The Playbook:

A Guide for Potential Collegiate Student-Athletes

Monroe Twp. High School

1629 Perrineville Rd.

Monroe Twp., NJ

08831

 

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Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………… 3

By The Numbers…………………………………….. 4

The Players……………………………………………. 6

Each Player’s Roles……………………………….. 7

The Scouting Report…………………………… 8

The Game Plan……………………………………….. 16

Selling The Product……………………………. 17

The Post Game Lecture…………………………. 19

 

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Introduction

Dear Parents/Guardians & Athletes:

This packet has been created for your convenience to help guide you

through an important time in your life. Continuing your athletic career in

college requires a tremendous amount of work. While this information can

assist you through the college admission process, you are the generating

force to assure that the necessary tasks get accomplished. Monroe

Township High School’s guidance counselors and coaches are here to

help. The success of this process also depends upon realistic evaluation of

your athlete’s ability, both in the classroom and in the sports arena.

Please use this information to help further your athlete’s opportunities

beyond high school. There are many people to assist you along the way.

Do not hesitate to ask for help. We all want our athletes to succeed.

Supervisor of Athletics

Monroe Twp. High School

Nathan Grosshandler Guidance Counselor

Monroe Twp. High School

 

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By The Numbers

Student-Athletes Men's Basketball

Women's Basketball Football Baseball

Men's Ice Hockey

Men's Soccer

High School Student Athletes 552,935 4 49,450 1,108,286 478,029 36,667 383,561

High School Senior Student Athletes

157,981 1 28,414 316,653 136,580 10,476 109,589

NCAA Student Athletes 17,081 1 5,307 64,235 30,386 4,006 21,031

NCAA Freshman Roster Positions

4,880 4 ,373 18,353 8,682 1,145 6,009

NCAA Senior Student Athletes 3,796 3 ,402 14,274 6,752 890 4,674

NCAA Student Athletes Drafted 44 32 250 600 33 76

Percent High School to NCAA

3.1% 3.4% 5.8% 6.4% 10.9% 5.5%

Percent NCAA to Professional 1.2% 0.9% 1.8% 8.9% 3.7% 1.6%

Percent High School to Professional

0.03% 0.02% 0.08% 0.44% 0.31% 0.07%

Source: www.ncaa.org (2010)

 

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There are 19,147 high schools in the United States There are more than 7,000,000 participants in high school athletics 2% of these participants are contacted by a college coach 5% of these participants actually participate in college sports Less than 1/2 of 1% of athletes receive some form of aid Most high schools never have a full scholarship Division I athlete There are 1,000,000 high school football players and 550,000 basketball players.

150 make it to the NFL and 50 to the NBA

This information is not designed to discourage Monroe Township High School student-athletes from pursuing a collegiate athletic career. The purpose of this information is to allow for a greater understanding of the need to prepare for a college with the ultimate goal being to gain an education! We encourage our student-athletes to use athletics as an aid throughout the college search, application, and acceptance process and as a way to expand upon the overall college experience.

 

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The Players

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

  

Each Player’s Role

Student Parents

CounselorHigh School Coach

Collegiate Coach

Admissions Office

The entire admissions and recruiting process can be intimidating and confusing. However, with proper planning and excellent communication a collaborative effort can take place that will help the student athlete and his or her family throughout the entire process. 

 

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Each Player’s Roles

Student & Parents• Approach academics with the same importance as

athletics • Develop an athletic resume • Communicate your future plans with your coach and

counselor • Use the internet to search colleges and their athletic

programs • Complete potential student athlete recruitment forms

(many programs will have this information on their website)

• Create an academic transcript that will be appealing to college coaches and admissions officers

• Take the S.A.T. at least once by the end of Junior Year

• Compile a list of schools to which you will apply • Register online with the NCAA Clearinghouse

before the start of Senior Year • Request letters of recommendation • Complete application resumes and give to your

counselor • Complete student and parent input forms and give to

your counselor • Complete college applications • Complete F.A.F.S.A. forms online after January 1st

of Senior Year • Update F.A.F.S.A. information after receiving tax

return information • Visit campuses of potential choices • Continue to communicate with your high school

counselor, coach and potential college coaches until you have chosen your school

High School Coach• Participate in meetings with the student, parents,

counselor, and college coaches when needed • Meet with the student and parents to provide a

realistic assessment of the student’s potential as an athlete

• Provide accurate feedback to college coaches when contacted to do so

• Aid the student in identifying his or her collegiate athletic expectations

• Continue to communicate with the student, the parents and the counselor throughout the entire process

Counselor • Participate in meetings with the student, parents, high

school coach and college coaches when needed • Meet with student and parents to determine

appropriate post secondary goals based on academic standing and standardized test results

