National Scouting Report

Athleticism:  First and foremost, you must have the skills to play in college, but you must also possess and  exhibit…                                  

Coaches want well-rounded individuals.

Solid academics:  You must prove that you can thrive in an academic setting.   The NCAA no longer allows high school student-athletes to become eligible as college freshmen, nor skate through college, by passing insignificant courses.  In DI, and soon in DII, you must have passed 16 core courses in high school to academically qualify to play sports as an incoming freshman.  Once in, then by the conclusion of your second year of college, you must have successfully completed 40% of the coursework necessary toward your degree, 60% at the conclusion of your third year and 80% by the end of your fourth year.   This is no cake walk.  If you are not prepared for the academic focus required by the NCAA, in high school or college, you will not survive. 

Good character:  You must have consistently demonstrated in high school that you can be a positive representative of the college once you arrive.  In high school, joining clubs, participating in community volunteer projects, holding down a part time job — these are ways to exhibit good character.  As important is having written letters of recommendation from community leaders.  

Productive work ethic:  You must have a strong work ethic and prove it through documentation and  references.  Recording your workouts and practices with details of what you accomplished is an excellent way to prove that you have put in the hours athletically.  Confidently discussing your academic habits is another.  And, again, getting written letters of recommendation from your coaches, teachers and community leaders also impresses college coaches. 

Team orientation:  You must be willing to do what is best for the team.  Many freshmen college athletes find it hard to get playing time or to break into the top group of athletes on the team.  That’s natural because older teammates have earned their place over time while you are, well, a rookie.  As a freshman, you are starting over from scratch.  Having come from being one of the stars of your high school team makes it difficult, mentally, to stand in the background.  So, many coaches ask freshmen to take on unfamiliar roles at first to gain confidence.  A team player does this without question or complaint.  Knowing this and telling a coach that you can bide your time for the team until your opportunity presents itself is a huge plus to any college coach.   

A top-notch prospect is driven to succeed.

 Hustle:  You must exhibit an understanding of the impact which hustle has on all aspects of competition.  Whether during practice, in pre-game, in starting or substitute positions, and during the off-season, hustle is the intangible which influences the outcomes of games and the mentality of opponents more than any other single aspect of athletics.  If you ”get it,” you can have an immediate impact on a college team.  But, you must have consistently shown this in high school and club sports.  Part of what others, especially your coaches, need to be saying about you is their admiration for the effort you have always given. 

Game intelligence:  You must have actively demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of the game in high school and club/travel sports.  Thinking, not just doing.  Learning, not just playing.  Anticipating, not just reacting.  These are the mental aspects of the game which coaches at the next level cherish.  Developing a reputation for being a smart athlete is critically important to college coaches who need recruits to be ready to play as first year players.   

Maturity:  You must be capable of making mature decisions when you are with and away from the coach and team.  Far too many good high school athletes have a sense of entitlement.  That is, they think that they are entitled to do things which other students or less skilled athletes are not allowed to do.  So, instead of thinking through the consequences without being responsible to their team, school, family or themselves, they push the issue to see if they will be punished.  The very, very lucky, get away with it.  Most, however, get caught and permanently damage their reputations and future opportunities.  Bad decisions in high school can be life changing moments.   

Demonstrating desirable traits is essential.

Competitiveness:  You must want to be a winner.  Most college coaches highest priority is not to win games, but to keep their jobs.  Winning is certainly a big part of accomplishing that objective, but having highly competitive teams is always at the forefront of any coach’s thinking when offer scholarships to high school prospects.  Seeing your competitive drive during the recruiting phase is something coaches really want and need to see.  You can demonstrate this by going through pre-game drills with focus and intensity, by being mentally locked into the challenge ahead when others are being overconfident or nonchalant, and by encouraging other players to do their best throughout the game, win or lose.  

