Above is correct. I have read so so many threads on cc about the fickleness of college recruiting. She is not a flashy enough of a player or high D1 enough for me to say “she’s a sure thing for an ivy so no need to sweat.”
So that’s probably her level but I have no idea if a coach will need her type of player that year. Will she show well when they come to open gyms? Will she hit her threes or not in playoffs? Etc. so for me those schools are reached until they aren’t. I want some schools to look at where the coach would be excited and she wouldn’t feel like she’s sacrificing academics to go. She’s a super smart kid and has zero need to be the big fish. She likes going to school with super smart kids.
@MrCoffee
Very strange. I thought I replied to you already but it’s not here.
she plays ecnl. And yes, but I’d rather not give specifics (I’ve read that ao’s and coaches lurk here and I don’t want to sabotage anything by being blabby, which is my nature).
Her dad was a somewhat gifted athlete and she gets it from him, I’m just a benchwarmer along for the ride!
@bloomfield88
Wow, yes you completely nailed it and thanks so much for breaking out the thinking in a logical way. Thank you for the list of rankings, that is incredibly helpful. I think I get how to go about this now.
@twoinanddone
Oh I’m aware that there are some very smart athletes out there. It’s all a mix even at the best schools. My point was more that at the top universities she’s not going to be able to play basketball there. Regardless of how good Michigan/Baylor/UConn is academically she would never make that team so it’s a moot point.
@twoinanddone
I’m not exactly sure what the point of the yahoo story was - there will ALWAYS be freak athletes who have a sheer ability no one can practice their way into. My kid is never going to have a 40 in vertical no matter how often she hits the gym. So for my kid I have to plan now with a plan a,b,c,d because coaches are not going to see her dunking on Twitter and start banging down our door.
She’s a super smart kid with a lot of drive and determination. We are just in the infancy of this process.
@hoopsorsoccer your daughter’s level sounds like my son’s – probably at an Ivy level but not a sure thing at all. As I said, that’s why we are focusing on high academic D3’s – the academics are right up there, and the athletic level is a bit lower.
Sorry, I missed Tulane #40 USNWR and #144 RPI this week (just updated).
Please, double check and adjust the RPI level and academic ranges as you see fit.
My D is playing D1 basketball, but we went down the Ivy/LAC path first and she was very, very selective about academics, regardless of coaching interest.
It is fine to ping if you want more input from her journey that may assist your expectations. I don’t see why every parent has to fall into every single pothole in the road that most others hit along the 4 year hs trail.
I think, your son is playing soccer right? I think there is a sharper drop off in women’s basketball (from what I have seen) so top D3 is definitely in the mix. I personally would love her to play for the Amherst coach as he is pretty amazing but I wonder how long he will stay put given what a rockstar he is.
Is that something that one can ask a coach? “Hey coach X, are you planning to stay here for the next 5 years?”
I think it’s a good question, but I kinda doubt the coach will answer with complete honestly. I’d ask, but if it were me, then I’d definitely ask my kid the question, “If the coach left, would you still want to be there at Xyz college.”
Amherst is a pretty good gig for a college b-ball coach. I wouldn’t accept just any job at a big D1 school, if I’m already at Amherst. Sure, a big D1 job would be great, and more potentially more money and TV exposure, but there are a lot of D1 schools that I’d take a pass on too.
A clarification. When I mentioned hard work, I wasn’t referring to playing hard or an ambitious lifting program. I assume that your daughter – like many high school athletes – works her butt off. I also assume that she has the academic and athletic resume that would get her where she wants to go. The “hard work” differential is the work it takes to be recruited. It really entails a significant effort at: filming, camps, visiting schools, OVs, questionnaires, and countless emails and communications.
Although the myth has largely been busted, there are still kids who think the colleges and coaches will come to them. It may from the sidelines look like mostly luck (and luck does play a part), but if you know a kid on one of your teams that is not as talented as others but gets recruited to a good team, it is probably more than luck. That kid probably sent and received hundreds of emails to a range of college coaches. That kid probably took unofficial visits and (depending on division) met with the coach more than once. That kid probably went to lots of camps.
