Don’t Laugh Too Hard

While this will certainly be funny to many, it’s just one example of mistakes commonly made by families trying to navigate the recruiting process. So enjoy the laugh, but don’t think others aren’t laughing at similar things you’ve done.

Devin is a talented basketball player. He and his mother recently told me and others he was being recruited by a good mid-level D1 school. Skeptical, I asked them to define the recruitment. They showed me an email inviting them to a reception for prospective students to be held at an upcoming basketball game at that university. What they didn’t understand, as they interpreted this invitation from their subjective point of view, was that the invitation was a mass mailing sent to many prospective students by that university in a general marketing attempt to increase applications and enrollment. It had nothing at all to do with his basketball talent or any basketball recruiting. The reception just happened to be at a basketball game because it was that time of year and basketball is the high profile sport at this particular university. They didn’t know that. They thought it meant he was being recruited for basketball. Most would have instantly seen that this was a mass emailing. In Devin’s defense, he is talented enough to get some D1 basketball interest. This just goes to show recruiting is a tough thing for most families to interpret. So remember, don’t laugh too hard. This might already be you, and you just don’t know it.

 

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Scholarship Quantities

Many parents, especially those who are new to the world of college sports at the scholarship level, are under the misconception that receiving a scholarship for any sport at the NCAA D1 level means receiving a full scholarship. That is not accurate and it tends to be a real eye-opener, particularly to parents of baseball, hockey and lacrosse players.

Scholarship money is driven by revenue, and football and basketball are the only sports with TV contracts and attendance significant enough that they are considered to be revenue producing. Consequently, in men’s sports football and basketball are, by NCAA rule, the only ones that can offer full scholarships to each member of the team. For women, it’s a little different because they don’t play football. Like the men, they offer full scholarships for basketball (in fact, they get two more than men, 15 vs 13). Title IX requires schools to compensate for football scholarships by offering women more scholarships in a variety of other sports, including some not offered to men. This can result in certain entire women’s teams having full scholarships.

 

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The Patriot League / Ivy League Misconception

The Patriot League and Ivy League have been linked together in many minds since the inception of the Patriot League about 25 years ago. There are three good reasons for this. One, the Patriot League was conceived, in part, to provide another league similar to the Ivy. Two, they are perceived as the two best academic D1 leagues in the country. Three, for a while they were the only two leagues in Division 1 that didn’t offer athletic scholarships. Ivy’s have never offered athletic scholarships. The Patriot League started out as a non-scholarship league, but that changed some time ago.

For some reason people, even those who should know better, still talk about Patriot and Ivy League schools as competing at the lowest level of D1 sports. They mention them as possible options for athletes who don’t have scholarship offers or are perceived to be marginal D1 athletes. This is particularly true in the revenue producing sports of football and basketball. Statements such as “well, he/she might be good enough to play at a Patriot or an Ivy” are still heard regularly. It’s an old perception that hasn’t been accurate for quite a while.

Here are two of the erroneous assumptions that lead to the misconception, followed by the reasons they are false.

  1. Schools can’t attract scholarship level athletes without scholarships
    1. Ivy League teams regularly get players who have scholarship offers. That’s right. Ivy schools beat scholarship schools for players every year.
      1. Extraordinary financial aid combined with the best educational opportunities makes the difference. Lots of schools offer scholarships. There are only a handful of Patriot and Ivy League schools.
        1. Families with a household income under $100,000 can expect to pay little or nothing for an Ivy League education.
      2. Their track record of success is so good they attract very talented athletes
    2. In the case of the non-revenue sports, these schools very often give more aid than scholarship schools. Think about how ironic that is. Why do you think they win titles in sports like lacrosse and hockey, and produce more than their share of Olympic athletes?
  2. The smartest kids generally aren’t the best athletes
    1. These schools are exceptional enough, and selective enough, that they attract student-athletes who excel in both categories

Here is just some of the evidence that Patriots and Ivys are anything but the lowest level D1 leagues.

  • The Princeton women’s basketball team is currently ranked 16th in the country
  • Both leagues are ranked comfortably in the middle of D1.
    • In basketball there are currently 15 leagues ranked lower than either the Ivy or Patriot. Those leagues include many perceived to be “better” such as the MAAC, Colonial, Conference USA, Northeast and Ohio Valley.
  • Both leagues have won more NCAA basketball tournament games than many of the leagues perceived to be at a higher level.
    • In recent years Cornell has played in the Sweet 16, while Bucknell, Lehigh and Harvard have had multiple wins as well
  • NCAA D1 basketball tournament seedings for Patriot and Ivy reflect their true level of play and talent. The leagues are getting a 12 or 13 seed, sometimes higher. That means there are about 10 – 15 leagues getting less respect from the committee.
  • Ivy and Patriot leagues have produced more professional draft picks and players over the last two decades than many of the leagues people perceive to play at a higher level.
    • In 2013 alone the Patriot League had a 1st and 2nd round NBA pick
      • Previous years produced lottery picks such 13 year NBA veteran Adonal Foyle
  • After the 2014 season two all-Ivy players transferred to other leagues. (They were out of Ivy eligibility). Both had multiple offers from big time conferences. One accepted a scholarship to Pitt (ACC), the other to UConn (AAC).

