Every year millions of high school athletes step out onto the field of competition. Every year millions of high school athletes will share the dream of playing their respective sports in college. It seems like a lofty goal; according the NCAA only 2% of high school athletes will play competitively in college, at any level. Despite these daunting numbers seven athletes from Monarch (so far) will be playing college sports in fall 2013. It’s an impressive accomplishment to become part of the 2% of athletes that go on to play in college, but the question therein lies, “How did these athletes end up here?” and more importantly, “As an aspiring college athlete, how do I get there myself?” Here, as an extension of our article in the March Issue of the Howler, Athletic Director Lani Nobles gives some tips.
1. Handle the Logistics: “One thing every athlete has to do is get on the NCAA Clearinghouse website and make sure they read the eligibility requirements for every college they are thinking about attending. Every player that gets recruited needs to be on that website in order for a coach to offer them a scholarship.”
2. Don’t waste your time with recruitment companies: “A lot of companies are out there that claim they can get you into any school of your choice. You pay a lot of money for these services. I would spend my time writing a nice template letter and putting together a video or podcast. The technology is so great now, it’s easy to put together your own little piece as an advertisement for yourself. It’s really simple, just put together a letter that highlights your talents and send it as many places as possible, the head coach, assistant coach, athletic director. Get them all. Most times, when colleges get stuff from recruiting companies, they don’t even look at them, just toss ‘em aside.”
3. Be realistic: “You have got to be realistic, that’s a huge one. Can you dream and reach for your goals and send them out at least to those people? Ya, do. Send them to a ton of schools you’re looking at and give yourself options. If we’re being realistic only a small percentage of athletes belong at those top tier schools.”
