S. and internationally • Evaluations from coaches • Watching athletes play at tournaments, camps, games, summer/club leagues, showcases • Video tapes • Student-initiated contact • Recommendations from current student athletes, alumni, and community members

20. How Coaches Demonstrate Interest The Recruiting Process • Sending a player questionnaire, a media guide and other written materials • Typed letters • Hand-written notes • Phone calls when allowed by NCAA • School Visits • Home Visits • Watching the athlete play at games, etc. • Talking with coaches, scouts • Inviting the prospect to the college • Inviting the prospect to a camp

21. GET RECRUITEDDevelop a Plan and Execute

22. Plan and Execute How to get noticed by coaches • Don’t wait for colleges to contact you • Remember that most colleges have a modest recruiting budget • Approximately 50 Division I colleges have recruiting budgets of less than $100,000 • Only 22 Division II and III schools have more than $100,000 for recruiting athletes that must be split among all the sports offered • The average recruiting budget for a college coach is $500

23. Plan and Execute Recruiting Budget for Williams College (D3), #1 College in Athletics and Academics, NCSA Power Rankings

24. Plan and Execute How to get noticed by coachesStart Early When to begin your plan: • Set goals (athletic and academic) as a freshman • Start research and list of colleges/coaches 9th and 10th • Start contacting coaches late sophomore, early junior year “Coaches are looking for prospects with inner motivation and mature responsibility; prospects who are self-starters. Procrastination is championship stupid.”

25. Academics Plan and Execute Do not ignore the importance of your academic record! A college coach will not recruit a student-athlete who cannot compete in the classroom. A good academic record: • Tells a coach a lot about a prospect’s ability to manage time, set goals and prioritize • Makes the student easier for the coach to recruit and present to his college admissions committee • Increases likelihood and amount of academic scholarships

26. Plan and Execute HONESTLYAssess your talent level • Have an objective third party evaluate your athletic ability • Check your statistics against benchmarks for your sport, see: www.athleteswanted.org

27. Evaluating Talent Level

28. Plan and Execute Begin an aggressive marketing campaign • Assemble team to help with organization and research – parents, college counselor, athletic coach, friends, etc • Aim low, shoot high – contact Division I schools, but also include Div. II and Div. III and NAIA colleges • Initial list of college coaches to contact should range from 50 – 200 different schools and you may want to include multiple coaches at one school See Charts 6-15 for good resources to use to build your list of colleges to contact.

29. More Marketing Tips Plan and Execute • List should include colleges that you would want to attend even if athletics were not possible – the Broken Leg rule • Consider size, location, climate, social atmosphere, major, academic rigor, academic programming, religious affiliation, etc. • Research should tell you the record of the team and current team roster • Does the team win? • Does the coach need someone at the position you play?

30. Plan and Execute Now that you have a list Create a sports resume/profile, which should include: • Academic record, GPA, ACT/SAT scores, advanced course work • Stats relevant to your sport • Your teams, including school and club and their records • Individual athletic achievements, e.g., all-State, MVP, team captain, etc. • Include a photo – in uniform • Coach references with contact information • Example of sports resume is available in the college office and on Naviance

31. Plan and Execute Now that you have a list Produce a highlights video, which should include: • An introduction by you of a summary of your sports resume • Skills drills • Highlights • Game footage • Check team websites for any particular requirements/requests by the college/coach • Send video upon request or have it as a link on your website if you create one – Youtube will work!

32. Plan and Execute "You just laugh at some of the professional videos I get with their Hollywood special effects," she said. "It's so unnecessary. Just give me a few skills highlights, and then I want to see a simple game tape. I've seen enough girls hitting balls as 'Eye of the Tiger' plays in the background to last a lifetime." Amy Bergin, Head Volleyball Coach, Haverford College, as reported in the New York Times

33. Now that you have a list Plan and Execute • Contact coaches with a personal email with your sports resume attached • Should include your interest in the college and the sports program with some details that indicate that you aren’t sending a form letter (if possible) • Consider creating your own website and include link in your email • Upload your video or link to Youtube • Include your sports resume • Doesn’t have to be professional, but clever

34. Plan and Execute After you have sent initial email • Follow up with a phone call to coaches • Be aware of NCAA rules that allow you to phone coaches, but within certain limits they may not phone you. Keep trying. See NCAA Guidefor the College-Bound Student-Athlete • Become familiar with NCAA rules, which apply to Division I and II colleges about contacts and behavior that is permitted and not permitted • Clean up Facebook or other social networking sites

35. Plan and Execute Next Steps to Get Noticed • Respond promptly to any communication from a coach! • Stay in contact with coaches • Update resume/website periodically • Attend camps, especially those invited to by coaches • At some point, must ask where you are on the coach’s recruiting list • Keep a communication log, enlist your team to help with this task • Continue to work hard at both your sport and your studies

36. Plan and Execute A Word About Recruiting Services

37. A Final Word • More student-athletes at SMCA should be playing their sport in college • It is possible if you are realistic, know the process, develop and work a plan We hope to see more of you realizing your dream to play your sport in college! Helpful Resources: See Charts 11-15

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