Creativity:  You must be able to invent ways to succeed, that is, to make plays which turn losses into wins.  College coaches love to see prospects take chances, but smart ones.  Taking the extra base, firing a backhand down the line, making a pass fit through a small space, saving a ball that others wouldn’t go for — these are things coaches want to see prospects going for.  But, there is a difference between being smart and careless.  Know the difference.  

Honesty:  You must be truthful with your coach and team.  One of the most complimentary things any teammate, coach or parent can say about a prospect is that he or she is honest.  No one likes a liar.  No one wants to associate with a liar.  And, no coach wants to reruit a liar.   

Ambition:  You must have a genuine desire to be a champion.  When talking to college coaches it is vitally important ask questions about how the program is going to win championships while you are at the school and how the coach sees you contributing to that goal.  Prove that you will be an impact player by telling the coach that you want to be a part of something special, not just another member of a college team.  Learn how to confidently talk about being a champion.

Parents and Prospects Can Create an Academic Atmosphere Where None Was Before 

Academics can too often take a back seat to athletics in homes.

Academics begin at home.  Make no mistake – parents are responsible for creating an academic setting for their children – an atmosphere which should revolve around the following elements:

• Dedication
• Focus
• Time
• Results
• Accountability

While ideally the academic structure in the home would start at the earliest possible time frame (i.e. elementary or primary school), we often discover that athletics and social activities have been such focal points of family life that nearly all things impacting good academic performance have been subjugated to something akin to necessary evils.      

This arm’s length approach to academics severely limits an aspiring student-athlete’s options.  To say it simply, grades are the most influential catalyst to receiving an athletic scholarship offer, so when parents elect not to make academics a priority, their children eventually pay the consequences in some significant way – they are either passed over for kids with better grades or are forced to pay much more out-of-pocket for college.      

As NSR scouts, after seeing that an athlete has the potential to play at the college level, we home in on grades.  We know that good academic performance signals a plethora of positive things: 

Good grades send a positive signal to coaches.

1. Mental acuity:  College coaches usually present advanced, competitive concepts to recruits.  Bright students can be expected to grasp and put these innovations to use more quickly than those who have produced poor grades.
2. Academic insight:  High school grads with good grades typically have achieved them because of a keen desire to learn and a need to perform well in the classroom.  They enjoy competing academically with classmates and enjoy the personal, social and academic benefits which come with the attainment of good grades.
3. Predictability:  College coaches see recruits with good grades as predictable.  It is highly unlikely that a good high school student will come to college and suddenly become disinterested in academics, especially since their scholarship is typically in some way linked to classroom results.       

So, can parents and kids improve the academic atmosphere in their home?  Yes, but both must agree to work together, to set up standards and expectations, to establish short and long term goals, and to make necessary adjustments if the desired outcomes are not reached.   

Here are some pointers on where to start:

Dedication:  There can be no excuses for avoiding academic responsibility.  Parents and kids must understand that achieving good grades is the family priority when compared to athletics and social choices. That said, it is essential to be flexible when it comes to study time.  Travel to and from away contests in particular can be an obstacle to quality study.  And, pulling away from social moorings can be difficult.  Nonetheless, the dedicated students always find the time to study and get their academic work accomplished whether it is in the bus trip, in the bleachers while waiting to dress for the game, during other opportunities which may present themselves like on weekends at home and study halls at school.  Recognizing and seizing these opportunities to fulfill one’s academic responsibilities are crucial to success.  

During study time, there should be no distractions allowed.

Focus:  Study time must be approached and regarded as academic game time.  At that point, nothing else should matter.  It is the singular focus of the student.  Phone calls, emails and texts must all be of secondary concern and avoided.  As an apt comparison, it would be inconceivable for an athlete to stop during practice to accept a personal phone call or to text a friend.  Practice time is honored as untouchable and so should study time.

Time:  How many hours per week are designated for practice?  No athlete can be expected to maintain or improve their skills without it.  The same attitude should be attached to study time.  It should be a designated time of the day and it should be adhered to by the entire family.  No TV.  No music.  No distractions.  This is study time and that is what should occur, nothing else.

