We’ve been duped a couple of times into thinking there was a genuine interest in our son. We know the difference between the generic invites and the personal invites. He received a personal email from a coach of his top choice and we were willing to travel across country to visit until his coach suggested he phone the school and inquire about the nature of the invite. And to our disappointment it was an invite to every player in their camp database. It was a personal email responding to one of my son’s emails which is why we thought it was legit. His coach found out the school is done with his grad year - this is twice, once we flew across country to an ID after several back and forths with a coach including coach to coach conversations. When we arrived there were 75 “very interested recruits” almost vomited over the $$$ we spent. This was also one of 5 or 6 camps the school did - my calculations estimate profits of $75k each camp. I get this is how they raise $$ for the program and how they find recruits but I wish coaches would STOP doing this - especially to interested juniors. Can we ever expect the NCAA to crack down on these ID camp scams? It is infuriating especially for families who don’t have the money.
I am learning a lot about but this process that there are many people looking to make $$ off the recruits, it is so very stressful and upsetting - I hate it and i will be so happy when it is over.
75 is a great number. That is a small ID camp. He should have been able to catch the attention if he has the goods. Most coaches have one to several thousand interested kids and highlight films cannot display the quality of the competition that they were produced against. I think it is on the parents and perhaps the athlete’s coaches to honestly assess the capabilities of the athlete and to register for camps with the correct level of school. D had great input from coaches and got offers at 3/4 Id camps she attended (they ranged from 150 to 250 athletes). Interestingly, the one camp she did not get an offer at was at the best athletic school where her ECNL coach told prior to going she would be a real long shot.
The number was good and he did well, he will no longer attend any ID camps that require flights hotels and rental cars, however, that was his decision. He has 2 offers but he’s trying for a better school academically. This last one really angered us because we found out the coach had similar talks with many participants and they were not good players - at all. Truly looked like Saturday morning rec league and I felt so bad because many travelled long distances because of this coach. Other camps we know where we stand - it’s either a legitimate interest or basically a long training session.
You gotta play to win, and if you want to go to a school in another region, you have to make yourself known to those schools/coaches. Yes they are money makers for the coaches, but they should also be good instruction for the athletes, getting to know the schools and the coaches in another region, and often (not always) playing with other really good athletes.
Duke hosts big camps for women’s lacrosse (BIG big) with hundreds of girls attending over the summer. About 10 are going to be recruited to Duke in any year, but coaches from Elon, UNC, NC State, High Point and all the D2 schools in the south are at those camps too. Some of the schools near the big summer tournaments (held in Midlothian VA, one in PA, one in New England) hold camps the week before the tournament knowing that many players will be traveling to the area for the tournaments. I’ve seen lists of 50 coaches who will be at the camps over the 3 days. It’s exposure.
@1124825327, I totally understand the frustration. Yes, the camps usually are fundraisers for the teams. On the other hand, one should never confuse revenue with profits. My suspicion is that the coach pays team members to help out, probably needs to pay something for use of the fields, dorms and cafeteria (if used), and then there always is insurance to pay. So, fundraiser for the team - probably. Huge money maker - probably not.
About those “personal” invites, I always doubt their use as a “I really have to have you as a recruit” tool, unless accompanied with a promo code with which the camp fee is waived. Remember, the coach needs to have games, so he or she needs to get enough kids to the camp to allow games to be played, whether or not the kids are worthy of collegiate athletics.
My experience was a bit different. With the highly competitive camps, I thought it was very difficult to stand out. Almost all of the kids were fine athletes with fine skills. I came to the view that the camps should be used to support the process, rather than to drive the process. In other words, develop a relationship with the coaches through email and tell them which camps you are attending. I do realize that you thought you were doing this, so I sympathize.
Under these circumstances, I think it would be appropriate to send an email to the coaches and say, “now that you have had the opportunity to see me play, I would appreciate your candid comments. Do you think there is a place for me on the team. If so, could you arrange a pre-read with admissions?” You made the sacrifice (and paid the money), you are entitled to their honest views.
I have learned that opportunities in athletic recruiting come to those who are assertive.
I have learned that opportunities in athletic recruiting come to those who are assertive.
This is true, and it includes asking up front how many kids will be at a camp, how many coaches from other programs will be there, how many spots are still open for your kid’s class, etc. Coaches are not afraid of questions that’ll be answered pretty clearly on the day of camp, so ask away. BTW, the student should be on point for most of the non-financial questions to illustrate that the player is the competent one, not the tiger mom or a dad getting his second chance at a college career.
And once you get into a relationship with a school be transparent there too: what are my son’s chances of playing freshman year? How does my daughter rank in your recruiting class, how many are ahead of her, etc? How many walk-ons have you taken in the past few years? If the questions are honest (eg not “do you promise to be here for four years?” but “are you happy here or planning on leaving?”) the answers should be honest as well.
@1124825327
I am so sorry to hear. A camp invite in response to a recruit’s email is just that though…a camp invite. Pretty meaningless. That said my son has made great contacts and developed good relationships w/ coaches from soccer camps. Through out this process I have tried to remind him to ask himself these questions: Are they texting & calling like Coach X is? Are they responding personally to your emails? Have they asked for your transcripts and tests scores? Are they at your games? Early recruiting is tough to figure out for sure. But once they see you play and you are old enough communication should be changing…look for it. I met so many great parents at camps with kids much smaller than the team or obviously not in the same level of play as the team and they seemed so surprised. You have to research ahead. Most coaches supplement their incomes with the camps-but they also do evaluate talent. I found coaches to be great with the kids. Many gave out paper evaluations, or responded verbally letting kids know at the end what they thought. Most will respond to a post camp email and let you know. The very few that do none of the above are unethical.
Firstly, I agree with alot of what has been written above, especially what @gointhruaphase says about distinguishing between revenue/profits from camps - my son worked the camps at his school every year when he was up in the summer working out. So did many of his teammates. At least in his sport (football) those camps can not be cheap to put on (security staff, admin staff, medical staff, food, etc all cost money. So do they make money for the program/AD’s office? Yeah, probably. But I really don’t see them as a substantial revenue stream.
Second, there is some value in attending a camp and realizing that you are not a stand out at that level. I think this gets overlooked too often. If an athlete attends a couple camps, and realistically slots below say the top quarter of the ability shown at the camp, then perhaps aiming at a lower athletic level is a wise option. There is value in learning that, especially if it is hard for a parent or recruit to accurately judge their ability vis other recruits.