College Placement Presentation October 24, 2018 Dave Bucciero Director of College Placement
Introduction Dave Bucciero Director of College Placement, Loudoun Soccer Director of Goalkeeping, Loudoun Soccer Head Coach of Loudoun Soccer ECNL 00/ 01 Former Head Women s Coach at American University (2007-2012) Former Women s Assistant Coach at Boston University, and Texas Tech University Former Men s Assistant Coach at Washington College Region 1 Girls ODP Staff 2
Agenda Selecting a College Scholarships Timeline By Academic Year NCAA Rules and Regulations Correspondence with College Coaches Team Brochure and Player Profiles Club Coaches, Parents and Players : What Are Your Roles? Michelle Demko, George Washington University Head Women s Coach Trevor Singer, Mount St. Mary s Men s Assistant Coach Q & A 3
So You Want to Play College Soccer 4
When Should You Start Thinking About Playing College Soccer? 5
When Should You Start Thinking About Playing College Soccer? Each and every player is different A general guideline = freshman or sophomore year of high school 6
Creating a pool of college choices: Academic fit first Making sure you are admissible Better grades = more college choices Can you handle the academic standards of that school 7
Other Factors Location (urban or rural area) Size of school Cost Academic strength/major Team/coaching staff Opportunity to earn playing time 8
Scholarships-Division I, II, and III Division I - Athletic scholarships: Men 9.9 and Women 14. Fully Funded programs Division II - Athletic scholarships: Men 9, Women 9.9 Division III - No athletic scholarships 9
Freshman Year Player Timeline: The Recruiting Process - Player improvement - Academics - Consider college soccer Sophomore Year - Develop an initial pool of schools that interest you. - Contact colleges via email - Begin College visits 10
Start of Junior Year - Narrow pool of schools down - Be realistic and open to potential new schools - Continue college visits Player Timeline: Breakdown by Academic Year - Continue sending college coaches tournament schedules and your player profile 11
Spring of Junior Year/Senior Year - Narrow your list further - College visits - Verbal commitment when you are ready Keep your grades up Player Timeline: Breakdown by Academic Year Division I and II players: register through the NCAA Clearinghouse(www.eligibilitycenter.org) Improve skills and fitness level 12
NCAA Division I Rules and Regulations Before September 1 of Junior Year Coaches cannot text, call or email players until September 1 of Junior Year Players can email coaches, however a college coach can only acknowledge their email and provide a player questionnaire and camp information After September 1 of Junior Year Coaches can meet and communicate on campus Before this date, players cannot speak with college coaches face-to-face while visiting campus ID Camps: No recruitment until junior and senior years 13
NCAA Rules and Regulations Tournaments- no communication with coaches until event ends during senior year Unofficial visits- no expenses covered, can take place any time freshmen-senior year Official visits- partial or all travel and lodging costs covered. (Can begin Sept. 1 of Junior year) 14
Communication before and after Tournaments Four Weeks Out: Email resume and tournament information Two Weeks Out: Email game schedule and jersey number, game times, etc. Post Showcase: Email coaches to thank them 15
Sample Email to College Coach Coach X, I currently play for Loudoun Soccer 01 Red and am a junior at Stone Bridge High School, graduating in 2020. I am interested in University because of your strong soccer program and the Physical Therapy program, as I am interested in this major. I currently have a 3.6 GPA and will be taking the SAT this spring. Enclosed is my player profile for your review. As you can see, I earned All-State Honors my sophomore year and am currently a member of the Virginia ODP State Team. I will be attending the following tournaments with my Loudoun 00 Red Team: CASL Raleigh Showcase (November 21-23, Raleigh, NC) Disney Soccer Showcase (December 30-January 3, Orlando, FL) Jefferson Cup (March 12-14, Richmond, VA) *My jersey number is 15 If you will be attending any of these tournaments, I would love for you to evaluate me for your program. As I mentioned above, I am very interested in and would love to play for your program! I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Player X Cell Phone # 16
Sample Player Profile Suzie Q 2020 Graduate Loudoun Soccer 01 Red #14 Defender/Outside Midfielder 2017 State Cup Runner-Up Upcoming Tournaments: WAGS, CASL Raleigh Showcase, Disney Showcase, Jefferson Cup Academics GPA: 3.6 SAT: 1210 Contact Information Email: suzieq@sample.com Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Stone Bridge High School 2016: 1 st Team All-District 2014-2016: 1 st Team All-County Olympic Development Program 2016: Region 1 ODP Pool 2014-2016: Virginia State ODP Team 17
The Team Brochure - Sample 18
Team Brochure - Player Profile 19
Recruiting Services Highlight videos It is not necessary to pay for a professional recruiting service 20
General Rules to Live by - Players 21
General Rules to Live by - Players Begin the college search process early Determine where you would be most happy based on all factors Visit the schools that you are interested in Reach out to a variety of colleges at the Division I, II, and III levels Be proactive in communication with college coaches 22
General Rules to Live by - Players Know that college coaches are evaluating and communicating with hundreds of players during the recruiting process Use ID Camps/College camps as part of the recruiting process Have prepared questions for the College Head Coach when you visit and meet with him/her 23
General Rules to Live by - Parents 24
General Rules to Live by - Parents Understand and communicate financial constraints to your child Be realistic regarding your child s abilities and talents Be supportive of what your child wants 25
General Rules to Live by Club/HS Coaches Meet with players, gage interest Encourage players to be pro-active Be honest with the players and families If contacted by a college coach, respond as soon as possible and provide honest answers to questions 26
Actions Can Affect Recruiting One bad tweet or Facebook post can be costly Poor body language and communication on and off the field with teammates, coaches, and parents Poor body language and communication with college coaches Emails sent to wrong coaches 27
College Coaches Michelle Demko: Head Women s Soccer Coach, George Washington University Trevor Singer: Assistant Men s Soccer Coach, Mount St. Mary s University 28
Questions