Results:  All productive plans include anticipated results.  An academic plan must meet that standard as well.  Where do you want to be in each class, academically, at mid-term?  What scores on tests, papers and exams will you strive to achieve? 

Accountability:  This is where many parents and student-athletes fall short.  A lot of worry and work are exerted on the front end of the process, as they should be, but poor follow through in the middle and end of the stratagem creates emotional and practical pitfalls which allow the kids to fail.  Although the family may make what appears to be an effective plan, they typically fail to establish benchmarks, outcome expectations, contingencies and consequences, all which are critical components in the most well conceived problem solving game plans.  Starting has to happen, but finishing is vital. 

Family dynamics are very difficult to change.  Habits, whether physical or emotional, have been in place for years.  But, for academics to flourish in a home, everyone must be willing to overlook what has happened in the past, contribute, cooperate and support the effort to make positive changees happen, start to end.  It can be accomplished when a family works in concert to achieve such an important objective.

NCAA Says Yes to DII, but No to DI and DIII

If you are not in your high school sport’s season, NCAA DII coaches may ask you to come to their campus for a tryout.  You may not, however, tryout at a DI or DIII college.  Confused?  Let’s explain.   

NCAA only allows tryouts in DII.

The reason for restricting DIII schools is because, in theory, no DIII prospect can be admitted because of athletic ability.  Again, in theory, the only qualifications a potential DIII student-athlete have to meet for admission are the academic standards set by that school.   Neither the candidate’s athletic skills nor the opinion and influence of a coach can have any bearing on that particular student’s admission.  So, a tryout would be pointless.   

As for DI, the no-tryout rule is a way to level the playing field to some degree for DII athletic programs competing for DI-level prospects.  Prospects may take unofficial and official visits at both and the rules pertaining to those visits are the same in both divisions. 

No such rule or restriction on athlete  tryouts exists in the NAIA or NJCAA.  In fact, in these organizations, even juniors, sophomores and freshman may try out, or work out, for a coach at any time.  If you ever have a question about whether or not a scheduled “tryout” is legal or not, contact our office at (800) 354-0072.

Good Grades = More Scholarship Opportunities

The NCAA has spent the past twenty-five years creating recruiting rules for four specific purposes: 

Reaching higher for better grades is in your best interest.

1. To create a level playing field among the three divisions
2. To react to rules abuses by member institutions and coaches
3. To ease the pressure placed on prospects by coaches
4. To improve the academic responsibility and raise the graduation rate of its student-athletes

A little history, if you will.  There was a time when athletes at many colleges were only required to carry and pass a bare minimum number of hours to remain eligible to participate in athletics.  They needed to have taken and earned passing grades for as few as nine hours per semester.  With the exception of the most stringent academic institutions, there existed few academic requirements for athletes, including the type classes athletes were required to pass.  In the old days, college athletes did not have to demonstrate progress toward attaining a degree to play.

Flash forward to the present day.  Firm restrictions are now ensconced in the NCAA which indelibly connect an athlete to academics in both high school and college, legitimizing the term student-athlete.  The bottom line?  At some point, to become a college athlete, you must study and produce grades to play.

On the front end of recruiting, prospects must meet strict academic requirements to become eligible to participate in NCAA Division I and II as a college freshman.  While initial eligibility rules governing the NAIA and NJCAA affiliated schools are not as limiting for prospects, they too have raise their academic requirements over the years.  Knowing these requirements as a freshman in high school is essential because getting and staying on the correct academic path is necessary to eventually qualify to play college sports. 

More college doors are opened through good grades than athletic stats.

On the back side of recruiting, much has happened to athletic programs which have squeezed them into a corner.  On one side are the NCAA initial eligibility and ongoing academic requirements which must be met or exceeded for student-athletes to become and remain eligible.  On another side are the limits on scholarships permitted per sport by the NCAA.  And, finally, there are budgetary constraints which individual institutions place on their athletic departments and coaches. 

