COLLEGE AND THE RECRUITING PROCESS FOR NFVB PLAYERS

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Grant Ball
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1 COLLEGE AND THE RECRUITING PROCESS FOR NFVB PLAYERS BASIC YEARLY CALENDAR A typical recruiting calendar for a prospective student-athlete interested in volleyball would go something like this: Spring/Summer Make unofficial visits to campus. August/September Contact coaches of schools that fall within your top list of potential colleges. Send a letter expressing interest in the volleyball program. It would be helpful to include a transcript and any videotape you may have available. Also, the studentathlete should be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center. October Coaches may be in contact with high school seniors regarding your interest and a possible visit date. You should fill out an application for admissions to the school. Mid-November National Letter of Intent (NLI) early signing date for volleyball. January Send coaches any club volleyball playing schedules. September through April Unofficial visits by high school juniors. April Second National Letter of Intent (NLI) signing date for seniors. ADMISSIONS & APPLICATIONS Contact each school s admissions office. Ask for an application, fill it out and send it it or do it on-line. Find out when the applications are processed. (Ex: rolling admission or deadline date) Some schools offer free or fee waived applications so you should ask if any of those are available. Often times if you visit a school s admissions office in person they may waive the fee. CORRESPONDENCE It is important that you get in touch with coaches as soon as possible. A simple letter of inquiry into the volleyball program will initiate the recruiting process. You should also visit each school s volleyball web site and fill out any prospective student-athlete questionnaires. The fall or early spring of each year is the best time to contact coaches. The summer is a time when most coaches are working camps or take vacations so they will be hard to reach. NCAA Eligibility Center The NCAA mandates that all student-athletes interested in competing at the Division I or II level must be certified through the NCAA Eligibility Center. Contact your high school coaches, athletics directors and/or guidance counselors for necessary paperwork. Information can be found and the process can be completed on-line at: EVALUATIONS An evaluation is any off-campus activity designed to assess the academic qualifications or athletic ability of a prospect, including any visit to your school (during which no contact occurs) or the observation of any practice or competition at any site. Coaches are limited in their number of evaluations per prospective student-athlete. VIDEO TAPES In an attempt to make an accurate assessment as soon as possible, it is recommended video be forwarded to coaches as soon as possible. The video need not be an elaborate production. Some simple game or practice tape is sufficient with you being easily identified. It is, however, helpful if the video includes a short segment on individual skills (i.e. hitting, setting, passing and digging). CONTACTS A contact is any face-to-face encounter between you or your parents or legal guardians and a school s coach or athletics staff representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. Any such face-to-face encounter that is pre-arranged or takes place on the grounds of your high school, or at the site of organized competition or practice involving your high school, club team or all-star team is considered a contact, regardless of the conversation that occurs. Coaches are limited to three total off-campus contact days per prospective student-athlete. TELEPHONE CALLS Coaches may not telephone you, your parents or guardians PRIOR TO July 1st following the completion of your junior year in high school. After July 1st, staff members may telephone a prospect once per week (measured Sunday through Saturday). The once-per-week limit applies to the entire school. SCHOLARSHIPS and FINANCIAL AID Colleges that offer athletic scholarships in the sport of volleyball are awarded based on the team s needs as well as athletic skill and ability. You should ask how many newcomers they plan on adding to their team as well as the positions. Also ask how many of these players may be walkon athletes. VISITS, Official A prospect may not make more than five expense-paid visits to NCAA member institutions, regardless of the number of sports in which the prospect is involved. Schools may not provide an expense-paid visit to a prospect who has not presented the institution with a high school academic transcript and a score from an SAT, or an ACT test taken on a national testing date under national testing conditions. The official visit may not exceed 48 hours. Most of the time is spent with the current volleyball players on tours, in classes and viewing practices and workouts. VISITS, Unofficial Prospects may visit the campus at their own expense an unlimited number of times and may make unofficial visits before your senior year in high school. These visits prove to be very helpful in the recruiting process as well as give the prospective student athletes a chance to meet current team members. A school can offer you a scholarship in person while you re on an unofficial visit. QUESTIONS Please don t be afraid to contact the college coaches that help with our club because you re not interested in their school. Coach Rocco or Coach Stephen with questions about any material presented here and to get help with the process.

