A parent who has been through the basketball recruiting process - Part 3

Over the past few years, I have had a chance to get in contact with a number of parents and athletes that have worked hard to help their child end up with an athletic scholarship at the college level. I tried to help where I could but parents do most of the work in almost all of the situations. Anyways, I had a chance to email back and fourth with the parent of a basketball player who did the most marketing of their son to college coaches. This family did a fantastic job throughout the entire process and I wanted to post some of their answers to the questions I asked. Just to let you know, here son ended up at a Division II basketball program out of state. Onto part three of the questions:

What was included on these highlight tapes?
Combination of highlights –rebounds, dunks, shots (short range and long range), free throws, –don’t forget passing–that was a big plus for Ben -some continuous play showing defense, unselfishness, teamwork, etc

If you were not so aggressive in the process, do you think your son would have received a scholarship?
No. Ben received lots of interest from the East Coast and the Rocky Mountain area (Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana), in addition to the local schools, and Northern Sun /North Central Conferences. We did not disregard any school, even though the focus was on an athletic scholarship. The hardest part was the relationships he built with all the coaches. It was really hard to tell some of them that he was not going to attend their school after he chose Mesa State. You have to be realistic about the talent level of your kid…….we targets D2’s as we felt Ben could play at that level. We selectively contacted a few D1’s and several D3’s, but the focus was on D2 since they offer scholarships. Minnesota, Colorado, Missouri and the East Coast are heavy in D2’s. There are a lot of great D3 schools out there…more than you would ever realize.

Are there any resources that helped you through the process?
http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/

When looking back at it now, is there anything you would have done differently if given another chance?
We really enjoyed the whole process of recruiting, visiting schools, meeting and getting to know the coaches, etc. If your athlete gets a lot of interest, be prepared for a ton of phone calls their senior year. The schools are very limited in how often they talk to you, but it increases your senior year. Often, Ben would get 5-10 calls a night, and by the end of his senior season, he was getting tired of the process and ready to choose.

Any final words for those reading this that could help them?
Academics, Academics, Academics–coaches are looking for a total package. The Univ of Northern Iowa coach told Ben he had the ABC’s they look for in recruits: Academics, Basketball skills & Character. The UNI coaches were first class, and they also recommended Ben to other coaches once they let Ben know they were no longer recruiting him. So it is always good be courteous and appreciative of any time the coaches spend with you. Email thank you notes when they meet with you or come visit your games.
Create a list of what your kid wants from a school:
big town/small town
big school/small school
private /public
academic majors
costs
coaches
facilities
etc

Each time you visit, rate each of these items on a scale of 1-10. You should do this right after you visit so it is fresh in your mind. After you have visited several, you can start tallying up the scores to see if some of the schools stand out, or if you would like to visit a school a second time. There were a few schools we visited two or three times. We also tried to watch some of the college team’s games so we could see the coaches in action (that will reveal a lot!) and how the team behaves and interacts with each other. They often invite your son or daughter to spend the night with a couple teammates….again, a good way to see if your kid thinks they will fit in.

It is a long process, but be open minded. Don’t be a pain in the butt with the coaches and harass them. There needs to be give and take so each party can gauge the interest of the other party. Sometimes, there isn’t a scholarship available, or the skills are not what is needed at that time. You should not take that as a sign that your kid is not good enough. Maybe there is only one spot open and the school needs a center. If your kid is a guard, they might not be recruited by that school. Just move on and enjoy the process. Realize sports most likely will not be your kid’s career, even if they earn a scholarship. So make sure at the end of the process, you have selected a school where academics, costs, fit and athletics all feel comfortable for you.