Put all this together and the ideal situation for an NCAA coach is to find, evaluate and recruit prospects with great high school academic records (and some need-based federal money) – records which will earn the student-athlete a lot of free money and allow the coach to insert a minimal amount of his or her athletic scholarship money to help make college affordable for the prospect and parents.

In short, the higher the grades and test scores a prospect delivers, the less money an NCAA coach has to fork out in scholarship aid.  Therefore, the better your grades, the more coaches which will, and can, be attracted to you as a prospect.  Higher grades, more coaches.  Lower grades, fewer coaches.  It’s really as simple as that.

Financial Aid Packaging: Colleges’ Way of Making Freshman Year Affordable

Packaging is a term used by college admissions officials and coaches to describe financial assistance for prospective  college student-athletes.  It occurs at every level of college sports, even NCAA Division I.  

Surprised?  Well, you aren’t alone.  Very few parents and athletes are aware this happens, much less expect it, yet most families encounter this very common strategy when working with college coaches and admissions departments. 

The NCAA has set firm rules for high school and college students to follow.

All things regarding financial aid for a freshman athlete begin with academics.  Once an admissions office has received a prospect’s official high school transcript along with proof of standardized test scores (SAT or ACT), decisions regarding financial assistance can start in earnest.  Three high school academic measuring sticks are examined to establish academic scholarships:

• Unweighted, core course grade point average
• Class rank
• Standardized test score

With these scores in hand, any admissions officer can calculate a prospect’s basic academic award.  Other issues can be influential, but the foundation of any academic scholarship is built on these three key factors.  College credits earned while in high school, advanced placement classes and other recommendations can add more to the base amount. 

After the academic award number is finalized, the admissions office then considers merit, institutional, state and other  scholarships which the prospective student may be eligible to receive.  They then add any need-based award assigned to the student by the Department of Education.  Parents must submit a copy of their personal financial status to the school as well as fill out and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to determine this amount.  In this process, the Department of Education seeks to determine if a family qualifies for the Pell Grant or any other free federal monies.   Finally, the admissions office tacks on any state or federal loans to supplement the package and lower the immediate cash outlay for the family.

Packaging helps parents and prospects understand where they are financially.

College coaches, knowing all this, will ask freshmen (and JUCO) prospects to apply to the college prior to committing to an athletic scholarship amount.  Once that information is in hand, the coach then can add an athletic scholarship dollar number to the package.  Knowing that most families want their out-of-pocket expense to be at or below what they might otherwise spend for their child to attend an in-state, public institution, coaches will typically attempt to add an amount which will help the family reach or exceed that goal.  This amount can also be influenced by any one or more of these important issues:

• The amount of athletic scholarship money available to the coach after taking into account the other committed scholarships to current players and prospects
• The coach’s opinion of the prospect’s anticipated impact on the program
• Anticipated competition with other college coaches to sign the prospect
• The quality of the relationship established with the prospect and parents
• The quality of the relationship and reliability of the sources which connected the coach with the prospect
• The expectation of capturing a another prospect closely connected to the prospect such as a teammate or sibling

The final package is then sent to the family for their consideration.  In some cases, the amounts are negotiable which gives the parents the option to get a few more dollars here or there from the college.  As for the athletic scholarship amount*, that depends almost solely on the coach and the value he or she attaches to the prospect. 

Next in this series, we will examine how and why college coaches are limited in regards to which prospects they can or will recruit and the connection to academics in that part of the recruiting process.

Recent Changes Will Work in Students’ Favor

Pell Grants, the federal government program which gives financial assistance to low-income families whose children attend college, changed in several significant ways with the passage of the healthcare bill.

Changes in Pell Grants will benefit more students and families.

In short, the Department of Education has stepped forward to take over the student loan process.   Why?  The U.S. government was paying billions of dollars in annual subsidies to banks and private lenders to award Pell Grants then operate and manage the loan and collection process.  The new law provides that as of July 1, 2010, all federal student aid loans will derive from the Federal Direct Loan Program.  Simultaneously, the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program has been shuttered.     