• Aid student and parents throughout all aspects of the admissions process

• Process all applications • Provide unofficial and official transcripts when

requested to high school and collegiate coaches • Provide any requested information when appropriate   

Collegiate Coach • Must abide by all NCAA regulations throughout the

recruiting process • Will communicate with student, parents, high school

coach and counselor, if needed • May request student information such as transcripts

and application documents be sent directly to them • May communicate directly with the admissions

office and can aid in gaining acceptances • May communicate directly with the college’s Office

of Financial Aid and can aid in gaining scholarships, athletic and academic

  

Admissions Office• An Admissions Officer will evaluate your

application packet • You will be informed if you are accepted into the

college or university by the Admissions Office • May work with the office of financial aid to provide

scholarships based on merit and/or need • Will inform you of your timeline for making a

commitment of attendance to the school   

 

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The Scouting Report: The Student-Athlete’s Guide To

NCAA Rules, Regulations and Policies

Division 1 Academic Eligibility Requirements

If you wish to participate in Division 1 athletics you must:

• Graduate from high school • Complete these 16 core courses:

- 4 years of English/Language Arts - 3 years of Math (Alg. 1 or higher) - 2 years of Natural or Physical Science

(including one year of a lab science) - 1 additional year of English, Math, or

Natural or Physical Science - 2 years of Social Science - 4 years of additional core courses from

any category above or Foreign Language, Nondoctrinal Religion or Philosophy

• Earn a combined SAT (Critical Reading and Math) or ACT sum score that matches your core-course GPA and test score sliding scale

• You must complete the 16 core-course requirement in eight semesters, which begins when you initially started high school with your ninth-grade class. If you graduate from high school in eight semesters with your class, you may use one core course completed in the year after graduation (summer or academic year) to meet NCAA Division I eligibility requirements.

 

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Division 2 Academic Eligibility Requirements

If you wish to participate in Division 2 athletics and plan to enroll in college before August 1, 2013 you must:

• Graduate from high school • Complete these 14 core courses:

- 3 years of English/Language Arts - 2 years of Math (Alg. 1 or higher) - 2 years of Natural or Physical Science (including one year of a lab science) - 2 additional years of English, Math, or Natural or Physical Science - 2 years of Social Science - 3 years of additional core courses from any category above or Foreign Language,

Nondoctrinal Religion or Philosophy • Earn a 2.00 GPA or better in your core courses • Earn a combined SAT (Critical Reading and Math) score of 820 or better or an ACT

sum score of 68 or better

If you wish to participate in Division 2 athletics and plan to enroll in college on or after August 1, 2013 you must:

• Graduate from high school • Complete these 16 core courses:

- 3 years of English/Language Arts - 2 years of Math (Alg. 1 or higher) - 2 years of Natural or Physical Science (including one year of a lab science) - 3 additional years of English, Math, or Natural or Physical Science - 2 years of Social Science - 4 years of additional core courses from any category above or Foreign Language,

Nondoctrinal Religion or Philosophy • Earn a 2.00 GPA or better in your core courses • Earn a combined SAT (Critical Reading and Math) score of 820 or better or an ACT

sum score of 68 or better

 

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Division 3 Academic Eligibility Requirements

If you wish to participate in Division 3 athletics:

To play at the Division III level, you need only be accepted to the institution in order to be deemed eligible. It then depends on the Division III School and athletic program to implement their own requirements that must be met in order to remain eligible at that institution. A student who plans on attending a Division III institution does not have to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse.

 

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How To Determine Your Core Course GPA MTHS does not use a 4.0 scale for calculating GPA’s. This requires an additional

step in determining you core course GPA. Follow the following steps:

1) Convert each individual grade to a letter grade using the following scale: A= 90-100 B= 80-89 C= 70-79 D= 65-69 F= Below 64

2) Multiply the letter grade by the total amount of credits earned using the following scale to get the quality points for each course: A= 4 B= 3 C= 2 D= 1

3) Repeat this process for all the classes that satisfy the core course requirement 4) Divide the total quality points by the total amount of credits to get the GPA

Converting Your Core Course GPA Example (Based on Division 1 Core Course Requirements)

Course MTHS

Grade Letter Grade

Value Credits Quality Points

Language Arts I 85 B 3 5 15 Language Arts II 96 A 4 5 20 Honors Language Arts III 80 B 3 5 15 Honors Language Arts IV 79 C 2 5 10 Dynamics of Algebra I 93 A 4 5 20 Geometry 70 C 2 5 10 Algebra II 76 C 2 5 10 Lab Biology 88 B 3 5 15 Lab Chemistry 89 B 3 5 15 Lab Physics 79 C 2 5 10 Honors World History 90 A 4 5 20 Honors U.S. History I 96 A 4 5 20 Honors U.S. History II 94 A 4 5 20 Spanish I 90 A 4 5 20 Spanish II 87 B 3 5 15 Latin I 92 A 4 5 20 Totals 80 255

255 (Quality Points) / 80 (Total Credits) = 3.18 (Core Course GPA)

 

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Permissible in Division I? Permissible in Division II?

