Insight into College Volleyball Recruiting: Scholarships and Requirements

RECRUITING OVERVIEW Cliff Hastings Parkland College Prime Time Volleyball Club

OVERVIEW OF TYPES OF COLLEGES - NCAA NCAA D1 (330) - athletic scholarships --- full or walk-on https://www.ncsasports.org/womens-volleyball/division-1-colleges NCAA D2 (300) - athletic scholarships --- full, half, partial or walk-on - can get good scholarship money for academics + other - most campuses are smaller (1,000-5,000 students) https://www.ncsasports.org/womens-volleyball/division-2-colleges NCAA D3 (460) - athletic scholarships --- walk-on - can get good scholarship money for academics + other - most campuses are small (500-2,500 students) https://www.ncsasports.org/womens-volleyball/division-3-colleges

OVERVIEW OF TYPES OF COLLEGES - NJCAA NJCAA D1 (100) - athletic scholarships --- full, half, partial or walk-on - some can give tuition + housing http://stats.njcaa.org/member_colleges/college-directory NJCAA D2 (140) - athletic scholarships --- full, half, partial or walk-on - max at tuition (no housing) http://stats.njcaa.org/member_colleges/college-directory NJCAA D3 (110) - athletic scholarships --- walk-on http://stats.njcaa.org/member_colleges/college-directory

OVERVIEW OF TYPES OF COLLEGES - NAIA NAIA(230) - athletic scholarships --- full, half, partial or walk-on - typically small colleges (500-5,000) https://www.ncsasports.org/womens-volleyball/naia-colleges

COLLEGE RECRUITING BY THE NUMBERS NCAA D1/D2 - likely looking for 2-3 per year with a scholarship available - D1 -> identifying kids as 8th-10thgraders typically - D2 -> identifying kids as 9th-11thgraders typically NJCAA D1/D2 - likely looking for 5-8 per year with a scholarship available - identifying kids as 10th-12thgraders typically NAIA - likely looking for 3-5 per year with a scholarship available - identifying kids as 10th-12thgraders typically

WHAT ARE COACHES LOOKING FOR Coaches typically have very specific things they look for - filling a specific position role they need - improving on a kid they have for that position - amazing athletes who might be raw and can be trained Also, coaches have specific tastes for positions for example - look at their current roster to get a sense of quantity at position - look at the roster to see height or R/L handed, etc. Coaches want to see video first and then see in person: - evaluate speed, vertical, athleticism, reaction to speed of game - interactions with teammates, coaches, eye contact, etc. - not overly worried about what the ball does, for example

HOW DO COACHES FIND PROSPECTS Rarely do coaches go to club tournaments to discover kids - they are looking/evaluating kids that have contacted them - your job is to get on their list and radar - this can be direct from you or via your coaches, alumni, etc. - they can sometimes find players through searches (i.e. NCSA) How do you get on their radar - fill out recruit me profiles on their school web page - email recruiting assistants (D1) or head coaches (others) - follow-up with emails and phone calls - stand-out at tournaments not only in your play but attitude - most coaches try to watch warm-ups to make decisions

YOUR EMAIL CONTENT Basics: - name, school, position, graduation year - club team name, club schedule, jersey # - height, approach touch (if applicable) - video link Email overview: - para 1: about the interest in the specific school - para 2: about the girl and volleyball skills/attributes - para 3: about interests outside volleyball (academics, passions) - para 4: wrap-up asking coach to watch video, see at a tourn.

YOUR VIDEO Professional video vs. iPad recorded - nobody cares about glitz or fancy attributes Full game vs. edited video - edited video is nice to quickly make a decision to move forward - full game needed post-edited video (but is ok on its own) Repeat Basics in text of video: - name, school, position, graduation year - club team name, club schedule, jersey # - height, approach touch (if applicable) Mistakes not to repeat: - can t see jersey number to identify the girl - can t tell which team she s on to identify girl - don t pick video against poor teams can t tell a lot there

COMMUNICATIONS WITH COACHES Girls need to sign the emails to coaches - if the email address isn t professional, get a new one Girls should always feel free to communicate with coaches - volleyball is a small world and one can make a big impression - same goes for refs, club coaches, etc. - don t worry about schedules when coaches can talk to you - if they can t, they ll smile and walk away (but appreciate it) Girls should always be ready to answer basic questions - what are you looking for - when did you start volleyball, why do you love volleyball, etc. Girls should always have 3-5 questions ready to ask coaches - how did your previous season go - what are you looking for in my class

