STUDENT ATHLETES & THE COLLEGE SEARCH

04/20/23 JT Thomas & Terry Armstrong

ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPREALITY CHECK

• In 2003-04, NCAA institutions gave athletic scholarships amounting to 2% of the 6.4 million high school/youth athletes.

• Average NCAA scholarship not including football & basketball is $8,707.00/year.

• Average baseball or track & field

scholarship is $2000.00/year.

• Scholarships must be renewed each year. They are not guaranteed year to year.

• Tuition, room & board for NCAA institutions cost between $20,000-$50,000 per year.

(The New York Times, March 10, 2008)

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Student-AthletesMen's

BasketballWomen's Basketball

Football BaseballMen's Ice Hockey

Men's Soccer

High School Student Athletes

540,207 439,550 1,109,278 472,644 36,475 391,839

High School Senior Student Athletes

154,345 125,586 316,937 135,041 10,421 111,954

NCAA Student Athletes

17,008 15,423 66,313 30,365 3,945 21,770

NCAA Freshman Roster Positions

4,859 4,407 18,947 8,676 1,127 6,220

NCAA Senior Student Athletes

3,780 3,427 14,736 6,748 877 4,838

NCAA Student Athletes Drafted

44 32 250 600 33 76

Percent High School to NCAA

3.1% 3.5% 6.0% 6.4% 10.8% 5.6%

Percent NCAA to Professional

1.2% 0.9% 1.7% 8.9% 3.8% 1.6%

Percent High School to Professional

0.03% 0.03% 0.08% 0.44% 0.32% 0.07%

NCAA: National Collegiate Athletic AssociationEstimated Probability of Competing in Athletics Beyond the

High School Interscholastic Level

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THAT SAID…

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THE EXPERIENCE OF

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COLLEGE ATHLETICS

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LASTS A

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LIFETIME!!

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NCAA: Which division is my best athletic fit?

• The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a voluntary association of 1200 institutions who make and monitor rules regarding eligibility, recruiting, amateurism, financial aid, etc. (www.ncaa.org)

• Division I• Division II• Division III04/20/23

DI Oregon Football…is it the right fit for me?

No. Name Ht. Wt. Position

47   Alonso, Kiko 6-4 222 LB   85 Anderson, Anthony 6-5 233 DE78   Armstrong, Karrington 6-2 283 OL 79   Asper, Mark 6-7 322 OL 51   Ava, Isaac 5-10 251 LB 24   Barner, Kenjon 5-11 180 RB 31   Bassett, Kenny 5-9 175 RB 93   Beard, Rob 6-0 218 PK 3   Bennett, Bryan 6-2 183 QB 71   Benyard, Everett 6-7 315 OL

Stanford Women’s Volleyball

Height matters!• No. Name Height Position Yr

• 1 Lydia Bai 6-2 Outside Hitter FR• 2 Carly Wopat 6-2 Middle Blocker FR• 7 Jessica Walker 6-1 Middle Blocker SO• 10 Alix Klineman 6-4 Outside Hitter SR • 11 Charlotte Brown 6-5 Middle Blocker FR • 12 Stephanie Browne 6-4 Middle Blocker JR• 21 Hayley Spelman 6-6 Outside Hitter SO

Do I match up?DI UCLA Men’s Water Polo

No. Name Ht. Wt. Position Year15 Grant Zider 6-4 215 Center/RS SO13 James Palmer 6-5 205 Attacker/RS SO2 Ted Peck 6-6 230 Center SR3 Chris Pulido 6-6 190 Defender SO6 Brad Greiner 6-6 195 Ctr Defender SO16 Tim Cherry 6-6 220 Ctr Defender FR14 Logan Powell 6-4 194 Attacker/RS SO

Division I

• The most expensive, competitive, and time consuming division of the NCAA

• 342 institutions• Big athletic department budgets• Sizable athletic facilities• Increased scholarship money available (ex. DI Football

is allowed a maximum of 85 full scholarships)• Toughest eligibility requirements: graduate high

school with 16 core courses and test score/GPA determined on a sliding scale.

• Local examples: CAL, Stanford, USF, Santa Clara, St. Mary’s, UC Davis, SJSU, Pacific, Sac. St., and Cal Poly.

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Division II• Intermediate level as an alternative to the highly

competitive DI and the non-scholarship DIII. • 282 full or provisional members• Smaller public schools and many private colleges

that often draw more locally and play closer to home.

• More limited scholarship opportunities and more partial scholarships that vary from school to school (ex. DII football is allowed 36 scholarships).

• Eligibility requirements: graduate high school with 14 core courses, earn a minimum 2.0 GPA, and a combined 820 SAT or sum 68 ACT.

• Local Examples: SFSU, East Bay, Chico, Humboldt, Sonoma, Monterey, Dominican, and Notre Dame de Namur

• Others: UC San Diego, Colorado Springs, WWU04/20/23

Division III• Largest of the three divisions with 449

member institutions that range in size from 500-10,000 students.

• Colleges & schools choosing not to offer athletic scholarships. No redshirting athletes.

• Small class sizes, regional season play, and the opportunity to play more than one sport in college.

• Each campus determines their own eligibility requirements.

• Local examples: Menlo, Mills & UC Santa Cruz• Others: Tufts, Middlebury, Williams, Amherst 04/20/23

NAIA• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics seeks

to fully integrate life, academics, sport and fitness into the higher education environment.