Employers want employees that want the job – employees that politely express their interest in employment. The same is true for college coaches. Why wouldn’t they recruit athletes that REALLY want to attend the school. Then the coach won’t have to convince the kid to apply. It takes polite but assertive efforts to convey that desire to a college coach. Luck, yes of course, but also recognize that effort often trumps luck.
Every coach my daughter talked to while in college left their college coaching position by the time my daughter graduated except one and daughter didn’t like that coach at all. The coach she liked the most (but not the school) resigned just before my daughter would have started, and the team had 3 coaches before the season started in Feb. Dartmouth coach had been there 24 years and was fired. My daughter really liked the first assistant coach and she only stayed 2 years.
It is important to like the coach, but that can’t be the sole factor.
It’s good that you’re aware coaches can move. As others have said, it happens all the time. I doubt any coach is going to hint at a desire to leave, so I don’t know if you learn much by asking. You can look for indicators (established in area, spouse working in the area, kids in school) but ultimately those things are just a bit of friction if a great offer comes along. You’re probably better off looking at how the AD has filled jobs in the past and if you see red flags there. Generally I view the coach as a potential disqualifier for any given school (if you hate the coach, drop the school from the list), or perhaps a tie-breaker between schools a recruit would equally love to attend. But it’s pretty risky to choose a school for the coach alone.
Great thread, thank you. Any advice for soph D who’s begun bb recruiting process?Invited to low D1 elite camp after AAU season last summer and could play low D1, D2, D3…she definitely wants top academics (Ivy, Patriot league, top D3’s) and not just there to play bb. She’s filled out recruiting quess., and is on recruiting website with film etc. She needs to email coaches and send film this season.
Any other advice?
I agree that being in the right place at the right time, i.e. AAU tourneys, is the frequent way to get noticed if you’re not already being recruited before freshman year. Competition is fierce for smaller guards and these players like my D have to do a TON of work just to have a chance.
Agreed. I saw a girl the other day play at my sons school who is going D1 (and good D1) and none of us could figure it out. BUT she’s talllllll. I think coaches assume they can make it work with a tall player but the short guards have to be amazing at everything.
My D is not at your D’s level playing wise, but regardless, this is how we did the college search. First, we looked for schools with her intended major, then narrowed it down to LAC’s. Mostly D3. Then she further narrowed down by academics and then by team and coach. We visited most schools on her list in her jr HS year, she reached out to the coaches, met some of them at AAU touraments and we made film, etc. She is now at a top tier LAC, D3 and loving it. It is a great fit both academically and athletically. And we definitely experienced the musical chair syndrome. Coaches left some schools, recruits changed their mind, etc. All of which left my D hanging in limbo in Sept waiting for her #1 choice to commit to her. D had other coaches who wanted her, but not her #1 til late Sept. Once she got the nod from her #1 she never looked back. But it was stressful.
“Agreed. I saw a girl the other day play at my sons school who is going D1 (and good D1) and none of us could figure it out. BUT she’s talllllll.”
Yep, you can’t practice your way to height.
I saw a study where the probability of a 7 footer playing in the NBA is incredibly high 17%! It drops off fast. The probability of a 6’6" to 6’8" man drops to 0.007%! The probability is infinitesimally low for 5’10" (the average height of an American male) and below.
@SCdreamin You are on the right path. Due to high school, AAU, camps, etc… commitments year-round my daughter overplayed 8th grade, freshman and sophomore years. She said, “Yes” to everything. She developed nagging injuries like shin splints and frankly, burned out a bit mentally during her junior year. You want her at peak performance her senior year for the D1 scholarship or LAC acceptance, so it is better to have a bit of downtime early on. It is a marathon, not a sprint.
Listen very closely to what high academic D3 coaches are telling you. Unlike D1 where coaches have a set number of scholarships and academics don’t really enter the scholarship equation very much, some D3 coaches overrecruit. It is almost as if they try for more than they need and see who shows up on campus as freshmen, because they have little say with admissions and who enrolls. Others do not overrecruit.
@mamom
Has your daughter been happy playing D3? I’ve been trying to watch games on YouTube and a lot of D3 looks painfully like highschool bb (I’m not sure what I was expecting I guess and I think I’m being a bit silly). My kid would probably be happy just getting to play if she was also at a great school.
The only really bad thing about D3 seems to me to be the more wishy washy recruiting. Makes it more stressful for the kids.
