When we fill up our gas tank, it is obvious our economic world has drastically changed within the last two years. Who could have thought that gasoline would be $4.00 per gallon? For NCAA Division I universities, I believe that the drastic increase in fuel costs may be the catalyst for another re-alignment of the conferences. Universities just will not continue to support spending the amount of money needed in today's economy for collegiate athletics.
A few years ago, there was a major shift in the membership of conferences. Back then, the motivation was to become the 5th power conference. It is widely acknowledged in the the college sports world that the Pac 10, the Big 10, the Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) are the the elite power conferences. By chasing the Golden Goose of college football revenue, a bunch of mid-major (the nice term for being in the 2nd tier) of conferences were active in soliciting membership in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and the guaranteed double digit million dollar pay-off.
For those unaware, the biggest money making enterprise in college sports is to be a member of a high earning conference. Typically, all moneys earned for football bowl appearances and NCAA basketball tournament selection/victories is contributed to the conference for distribution to member schools. For instance, if the Big 12 generated 120 million dollars in revenue because of the abilities of its athletic teams, at the end of the year, each member school would get a check for 10 million dollars (in theory).
All revenue is not distributed in even shares, because the usual conference formula allows for awarding a double share of revenue to the team which contributed moneys. If Texas football is selected to a bowl that has a 10 million dollar payout, then the money would be split 13 ways by the Big 12 with Texas getting a double share - the reward for contributing the money.
In my example, a Big 12 team that contributes nothing to the year end totals, is still awarded a substantial amount of money for membership. I had read about the minimum payout in one of the first years of the Big 12 conference and the last place team was Baylor, who contributed nothing yet still got a check for over 10 million dollars.
This is why being a member of a power conference is so attractive - even if an athletic department has a down year, it can still count upon a multi million dollar check from the conference. This is also why there is such a desire of the mid-major conferences to try and become the next power conference. This power conference status is a result of being a BCS conference and the guaranteed selection of a school into the elite payout football bowls.
In the last round of conference shifts, I believe that the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) were able to join the BCS group, while the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Conference USA and the Mountain West were left on the outside looking in.
While the last conference alignment was profit driven, this new alignment will be cost driven. The geographic layout of the ACC, the WAC and Conference USA are a travel agents dream. Travel budgets for teams to conduct their conference schedules near $100,000.00 per year, per team for the Olympic Sport programs. Football and the basketballs will easily surpass this total because of the use of charter airplanes.
The economic reality is that all of these conferences are running at a deficit. Even with the ACC being a BCS conference, they cannot generate enough income to off-set the costs absorbed by the majority of the schools. The money for operating athletic departments has to come from three areas - University budget, fund raised money or profit from operations/conference membership.
When we examine the economic picture of today, it is not too bright - University budgets will be trimmed because school operating costs have increased (cost of utilities, food, health insurance and state money), it is tough to raise donations when the economy is tight and only the power conferences generate enough money to make a meaningful positive impact upon member budgets.
It is not a big stretch to see the logical step in reducing the operating costs of the athletic departments by realigning the conferences into a more logical geographic membership - this decision would be made by the University presidents. When cuts are made, they are usually made in the most visible department on campus - Athletics. And when cuts are made in athletics, they are usually made in the most non-visible sports; the Olympic Sports. Cut $20,000.00 out of football and it would not even be noticed - Cut $20,000.00 out of Volleyball and you eliminate all recruiting and the spring season.
My feeling is that within 3 years there will be a major realignment of the lower BCS conferences (ACC and Big East) and the upper mid-major conferences (WAC, C-USA and Mountain West). For example, TCU and Louisiana Tech join C-USA; Miami, South Florida, Central Florida each move into a new conference with other southeastern regional teams; the Big East cuts loose those non football playing members of the conference.
I really don't think it will have a big impact upon Division I volleyball. By and large, the power conferences receive the mass majority of bids to the NCAA Championship and that will not change. The mid-majors and lower BCS's will still just put a team or two into the tournament, while the California schools will still receive a significant number of bids.
The perception of Division I volleyball will not change because we have done nothing to elevate our sport into the view of the American sporting public - Rally score did not do it, increase in AVCA fees did not do it, the 25 point camp will not do it and College Beach Volleyball only devalues indoor volleyball.
The biggest impact will be that a number of schools can stop flying everywhere and can start taking a bus to the next conference match (or vans if the budget is really cut!). With as bad as the US air travel has become, maybe this is a blessing in disguise!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
College Volleyball Improvements
In reading back through a number of my posts, I realized that much of what I had written was critical of the changes that have occurred and pessimistic about the future of college volleyball. I do not wish to mimic a television or radio commentator who just makes blanket statements about how wrong something may be or how someone/something is to blame.
