My son is a 2009. Not a Div 1 caliber player yet, but sold D3 or maybe D2. We have been gong to some showcases this summer and he had generated some interest from local D3 school. They sent a questionaire which had to be filled out by the coach. We went to the Young-Harris showcase last week and as a prep to going, I had my son check out the schools that attended last year to see who offered his major, and then sent each one a letter stating his interest in their program, whether D1, 2, 3, or JUCO. He received a letter and questionaire back from U of Tenn. Like all of the advice that I see on this forum to never not respond to a coaches letter, I had him fill out his portion of the questionaire and take it to his HS coach to complete. The coach called him in and basically told him to stop dreaming. That he should stop thinking that he is better than he is. My son knows that he is not D1 material, but wants to go to a JUCO in in Georgia that has a good record of moving players up. They gave him a work out last week and seem very interested in him. So, he told my son he should concentrate on JUCO and D3 schools and basically stop wasting everybodies time everywhere else. My son told him that he was working on some things this off season, mainly speed, and his plans were to go to a JUCO to develop. He wanted to send the questionaire back because it was sent to him. When he wrote to U of T, he included his bio and stats for the summer, which included his 60 time (8.6). Where does this coach get off telling a kid to quit dreaming? Should I approach this coach and question his motives? We all know that my son is not the next Miquel Cabrera or Sammy Sosa, but I have always told my son that the only thing holding him back from getting ahead, was himself. Now a coach tells him this. He has great power for a young 17yo. Just turned Aug 8th. At YH they rated his power at the college level and hitting for avg and just below college level. That must mean something? I would like to know if anyone knows of a great player that maybe didn't develop until after HS or college.

My two cents as a parent....get another opinion. Of course, you want one that is objective and not just what you want to hear. Be prepared for good or bad news...as you see it.
I think the opinion of another coach he plays for or against may be helpful. Perhaps attending a Perfect Game event for their opinion.
I was treated in a similar manner 25 yrs ago by "mentors". I eventually played two sports in D3 and on a nat'l championship FB team.....and went on to the minors. BE realistic......but NEVER give up the dream. As they say in the NECBL, "Eye on the Dream".....whatever level that may take him.
Good luck

equipman you have a PM

quote:

The coach called him in and basically told him to stop dreaming.

That seems pretty unprofessional from my point of view, but this recruiting ride can be a brutal one, so please explain this to your son and let him know that he cant let the " nay-sayers " get the best of him.
My advice would be to fill out the questionnaire as much as you can and turn it back in to U of T.

Not all highschool coaches are supportive or believe in helping their kids reach the next level.


DIII and JUCO are great options.
If your son is interested in playing at a different level, and he's an 09' I'd have him make sure he gets evaluated by some of those schools this winter.
That way if he sparks their interest, they can come watch him this Spring.

As far as the HS coach telling your son to quit wasting everyone elses time,...that shouldnt stop your son at this point.
Let the college coaches decide for themselves if your son is wasting their time or not.

The wider the net, the greater chance for opportunity.


Best of luck!!

never listen to one person's opinion regarding baseball. it's not an exact science.

you only need one coach to like you no matter how many others pass you by.

socalcoach you have a pm

My son has played the last 2 years summer ball for the Asst coach/head recruiter for a major D2 in Michigan. This past summer he batted 4th for every game and started24 of 31 somewhere in the field or on the mound in the 16u div. His avg for all of his summer teams was .397 with 11 doubles, 1 triple and 3 hrs. Played mainly in RF, but also 1B,3B,C and Pitch. In the spring with the HS he pitched some and played maybe 3 games defensively. Won of the best D3's in michigan (Adrian) saw him at the Mich HS Showcase last month and sent him a letter stating they wanted to start the recruiting process with him by scheduling a visit. We gave the HS coach that questionaire, with the envelope, so we don't know what he put down on that one. We also had his summer coach fill it out. My son emailed the Adrian coach and told him that he didn't play much in HS and asked if it was alright for the summer coach to send one in. He told him that it would be ok. The JUCO that we went to see in GA, told him that they would expect him to be at 1B and dig in at the plate. They said that they didn't have any power in the lineup and that they looked for him to fill that gap next fall. At the YH showcase, they rated him at HS avg for fielding and arm strength and just below college for hitting for avg and at college level for power. So we have had several opinions that seem very positive, with the exception of his own HS coach

quote:

We also had his summer coach fill it out.

Good move!

As I said earlier, not all highschool coaches are supportive or believe in helping their kids reach the next level. If you have a summer coach who is supportive & willing, use him for a future contact person and for questionaires

quote:

So we have had several opinions that seem very positive, with the exception of his own HS coach

Take the good with the bad, and focus on your son's future. Not everyone will be supportive in this process. You have to take what you have, work on what needs to be improved on,..and forge ahead.

