The 25% is a minimum that can be a combination of baseball and academics. I do beleve only athletic $$ is included in the 11.7.

I get confused too.

But with having to give out 25% as minimum, you better beleive they are going to try to get in as many as they can with academic money, and save for the ones who don't qualify or as the lure away from other schools (ya got that).

quote:

Originally posted by Infield08:
.....The thinking by some is that this allows schools which are not fully funded to compete with schools that are fully funded.....

I thought the same. Additionally, I think it negates the advantage that some schools possessed that allowed them to recruit in-state student/athletes, and give them significant rides just with academic money a lone, and not dig in to their baseball money. Like the HOPE scholarship in Georgia. Now if all the money counts, it evens the playing field, and schools like Georgia no longer have the HOPE scholarship that gives them a significant recruiting advantage over other schools which they compete against for student/athletes. But it doesn't help the cost of college for the kids and their parents.

Can somebody run this past their friend at the NCAA.

Getting bad grades in HS usually means eventuallybeing academically ineligible to even play hs ball let alone getting into a decent college.

I think if you are a STUD, the grades probably are not AS important, though still matter. I think if you are a top 20 program, academics may not be at the top of your priority list, but still matter. But, for all the talented, potential, college players not categorized as the STUDs or 1 percenters, I don't see how good grades and especially academic money can't be helpful. My son just went on a visit to a top ten DII. It is also a very good school. The coaches told him, if he didn't have the academics he has, he would not have been invited. They will not even look at a kid with below a 3.0. Also, last year my son went to a camp at a top 25 DI school. I sat behind the HC as numerous kids came up to speak with him one on one. Without exception his first questions were what is your g.p.a. and what did you make on the ACT/SAT?? If the answer wasn't good, he started talking JUCO with them. I really respected him after hearing his comments. Likewise, we have a very talented LHP(89)/CF(6.8 60) on our team with bad grades. He is getting very few calls. So, if you are not working hard to make the very best grades that you are capable of, you are hurting yourself.

A dumbell in school raises red flags in that it questions a players maturity and capacity to handle responsibliity.

I have somewhat of a different view. You have to have somewhat decent grades, however straight A's never guaranteed anyone anything. Why go to college? to be a poor starving college student then turn into a poor starving consumer of society.

I think if your good, willing to take a risk and have the charisma to captures peoples attention you can achieve many goals. That is what they should be teaching in schools today.

I have to say two of the most influential books I have read this year would be "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and "The millionaire next door". A teacher didn't suggest for me to read those, my dad did.

I was talking with a college coach a while back and he mentioned that he oftentimes will offer athletic money later on down the line to walk-ons or recruited walk-ons who make a contribution to the team. What surprised me was his comment that grades are the first thing he takes into consideration when deciding whether to give them athletic money. I'm guessing his concern is that a poor student could drag down his APR.

Every D1 coach I talked to asked about grades 1st. A poor student that he gived athletic money to will risk the money because he might become ineligible. Better to risk that money on a good student athlete.
Coaches will say they will try to find money if any comes available. Usually not the 1st year. The big cocern is that with thye new rules and the fact they have you cheap you may not get much. They know you have to sit if you leave so they have more leverage to pay you as little as possible.

Good grades and test scores, simply put, open more doors and opportunities for a good player. If I had it to all over again, I would have spent a bit more money on test prep and tutoring (and we did spend SOME money in those areas) than a hitting instructor. Son got lucky and, with average grades, got into a good college. I know that, without baseball, he wouldn't have gotten a second look from the admissions people. It mattered tremendously that the high school he attended was very academic. I think that if he attended a less rigorous school and had the same grades, he might not be where he is today. We now have a high school freshman daugther who wants to play college basketball. Completely different situation for her: she has to work very hard athletically where our son had just natural ability. Daughter also struggles a bit with academics but is much more motivated to improve grades than son. We are concentrating on academics with her (tutoring and regular progess reports from teachers) because we know that come recruiting time, she may be overlooked (plus she is NOT a 6'5" amazon) if her grades don't stand out.

This may be a baseball forum, but I'm familiar with some top athletes. I will drop some names with Michael Huff of the Oakland Raiders, nee the University of Texas, Jim Thorpe Award winner, and All-America defensive back. His step-brother was also an excellent athlete at the University of Missouri, a very good football player in his own right. Their parents always stressed the fact that academics was the top priority and if they didn't make the marks they felt acceptable, they wouldn't be allowed to participate in sports. Perhaps some of you parents need to draw the line in the sand at an early age to set a strong example that their studies are as, or more important, if they expect to become a special athlete.

To participate is a privilage, not a right. These two young men mentioned above are excellent examples of what parenting was meant to be about.
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quote:

Originally posted by NYyankeeboi:
Why go to college? to be a poor starving college student then turn into a poor starving consumer of society.

Care to make that comment clear? I find no logic or sense in what was written.

Texan, I think that pretty much illustrates where the original comment was coming from.

Drawing the line in the sand when it comes to sports is a pretty daunting task. Son played with a kid back in grade school and into middle school. Kid had talent but struggled academically. Sports kept him on track emotionally and socially, though. He was kind of a loner..might not have had much social stuff going on if he didn't have sports. Anyway, parents finally drew the line when it came to high school: kid went to a very academic high school and parents told him he needed a 3.0 to play (not a school standard..this was a parent standard). Kid never played a day of sports in high school. The mom and I ran into each other a few weeks back and she says it was a very tough four years with him not playing sports. he was miserable..got into other troubles, etc. Made it to college and tried to walk on to a football team...figured he had no shot at baseball..but he's a big, meaty kid and thought football might work. Didn't get a shot. Mad at parents now for years. The mom said to me: "We should have pulled him out of baseball in 6th grade and spent a year working on his grades...it would have been hard back then but I think he would have gotten it together".

