Reclassing up; a mistake – DJ Burns
I’ve been saying for a long time that there’s no hurry to get to college and graduating early is a bad decision. Here’s the latest example supporting that. DJ Burns. He went to Tennessee early. He didn’t survive and was gone in a year because, by his parents’ admission, he wasn’t ready to handle college. […]
Email of the Day: Changing Schools Too Many Times
These emails are part of an exchange between me and a parent who contacted me looking for advice on having his child change prep schools. This same parent opted not to hire me a year ago when the child last switched schools. This is the child’s third school in four years (one public, one parochial, […]
NHL 2021 Draft Statistics
The link below is for a spreadsheet showing statistics from this week’s 2021 NHL draft. The information includes a breakdown of high school, prep school and college players selected. NHL Draft Stats – 2021
Email of the Day: Communicating with College Coaches
Most parents are uncomfortable trying to initiate recruiting communication with college coaches. Few do it well. Here’s a good example of an appropriate inquiry from parents and a well-written, honest, no BS response from a D1 coach. (If you’re curious, the coach responded in two days, which is more than appropriate.) Dear Coach Smith, […]
Smart College Recruitment
The email below is my response to a parent who called asking for help with college recruitment. Her daughter, a junior who just reclassified, already has 3 full D2 offers. Mom is getting contacted regularly by colleges and has no idea how to respond. She was never an athlete herself and by her own admission […]
Quote of the Day: NCAA Eligibility Knowledge
Does the NCAA count pluses (B+) and minuses (C-) when calculating eligibility? This from a longtime Athletic Director in an urban school district, one that produces many scholarship athletes. Neither the AD or the school counselor knew the answer, and they’re not alone. This happens at schools all over the country.
Parent Blogs: Club Teams, Poaching and Communication
I think it’s important for families to be able to share and learn from the experiences of other families. This section of blogs gives parents the opportunity to share experiences that I think could be valuable to others. Examples like this one are used regularly in my workshops. They’re intended for discussion and study. If […]
Parent Blogs: Club Team Hipocracy
I think it’s important for families to be able to share and learn from the experiences of other families. This section of blogs gives parents the opportunity to share experiences that I think could be valuable to others. The email below is from the father of a 9th grade athlete to the coach of his […]
Videos – One Critique
One of the most effective ways we all learn is by watching others and their mistakes. Here’s an email I wrote recently to a high school senior. Overall, he’s a solid, likable kid from a good family. Like a lot of kids (and families), in this case he’s beating himself. The recruiting process is tough […]
Overwhelmed by the Recruiting Process? Put 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 […]