The NCAA has a multitude of rules, requirements, and expectations that future student- athletes are determined to accomplish within their four years of high school. As the ability and talent level continue to soar each year, the amounts of expected athletes dwindle a little for demanding colleges. There are a number of ways to help the hard working students receive a potential scholarship in the sport they commit so much time in.
The key requirement needed to begin this scholarship search is to sign up for the NCAA Clearing House. This is a website that states how to stay on task during high school, and the needed SAT and ACT scores, along with the average GPA that is needed to maintain. The minimum core courses that one needs to complete in eight semesters of high school are: at least three years of English, two years of math higher than algebra one, two years of science (one year of physical and one year of a lab science), two years of social science, three years of a foreign language (religion or philosophy is included), and two extra years in Math, Science, or English.
Keith Larsen, a former college basketball coach, explains that on this website you can find the different rules for each level, the three best known levels are Division 1, 2, and 3. There is also NAIA schools that, although they have easier standards for academics, they offer scholarship money and are usually religious schools. Junior Colleges are gateways to Division 1 schools, but only three percent of the athletes eventually attend one; some may go to other levels as well.
Coaches at all levels need to follow specific rules that limit their recruiting of student- athletes. A contact period is when a coach can come into contact with potential athletes’ parents, but not the actual athlete. A dead period is when athletes cannot be contacted, not even family, because it is the time before scholarship papers are signed. An evaluation period is when coaches watch athletes play in either games, film, or at camps. They have the opportunity to see the athletes that are able to compete at a high level, and ones who know the game and can make good decisions. A verbal commitment can be made by an athlete at any time. The athlete states that she or he will attend that school and play for the coach, and will sign the papers as soon as they are offered. A letter of intent fully expresses the student- athlete’s decision to attend the college that they may have previously verbally committed to, and puts the scholarship that was offered in action for the coming season. A coach may only offer a scholarship after the athlete’s junior year.
Larsen states that potential athletes can be recruited as soon as their junior year begins. Most Division 1 coaches start looking for potential players during this time. Coaches may invite players to their camps, and attend competitive tournaments in places such asLas Vegas,Florida, and all over the country. Most of the tournaments are made for this purpose, and parents pay a vast amount of money for their children to play on competitive teams and travel to multiple places to be scouted. The only limitation is that, for some sports coaches, they are restricted from talking to players until a certain date after their junior year. AJ Derr, a senior atPitmanHigh School, has been extremely proactive in getting attention from college coaches. He said that the easiest way to let the coach see him play was by attending camps of schools he was genuinely interested in. Another way to help receive attention from coaches is by emailing them. As a baseball player, Derr can contact any school himself, but must wait until July of his junior year for the colleges to contact him. When this date passed, he had a better idea of what colleges were interested in him, and what they were looking for. He prepared himself well throughout his three years of high school, and will continue to stick to a routine schedule his last year of school. He stayed strong by attending the weight room regularly, and pushing his body to its limits so workouts at the college level may not affect him as much. To remain healthy, he stayed on a somewhat consistent bed time, drank enough water, and ate nutritional varieties of food. Ashley Solis, another senior atPitmanHigh School, feels like the most important way she prepared herself to advance to the next level of playing was by treating injuries the right way, so they heal immediately. She also feels that her time management not only helped her become a strong student, but also acquire scholarships from coaches who look at her. Both of these athletes state that is very important to verify which kind of scholarship is being discussed. AJ Derr’s dad, Mr. Derr, states that athletes need to be realistic about the choice of colleges they make, as the school needs to fit their personal needs. He mentions questions that could be asked to help decide where to go: What are the intentions of this athlete? What positions do they see this student playing? Is there potential for this freshman here?
Solis explains that in the volleyball atmosphere of recruiting, a coach has a list of potential athletes, and the way you know they are truly interested is if they call you multiple times and ask for film. Solis wants to play at the college level because she wants to see how far she can go into her volleyball career. She is a four year varsity volleyball player who plays on fiercely competitive travel team, and is excited to see where her hard work can take her. Derr is a three year varsity baseball player, as well as a three year varsity football player. Although his dad mentions that he is a strong quarterback at the high school level, he is too small to continue playing that position in college. As a result, he has decided to play baseball during college because he believes it will fit his lifestyle better. These two athletes alongside many others have large goals set, and hopefully, both can achieve what they have been determined to accomplish for multiple years.
