<p>Never to early to start thinking about this, right?</p>
<p>My S (9th grades) lives and breathes tennis. Plays on his HS varsity team and plays USTA tourneys (results not impressive so far with USTA; his HS team is a top team here).</p>
<p>Grade-wise, I'm thinking we will be looking at Emory, Wash U, Northwestern. He would like to look at some Ivies. Tennis-wise, not sure where to start. NU is D1, so that will be out of the question for tennis. D3 offers no money, but maybe tennis will help him get in. A college tennis coach I know at a top LAC gave me website to start on. But, a lot of the top academic schools - even D3 - have great tennis teams.</p>
<p>I know there are NCAA rules... but how do we figure out where he would fit tennis-wise? Do we "check in" with some coaches at this early stage and just ask what they are looking for? Does that violate any rules?</p>
<p>Of course he can always play club somewhere, but I want to give this a shot for him...</p>
<p>Any advice?</p>
<p>The best way to figure out where he will fit athletically is to check the USTA rankings of their incoming freshman. These rankings are much more important than high school results. There are a couple of tennis recruits who post on this forum from time to time, hopefully one will chime in. Also try searching the forum for past threads.</p>
<p>Thanks, fishymom. Now that D is all set for college for the Fall, I have something new to start researching…</p>
<p>coaches…tennis is small world and all the coahes know each other. i don’t mean rec league or hs coaches. i mean teaching pros at good tennis clubs. most college tennis players come out of private clubs.</p>
<p>the pros at these clubs know the college coache and that’s how your kid get noticed. or win usta tourneys. be ranked in the top 50 you’ll get noticed that way as well:) although every top ranked junior has a pros coach.</p>
<p>Tennis recruit here… It’s going to be all about USTA tournament results/rankings and tennisrecruiting ratings. High school results are good, but there’s too much variation between teams/states, and too many good kids don’t play at all for coaches to give much attention to it. Tennisrecruiting.net is a great resource, as it shows where everyone is committed and ranks players based on graduation year, and its rankings can give a decent barometer of where your son is in his class. Study the ratings of the kids committed to the schools your son is interested in, but be careful because some of the kids listed are also developmental admits/team legacies/got in on their own and then updated their profile with where they’re going to school. </p>
<p>The top academic schools in D3 tend to be top tennis schools too. They often support many players, but you still need extremely strong academics to get recruited by them, especially at Amherst and Williams. The Ivy’s are a little more lax for academics, but you typically need to be a stronger player.</p>
<p>Others can speak better about when to start e-mailing/calling coaches, visiting, and what the rules are. I’d say right now the main thing for your son is to just keep practicing, enjoying the sport, and getting good grades. Be careful to avoid burnout. And remember a lot can change between freshman and junior/senior year… Freshman year, I wouldn’t have been on anyone’s recruiting radar… on the other hand, many top kids fizzled out or quit altogether.</p>
<p>As pacheight said, most college recruits come out of private clubs, and knowing good pros at these places is certainly helpful. However, that’s not to say it’s necessary. Being connected is always advantageous, but from what I’ve seen tennis recruiting is much more family-oriented than some sports which seem personal/high school coach-oriented, so it’s very possible to navigate on one’s own.</p>
<p>Good luck, and feel free to ask more questions/PM for more info…</p>
<p>10scholar: Thanks so much for your insights. Confirmed a lot of what I already knew (and the Amherst coach is the one we know; he played tennis at my HS before he went on to nationals, etc.). Sounds like S is doing all the right things. Definitely knows many of the pros at the clubs around here; getting tourney experience, but now needs the results. He will be focusing on those USTA tourneys more in the Fall (and I’ll have more time with D away at college). His b-day was yesterday… so on to the 16’s. He does absolutely love it and our head pro at our club (who has been recognized by the USTA) has definitely taken an interest in him. The Amherst coach told us about tennisrecruiting website, so I’ll keep my eye on that.</p>
<p>Thanks again.</p>
<p>10scholar, thanks for jumping in! I was hoping to see you on this thread and knew you would have the information she needed.</p>
<p>It’s no problem, and I just wanted to add that you’ll want to keep in touch with the Amherst coach. He’s a phenomenal coach and a very, very straight-up guy. Even if your son isn’t a good fit for Amherst, you can still learn a ton about the process from him. He was one of the first coaches to recruit me, and even though I’m not going there, he taught me as much about the recruiting process as anyone.</p>
<p>10scholar, my son is going to a boarding school in eastcoast, and tennis is his favorite activity so far. Can u recommend any tennis camp? He has been USTA U14 player, and his ranking is about 130 in So Cal. He is turning 14 this September.</p>
<p>Hi Twinzy,</p>
<p>For tennis, camps (and high school tennis for that matter) are not nearly as important as USTA tournaments. Because there aren’t really any “top” training camps to get into, and the best kids are playing tournaments all the time/doing intense training at home, camps won’t really get you anywhere recruiting-wise, so I’d focus on him entering and doing well in tournaments. If you really want a camp experience, pick an area and google Nike/Adidas/local tennis camps for that region.</p>
<p>Your son is young, so he has a lot of time to improve if he wants to be recruited. I’d focus on that right now more than anything. In the 16’s rankings/results will start to matter more. In the 16’s/18’s coaches will expect players to compete in most sectionals, Clay Courts, Kalamazoo, and some national opens or national schedule tourneys. Clays and K-zoo are the most important, as this is where most coaches will be. There are also some showcases junior year that I’ve heard a lot of coaches go to. So, focus on improvement, play tournaments for match play, and be ready to hit the ground running come the 16s and 18s.</p>
<p>I’d have to say we learned the most about D3 recruiting from the Amherst coach in my S sport as well. His clarity and directness were very useful to us, and guided us thru the rest of the process…Maybe it’s just Amherst? Or a coincidence?</p>
<p>Yeah, I remember you saying that before, Oldbatesie. I guess the culture of the school? Kudos to them…</p>
<p>LINYMOM:</p>
<p>In your initial post, you mentioned “Of course he can always play club somewhere, but I want to give this a shot for him…” The only thing I would suggest is that your son take control of the recruiting process as much as possible, rather than you taking the “shot.” Coaches seek out confident, responsible young adults, and the more your son can establish that while still in high school, the better. Having your son make the initial contact can really make a good impression.</p>
<p>If you need some help with additional tools with respect to the recruiting process, please send me a PM, since I don’t check in here all that often.</p>