A D3 coach offered my son a spot on the team after he played with them in an open tryout with the understanding that he won’t get any playing time his freshman year - unless the team had a huge lead on the other team. He said that most freshmen don’t get a lot of playing time. He also told my son something he needed to work on. We asked if he worked hard and improved if he could play as an upperclassman. The coach said, “I never say never.” My husband and son heard - if he works hard and improves he could get into the top 8 or 9 spots and contribute. I heard - he’s not in my top 8 or 9, but he can be on the team to basically scrimmage and practice with the players. There’s always a chance he might impress me and play, but more than likely he will never actually be one of the top guys.
We had met with the admissions counselor prior to this meeting with the coach. Unfortunately, we are in the position of not qualifying for financial aid but not being in a position to pay outright for college. We told the AC that the only way our son would attend the university was if the coach wanted him to play for him. They have a satellite campus where our son would attend otherwise - costs much less. Interestingly, while our son was playing with the team, the AC came to watch.
After the tryout, the offer was made for him to be on the team but not play. The cynic in me wonders if they saw my son as $ for the school. If they put him on the roster - even if he doesn’t play - we pay big $ for tuition, room and board, etc.
Are my hubby and son right, or am I? I don’t want to spend a lot of money for an opportunity for my son to scrimmage and travel with the team if he’s never really going to be a true player on the team. My son LOVES to play, but I don’t want to waste $.