2 NCAA Eligibility Center formerly the NCAA Clearinghouse Purpose The purpose of the NCAA Eligibility Center is to certify prospective student-athletes athletics and amateurism eligibility for Divisions I and II. Initial Eligibility vs. College Admission NCAA initial eligibility is separate from college admissions. Each institution makes its own admissions decisions based on established admissions criteria. A prospective student-athlete may gain admission to an institution but not meet NCAA initial-eligibility standards or may meet initial-eligibility standards but not gain admission. Who Should Register High school students who intend to participate in Division I or II athletics as a freshman in college should register with the eligibility center. Transfer students who will be attending a Division I or II school for the first time must also register and receive amateurism certification. When Should Students Register There is no deadline to register with the eligibility center; however, the center recommends that students register after their junior year in high school. Students can register with the eligibility center by completing the on-line registration form at: Please note that students must be registered with and certified as eligible by the eligibility center to be eligible for an athletics scholarship, practice and intercollegiate competition their first year at a Division I or II institution. Requirements for Initial-Eligibility Certification Students must meet the following requirements in order to be certified by the clearinghouse: Graduate from high school; Successfully complete a core curriculum of at least 16 academic courses (beginning August 2008); and Have a core-course grade-point average and combined score on the SAT verbal and math sections or a sum score on the ACT based on the initial-eligibility sliding scale. Core Courses To meet the core-course requirement, the course must be defined as a recognized academic course and qualify for high school graduation credit in one or a combination of the following areas: English, mathematics, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, computer science or nondoctrinal religion. The course must be considered college preparatory by the high school. In addition, the course must be taught by a qualified instructor and at or above the high school s regular academic level (i.e., remedial, special education or compensatory courses shall not be considered core courses). A list of your high school s approved core courses is available on-line at ACT/SAT Test In Divisions I and II, students must achieve the minimum required SAT or ACT score before their first fulltime college enrollment. Test scores must be achieved under national testing conditions on a national testing date. All prospective student-athletes, including natives of foreign countries, must achieve the minimum required test score on a national testing date. Please note that the ACT sum score is used, not the composite score. To obtain the sum score, add the four subscores together (English, math, science and reading). The same applies for the SAT. To obtain the sum score, add the verbal and math sections together. If the eligibility center has more than one ACT or SAT score for a student, the highest scores from each subtest (ACT: English, math, science and reading, SAT: verbal and math) will be used. Scores must be sent directly to the eligibility center from the Testing Agency. (Fill out code 9999 on your test form)

3 NFVB Recruiting Time Line Freshman (9th grade) Settle into the high school environment. Get to work developing good classroom and home study habits. Learn to manage your time. Work hard on the junior high/high school team. Try to stay after with the coach to learn new skills or perfect basics. Play the best and most competitive spring/summer club volleyball that is available to you. Play with the best teams, at the best tournaments, against the best competition possible. Attend a comprehensive college summer camp. Sophomore (10th grade) Continue to "hit the books" hard. You ve probably heard it before, but it is very true. Your athletic ability means nothing if you can t do the class work! If you can t qualify for college academically, your talent and efforts will be wasted. Meet with your high school guidance counselor -- tell him/her of your desire to play college volleyball. You want to be "on track" with the NCAA required core courses. Play as much club volleyball as possible... the more you play, the more experience that you will get and the more you should improve. Attend as many college summer camps as you can afford. This gives you a chance to learn new techniques, see different coaching styles and see many campuses. You will begin to find what things are important to you in a future school. Send out your first contact letters include your club schedule and your junior year high school schedule. College coaches are not permitted to write back yet except to notify you they received your letter and to invite you to their summer camp. But you will get your name out in front of the coaches you want to play for. Plan Visits! Before your senior year, all of these visits are "unofficial." This means that the college can not pay for any part of the visit. These are done on your own. Call the coach asking to meet with them, an academic advisor, and a professor in the major you care to pursue. Ask if you can attend a practice or match and meet the team afterwards. You will be starting to narrow down you college choices, so be thorough on this visit. You may be asked to make a decision before you will be allowed by the NCAA to take an official visit! NOTES:

