I need your help. My son has received scholarship offers from two different Jucos. They compete against each other in the same league and seem to be pretty evenly matched. Academically they offer pretty much the same classes. One of the schools is about 18 miles away and the other is about 4 miles away. The school that is closer offered him more money (by about half) but he seems to like the school that's farther away a little better.

I'm trying to get him to take the offer from the school that's closer.

Any thoughts on which school he should choose?

Thanks

Don't let money be the issue. Go to the place that he feels the most comfortable and the one that he will have a chance to play early. Check the rosters and also incoming players they have signed to see who they have that your son would compete for that position with.

swdawg24-
Thanks for your input. I have tried to do as you suggest and at this time there doesn't seem to be any real differences between the two except that my son thinks he likes one of the programs a little more (the coaches have shown a little more interest in him). If anything, the school that is offering the most money seems to be more in need of my son's skills. It also has a much nicer workout facility and is closer to home.

Should I try to get the school that my son prefer's more to better their offer? If so, how should I go about it?

Thanks again.

swdawg, form my experience this year and my current situation, i've learned that the player who has a larger scholarship will get a first, second, and prolly third chance before the player with less money gets his chance.

I think alot of it depends on how well your son likes the coach. which coach is going to give him the best opportunity to play. In my search for a new school, my number one question is will i get the opportunity to play.

im not sure how to go about negotiaitng, i did not negotiate last year when i excepted my offer. although comming in a week or two i going to get everything i can out of my coach.

they are close enough to have your son go hang out during the day. walk around the buildings ,the gym. maybe sneak in a practice on the qt. see the school in it's own light not a recruiter. it may help him decide?

I had an agreement with my son---you find the school and baseball program you want to be at and we will make it work---it is his college life and he has to be happy wherever he goes--for me that was the bottom line

Thanks for your input everyone.

On negotiating - what is a good approach to take in trying to get the school my son wants to play for to make a better offer?

Be open --tell them what you have on the table and make sure they know the interest of your son in their program---make the deals equal and your son is theirs

rock 44, I coached JUCO ball for 7 years and never let scholarship money cloud my thinking when it came to making out a lineup card. If the coach wants to win, then he is going to put the best 9 on the field that will give him an opportunity to do so. With imited money available for scholarships, it is kind of hard to imagine that a coach thinks about who has the most money when he is filling out the lineup card.