Enters into a Contract with a Professional Team

No Yes

Accepts Prize Money Yes. If it is an open event, and does not exceed actual and necessary

expenses.

Yes

Enters Draft Yes Yes

Accepts Salary No Yes Receives Expenses from a Professional Team

No Yes

Competes on a Team with Professionals

No Yes

Tryouts with a Professional Team Before Initial Collegiate Enrollment

Yes. May receive actual and necessary expenses for one visit (up to 48 hours)

from each professional team. Self-financed tryouts may be for more than

48 hours.

Yes

Receives Benefits from an Agent No No Enters into Agreement with an Agent (oral or written)

No No

Delays Full-Time Collegiate Enrollment and Participates in Organized Competition [If you are charged with season(s) of competition under this rule, you will also have to serve an academic year in residence at the NCAA institution.]

Tennis and Swimming & Diving: Have one year after high school

graduation to enroll full time in a collegiate institution or will lose one

season of intercollegiate competition for each calendar year during which

you continue to participate in organized competition. All Other

Sports: Any participation in organized sports competition during each 12-month period after your 21st

birthday and before initial full-time enrollment in a collegiate institution

shall count as one year of varsity competition.

All Sports: Must enroll at the next opportunity (excluding summer)

immediately after the date that your high school class normally graduates (or the international equivalent) or

you will use a season of intercollegiate competition

for each calendar year or sports season (subsequent to that date) in which you

have participated in organized competition.

OVERVIEW OF NCAA DIVISIONS I AND II PRE-ENROLLMENT AMATEURISM BYLAWS 

 

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Summary of Recruiting Rules for Each Sport 

 

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The Game Plan: Maximizing Your Time As A Falcon

First Quarter Freshman Year

• Create a 4 year academic plan which meets the

NCAA Core Course requirement • Perform well academically • Discuss additional ways to gain exposure in your

sport with your coach • Attend summer camps to gain exposure, increase

your skills, and compare yourself to others • Videotape your games • Keep records of all your academic, athletic and

other extracurricular achievements

Second Quarter Sophomore Year

• Continue to perform well academically! • Inform your coach and your guidance counselor of

your plans to participate in NCAA athletics • Continue to seek out additional ways to gain

exposure in your sport with your coach • Continue to attend summer camps to gain

exposure, increase your skills, and compare yourself to others

• Videotape your games • Keep records of all your academic, athletic and

other extracurricular achievements • Begin your college search using

www.collegeboard.com (maximize your search by using the “Sports & Activities” criteria tab.

• Take the PSAT in October • Begin to visit the websites of specific programs you

may be interested in

Third Quarter Junior Year

• Continue to perform well academically! • Continue to seek out additional ways to gain

exposure in your sport with your coach • Continue to attend summer camps to gain

exposure, increase your skills, and compare yourself to others

• Continue to videotape your games • Continue to keep records of all your academic,

athletic and other extracurricular achievements • Work with you coach and counselor to create a

marketing packet which includes a letter of introduction, resume and video displaying your academic and athletic highlights

• Identify potential schools and programs. Mail out your marketing packet following the season

• Complete potential recruit questionnaires on specific program websites

• Take the SAT’s at least once by the completion of Junior Year

• Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse at www.eligibilitycenter.org

• Have your SAT and/or ACT scores sent directly to the clearinghouse by using the code 9999

• Request that your transcript is sent to the NCAA Clearinghouse at the conclusion of your Junior Year

Fourth Quarter Senior Year

• Continue to perform well academically! Your grades

still matter! • Continue to mail out your marketing packet to

programs you are interested in • Prior to the start of your season, write to the

coaches of programs of interest explaining your continued interest and provide your upcoming schedule

• Take the SAT’s or ACT’s if needed. Higher scores may give a potential coach more freedom in helping you gain acceptance or scholarship money

• Send any additional SAT or ACT scores to the NCAA Clearinghouse

• Meet with your coach and counselor to help you develop a set of schools that meet your needs as a student athlete

• Visit as many campuses that you can. Take a tour, meet with the coach and view the athletic facilities

• Apply to your schools of interest, make sure your SAT or ACT scores are sent to the schools you are applying to