4 Junior (11th grade) Ask your high school coach to write letters to a few preferred colleges. Include a copy of your fall schedule. SEPTEMBER 1st - Coaches are permitted to send letters in writing! Register with the NCAA Initial - Eligibility Clearinghouse (your high school guidance counselor should have these forms). Register for the fall ACT / SAT standardized tests. Most students take these tests at least twice. Try to schedule a winter date that won t conflict with high school or club season. Request that your ACT/SAT test scores be sent to the NCAA Clearinghouse (there is a box on the application form that you check for this, Code 9999). Prepare a videotape to be sent out when requested. Ask for help from coaches, parents, and club teammates. Continue club ball If college ball is your ultimate goal, you need to play with a club and/or on a team that gets lots of exposure. You could be the star on a local club team, but if your club only attends a few regional tournaments, the college coaches may not see you! Play time is the other concern. If you are on the club s number one team, but don t have a starting role, you may need to ask coaches to come to practices to see you train and/or scrimmage. Focus this summer should be on attending "Select or Advanced" or Elite camps. In this environment you will be able to gauge yourself against some of the best players, at each camp. The college coaches will be able to do the same. JULY 1st - Phone contact from college coaches is permissible. Senior (12th grade) DO NOT LET UP ACADEMICALLY! It s easy to catch senioritis but it may cost you your eligibility. Review core academic requirements with your guidance counselor. Make sure you are "on track." Send out your fall schedule. The first day of class for your senior year is the first day you may attend an official visit. If you haven t already verbally committed, take those visits ASAP! If you are offered an official visit -- prepare for your visit with a list of questions written down. (You ll be amazed how nervous you will get and you ll forget what you wanted to ask!) Be prepared for any questions the college may have for you. Early signing period in November -- dates vary slightly from year to year -- Check on the NCAA website for the current years dates. You can contact college coaches (by phone) at any time (prior to July after your Junior year they can not call you). NOTES:

5 Academics Question: Do excellent athletes with "average" grades have a chance to be offered a scholarship to top D1 programs? And, can average or multiple-sport athletes with great academics get scholarships? Grades are VERY important when it comes to the scholarship offer. Coaches don't want to have to spend all their time recruiting a player and giving her a scholarship only to see her fail with the academic workload and become ineligible. All athletic traits being equal, most coaches would choose the better student! But average grades won t keep you from a scholarship offer. Division I schools can offer full rides based SOLELY on athletic ability (I am assuming that the athlete can establish eligibility see Clearinghouse). Not all Division I schools have a budget to allow the NCAA maximum 12 full-rides, though. Division II schools can only offer 8 full rides based on athletic ability. Division III schools cannot extend ANY scholarships based solely on court performance. This is where the academics and other activities become so important! If a school can t offer a full athletic grant, they can sometimes create packages. The volleyball coach may be able to offer in-state tuition, while the Admissions Department offers an out-of-state fee waiver for your high school academic excellence and because of your status as captain and secretary of National Honor Society, you receive a Leadership Grant that would cover your room and board. The package from that school is a full scholarship, but without the academic success, you would be looking at only a partial. Financial need, minority scholarships and competing in other sports can also be figured into your quest for a full-ride scholarship. Camps Q: What camps and clinics should you attend in your area to maximize your exposure? Do you have a "dream school?" Attend that institutions clinic or camp. Your performance there will help you - and the coach - ascertain your potential to play for that institution. Be sure to attend as many camps as possible - mostly for the chance to learn new techniques and see differing coaching styles, but also to get a feel for each college campus. You will begin to notice what features make you comfortable (the coach's demeanor, the cafeteria food, the dorms) or uncomfortable (the coach's demeanor, the food, the dorms)! I would recommend camps designated for elite/advanced athletes at the end of your junior year to get a realistic perspective of your talents by playing with and competing against the best competition. (Obviously the truly elite players are doing this their sophomore year, but 90% of the athletes can wait until junior year.) Correspondence Q: What are some of the "DO's" for correspondence? Begin your contact letter to a college coach with her last name in the salutation. For example: Dear Coach Smith. Most letters beginning with Dear Coach are tossed in the garbage. Think about how you feel receiving mail addressed to "Dear Resident." Coaches are looking for exceptional, mature young women who are willing to put a lot of time and effort in the next 4 years. Make the effort on this small detail. Don t know the coach s name? College websites usually have the most up-to-date information. Players should fill out their own questionnaires. This is your first impression that you make to a coach, make it a good one! Take the time to use good penmanship, as well. Players should return all questionnaires to ALL schools that write them. Even if you are not interested in attending a certain school, you may find them more interesting later in the process. They may end up being the only school offering you a scholarship! Players should call the volleyball office themselves to make sure that the information arrived. I am sure that mom and dad are nice people, but the coaches want to get to know you! Your communication skills and maturity on the phone formulate an impression. Coaches love players that have enough guts to call personally! A personal letter shows more sincere interest. A college coach knows that you wouldn t hand-write 30 letters! She knows this is special and it makes a great impression! Take the time to make the note legible and check your note for spelling and punctuation. After all, you are attempting to "sell" yourself to a college or university - an educational institution.

