ihs76

We're complete newbies to athlete stuff and would appreciate some general info. Here are the salient facts, some of which are bit unusual:

1. Son is nationally rated in a niche, individual, non-revenue sport.

2. We're mostly looking at Div III, and some of the less competitive Div I teams. Many of these teams have walk ons with no or minimal previous experience. We are not looking for any financial aid.

3. We have no varsity team in the entire state. He has no official coach as there are none in the entire state. Also means there's no one to guide him/advocate for him besides his parents. He belongs to the local club, which is basically run by him and his father.

4. He has participated in regional and national tournaments where he has gotten his ratings.

5. We're looking at schools from top tier to match/safety level. His GPA/class rank are competitive with most rigorous coursework available. His SATII are top notch. His ACT was top notch but without writing, so he'll take it with writing next week. SAT's are in Oct but we expect to be at least 50 percentile for his top schools.

6. We are from a significantly underrepresented region in the country

He sent out some e-mails to coaches couple of weeks ago, along with the student athlete forms. We will be visiting some schools in mid Oct and asked to see if we could meet with them in mid-Oct.

So far, we haven't heard back from anyone. We did get a generic letter from the NYU coach (Div III, whom we did not contact) asking him to submit his app and that he would be happy to 'be of help.'

Questions: Are we too early or are we too late?
Do we contact the coaches again if we don't hear from them, and if so, when?
Do we send a video that we're putting together this weekend at a tournament?
Would the fact that he only has the ACT w/o writing (most schools want with) and no SAT yet have any bearing?

Any advice/help would be appreciated, as we have none available to us. We're not worried about making the team if he's admitted, but would like any help the coaches can provide with his app as some of the schools are of the most selective variety.

beawinner

What year is your son.

ihs76

He's a senior.

He got the same letter from the NYU coach last year, and we wrote back and said, Oh I'm only a junior so I'm not thinking about colleges yet. As I said, we're hinterlands hicks with no idea of what we're doing (embarrassed look).

sherpa

I think I know what sport you're talking about. If I'm right, I'd advise you to take your son to NAC B in Kansas City November 6-9. The entry deadline is tomorrow. Most college coaches will be there.

Also, realize that few college coaches care about ratings; it's more about rankings.

sherpa

I checked your post history and confirmed the sport. The general answer to your questions is "it depends" on how recruitable he is and what schools he is shooting for.

How good is he? There is a world of difference between top 20 on the junior point list and a C09.

Possibly too late. A lot of commitments are made prior to the end of junior year, and there was a lot of recruiting going on at Summer Nationals. I think your Oct. unofficial visit plan is good, but it might have been more productive in the spring of his junior year.

Yes, I'd call (or, better yet, have DS call) before his college visits to try to set appointments to meet the coaches and see the facilities.

Only to coaches who express an interest in seeng it.

Congratulations on his success to date and continued good luck to him. It is notable that he has achieved what he has in an environment without much competitive support in the sport. Most coaches will probably recognize that he should progress quickly when given better training opportunities.

ihs76

Thanks Sherpa, we're a bit lost as you can tell.
If you don't mind, I'll send you a PM. Thanks again.

sherpa

I'd love to help. PM any questions you have.

keylyme

If your son is even remotely interested in DI or DII schools, he MUST register with the NCAA Clearinhouse. Do this ASAP. Go to the NCAA website. All test scores, school transcripts, etc. must be submitted to them.

ihs76

keylyme, had no idea. This is even if we're not looking at any scholarships?

menloparkmom

https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/

Prospective Student-Athletes
"A prospective student-athlete is someone who is looking to participate in intercollegiate athletics at an NCAA Division I or Division II institution in the future. "
So if your son is hoping to be RECRUITED [ and it is probably too late if he is a senior] then you do need to register right now.

https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycen...x_student.html

"All prospective student-athletes must complete the amateurism certification questionnaire. If you are looking to enroll fall 2009, you will need to login and request final amateurism certification by signing the 10.1 statement now.

keylyme

Even if he is hoping to walk on he has to do this. Being recruited does not imply that their is a scholarship involved; there are many "recruited walk-ons" nowadays. Yes, he should do this. It costs around $50, but he wouldn't be able to play DI or DII without having done this.