I received my first phone call from a division 1 school tonight and was caught a bit off guard. It went fine, but I couldn't think of things to say and I left a lot of important stuff out. Does anyone have any tips to help me out in the future? Things you did that helped?

IowaPlayer, congrats on the phone call! That's very exciting!

A couple of recommendations:
* If you feel like you left important stuff out when talking with the coach, email or write him and thank him for calling. Then say, "After we talked, I thought about some other things you might be interested in knowing. I wanted to let you know that I made 2nd team All State and also was named MVP for my district."
* Compose a list of questions or things you want to bring up and keep one copy by your home phone and one copy in your wallet (in case the coach calls your cell phone). Then you can refer to it if you run out of things to say. (I believe HSBBW has a list of questions to ask in the "Recruiting Tips" area of the website. If anyone has the link, it would be great if you could provide it.)

Best wishes!

Hi -

Congrats on the call! We haven't been thru this yet, but here's what I might suggest to my son:

1. If you have an idea of any schools who may be contacting you, for example, schools who you have shown interet in or you may have interacted with at a showcase or elsewhere, take a look at their websites and try to have some familiarity with their programs (their head coach, conference, recent records, etc.).

2. Think about what you wish you would have asked or said on that first phone call and make a little list. Keep one copy by the family phone and one in your wallet if you have given out your cell as a contact number. Then you could refer to it as needed.

3. Ask a parent, coach or friend to sit down with you and actually have a practice conversation. Remember to speak clearly, be friendly and respectful, and thank the coach. Be yourself also...coaches would want to get to know the person you are.

Good luck!

Good points all!!

I've often thought about this same topic because I know our son is not a conversationalist at all, especially while on the phone. So I've been thinking a little bit about how to "get him ready" for any potential phone calls down the road.

With that said, I think having a short list of things by the home phone is a great idea. Include things like 1. What you'd like to study in college. 2. What types of things draw your interest in selecting a school. 3. Have a brief list of some of your recent accomplishments both on and off the field. 4. Current SAT/ACT scores and GPA. (You never know) 5. A couple specific things you like in a baseball program.

Make sure and put a heading above each category for ease of finding information when nervously talking to a coach while fiddling with a piece of paper . It never hurts to have a couple of questions that you could pose to "any school" who may contact you, that way you always seem interested in a program because you do have a vested interest.

Good luck!

Thanks! That is all good adivce. I made note cards with information on it and then I wrote questions I can ask a coach. For example, what is fall practice like and how long do you go? Do baseball players live together? Do you travel by charter bus for away game? Etc.

It is good to think of questions to ask and write them down before you get in a conversation with a coach, they understand that you have questions.

Here is a link to the NCAA site, download the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, on page 23 it has a set of questions that you can ask coaches in person or over the phone:

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/home?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=...oundStudent-Athletes

All good advice.

When you keep your list of questions, you might want to leave room to make note of answers. This is a new and exciting experience for you; you'll want to remember the answers and keep them straight so that you won't be wondering later which coach said what.

It's helpful to write down your 'general impression' immedietly afterward as well --- was Coach businesslike, friendly, down-home, encouraging, etc. Throughout the process, it's easy to let your emotions color what you heard; those notes may be the closest thing you'll have to objectivity!

Best of luck!