CAMPUS VISITS Prior to requesting a campus visit, ask a few key questions - is this official or unofficial - if it s official, are they paying for travel, hotel, etc. - do they have money for an offer if it goes well - if so, what could that offer look like - are there others they are considering for that scholarship On the visit, - the girl should have ~10 scripted questions to ask - coaches love to feel as though the girl has a vested interest - see athletic facilities, meet coaches, tour housing / food places - ask to meet the girls, spend time asking them questions - see classrooms or visit a classroom building during classes

QUESTIONS TO ASK COACHES What is the typical quantity of girls on your team? How many of my position do you have on the team? What year are on those girls? What are you primarily looking for in next year's team? What has made for a successful player in my position on your team? You've seen me play - what do you like or hope to see me improve? When does a player report for the first day of the season? What does preseason look like (duration, on-court practices, lifting, etc)? What about practices during the season itself? What does the season look like after the fall season ends? i.e. break before spring season? What does spring season consist of? Summer requirements? Tell me about athletic money - how does it work? How would I qualify to be a full scholarship player for you? Where do the girls live? Do they live together and/or is it apartments? What are your expectations off the court? i.e. are there study hours, are there community service projects that the team does together? Do you have turnover from year-to-year of players not coming back? If so, what are some of those situations? If I were to play for you, what could I do that first week of reporting that would make sure to give you confidence that you made the right choice in making me part of your team? If I were to ask the girls, how would they describe you as a coach? What is your expected timeline on making a decision on offering me to play on your team?

SAMPLE EMAIL Dear Coach xxx, My name is xxx and I am writing to you to introduce myself and to let you know I am very interested in playing volleyball for xxxx. I found myself very interested in your program after doing some research on the school and the program itself. Congratulations on the start of another outstanding season; I wish you success in again reaching the National Tournament this year. I am a 5'8" two-year starting libero at xxx. During the xxx season, I was named All-Region and All-Conference and led xxx to a 41-8 record and a 9th place finish at xxx. So far this season, we are 16-6 and are ranked 9thin the country and 1stin our region. I currently lead the xxx in total digs and lead our team in serve-receive with a 2.58 and lead the team in service aces as well. In high school, I was a xxx award, and I was the starting libero for xxx High School. I was also the libero for xxx Volleyball Club s 17-1 and 18-1 teams where we finished 2nd, and 3rd, in the xxx and advanced to USAV Junior Nationals both years. My coaches feedback has always been that I bring passion and enthusiasm for every match I play. In the classroom at xxx, I currently have a 3.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale. I am majoring in xxx and hoping to one day be a xxx. I have read about xxx s program, and between the xxx and xxx opportunities at the school, I think there s a great fit for what I ve done academically at xxx and what I want to do after my university work. I have included my current volleyball schedule as well as my recruiting video. If you are able to reach me thru phone or email I ve also add my personal contact information at the end. If not I ve also added my coach s email and phone number as well. Video: xxx Volleyball Schedule: xxx I look forward to hearing from you and best of luck with the rest of your season! xxx --------------------------------------------------------- xxx Cell (xxx) xxx - xxxx Email xxx@gmail.com Coach xxx Cell (xxx) xxx-xxxx Email - xxxxx

TARGETING SCHOOLS - What location does she want Big or small school - 4-year or 2-year school - What does she want to study / major in - Does she want to play varsity or club - Is sitting ok or does she want to play right away - Is $ and a scholarship the family priority - These are the questions that once answered can make narrowing down a list of schools to contact much easier. I can help from here. - How does a girl start answering these questions? Go walk around a campus near a club tournament. Eat lunch there. Then ask her questions about how it feels, what she likes, etc. -

NEXT STEPS Create list of schools of interest - Fill out recruiting profiles on school pages and email coaches - Create profile online - berecruited.com, Hudl or NCSA - Create video to send to colleges - Attend recruiting events at club tournaments - Attend summer camps at schools you might want to target - Fill out NCAA Clearinghouse profile - Clean up all social media accounts - Ask me to help on any of these steps to get you started -