How do I get recruited?

Mine Is Different · 02-06-2005, 06:26 PM

i have played varsity/aau basketball for four years now. My question is how does one go about becoming recruited by ivy leauge schools ie harvard and is it too late to begin so? I have like 6 games left + plus playoffs. i live in a a rural area where it is really difficult to get noticed by d1 coaches. I've already applied regular decision. Thanx!

suburbian · 02-06-2005, 07:24 PM

I'm not a basketball player, but I know someone who is. No colleges recruit at my school, either. What the person I know had to do was make a video-tape of highlights from several games. She couldn't get any coaches to come watch because our school is stupid, and she played off-season.

sunglasses · 02-06-2005, 08:46 PM

It's really really late to be starting the recruiting process: Usually it begins at the end of junior year. I would suggest calling the coach immediately. go to www.gocrimson.com. It should give you a phone #/email address.

shrek2004 · 02-06-2005, 09:13 PM

recruiting is basically over for they have probably filled all of their spots. there is an NCAA form you have to filll out and you contact the coach with your stats and a video of you playing or what note. they contact recruitees june 1st (the summer after junior year) so u are probably out of luck :-X

mesaboogie · 02-06-2005, 09:29 PM

They contact (phone calls) you July 1st after Junior year. Letters can be written September of Junior Year.
I am involved with a different sport, but I thought that basketball was given an even earlier timeframe (like a few phone calls in march of junior year...not sure)
But, yes, recruiting is basically over.
With the Ivy League, however, you are in luck. Walk-ons are permitted and everyone is guaranteed a chance to try-out. Another thing to keep in mind is that, sadly, many of the recruits end up giving up the sport in college for a variety of reasons (i.e. of 30 football recruits, about 12 are left as seniors). I do not know what the case is for basketball, but you can try-out every year and possibly make the team. It also depends which school. You are basically on the team at Dartmouth if you want, but Penn is a different story (the Palestra, come on!). Harvard is kind of in the middle. It is edging towards the top because Harvard does not recruit, it selects. If you get accepted to Harvard without the basketball coach as a lobbyist for you, all the power to you but they certainly do make it easier. Definitely GET ON THE PHONE NOW.

suburbian · 02-06-2005, 11:10 PM

Are there walk-ons for track?

sunglasses · 02-06-2005, 11:26 PM

Yes, there are track walk-ons.

mesaboogie · 02-06-2005, 11:51 PM

Still, CALL NOW.

SBmom · 02-07-2005, 12:30 AM

Ditto Mesaboogie. CALL tomorrow and email too. There is probably limitied help the coaches can still give-- and if you can get them a tape (just highlights; nothing fancy necessary) DO IT ASAP.

My D is a recruited athlete and we are somewhat new to this but here is what I have gleaned:

At Ivys and top LACs the coaches have varying degrees of "pull." In certain schools/certain sports a coach may have the ability to get X number of kids admitted (provided they are able to hack it academically.) X is a higher number with big sports like football and a lower number for a smaller sport like swimming. Complicating matters further, at some LACs the coaches do not have this power, just the ability to discern whether or not a player would be qualified to play for the college's team (an advantage like any other strong EC.)

As you can imagine, if a basketball coach has 3 kids he can really pull in, he's going to use these spots on kids who are likewise committed to his school (ED or ED2 applicants.) Why would he play a trump card on a kid who is not then obligated to attend the school? So it is unlikely you would get this kind of major admission help at this stage in the game, in RD.

On the other hand, why wouldn't a coach try to help you at least a little bit if you could be an asset to the team? He might really want another walk on and a deeper team. He'd probably support you at the admission office in a general way as long as you were the team's caliber.

My good friend who coaches D1 volleyball told me that she is always happy to hear from a kid who would make a prime "walk on" candidate... no need to use one of her scholarship slots, & the kid doesn't need a tutor, yet the kid could add to the team and deepen it... hallelujah! She would definitely push the admission office to look favorably on that kid.

If you are borderline for admission, support from the coach can only help, even at this late date.

Byerly · 02-07-2005, 08:41 PM

Well said.

filmxoxo17 · 02-07-2005, 10:14 PM

if you have to ask, you'll never know.

SBmom · 02-07-2005, 10:53 PM

Baloney, filmxoxo; D- 3 schools would never know about 3/4 of the eventual players if the players did not contact them.