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that while shifting the loan process away from the private sector and eliminating paying subsidies to them that America’s taxpayers will save $61 billion in the next decade.  It is the CBO’s plan to put $10 billion of the savings toward reducing the federal deficit while nearly $36 billion will be rechanneled into Pell Grants for students and families.  The new process will, in 2017, permit the Pell Grant maximum awarded amounts to increase to $6,000.00 annually, up from the current $5,500.00, a jump of $2,000.00 over a four year college career. 

Perhaps more importantly, students and parents will be dealing with one secure lender instead of facing the uncertainty accompanied with their loans being passed along to new lenders, as is common with private lenders and banks, or wondering if those holding their loans will be in sound financial condition in the event of another economic downturn.  A number of other benefits, according to the COG, are in place with the new legislation.  For instance, in 2014 borrowers will have better repayment options including holding their monthly payments to no more than 15% of their income. 

The Federal Pell Grant Program awards grants to America’s neediest college students. This year alone the Department of Education will bestow nearly $32 billion in Pell Grants to approximately 8.4 million U.S. students.

The federal government still faces the chore of choosing who will manage their clients’ accounts and their choices will come from the private sector.  The management contracts for individual accounts will be awarded based upon what appears to be an as yet to be determined list of criteria linked to customer service and assistance. 

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “These changes will expand educational opportunities for millions of students and families and will make it easier for them to pay for college.”

Popular Web Site Taps Freshman Heavyweight

Jamison Sacco of Western New England College continues to receive awards even after wrestling season has long past.

Jamison was one of the year's top DIII wrestlers.

A native of Syracuse, New York, and former NSR prospect, Jamison was recently named to the d3wrestling.com All-Freshman Team in the 285-lb. division.  He enjoyed a tremendous season for the Golden Bears compiling a 25-3 record with 19 pins while capturing his weight class at the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championship, which was held on the WNEC campus.  At the NEWA Championship, Jamison pinned four opponents in a combined 2 minutes and 50 seconds, receiving the award for the Fastest Fall (14 seconds) in the tournament.   Jamison was also named NEWA Rookie-of-the-Year. 

Successfully navigating the regional qualifer, Jamison was one of 160 DIII wrestlers to reach the Division III Championships held at US Cellular Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 5-6.  Although he dropped both matches, his performance during the season drew considerable praise from coaches throughout the region.

A New and Informative Series for Prospects and Parents

Good academic performance is the optimum pathway for making college affordable for aspiring, high school student-athletes and their parents.

Academics play a crucial role in recruiting.

We often find that parents and prospects are surprised to learn that a majority of college athletes are not offered full athletic scholarships but instead are presented with scholarship “packages.”   This has been a common practice for years. 

College coaches have financial limitations (budgets) like any company or family.  In the NCAA, the control of athletic budgets begins with their mandating to member schools the maximum number of scholarships allowed per division, per team, per sport.  Then, in annual conference meetings with member college presidents in control, scholarship maximums are determined per sport, conference-wide.   Individual schools then decide on the budgets for each sport.  Finally, coaches are given an amount of scholarships they are allowed along with their operating budgets.  Talk about trickle-down economics! 

So, how does all this relate to a prospect’s academic performance?  Over the next few weeks, NSR will tackle this critical issue.  We will explore a number of inter-related components which impact and influence a high school prospect’s ability to attract college coaches through academics. 

We will answer key questions such as:

• How are prospects academically “packaged” by colleges?
• Do all NCAA colleges accept or admit prospects meeting minimum academic requirements?
• Can the dynamics at home really change to improve academic performance?
• How can a prospect academically break away from negative peer influences?

At NSR, we have long held the belief that athletics and academics share an inescapable bond.  Over the years, our success rate of over 90% can be tied to the excellent grades our prospects earned in the classroom.  We hope you will learn from our 25+ years of experience and will look forward to this excellent series.