• Inform your coach how he or she can help throughout the process

• Request that your final transcript is sent to the NCAA Clearinghouse and the school you will be attending

 

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Selling The Product: Creating Your Marketing Packet

August 8, 2010 James Brown 2600 W. Smith St. Monroe Twp., NJ 08831 Dear Coach Miller, I am a 6’5’’ junior forward at Monroe Twp. High School in Monroe Twp, NJ. I am interested in attending East University after I graduate. As a sophomore I started for our conference championship basketball team averaging 12 points per game, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. This year, my junior season, I have been elected team captain and currently average 19 points per game. Our team continues to be successful and will look to repeat as conference champions. Academically, I have an 89 GPA and have earned a 1780 on my SAT’s. I plan to take the SAT again this fall. In addition, my course load this year includes all core requirements as well as two Advanced Placement courses. I will have my college entrance scores sent directly to East University and to the NCAA Eligibility Center when completed. I am very interested in attending East University because of its academic excellence, social opportunities and outstanding basketball program. I am particularly impressed with the graduation rate of student-athletes at East University, as well as the national reputation of the Communications Program. I believe that my academic and athletic skills qualify me to be considered for the East University program. I have enclosed my resume for your review along with a highlight video and a few newspaper articles. Please send me information on the East University program at your convenience and let me know what additional information I can provide to be evaluated by the basketball coaching staff. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Sincerely, James Brown

Sample Introductory Letter 

 

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James Brown 2600 West Smith St.

Monroe Twp., NJ 08831 732-555-5555

Education: Monroe Township High School, 1629 Perrineville Rd, Monroe Twp., NJ 08831 SAT: Critical Reading: 570 Math: 660 Writing: 550 GPA: 89 Height: 6’5” Weight: 195 Position: Forward Uniform Number: 34 Coach: Mr. John Williams Phone: 732-555-5555 ext. 5555 E-Mail: John.Williams@monroe.k12.nj.us Schedule: www.highschoolsports.net Guidance Counselor: Ms. Tina Thomas Phone: 732-555-6666 Fax: 732-555-8888 Email: Tina.Thomas@monroe.k12.nj.us

Varsity Career Statistics (Per Game) Year Points Rebounds Assists Blocked Shots Team Record Freshman 6 2 2 1 10-11 Sophomore 12 8 3 2 24-5 Junior 19 14 5 7 25-4 Additional Teams: Central Jersey Hawks (AAU), Howell, NJ Coach: Mr. Jerry Marshall Phone: 732-555-4444 E-Mail: CoachMarshall@hotmail.com Awards: 1st Team All GMC, Honorable Mention All-State Additional Varsity Sports Played: Cross Country, Lacrosse

Sample Resume 

 

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The Post-Game Lecture If you are a high school athlete who wants to play college-level sports, keep two priorities in order. They are:

1) College FIRST 2) Sports SECOND

This is especially true when talking with recruiters. This way you can avoid situations that

might leave you without a degree or even a team to play on. To start with, learn all you can about the rules governing recruitment before contacting college coaches or players. Depending on which level of competition you’re considering, your relationship with a recruiter must abide by the rules set forth by the NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA. Violating any of the regulations might result in your being barred from competition. Refer to the NCAA website for a list of rules each athlete should understand.

The NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete identifies areas that each athlete and parent should be aware of. Such as: 1. Contact periods 2. Campus visits 3. Phone calls 4. Evaluation periods 5. Dead periods 6. Letter of Intent 7. Early commitment/Regular commitment

A certain amount of self-disclosure and self-reflection is necessary both during the recruitment process and after. Asking yourself questions and searching for the answer often helps to identify the “right fit” school. Such as:

• If I could not play for some reason at this college, could I be happy here academically and socially?

• Could I be happy at this college or accept playing without a scholarship? • Could I be happy here in a reduced playing role? • Would I be happy at this college if the present coach were to leave before I graduated?

In a meeting with a coach or assistant coach, asking questions is appropriate. In fact, it is

appreciated very much by the coach as well. In a home visit by a coach, plan on an hour and a half to two hours. During that time the following questions could be asked:

• Identify the role of the recruiter. Is he/she the head coach? • Keep your education foremost in mind by asking about academic programs that interest

you. A good recruiter is as informed about college programs as an admissions officer. Specific questions about majors and courses in your field.

• Know what level of competition this school competes in. Athletic scholarships available?

 

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• Ask for details about the scholarships. Are they for one year only? Are they renewable? This is an NCAA rule!

• How long is the scholarship good for? Four years? Five years? Summer school? (An institution can commit to a 5th year but is not bound to do so).

• Is tutoring/counseling available? Other services for the student-athletes? Academic probation?