Parents and players are the ones losing out due to this lack of awareness. Too many dismiss these schools without even considering them, when choosing them should be an easy decision. When the facts are known, it’s shocking how many people pass up these educational opportunities without giving it a second thought.

 

 

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Why Do a PG Year When I Already Have Offers?

People regularly ask, often incredulously, why anyone who already has offers would do a post-graduate (PG) year. The better question is, why wouldn’t you?

Asking why is a pretty clear indicator of goals and perspective. All most families can think of is getting a D1 offer. They’ve hardly considered, and have little understanding of, what happens and what it takes to be successful once you’re actually in college and playing a D1 sport.

Survival is a big part of sports at the D1 level. Everyone at that level has talent. Everyone is on a scholarship. Everyone thinks they will play. Not everyone will. Nobody thinks that will be them.

If your goal is just to get the offer, there’s no reason to do a PG year. If you want to maximize your success and get the most out of your college experience, there’s every reason. Here are the main ones:

  • There is virtually no downside to a PG year
  • You will still have all the offers and options you have now, plus five times more
  • You will get higher level offers
    • The additional year makes you a better athlete and gets you better exposure
  • You will have more choices and options, which leads to a better decision
  • You will have a better idea of who you are as a person and an athlete
  • You will be better prepared to live away from home
    • Better handle the reduced supervision and increased freedom
  • You will become a better student
    • This is true for all levels of students, even the best ones
  • You will have an additional year of education and credits
  • You will be much better at recruiting process the second time around.
    • This is one of the most overlooked reasons to PG
      • Most families are fairly clueless the first time they go through the process
      • It’s not a fair fight.
        • Coaches are professionals. If they don’t recruit successfully, they don’t have a job.
  • You will get more out of college and increase chances of success
    • Remember, you only get four years
      • Achieve higher grades in college
      • Achieve more success in your sport
  • You will minimize the risks
    • Lower risk of transfer or bad experience
    • Lower risk of failing out
    • Lower risk of sitting on the bench the first year or two, or never cracking the lineup
  • You will have a much better chance of thriving in college, instead of just surviving

These reasons all pertain to students in general. If you’re young for your grade or a student at risk (ie: a weak student, marginal recruit or received offers based more on potential than current ability), that’s all the more reason.

Why don’t more families take advantage of this opportunity? Lack of awareness, lack of patience, lack of perspective. Some don’t know the opportunity exists. Some are too impatient to get to college. Some don’t see the big picture. Ask yourself this: what is your decision going to look like when you look back a year from now?

If school and sports are really about life preparation, then this truly is an easy decision. A PG year better prepares the student for college and life after college. There’s no question about it.

If you think this is all hypothetical, consider one example. I worked this past year with a young man who said no in the summer before his senior year to the first D1 offer he received. During his senior season many schools came to look at him, some as many as a five times, but no one offered. Finally, late in the season, he received one very low level offer.

When they asked to speak with me about their prep school options, this family of very little means was worried about passing up the one offer they had.  We sat in their living room when they nervously asked me if it was reasonable to think that they might get more offers. They decided they believed in themselves and opted for prep school. Five months later they had over 20 offers. The schools that had watched him five times, and to whom he would have quickly said yes any and every day during the season, now could barely get the family’s attention with their offer. In the end, this athlete ended up jumping all the way to high level D1 and a top 25 program.

Having offers gives you leverage. Use it. A PG year reduces variables and risks. You only get four years of college. A PG year is the best way to maximize those years.

 

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List of Top Academic Scholarship-Level Basketball Universities

The percentage of scholarship-level basketball players worldwide is very small. Most of those will not be recruited by the big-time D1 conferences, or will be D2 recruits. Players looking for the highest rated educational institutions at the scholarship level are often unaware of what is a relatively small list of choices. Excluding the power conferences, here is the list:

 

Division 1

It’s a given that the Ivy League and Patriot League are the two leagues with the best academic ranking.

  1. Ivy League (8 schools – Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale)
  2. Patriot League (10 schools – American, Army, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh, Holy Cross, Loyola (MD), Navy)

Here are the remainder of the schools, outside the power conferences, based on rankings used in the Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges.

  • Air Force
  • Binghamton
  • Bryant
  • Davidson
  • Denver
  • Elon
  • Fordham
  • Furman
  • George Washington
  • Gonzaga
  • Mercer
  • Miami University (OH)
  • Northeastern
  • Richmond
  • Pepperdine
  • Rice
  • Santa Clara
  • Stony Brook
  • Tulane
  • Tulsa
  • UC Davis
  • UC Santa Barbara
  • UC Irvine
  • University of San Diego
  • William & Mary
  • Wofford

The total is approximately 44 (the case can be made for adding or subtracting one or two) out of about 268, or 16%.