To this end, I have listed a series of suggestions that I believe would be beneficial to the sport of college volleyball or the profession of being a college volleyball coach. If you have taken time to read the link that provides my background in the sport of volleyball, the below suggestions are from a complete volleyball education:
1. The NCAA National Championship format must be changed - we are mimicking basketball but will never be allocated the financial or media support to be like the basketball championship. Change to a Great Eight format over 4 days, use regional "pods" that can be marketed to television, be creative in developing a format specific to college volleyball.
2. Pick a permanent home site for the Women's National Championship - If attendance is the goal, then Nebraska could work - If being located in a major media market is the goal, then Los Angeles could work - Just pick one city that can be identified by media, fans, players, coaches as the destination that everyone wants to be at come the end of the season. I have no preference, just make it somewhere that supports the sport.
3. Create an College Volleyball coaches association. I do not believe the American Volleyball Coaches Association is a viable organization to advocate for the professional satisfaction of being a college volleyball coach. Let's have an association that only focuses on making our professional lives better.
4. Each member of the NCAA Rules Committee should somehow be representative of the coaching body. It concerns me that the last two major rule changes - to rally score and the double hit/point cap reduction were overwhelmingly opposed by the coaches and conferences, yet both passed. This leads me to believe that there are a few coaches that are dictating policy for our sport without representing the profession. This has to end because the changes which have occurred permanently changed our sport with no benefits.
5. College coaches that have achieved a certain measure of success and security must advocate for the professional betterment of the remaining coaches - Be a loud voice for positive professional change; advertise your salary, share your budget numbers, support other coaches in their efforts to improve their own situation.
6. If the NCAA is really concerned about the lack of female coaches coaching volleyball, all they have to do is provide money and pressure upon the member institutions. It is such a farce to hear the NCAA bemoan the lack of female coaches, yet they condone salaries that are less than a fast food restaurant manager. If they can 'grant' almost 500K for women's basketball marketing, they can supplement salaries. I have lost a number of quality female assistant coaches simply because they could not financially afford to remain as coaches.
7. College Beach Volleyball needs to go away - It is pulling money, focus and marketing away from indoor volleyball. Does college softball support Over-the-Line tournaments, does college basketball support 3 on 3 tournaments, does college football support flag football games, does college baseball support Whiffle ball? This is how non-volleyball people are looking at us and college beach volleyball.
8. Stop playing multiple matches a day in tournaments during the traditional season and gradually move away from tournaments all together. Playing multiple matches in a day demeans our sport - does football or basketball do it? It can't be very good for our sport when some college teams are playing at 10 a.m. on a Saturday in front of 3 people - All matches should be the feature match at a normal time.
9. College Volleyball Coaches need to stop being nice to those outside our profession. We tend to be the nicest coaches on each campus and we tend to be the least supported. I don't want us to be mean, but cordial or professional is the term I would rather use than nice. Too many times, we are 'nicing' ourselves into no raise, no support, no contract and when we do raise our voices, we are criticized for not being a team player or being selfish. I think Dr. Phil once said, "You teach people how to treat you".
10. Unless a coach is making over 75K per year, we should go on the academic type of employment letter or contract. Professors typically are on a 10 month, full time, full benefit contract. This allows them to have the summers off for travel, research, whatever they want, but they still get the same salary and benefits. A 10 month contract (May, June, July - pick two to take off) would allow for family vacation time, the development of camps, work on your house - just get some balance in life; the professors are way ahead of us in this regard. Either pay us with salary or pay us with time.
11. Division I college coaches should not be allowed to coach club volleyball. This is supported by the NCAA simply because AD's know that it will supplement salaries so the schools don't have to pay as much. Instead of asking coaches to take two jobs to support their livelihood, we need what basketball and football has, a rule preventing this - Don't be alarmed, our magnificent abilities of coaching junior players will not be missed.
12. A 5 year freeze on any more rule changes - no proposals, no experimentation, nothing! Leave it alone.
Just some thoughts on what could be positive steps in the professionalism of being a coach and the efforts to make college volleyball a more support sport.
To this end, I have listed a series of suggestions that I believe would be beneficial to the sport of college volleyball or the profession of being a college volleyball coach. If you have taken time to read the link that provides my background in the sport of volleyball, the below suggestions are from a complete volleyball education:
1. The NCAA National Championship format must be changed - we are mimicking basketball but will never be allocated the financial or media support to be like the basketball championship. Change to a Great Eight format over 4 days, use regional "pods" that can be marketed to television, be creative in developing a format specific to college volleyball.
