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, […]
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, […]
Quote of the Day: Money Over Fit
Too many golfers, especially girls, are choosing full rides over schools that offer partial scholarships but are a better fit. It’s a big part of why we’re seeing so many transfers recently. This came out in a recent conversation I had with a Big XII women’s golf coach talking about how families are deciding […]
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 […]
Stat of the Day: Univ. of Chicago – Free Tuition
The University of Chicago now provides full tuition scholarships to families making less than $125,000, as of June 2018.
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 […]
Stat of the Day: Women’s Basketball Transfers
The transfer rate for women’s D1 basketball is up 33% over a ten year period. In 2003 the rate was 6.8%. In 2013 it was 9.2%. Those numbers are still about 1/4 of the men’s numbers. As with many other parts of the game, the women’s game seems to be following the men’s. […]
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 […]
Quote of the Day – College vs. Minor League Baseball
After seeing the body of work, the development that occurred, the maturity that occurred, I know it was the right decision (to play college ball). – This from a mid-level D1 college baseball player who was drafted in the 35th round out of high school, but opted for college. Three years of college […]