Experience with recruiting for lacrosse? What age does it begin?

Athletic Recruits
1

<p>I posted this on the parents section but was directed to this area which is obviously more appropriate.</p>

<p>My younger son is a 9th grader, and is a very talented lacrosse player. We are NOT sports people, both my husband and I did not participate in sports (does track in 8th grade count and aren't big followers of sports in general, though we both are decent golfers. Amazingly our kids are very good atheletes who love sports. We are fully supportive of all three of them and happily get them to each and every game, practice and tournament.</p>

<p>We live in a hotbed for lacrosse (Maryland), meaning its UBER competitive around here. He also plays in this areas top youth team which competes all over the northeast. He is attending an invitational only camp next summer as well. He will play varsity as a 9th grader and basically we hear people talking about kids reaching out to colleges as early as the end of their 9th grade year to me, seems nuts but what do I know?</p>

<p>We dont' want our own lack of experience or ignorance to the wide world of competitive sports to hinder his chances at playing for a good college one day. But at the same time we dont' want to become crazed parents doing things well before the normal protocol. </p>

<p>If anyone has any hard sound advice based upon their own experience, would you mind commenting on your thoughts as to what if anything a 9th grader should be doing with regard to future aspirations to play at a division 1 school? Thanks....</p>

2

<p>In my experience, the summer before Sophomore year is not too young to initiate contact. </p>

<p>D1 recruits most often give verbal commitments Junior year. D2 and D3 recruits are typically picked up before apps are submitted in Senior year, although communication lines are consistent throughout Junior year.</p>

<p>Your son’s club team most likely has a recruiting liaison who will focus on his graduating class beginning sophomore year and (if the liaison is good) will see it through to Senior year if need be. </p>

<p>If he is on a powerhouse high school team in the area (like St. Paul’s or Georgetown Prep) don’t be surprised to see college coaches at a high school game. Happens year after year and my child’s school.</p>

<p>Your son can certainly cast a wide net and invite coaches to this summer’s tournaments. Colleges whose rosters are locked up for the year ahead of him may come to evaluate but won’t be able to make contact. </p>

<p>Camps seem to be the best way to be “seen.” Every single recruit from our club team was made offers following camps and Junior Days.</p>

3

<p>All great advice…but your son will need to also have good grades to be recruited by any quality college lacrosse program. Make sure he takes challenging courses and strives for good grades.</p>

<p>My son plays for a top D1 program, he attended a very good boarding school which had a top ten prep school lacrosse program, he played on a very well recognized club team each summer, and attended some of the top camps (invite). Anyone who plays at that level will confirm that it takes total commitment at that level. Practices 6 days a week, team meetings, travel, study hall ect…</p>

<p>Please also keep in mind that most great schools D3 and Ivy League schools do not give athletic scholarships. If you are academically qualified (meaning very good grades and SAT scores) and are also a good athelet coaches can offer you a “hook” or “pre-read” if they want you to play for them (Hook=notifying admissions that you are a top recruit), again if you qaulify those types of schools give generous academic grants (20-40K). My son and his freinds had bunches of offers. </p>

<p>My advice let your son have fun, play a bunch of sports during the school year, commit to a good summer club program who plays in the best summer tournaments (Champ Camp and King of the Hill) attend one or two quality camps each summer (Top 100 Rhode Island, Top 205 Maryland). He will be seen by plenty of coaches, if he is talented and smart enough they will without doubt find him.</p>

<p>His Junior year he should complete the online recruiting questionnaires at schools he is interested in. Follow-up with with a letter with his athletic resume attached to all college coaches. It should list his athletic accomplishments, teams he played for, club and high school coach information, and his general academic information. After his Junior lacrosse season he will need a highlite video (positional highlites-4-5 minutes max, and full game tape (no music)) to send out to coaches who respond with interest. Summer of his senior year, arrange tours and visits at colleges, coaches usually invite recruits after July 1 st, after telephone disussions, and academic review.</p>

<p>This is just a breif summary of the process, it alot of work and can cost alot of money.</p>

<p>Remember the most important rule: Never decide to attend a school for the sport, the decision shoud be based on it’s natural fit or feel for the student (academically and socially). Would you attend if you were not getting recruited ??, or would I like the school if I was injured and could not play my sport ??</p>

4

<p>Given your son’s skill level and experience, he is already past the age at which the recruitment process begins. But no worries, it sounds to me as if you are on the right path, and traveling at the right pace.</p>

<p>For reference, my son is also a talented 9th grade varsity lacrosse player, but we live in the Midwest so there is a smaller lacrosse community, and plenty of parents who (like me) didn’t play the game growing up. A local lax organization just held a half-day seminar on the recruitment process, with presentations by college coaches, recruiters, and current college players. It was very informative, and I’d suggest that you see if there is something similar available in your area. Your son’s coaches should also be valuable resources…both the varsity coach in school and his summer team coach. They are sure to have guided many kids and parents before you. </p>

<p>About those kids who are already contacting coaches…they are making contact because NCAA rules bar coaches from initiating contact with a recruit before Sept 1 of their junior year. But by that time, many D1 coaches will have already decided who will be offered partial scholarships (and there’s a shock if you don’t already know…while D1 football programs have 85 scholarships to dole out, D1 lacrosse coaches only get a dozen scholarships to split between a roster of 30 or so kids. Full rides are very, very rare).</p>

<p>Folks at the seminar advised players to put together a list of 20 schools that they might be interested in attending. Of course, most ninth graders aren’t going to have a clue, but there are some simple things he can think about (big school vs. small, D1 vs. D3, city or college town, how far away from home). And it just so happens that the “Supermatch” tool on this web site is a pretty good resource for winnowing down a list…one of the search criteria can be set as “must have men’s D1 lacrosse program.” </p>

<p>Once he has a list of 20 or so schools, he can google the name/email address of the coach at each school and send out an email. Just need to express interest in the school, give short background, and (most important) tell the coach which camps and which summer tournaments he’ll be playing at next summer. That will give the coach (or his assistant) a chance to add your son’s name to the list of 20 or so potential recruits that they’ll be watching from the sidelines if they plan to be at any of those spots.</p>