2. Pick a permanent home site for the Women's National Championship - If attendance is the goal, then Nebraska could work - If being located in a major media market is the goal, then Los Angeles could work - Just pick one city that can be identified by media, fans, players, coaches as the destination that everyone wants to be at come the end of the season. I have no preference, just make it somewhere that supports the sport.
3. Create an College Volleyball coaches association. I do not believe the American Volleyball Coaches Association is a viable organization to advocate for the professional satisfaction of being a college volleyball coach. Let's have an association that only focuses on making our professional lives better.
4. Each member of the NCAA Rules Committee should somehow be representative of the coaching body. It concerns me that the last two major rule changes - to rally score and the double hit/point cap reduction were overwhelmingly opposed by the coaches and conferences, yet both passed. This leads me to believe that there are a few coaches that are dictating policy for our sport without representing the profession. This has to end because the changes which have occurred permanently changed our sport with no benefits.
5. College coaches that have achieved a certain measure of success and security must advocate for the professional betterment of the remaining coaches - Be a loud voice for positive professional change; advertise your salary, share your budget numbers, support other coaches in their efforts to improve their own situation.
6. If the NCAA is really concerned about the lack of female coaches coaching volleyball, all they have to do is provide money and pressure upon the member institutions. It is such a farce to hear the NCAA bemoan the lack of female coaches, yet they condone salaries that are less than a fast food restaurant manager. If they can 'grant' almost 500K for women's basketball marketing, they can supplement salaries. I have lost a number of quality female assistant coaches simply because they could not financially afford to remain as coaches.
7. College Beach Volleyball needs to go away - It is pulling money, focus and marketing away from indoor volleyball. Does college softball support Over-the-Line tournaments, does college basketball support 3 on 3 tournaments, does college football support flag football games, does college baseball support Whiffle ball? This is how non-volleyball people are looking at us and college beach volleyball.
8. Stop playing multiple matches a day in tournaments during the traditional season and gradually move away from tournaments all together. Playing multiple matches in a day demeans our sport - does football or basketball do it? It can't be very good for our sport when some college teams are playing at 10 a.m. on a Saturday in front of 3 people - All matches should be the feature match at a normal time.
9. College Volleyball Coaches need to stop being nice to those outside our profession. We tend to be the nicest coaches on each campus and we tend to be the least supported. I don't want us to be mean, but cordial or professional is the term I would rather use than nice. Too many times, we are 'nicing' ourselves into no raise, no support, no contract and when we do raise our voices, we are criticized for not being a team player or being selfish. I think Dr. Phil once said, "You teach people how to treat you".
10. Unless a coach is making over 75K per year, we should go on the academic type of employment letter or contract. Professors typically are on a 10 month, full time, full benefit contract. This allows them to have the summers off for travel, research, whatever they want, but they still get the same salary and benefits. A 10 month contract (May, June, July - pick two to take off) would allow for family vacation time, the development of camps, work on your house - just get some balance in life; the professors are way ahead of us in this regard. Either pay us with salary or pay us with time.
11. Division I college coaches should not be allowed to coach club volleyball. This is supported by the NCAA simply because AD's know that it will supplement salaries so the schools don't have to pay as much. Instead of asking coaches to take two jobs to support their livelihood, we need what basketball and football has, a rule preventing this - Don't be alarmed, our magnificent abilities of coaching junior players will not be missed.
12. A 5 year freeze on any more rule changes - no proposals, no experimentation, nothing! Leave it alone.
Just some thoughts on what could be positive steps in the professionalism of being a coach and the efforts to make college volleyball a more support sport.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
AVCA Question
The question I was hesitant to answer:
Hey Coach,
So, after reading your blog on the ups and downs of being a college volleyball coach, I wonder what we can do to push the AVCA to help out. What things can we do to make it better? I'm very interested in moving up to the college level to coach, so this is important to me! Also, what is the average salary of an assistant coach at the college level?
Thanks, Marci
This is a question that many, many college volleyball coaches have been asking themselves, especially after the latest rule changes instituted by the NCAA. The fact that we even have to ponder what we can do to push the American Volleyball Coaches Association to help out is just staggering. I lost faith in the ability of the AVCA to be an instrument of positive action on behalf of the college volleyball coaches years ago.
Having lost the faith, I feel college volleyball coaches must form their own specific association whose only agenda is improving the benefits and professional satisfaction of being a college volleyball coach. The AVCA is trying to be everything for every single volleyball coach in the country. Any person who says they are a volleyball coach can pay the appropriate membership fee and join the AVCA - the focus seems to be to increase membership as a means to gain credibility.