 

Division 2

Finding an education at the Division 2 level with the same ranking is very challenging. Here’s the short list:

  • Bentley
  • Grand Valley St.
  • Hillsdale
  • Le Moyne
  • Mich. Tech
  • NYIT
  • Northern Michigan
  • Pace
  • St. Michael’s
  • Stonehill
  • University of the Sciences

 

 

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Overwhelmed by the Recruiting Process? Focus on Education First

I returned recently from a major east coast summer basketball camp where I had a lengthy discussion about the recruiting process with the mother of a talented junior. Her son is a good student who already holds offers from D1 schools, none of them big-time. A single mom with two kids who never went to college and never played sports, she told me she has little awareness of colleges or basketball programs. Working two jobs (they are a low income family) leaves her precious little time to deal with the recruiting process. I told her I’d had a conversation at the camp with a coach who said she was not returning his calls. She acknowledged that was a problem and said she feels overwhelmed by all the attention. “There are so many schools”, she said, “how do I handle this”?

The answer is simple, although a surprisingly large number of families never figure it out. Start with the schools offering the most highly rated educations. (See separate blog showing list). This quickly shrinks the list while having the added benefit of keeping priorities straight, often next to impossible in this process, even for those who are good at it. Focusing on the top-rated academic schools cuts the number of possible schools from approximately 265 (outside the big-time basketball conferences) to about 45, while maintaining priorities. For most, only about half of those 45 will actually show recruiting interest. Now the list is manageable and efficient, goals are intact and focus is tight. The chance of success has increased greatly.

 

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Who’s Really Recruiting Me?

We hear it every year. Parents and players tell us coaches were watching games, calling, asking for transcripts, sending personalized letters and e-mailing regularly. Then, one day, it just stopped. There was usually no indication why, or clue that it was about to. It leaves players and parents confused. They want to know what happened, and why.

Think of the recruiting process like dating. The goal isn’t marriage, more like living together for four years. You’re going to go on at least a few dates. Some will be better than others. You’re likely to get “dumped” by some schools. There will be some unanswered questions, emotional decisions, maybe a few disasters, possibly some bad feelings, along with many very good experiences. At times you’ll wonder who you can trust. There is one thing you can count on. You’re going to learn a lot – about schools, people and yourself. Right or wrong, it’s all part of the process.

This is not a fair fight. As much as college coaches might seem like nice people, good people, and many of them are, they are professionals. They do this every day, for a living. If they don’t do it successfully, they don’t have a job. For most players and parents, this is the first and only time you’ll go through the recruiting process. This is not a fair fight.

So, how do you know who’s seriously recruiting you? It can be hard to know. Ask five different people and you’re likely to get five different answers – most of them wrong.

Talk is cheap, as the saying goes. Well, in recruiting, the only thing cheaper than talk is mail. There’s no question that mail, phone calls and other types of communication are all indicative of some level of interest. So are games or practices the coach watches. None, of these, however, is a definite indicator of serious interest.

There is one simple way to tell if they’re serious. Thankfully, it’s not subjective or based on anyone’s opinion. It’s an official visit. If the coach offers you one you can be sure they’re serious. Each school gets only a limited number of these to use each year. (Do yourself a favor and make sure you know how many. Doing your homework on details like that can allow you to use process of elimination to determine what you’re not being told). Coaches only use official visits when they’re serious or about to offer you a scholarship. Up to that point it’s all been just getting to know you. Think of it like dating.

If they don’t offer you an official visit, and you want to try to gauge where you stand, ask for one. You can also ask for a home visit, though they’re not as common as they used to be. The response you get will tell you everything you need to know.

If the answer is no, and you want to know where you stand, ask direct questions like where am I on your list. If you know what to listen for you can usually know where you stand. A coach who really wants you will not have any reservations about telling you. You’ll know the difference once you’ve heard the two different versions at least once. It’s in the way they say it.

Try using this method. You probably have some schools that you know would love to have you, but that you, for whatever reason, are simply not interested in. Maybe you have a couple D1 offers but some D3 coaches are still trying to get you. Conversations with these coaches can be very valuable. In the big picture they’re a great and underutilized part of the process. Take advantage of them. They are situations where you are less nervous, more on the offensive, and therefore act differently. Think about how these coaches sound when they talk to you. Because of your lack of interest, what you hear is not influenced by what you are hoping to hear. Now compare how they sound to the sound of the schools you hope are recruiting you. If you can do this, you will be in good shape. You’ll also be way ahead of the curve.

There are other factors that can be considered, but to the untrained ear they are more confusing than not. Stick with the official visit rule. That doesn’t mean schools that haven’t offered one won’t eventually offer one. It does mean you’ll know how to separate the two and, therefore, how to treat the two. This is critical to achieving your ultimate goals and avoiding major letdowns – or worse.

This is a long-term process. For most, it will take 3-6 months, or more, to find the right school. Even though the thrill of letters and phone calls is undeniable, try to treat it as a long-term process.

 

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