• 300 colleges & universities in the US & Canada (College of Bahamas)

• More relaxed rules, especially related to transferring• Athletic scholarships• Eligibility Center (2010)• 23 National Championships in 13 sports• 50,000 student athletes• Eligibility requirements. Meet two of the three: 18

ACT/860 SAT, 2.0 GPA, or graduate in the top half of class

• Local examples: Maritime, Fresno Pacific, Holy Names, Patten, and William Jessup

• Others: UC Merced, Southern Oregon, Evergreen• Options: community college, club, intramurals, PG04/20/23

COMMUNITY COLLEGE&

NCAA TRANSFER BASICS

Helpful Tips in Assisting Prospective Student Athletes

Assumptions about your athletic clientele…

• Your clientele will be interested in directly attending baccalaureate bearing institutions (i.e., not community colleges) and competing in their sports.

AND

• Some of the student athletes will be returning to a community college after 1 year of school and competition.

Steps

1. Student athlete should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

2. IF the student/athlete decides that attending a community college is the best option:– Refer to college athletic website for process; – Student should contact the head coach and/or athletic director;– Student should connect with an athletic counselor at the college;

3. IF the student/athlete returns home after one year of school and competition (referred to as a “4-2-4 Transfer”):– Students should connect with an athletic counselor at the community

college as soon as they know they are transferring.

4-2-4 Transfer Students

Requirements for athlete who starts at a university, transfers to a CC (4-2-4), and then transfers to another university and continues competition

• Must obtain associate’s degree• Must complete average of 12 transferable

units per FT semester attended• Must have a transferable GPA of 2.500

(only 2 PE activity units count toward this GPA)• One calendar year must have elapsed

since the departure from previous four-year college

Club Sports• Organized club sports parallel to the

NCAA.– Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA)

• e.g., Cal, Stanford, Texas, Northeastern

– USA Rugby• e.g, St. Mary’s, Cal Poly, Penn State, Army,

Stanford

– California Jr. College Lacrosse Assoc. (CJCLA)• i.e., DVC, American River, Santa Rosa, Cuesta

• Competitive; more relaxed; unique eligibility rules

Initial Eligibility & Transfer Resources

NCAA Eligibility Center: www.eligibilitycenter.org

Guide to the College Bound Student-athlete:http://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4236-ncaa

guide-for-the-college-bound-student-athlete.aspx

Quick Reference Sheet:http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/

Quick_Reference_Sheet.pdfTransfer Guidehttp://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4239-ncaa-

transfer-guide-2011-12.aspx

Athlete To Do List:Blue Chips vs. White Chips

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BLUE CHIP ATHLETESWho are they? Indicators?

• Highly valued & recruited athlete.• College coaches will make contact with these athletes early

(soph year) through club coaches.• “You’ve got mail” = September 1st of junior year• Phone call July 1st of senior year.• Paid official visit invitations for senior year. • Home visits from coaches senior year.• Coaches visit high schools with principals permission.• Coaches attend their tournaments and sometimes even

high school games. • Coaches spam, call, email, these recruits, their families,

and their coaches as often as the NCAA permits (and then some).

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WHITE CHIPS…MUST MARKET THEMSELVES

• Keep your grades up so you have more options.• Create a resume/profile with brief athletic, academic &

personal information• Create a cover email letter• Register for the NCAA Eligibility Center (by junior year)• Get to know the NCAA website/understand the recruiting

rules specific to your sport.• Talk to high school coaches/club coaches, trainers, and

camp/showcase coaches to determine best athletic fit.• Search NCAA “Who We Are” to determine which colleges

have which sport and division.• Create a big list and MAKE CONTACT!! Email resume/cover

letter!!

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WHITE CHIPSAfter initial contact must:

• Track responses & non responses equally.• Fill out athlete questionnaires on websites.• Make a highlight video and send the link.• Stay in contact with coaches (send tournament updates early).• Visit campuses. Attend games/matches/meets to show interest

and determine fit. If possible, watch practices & attend class.• Attend ID Camps, summer camps, prospect camps, invitational

camps, tourneys and combines (ask for feedback).• Learn from the veteran parents/athletes in your sport who have

been there, and are now wearing the sweatshirt.

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NCAA RULEShttp://www.ncaa.org

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SEE THE NCAA WEBSITE REGARDING RULES, COMPLIANCE, RECRUTING, ELIGIBILITY AND

AMATURISM AS THEY DIFFER GREATLY BY DIVISION AND SPORT.

TOP 10 COACHES PET PEEVES

1. Parents send emails instead of athlete.2. Parents call instead of athlete.3. Parents call and ask us to call them back when it’s

against the NCAA recruiting rules.4. Use of recruiting services.5. “Game playing” in the process.6. Sending hours of video or testimonial.7. Trying to engage us in conversation at tournaments

when it’s illegal.8. Not taking “no” for an honest answer.9. Sending information on their high school athletics only.10. The myth that everyone gets a full ride or a

scholarship. (Information polled from CAL assistant coaches in all sports)04/20/23

ADVICE TO ATHLETESDON’T!Believe everything you hear about scholarships.Verbally commit without a read from the admissions office.Put all of your eggs in one basket.

DO!Keep grades up!Cast a big net and stay in contact with many coaches.Have strong back ups.Meet deadlines for transcripts/test scores/transcript release

formGo to your counselor for advice about academic/social fit.Use the NCAA website, “Who We Are” (google it).Buy the book - The Academic Athlete by Dickson/Laughrea.

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Jennifer “JT” Thomas, Maybeck High School College Counselor

jt.thomas11@yahoo.com

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Terry ArmstrongDiablo Valley College Counselor

tarmstrong@dvc.edu