College Placement Presentation October 30, 2019 Dave Bucciero - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

College Placement Presentation October 30, 2019 Dave Bucciero Director of College Placement

Introduction  Dave Bucciero – Director of College Placement, Loudoun Soccer – Director of Goalkeeping, Loudoun Soccer – Head Coach of Loudoun Soccer Girls ‘04 ECNL – Former Head Women’s Coach at American University (2007 - 2012) – Former Women’s Assistant Coach at Boston University, and Texas Tech University – Former Men’s Assistant Coach at Washington College – Region 1 Girls ODP Staff 2

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Agenda  Selecting a College  Scholarships  Timeline By Academic Year  NCAA Rules and Regulations  Correspondence with College Coaches  Team Brochure and Player Profiles  Club Coaches, Parents and Players : “What Are Your Roles?”  Todd Bramble, George Mason University Head Women’s Coach  Trevor Singer, Mount St. Mary’s Men’s Assistant Coach  Q & A 4

So You Want to Play College Soccer… 5

When Should You Start Thinking About Playing College Soccer? 6

When Should You Start Thinking About Playing College Soccer?  Each and every player is different  A general guideline = freshman or sophomore year of high school 7

Creating a pool of college choices: Academic fit first  Making sure you are admissible  Better grades = more college choices  Can you handle the academic standards of that school 8

Other Factors  Location (urban or rural area)  Size of school  Cost  Academic strength/major  Team/coaching staff  Opportunity to earn playing time 9

Scholarships-Division I, II, and III  Division I - Athletic scholarships: Men 9.9 and Women 14. “Fully Funded” programs  Division II - Athletic scholarships: Men 9, Women 9.9  Division III - No athletic scholarships 10

Player Timeline: The Recruiting Process  Freshman Year - Player improvement - Academics - Consider college soccer  Sophomore Year - Develop an initial pool of schools that interest you. - Contact colleges via email - Begin College visits 11

Player Timeline: Breakdown by Academic Year  Start of Junior Year - Narrow pool of schools down - Be realistic and open to potential new schools - Continue college visits - Continue sending college coaches tournament schedules and your player profile 12

Player Timeline: Breakdown by Academic Year  Spring of Junior Year/Senior Year - Narrow your list further - College visits - Verbal commitment when you are ready  Keep your grades up  Division I and II players: register through the NCAA Clearinghouse(www.eligibilitycenter.org)  Improve skills and fitness level 13

NCAA Division I Rules and Regulations  Before June 15 of Junior year (or end of Sophomore year) – Coaches cannot text, call or email players – Players can email coaches, however a college coach can only acknowledge their email and provide a player questionnaire and camp information  After June 15 of Junior Year (or end of Sophomore year) – Coaches can meet and communicate on campus – Before this date, players cannot speak with college coaches face-to-face while visiting campus – ID Camps: No recruiting conversations until after June 15 of Junior year 14

NCAA Rules and Regulations  Tournaments- no communication with coaches until event ends during senior year  Unofficial visits- no expenses covered, can take place any time freshmen-senior year. Can only meet with coaching staff after August 1 of Junior year  Official visits- partial or all travel and lodging costs covered. (Can begin August 1 of Junior year) 15

Communication before and after Tournaments  Four Weeks Out: Email resume and tournament information  Two Weeks Out: Email game schedule and jersey number, game times, etc.  Post Showcase: Email coaches to thank them 16

Sample Email to College Coach Coach X, I currently play for Loudoun Soccer ‘01 Red and am a junior at Stone Bridge High School, graduating in 2020. I am interested in _______ University because of your strong soccer program and the Physical Therapy program, as I am interested in this major. I currently have a 3.6 GPA and will be taking the SAT this spring. Enclosed is my player profile for your review. As you can see, I earned All-State Honors my sophomore year and am currently a member of the Virginia ODP State Team. I will be attending the following tournaments with my Loudoun ‘00 Red Team: CASL Raleigh Showcase (November 21-23, Raleigh, NC) Disney Soccer Showcase (December 30-January 3, Orlando, FL) Jefferson Cup (March 12-14, Richmond, VA) *My jersey number is 15 If you will be attending any of these tournaments, I would love for you to evaluate me for your program. As I mentioned above, I am very interested in ______ and would love to play for your program! I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Player X Cell Phone # 17

Sample Player Profile Suzie Q 2020 Graduate Loudoun Soccer ‘01 Red Academics GPA: 3.6 #14 SAT: 1210 Defender/Outside Midfielder 2017 State Cup Runner-Up Contact Information Upcoming Tournaments: WAGS, CASL Raleigh Email: suzieq@sample.com Showcase, Disney Showcase, Jefferson Cup Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Stone Bridge High School 2016: 1 st Team All-District 2014-2016: 1 st Team All-County Olympic Development Program 2016: Region 1 ODP Pool 2014-2016: Virginia State ODP Team 18

The Team Brochure - Sample 19

Team Brochure - Player Profile 20

Recruiting Services  Highlight videos  It is not necessary to pay for a professional recruiting service: beware of false claims, promises 21

General Rules to Live by - Players 22

General Rules to Live by - Players  Begin the college search process early  Determine where you would be most happy based on all factors  Visit the schools that you are interested in  Reach out to a variety of colleges at the Division I, II, and III levels  Be proactive in communication with college coaches 23

General Rules to Live by - Players  Know that college coaches are evaluating and communicating with hundreds of players during the recruiting process  Use ID Camps/College camps as part of the recruiting process  Have prepared questions for the College Head Coach when you visit and meet with him/her 24

General Rules to Live by - Parents 25

General Rules to Live by - Parents  Understand and communicate financial constraints to your child  Be realistic regarding your child’s abilities and talents  Be supportive of what your child wants 26

General Rules to Live by – Club/HS Coaches  Meet with players, gage interest  Encourage players to be pro-active  Be honest with the players and families  If contacted by a college coach, respond as soon as possible and provide honest answers to questions 27

Actions Can Affect Recruiting  One bad tweet or Facebook post can be costly  Poor body language and communication on and off the field with teammates, coaches, and parents  Poor body language and communication with college coaches  Emails sent to wrong coaches 28

College Coaches  Todd Bramble: Head Women’s Soccer Coach, George Mason University  Trevor Singer: Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach, Mount St. Mary’s University 29

Questions