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STUDENT-ATHLETE RECRUITING
The
recruiting process for both players and parents can be
an overwhelming endeavor. This section is presented to
provide prospective collegiate athletes and their
parents a “step-by-step” guide on how to proceed. Most
importantly, your daughter needs to pick a college that
best suits her overall needs - not just volleyball. Each
student-athlete should contact collegiate coaches (of
their choice) themselves either by phone or email.
Before this occurs, make sure you are very familiar with
their program. If coaches contact you, regardless of
your interest or not, please respond to their email or
phone call and let them know your intentions. Additional
information can be found on the following web-sites:
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COMPETITIVE
DIVISIONS
-
Div. I, Div. II, Div. III, NAIA and NJCAA (Division I,
Division II, NAIA and NJCAA schools offer athletic
scholarships, Division III schools do not offer athletic
scholarships).
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Division I Programs:
offer the most competitive levels of a sport. Seven
sports must be offered with 2 team sports per gender.
For more information visit
www.ncaa.org.
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Division II Programs:
must have at least four sports for men and women with 2
team sports per gender. For more information visit
www.ncaa.org.
-
Division III Programs:
must have at least five sports for men and women with
two team sports per gender. No aid can be offered for
athletic ability. For more information visit
www.ncaa.org.
-
NAIA Programs:
View athletics as a part of the overall educational
process. Over 90% of NAIA schools offer athletic
scholarships. For more information visit
www.naia.org.
-
NJCAA Programs:
Two year programs that seek to serve a diverse group of
student-athletes who come from both traditional and
non-traditional backgrounds. For more information visit:
www.njcaa.org.
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Div I
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2005-2007: complete 14
required core courses
2008 and up: complete 16 required core courses
* Core coursed can be defined on
www.clearinghouse.net
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Present a minimum required grade-point average in core
courses.
-
SAT
or ACT sum score that matches core-course GPA
Div II
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Complete 14 required core courses
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GPA
of 2.0
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Achieve a combined SAT score of 820 or a sum score of 68
on the ACT.
Div III
& NAIA:
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Contact the College directly.
ACT &
SAT Test:
-
Students should take the SAT’s or ACT’s by their junior
year. These tests are offered in the fall and the
spring. During the registration of these tests, please
select the clearinghouse as a recipient (code 9999). For
test dates see the following sites:
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NCAA INITIAL
ELIGIBILITY CLEARINGHOUSE
All athletes must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse
($30 registration fee) to determine if they are eligible
to participate at Div. I & Div.II programs. Student
academic records (test scores, transcripts, etc) are
evaluated and this information is sent to all colleges
upon their request. Registration can be done online at
www.ncaaclearinghouse.net.
Registration must be completed after your junior year in
high school.
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What is a contact and when can college coaches contact
you?
A
contact occurs any time a coach has any face-to face
contact with you or your parents off the college’s
campus and says more than hello. A contact also occurs
if a coach has any contact with you or your parents at
your high school or where you are competing or
practicing. For more information, see the
NCAA Guide for the College-Bound
Student-Athlete (PDF -
requires
Adobe Reader).
Page 27 includes a table of when contacts may occur.
Visitations:
-
Visitations are defined as “official” and “unofficial”.
-
Official visitations - These
visits are paid for by the colleges for players and
their parents. Meals and transportation are
included. You must provide your HS transcripts and
test scores (ACT or SAT) prior to your visit. Official visits can occur after the 1st day of
classes during your senior year.
-
Unofficial visitations - These
visits to college campuses are paid for by parents
only. These can start your freshman year and
occur as often as possible but not during dead
periods.
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During visitations with prospective collegiate coaches,
student-athletes should have a list of questions to ask
and record. For example:
-
What
is your coaching style like
-
Are
you looking at other players in my position
-
How
much conditioning occurs during practice
-
What
are the academics like
-
What
is covered under my scholarship
-
What
happens to my scholarship if I’m injured
-
Are
you expecting a change in the coaching staff?
Red Shirting: As a red shirt athlete, you
may practice but you can not play one second during a
college game or scrimmage. The red shirt year does not
count as one of the four years for playing eligibility
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NATIONAL LETTER
OF INTENT
The purpose of the “National Letter of Intent” is to
secure a binding agreement between the college and the
student-athlete. Once an athlete has signed this letter,
they are obligated to play for that school and should
not receive any more recruiting contacts from other
schools. The National Letter of Intent program is not
under NCAA affiliation but is under the Collegiate
Commissioners Association. Failure to honor this
commitment may cost a player up to two years of
eligibility at another institution. There are two
signing periods for Volleyball: Nov. 9, 2005 (after
7:00am) to Nov. 16, 2005 and April 12, 2006 (after
7:00am) to Aug. 1, 2006. More information:
www.national-letter.org
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VIDEO TAPING:
RECRUITING PURPOSES
After
contacting several Division I – Division II coaches,
there seems to be a general consensus on what needs to
be included in formatting a Recruiting Video. A skills
portion (5-10 minutes) and a game portion (10-15
minutes) are a must for every quality tape.
At the
beginning of the tape briefly introduce yourself and
state physical data such as standing reach, approach
jump and block. If possible, stand at the net and do
several stationary blocks to demonstrate reach.
Skills
portion:
Emphasize your specific position.
-
Hitting – Hit from all positions and
quick’s if possible. Make sure your entire approach is
included. Video tape from across the net. DO NOT EXHAUST
THE HITTER
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Setting – Set to all positions with
and without movement to the ball. If you are a setter,
highlight this portion by setting quick’s and jump set
to hitters. Video tape from same side of court (position
1)
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Passing – From defensive position,
pass freeballs and top spin hits. Video tape from
sideline & back court
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Defense – Run thrus, defensive digs
and tips and full extensions. Videotaping; same as
passing
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Serving – Short, deep or jump serves
(5 serves). Behind and sideline taping
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Blocking – Demo how you would block
in a game and against hitters if possible or a coach.
Video tape from across the net (backcourt).
Game
Portion:
Camera
and tripod should be placed at the back of the court
where the entire match can be viewed.
Remember:
No
coaches expect an absolute error-free tape, but you need
to feel confident in your results. The edit button is
there for a reason. |