6 Video Tape Q: Coaches are asking for videotapes what do I include on one? Should it be professionally recorded and edited? College coaches see 100 or more tapes a year. You need to get their attention QUICK so they will watch long enough to really see you play - or come to watch you! The first thing to record is a quick, brief intro. State your name, high school, GPA, position, height, club team and jersey numbers worn in this tape. (You d be amazed how many tapes I received and had no idea which of the 12 players on the court I was supposed to watch!) Then do what you do best! I received a tape from a 5'10" outside hitter who faced the camera and gave her intro...then turned away from the camera, did a 3 step approach and grabbed the basketball rim! YES - it got my attention! YES - I called her that night. YES - she got a full-ride to my school! If you are a setter, film hitting lines with you connecting on crossing plays (get your best-hitting club friends to stay and help out). If you are a libero, have dad film you digging the hitting lines. Step in there one-on-one, or have club friends block for you. Ask dad to film from behind you so that the coach can see you read the attacker. After your specialty, show a couple minutes of all the other skills - a few serves, a few passes, a few blocks. Please don t waste the college coach s time if you are a libero, don t try to block! If you are a setter, don t put footage of you on the left side in hitting lines! Lastly, add some running game footage. Find your best 5 minutes of uninterrupted play. This gives the coach a chance to see you at work. Again - you don't need anything flashy. Coaches expect to see videos that mom and dad shoot. Just be sure to view it yourself before you send it. True story - I received a copy of "Days of Our Lives" from a recruit who tried to copy her video on a used tape. It didn't work, obviously. I encourage you to send a video to the top 5 schools you are interested in. Sending a lot of video tapes or DVDs can get costly so many athletes are using YouTube.com or Vimeo to upload clips and just send the coaches the web address. Visits - Official Q: How should I prepare for my campus visits? One of the things you should do is prepare a list of questions to ask the coach. The questions have answers that will vary from school to school, coach to coach. But the answers are of utmost importance! Be sure that the coach s answers agree with your needs and wants. What happens if I get hurt? What happens if I need more than 4 years to finish my degree? Where do athletes live? Can scholarships pay for off-campus housing? Do you have training table for match nights? How do you travel vans, shuttle buses, charter buses, planes? How many sleep in a room? Study table? Team academic goals? Can I work during the academic year? Do you train and play in the spring? Can I play another sport if I wish? Do I have to stay on campus during the summer? Will my major s co-op program (or lab classes, student teaching, nursing practicums) interfere with practice or competition? How does the coach deal with these conflicts?

P a g e 1. Recruiting Manual

P a g e 1. Recruiting Manual P a g e 1 Recruiting Manual P a g e 2 Table of Contents Step 1: Understand the Difference between Levels 3 Recruiting Calendar Division l 5 Recruiting Rules Division l 6 Recruiting Rules Division ll 7