Appreciate all the info from those who have responded. Everyone' situation is different but this is all good insight and greatly appreciated.
One of our son's top 3 schools is having another prospect day coming up. He's been in somewhat routine correspondence with the assistant/coordinator there since after the summer. He went to first prospect day earlier in the fall and did well. They are having another one coming up and we are contemplating going again. Cost isn't exhorbenant and distance isn't to far. My thought is the more contact and the more they get to see him the better for everyone. All I can come up with are pros for going again am I missing any cons?
Recruiting Thread: D1-D2-D3-NAIA-MCLA
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Hatey McLife
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:21 pm
Re: Recruiting Thread: D1-D2-D3-NAIA-MCLA
Genuine, consistent contact from the staff are clearly unambiguous positives and important benchmarks when making your list. We are on the same page in that regard.
Some things to keep in mind, in my opinion:
- discussions/contact with the school will hopefully progress up the food chain during recruitment. High School teammate of my son had his recruitment derailed by essentially only conversing with an assistant coach, and a new one at that to the particular college he was affiliated with. I don't think there was any malicious intent on the asst coaches' part, but when the player was ready to pull the trigger the head coach ended up taking a pass. Not great.
Obviously you could ask your contact directly or your son's HS Coach might be able to help with this. Have him reach out to the College Head Coach realtively early on to guage their level of interest. Whether it's good or bad news, at least you'll know where you stand.
- The devil's advocate argument to attending multiple prospect days is that they could provide enough rope to hang himself, as it were. If he played well at the day he already attended my sense would be to provide highlight reel film or other positive anecdotal info instead, particularly if you are already have a good relationship with the staff. Make sure you let the target school know of any showcases/club tourneys you'll be playing at, ask if they have any interest in attending (maybe they have already planned to), and set up an informal meeting. No doubt they'll be busy and will likely defer, but asking is a relatively harmless way to stay in front of them. I say this assuming your son is an upperclassman and is not far removed from making a decision. If he has a longer runway then my points are mostly moot lol.
- Something to consider: instead of a prospect day, make your way to the campus during the off-season and unofficially visit the School. Mention to your contact you are going to be in town and if the coach(s) had any availability for you to come by for a brief visit. Shows interest on your part, providing another point of contact with the chance to see them in their home element. That said, the school saying "no thanks" is not definitive either; they might just be busy.
Hope this helps.
Some things to keep in mind, in my opinion:
- discussions/contact with the school will hopefully progress up the food chain during recruitment. High School teammate of my son had his recruitment derailed by essentially only conversing with an assistant coach, and a new one at that to the particular college he was affiliated with. I don't think there was any malicious intent on the asst coaches' part, but when the player was ready to pull the trigger the head coach ended up taking a pass. Not great.
Obviously you could ask your contact directly or your son's HS Coach might be able to help with this. Have him reach out to the College Head Coach realtively early on to guage their level of interest. Whether it's good or bad news, at least you'll know where you stand.
- The devil's advocate argument to attending multiple prospect days is that they could provide enough rope to hang himself, as it were. If he played well at the day he already attended my sense would be to provide highlight reel film or other positive anecdotal info instead, particularly if you are already have a good relationship with the staff. Make sure you let the target school know of any showcases/club tourneys you'll be playing at, ask if they have any interest in attending (maybe they have already planned to), and set up an informal meeting. No doubt they'll be busy and will likely defer, but asking is a relatively harmless way to stay in front of them. I say this assuming your son is an upperclassman and is not far removed from making a decision. If he has a longer runway then my points are mostly moot lol.
- Something to consider: instead of a prospect day, make your way to the campus during the off-season and unofficially visit the School. Mention to your contact you are going to be in town and if the coach(s) had any availability for you to come by for a brief visit. Shows interest on your part, providing another point of contact with the chance to see them in their home element. That said, the school saying "no thanks" is not definitive either; they might just be busy.
Hope this helps.