My son's club team has a 3.0 CUMULATIVE GPA requirement. Their position is that they are representing to the colleges that their players are not only great athletes, but scholars as well.

The management of the club team went one step further and explained how salary negotiations work if your stud is not a 1st rounder. They explained that Pro Teams calculate compensation on the premise that they need to lure you away from college ball. So if your stud is a D student, your stud is costing himself money at the negotiation table.

Here is an excerpt from their letter:

quote:

OK, so you’re a First Round Bonus Baby. Now, a First Round Bonus Baby is a First Round Bonus Baby so those guy’s don’t have to worry. But like most of the population, your not one of those guy’s and the scouts are projecting you somewhere after the 3rd or 4th rounds. Yes, first off, they will assess your “signability” and if you are worth the dollar figure this represents. For arguments sake, let’s just say you are. Now as graduation day – and also Draft day approaches, suddenly your grades have slipped down that icy slope. Believe this, EVERYONE will know. Suddenly, your looking at possibly losing your scholarship because your not going to clear the NCAA Clearinghouse, your GPA vs. SAT scores aren’t going to cut it, etc. etc. Well, you can be assured that any Bonus Money they were willing to give you is dropping quicker than your GPA. THEY ARE BUSINESS MEN FIRST. Why would they offer you now a Bonus of $90k , $250k, $???? if YOU HAVE NO OPTIONS ? Answer : THEY WON’T. You can kiss your Bonus money good bye and they’ll start the offer at $1,000 and a bus ticket. Have a nice day and welcome to pro baseball. OK, so these seem pretty dramatic, but trust us. They are not that far off the truth. Hopefully, they are giving you the message that no matter what road you choose, YOU MUST HAVE OPTIONS. OPTIONS = COLLEGE EDUCATION =
GOOD GRADES = BARGAINING CHIP = YEP – OPTIONS.

I also believe that grades can be a deciding factor on who plays varsity and who stays in JV. If I'm a coach, I'd want to know that I can count on my starters staying eligible.

bad grades out of high schools some d-1 may send u to a jr college and watch over you and get you to graduate from a jc. And your pretty much good to go if you graduate fron a jc and your tram likes you.

Grades don't exactly limit. Not naming names, but I know of a situation where a kid with a 2.5 cumulative and a 1250/1600 on the SATs got him phone calls/ hard recruiting from Wake Forest, NC State, Boston College, Maryland, Virginia Tech, East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Houston as well as many more. Now he was an athletic big guy with a consistent low 90s fastball.

hhh...the player you speak of....where did he end up going to school? In many cases coaches will notice athletes first. As discussions continue grades will be more and more of a topic of conversation. If you have a low GPA you better really do well on the SAT's, ACT, etc. and if you have a high GPA then it allows you for a lower SAT's but the bottom line is this......The better the Student Athlete the more opportunities you'll provide yourself down the recruitment road. Don't fool yourself in to thinking that if you're a stud, grades don't matter because in the end you'll lose.

quote:

Originally posted by j2h6:
hhh...the player you speak of....where did he end up going to school? In many cases coaches will notice athletes first. As discussions continue grades will be more and more of a topic of conversation. If you have a low GPA you better really do well on the SAT's, ACT, etc. and if you have a high GPA then it allows you for a lower SAT's but the bottom line is this......The better the Student Athlete the more opportunities you'll provide yourself down the recruitment road. Don't fool yourself in to thinking that if you're a stud, grades don't matter because in the end you'll lose.

j2h6, great post. Good players with bad grades will have very very few 4-year college opportunities, while those with good grades will have many opportunities. Every year I see great players who lose promising college opportunities because of bad grades. Remember, you only get one opportunity, so get it all together, and it all starts with good grades.

I think what those that are preparing for high school must bring away from this subject is that grades just don't "happen" for most kids. They need to know early on that YOU as parents have a certain expectation of what is acceptable. YOU as a parent have to know (do your homework, and ask counselors) what classes they have to take for college prep. Make a timeline for your student as to what must be achieved each year of high school. Set your GPA standard, go to the Clearinghouse and educate yourself, now before they hit high school. If they get an unacceptable grade, let them know what the consequences will be and follow through. Also make your student athlete aware that they will have to go to summer school to retake classes with and undesirable grade. If you and your student athlete can go over this information together and make them aware that if these academic requirements are not met, they will be not be considered at XYZ colleges.
The timeline is a great tool - get it on to your family calendar, or one he keeps in his room, and cross of requirements as they are acheieved, it give a sense of progress - both of you need to be involved. There are always exceptions - I know of a student that was quite brilliant, but received poor grades, yet scored nearly perfect on his SAT & ACT, he wasn't really lazy, but did think he knew more than what he was being taught (probably true), but just didn't turn assignments in.
For the majority of us, it is important to set goals early - decide what is expected. It is amazing what kids will achieve when you have the slightest involvement. As much as we want them to be self managers, you probably want to keep your hand in their progression - schools don't always have the time or resources to keep track of every student - sad but true.
Bottom line - all you pre-high school parents, educate yourselves and your kids NOW about how to get to the academic/athletic "next level".