Sounds like you have been getting some positive feedback from several different college levels. Those are the opinions that will decide if you get an offer or not.
As nice as it would be to have your son's HS coach telling your son what he wants to hear, sometimes that just doesnt happen.

So how do you get around that hurdle?
Stay positive.
Focus on the big picture.
If interested in the colleges that are expresssing interest, have your son educate himself about those programs and see if they might be a good fit.

The ball is rolling,.....lets keep it that way. Dont let a bump in the road stop ya!

I think taking what the HS coach says as a piece of the puzzle is the correct thing to do. Every parent here has had to deal with coaches, scouts, other parents, etc. that have had a variety of opinions on their son and his ability. No one sees things exactly alike. I know parents to this day who are upset by things our HS coach told them.... thing is, IMO he was completely correct. Some coaches will be very matter of fact to the point of being rude, some will be honest and are fairly accurate knowing how to relay that information to the betterment of the kid, and some are so off base I could give a better report on the kid.

As was said and as you're doing, getting other opinions is important. When my son was back in HS, he worked out (at the coach's request) for a coach and son fell flat on his face. He was terrible! This coach said some things that were foreign and that we'd never heard in son's baseball life. This coach also shared his thoughts with at least a couple of other coaches that were recruiting son. (We know because they told us what he said) Bottomline, it made no difference to those other coaches who saw what they were looking for in son. Neither of those guys who had heard this negative comment from an actual college colleague took it to heart.

My point is regardless of what one person says, each coach will make up their minds based on their own opinions or at the very least, a collection of opinions. Let your son carry on with the plan you have in place and not be daunted by one person's thoughts.

quote:

Originally posted by shortstopmom:

quote:

The coach called him in and basically told him to stop dreaming.

That seems pretty unprofessional from my point of view, but this recruiting ride can be a brutal one, so please explain this to your son and let him know that he cant let the " nay-sayers " get the best of him.
M....

I don't know your son or the coach nor do I know all the facts of your situation, however, is the coach telling your kid something he needs to hear rather then what he wants to hear? i.e. perhaps its more about motivation?

btw if you believe your son is not a d1 level player I would suggest the JC route to see if he'll develop into one. There is nothing worse then getting an opportunity for play for a coach who is not really committed to your son.

btw there are many good JCs all around the country and a JC should be thoughly checked out just like a 4 year program.

quote:

Originally posted by equipman:

The coach called him in and basically told him to stop dreaming.

Equipman, you have undoubtedly received some very valuable information from many of the posters on here. As to the above comment that your son's high school coach made, I'd like to give my 2cents worth if I may.

Its unfortunate, but true, that there are indeed a LOT of high school baseball coaches who could care less whether or not any of their players go to the next level and play ball. To them, coaching simply provides an extra stipend to their pay and they HAVE to coach to receive it. Our former coach sounds just like yours. Our new coach (2yrs) takes great pride in seeing his players go on and play college ball.

By the comment your coach made (whether it is word for word or what your son assumed he was saying by certain verbage) it's hard to say whether he is a good Coach and just a jerk of a person, or a jerk of a Coach AND person. Either scenario doesn't reveal his expertise in knowing talent and projecting potential.

When my son was a freshman and sophomore he didn't "appear" to be your proto-typical college player but he had love and desire that no one could distinguish the fire in him. He was slow as molasses on a cold winter day. He saw some growth his junior year (1st year of our new coach) and played well (2nd Team All-Region), saw more growth his senior year and played even better (1st Team All-Region, selected Team Georgia, etc.). He saw his biggest growth (size and strength) between the fall of his senior year and this past summer. And they continue growing into the college years. So yes, even though you can't see it right now, he WILL grow and even get better than he is right now.

Take a look at your coach's past track record of getting players to the college level. Is he successful or is his record lacking? That should tell you a good deal about how much your coach invest in the lives of his players and their future.

I think it's awesome that at least your son knows about what level he should play. You did right in wanting to send back the questionaire to UT. Who knows, after JUCO who's to say that UT might not be where he attends and plays...???

By the way, was the YH showcase as awesome as I told you it would be? I'd like to hear how it went, what you thought, how it was ran, how your son liked it, etc. It is topnotch in my book.

Very good advice from all. We are 90% sure of the JUCO that he will attend next fall. It's not so much that I want the coach to tell hiim that he is better than he is, we know where my son talent level is. I just don't like a coach to tell him to "quit dreaming" or to not have goals. My nephew went to the same school and 9 years ago, he had a sub 3.0 gpa, 28 act and wanted to go to Mich State for accounting. A counselor told him he would be in over his head and he should go to JC. Well he went to MSU and now has a master's degree and works for Price-Waterhouse. Now teacher/coach should ever try to burst a persons bubble. If he has a child that definately does not have any talent, then he should call the parents and talk to them first. I am hoping that this is just his way of motivating my son to prove him wrong, but, this coach has done many things to lead me to believe that is not his motive. We will continue to work together on his goals and one day maybe he will achieve them. Thank you all for your advice. The only thing that I did not get in your feedback is, does anyone know of current or not so past players that didn't play ball prior to college, or didn't get much of a chance to play in HS, that did blossom into great ballplayers. I want this for my son, so he can research them and use them as a driving force for his motivation to succeed

I think what the coach needed to say is "be realistic"; he should not have stated “quit dreaming”, if that was his exact words.

