At What age?

[21dad]

Is 14 to young for SEC schools to be looking.Trying to introduce daughter into college circuit with camps and showcases. Two fold question---How do you really know at this age if she is at this level.(sec,acc,big ten)

[hit4power]

Just came back from FLA exposure tourney. The SEC schools that were there were looking only at 2013-14 kids, meaning HS soph's and freshmen. I'd guess if your kid is a HS freshman or soph and she is a standout on a elite 18G team, then she might be good enough to play for one of those schools. I had the chance to watch a few games between some of the top 18G teams where a lot of major D1 coaches were watching - the kind of the talent that catches their attention is pretty obvious to any of us. If that's your kid you probably already know it, and if not, well.....

[21dad]

So if she isnt headed to a Fall exposure tourney would someone reccomend attending as many individual college showcases as possible. Putting her in front of as many coaches as possible. Im pretty sure it is about networking and timimg.Gotta have both even with the talent :

[hit4power]

I hate to be the only one replying on this because there are some sharp, experienced parents on HB who could contribute their experience

I can't comment definitively on individual showcases as we haven't been to any. But my gut tells me that the coaches from the programs you mentioned in your first post (SEC, Big 10 etc) do not attend these kinds of events as a general rule because that is probably not where they have historically found the talent they are looking for. If you go to the websites at these schools and read the player bio's you'll see that most played for the better, established 18G programs regardless of what part of the country they came from. I'm sure there are exceptions to that, but IMHO being successful in a strong 18G program is part of the "math" in getting on the radar screen of these top college programs.

I would also not agree that being seen by as many coaches as possible is an effective strategy. I know of a few kids who got recruited in "drive-by" situations where the coach was there to watch another player or just happened by and something caught his/her eye, i.e, the kind of thing that might happen if your kid is attending lots of tourneys or writing lots of coaches. On the other hand, most everyone I know (other than the very top talent) who has been recruited had done a lot of homework on what kind school (public, private, size, location, type of programs, D-I, D-III, etc) they wanted to attend and focused their efforts on a small(er) number of schools that fit their desired profile, i.e., went to their camps, got to know the coaches and players as best they could, etc. etc. In other words, I don't think "mass marketing" a player and hoping for a connection works that well.

[21dad]

IMO if my daughter is put in front of a lot of coaches at a showcase and those coaches see her by accident,whats wrong with that.The reason youre there is to be seen.Seen by ABC or XYZ. I believe my daughter is D1,but at the freshman age a coach CANTeven acknowledge her.So you just have to take them to a little bit of everything.BIG variety until you really find out those that are interested

[chippingaway]

Two Words. BE PATIENT (well I guess that's four)

[weekend4trvl]

Just came back from FLA exposure tourney. The SEC schools that were there were looking only at 2013-14 kids, meaning HS soph's and freshmen. I'd guess if your kid is a HS freshman or soph and she is a standout on a elite 18G team, then she might be good enough to play for one of those schools. I had the chance to watch a few games between some of the top 18G teams where a lot of major D1 coaches were watching - the kind of the talent that catches their attention is pretty obvious to any of us. If that's your kid you probably already know it, and if not, well.....

what your saying is worth repeating.My DD's a 2013 and for her, this is to big a decision to make at 15. She's just trying to get up enough nerve to learn to drive.

[Blind Squirrel]

I doubt that many 15 year olds are well positioned to make such a weighty decision. So, naturally, their parents help them. But make no mistake: putting off the decision until the kid is ready will almost surely result in lost opportunities at schools that wrap up her year's recruiting early. Coaches don't wait forever for any kid because they know the the longer they wait, the more the talent pool they're interested in shrinks which is very important to them if the kid decides to go elsewhere. It happened with my son. It sucks but it is the way the game is played.

Been there, Done that Squirrel

[hit4power]

IMO if my daughter is put in front of a lot of coaches at a showcase and those coaches see her by accident,whats wrong with that.The reason youre there is to be seen.Seen by ABC or XYZ. I believe my daughter is D1,but at the freshman age a coach CANTeven acknowledge her.So you just have to take them to a little bit of everything.BIG variety until you really find out those that are interested

There's nothing wrong with that. My only point was that while I can name a few kids who were recruited because a coach was there to watch someone else and happened to see them, I can name a whole lot more kids who have been signed because they targeted that particular school and worked really hard to build a relationship with that coach through camps, email, unofficial campus visits, etc.

I guess what I believe is that if your DD is a top talent, coaches will find her and you/she will have lots of choices w/o having to do the hard work. For the rest of us, whose DD's are good but not standouts, getting recruited means working hard to let coaches know that there is serious interest in attending that school and playing ball for that coach. Everything I've seen and been told is that the hard work will pay off if you are realistic in the assessment of your kid's academic and athletic levels/abilities and target your schools appropriately.

[tds]

My daughter verballed to a top 25 D1 school as a freshman, she is currently a junior. Although the coaches cant approach her at this time, all communication is done through your coach. Then you, on your own dime, can go on an UNOFFICIAL visit. This is where the deal is done, as its legal for coaches to talk to you and your daughter ON CAMPUS. I cant tell what part of the country you are from, but being from SoCal I can tell you that being at showcases is a MUST, and writing letters constantly is also helpful for girls who may not be among the elite.