Some coaches know their players and abilities; some coaches may not have the background or experience to know how to get their players to the next level.

It sounds like you are a caring father who wants the best for your son, but the competition in college sports is super competitive at all levels even at the JC level, unless the school just does not have a chance of a winning season or even a few games, which some teams don't, they are looking for the very best they can get.

You need to realistic of what your son's ability is and where he can play, it will not do any good for your son to actually get into a school expecting to play and to have him cut before the fall starts, the college coach may be nice, but he will not sugar coat it!

To address your question about players who did not play in high school that were great players, I can not answer that, but trust me, if there are, the player would have been a great athlete that happen to have skills which translate to another sport, Bolt from Jamaica could be in that category, it would be interesting to see if he could play football, the question is could he hold on to the ball and will he like to get hit when he is show boating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are looking for a motivating story, google David Eckstein and find his whole story of how he walked on into college and the rest of his story...

Good Luck, enjoy the ride!

Thanks Homerun for the David Eckstein lead. I'll look that up. In regards to his past record moving kids up, he has a couple that went D3 and a couple that went D2 and then some that went JUCO.

To YOUNGGUN, it was a good showcase. Not too much standing around. Although I wish that the defensive side would have been better. My son played at 1B and the defensive workout was during batting practice for their partner team. they hit everything to the outfield or 3B and SS, maybe some to 2B. Very few to 1b. My son got 2 plays out of the 15 batters. Then during the game, he got I think 1 more. The YH players played the bases during the arm strength drill. I wish when they were hitting grounders to the MIF and 3rd basemen, that they would have let the 1st basemen take the throws. That would have given them a chance to make some great scoops out of the dirt, because there were quite a few bad throws. And when can a 1st basemen really shine? When saving the other infieders from errors. But other than that, very well run, alot of coaches, I think about25 or 30 in attendance. So thanks for the advance info on it.We went down to Andrew College and the head recruiter really liked my sons bat. After coming out of the cage he told us that they didn't have alot of power coming up and he would be in contact with us. My son really liked the program and the coaches. They have some good plans for the future and he liked the fact that it is a small school and out in the middle of nowhere so he can concentrate on academics and baseball. Plus they seem to move alot of players up.

We have a lot of good JUCO's here in Georgia with Andrew being one of them. He should be able to concentrate on his studies for sure because it definitely is in the middle of nowhere!

I'm sure he will also enjoy being able to begin play earlier in the year without contending to snow, ice, etc. that I'm sure Michigan does each year.

If you ever have any questions about any other JUCO's in Georgia or questions about Georgia in general, please feel free to send me a PM.

I think most high school coaches are concerned with living "in the now" with their team. College recruiting is a nice afterthought for some. But not all. Maybe his comments are more directed at keeping your son "in the now" with his (your son's) efforts towards the team. Sort of counterproductive, however, to tell him to forget his dreams of moving up. A non-motivator, in my opinion. My son's high school coach was equally non-plussed at son's ideas for college. In fact, son's two seasons playing for the guy was unmatched in coach's negativity toward's son's ability, talent, ambition and work-ethic. Coach was equally surprised when he was recruited for a D1 college. You're on the right path with much of the advice here and what you're thinking for yourself. It's part of a bigger puzzle, as somebody pointed out here. And you're right to seek outside opinions and keep an open mind. Curious, what does your son think about his own ability? After all, it will be your son doing the selling of his own ability. He needs to stay convinced he can do it against all odds, if that's the case. Good luck. Keep us posted. These are the kind of posts I like to follow!!

Did everyone ignore his 60 time of 8.6?

Equipman

Different sport but Michael Jordan got cut from his H.S basketball team at one point . Have your son research M.J.s path from high school to college .

quote:

Originally posted by Louisiana Lightning:
Did everyone ignore his 60 time of 8.6?

I know it is not "Lighting" speed but more so trying to be nice.

Equipman,

I am 99% certain that I know what team your son played for, and I am pretty sure I know who your son is. At least I have it narrowed down to one of two on that team. Son's coach was at Wayne St., now going out to Eastern....am I right??

My thought is that Maki's opinion will carry much more weight than HS coach, (there are only a few HS coach's in our area who's opinion really means something ) and his recomendation will also carry more weight to the colleges.

My $.02..... One; don't let anyone shoot down that boy's goal, dream, of playing D1. If reality is that he goes to a JUCO first, so be it. Two; I am sure you already have, but, I would seek out seek out Maki's advice and have him help game plan with you. I am sure Andrew will help with a plan that has your son's best interest at heart !!!!