The needs of a college volleyball coach are so drastically different than a club volleyball coach or a junior high coach, yet the AVCA is supposed to provide quality service? What a mid Division I (and any category) head volleyball coach must routinely manage and digest are categorically more significant than any non-college coach. It baffles me that we allow the representative organization for our profession to accept any and all comers.
The fees of Division I head coaches to be a member of the AVCA are significant (even though the program budget pays the fee), yet the professional service we receive is nebulous. I cannot think of one tangible benefit that the AVCA provides me as a college volleyball head coach - I get a monthly news magazine that is boilerplate in the format because I have seen the same exact magazine for the softball coaches. The AVCA National Convention is often touted as a big benefit - everyone gets to pay upwards of $500.00 to enjoy this benefit. In a very real sense, college volleyball coaches are doing nothing more than funding an organization whose demonstrated purpose is just to propagate.
The current dues of the AVCA for Division I head volleyball coaches is approximately $350.00 (this was raised a few years ago to try and get volleyball onto television more - the golden goose that we have all been chasing since the early 90's). If each of the 325+ Division I head coaches were to pay this fee, it would equal $113,000.00. If all the rest of the NCAA Volleyball coaches (Division II and II head coaches and all the assistants in all divisions), say 600 coaches paid a $100.00 fee, this would boost the phantom organization budget to approximately $175,000.00 (consider how much extra we could generate by shifting convention money into the new organization).
I would feel more confident about hiring 2 people whose only job description is to make college volleyball coaching more rewarding - that is it, day in and day out, just focus on making my professional life better. The reality is that college volleyball is the premier representative of volleyball in the United States (it is not the National team) - the higher we fly, the more we lift those volleyball coaches that are not coaching college. When we start to act big time, then we will be big time - Just look at women's basketball; they walk around like they are the show and people treat them with respect. You want to be Big Time, then act Big Time.
The areas that I believe should most be addressed by my new phantom association are; 1) Salary, 2) Contract, 3) Program resources (budget, staffing, equipment, etc), 4) Marketing and Promotion of Women's Volleyball. These are the exact areas that I have seen zero support for college volleyball coaches by the AVCA.
By addressed, I mean that the athletic departments need to be pushed into providing better support in these four areas for coaches. By and large, schools are not going to provide an increase in support out of the goodness of their heart or their moral/equity responsibility - they are going to do it because an organization is agitating for change. Read that again, it is not the individual coaches who make change happen; if this were so, we would not need a professional organization. The NCAA recently funded hundreds of grants, approximately $15,000 to $30,000 each, to be spent on marketing and promotions for women's basketball! Do you think their coaches association had anything to do with this or was it out of the goodness of the NCAA bank account?
An outside body, with the only focus being the betterment of their constituency, is the best agent for positive change. I go into my AD's office and push for a salary equal to the basketball coach, I will be laughed at - I do it twice and I will be labeled as a problem. My professional organization does the same thing, I may well get a raise just to placate this organization because this is the smart solution for the AD.
I could easily write 10 paragraphs about the chasm in each of the 4 listed categories between College Volleyball coaches and the other three NCAA head count sports of football, men's basketball and women's basketball. Just let me say that not only are we not even in the neighborhood of our departmental peers, we are not even the same state. Nothing demonstrates the lack of respect that the AVCA has, than the fact that many Division I athletic departments will not fund the sending of the entire volleyball staff to the National Convention. Absolutely no way would the Athletic Department make the same decision with football or the basketballs - everyone on staff goes, along with the AD's!
We have so much latent power, because of our status as a head count sport and the timing of our season; yet, as a body, the college volleyball coaching community has failed. And we are paying dues to a continuously failing professional organization.
The recent rule change, that reduced the scoring cap to 25 points and virtually allows all double hits clearly illustrated the impotency of the AVCA. This rule was not supported by the mass majority of the college volleyball coaches, in all divisions, in all conferences. Individual coaches were very active in their negative responses to the initial NCAA surveys about a possible change and were even more vociferous in their reaction to the change that occurred. Yet, no where to be found was the AVCA advocating the opinion of the college volleyball coaches. So far, the only response that I have seen is a letter from the AVCA to the NCAA asking what happened?
This is especially tough to stomach because every rule change that the NCAA approves for football, basketball and women's basketball is cleared through the coaches organizations first and those organizations are generally mentioned in the NCAA press release.
To answer your first question - I don't believe we can do anything to push the AVCA because they are not interested in servicing the needs of the college coaches. I absolutely believe the only thing we can do is form a college volleyball coach specific association.
The second question - Salaries of assistant coaches. This actually ties into the failing of the AVCA. The assistant coach's salaries are all over the board, but by and large, they are not good. I know of too many name brand schools, in nationally recognized conferences that pay the first assistant coaches in the 20's and low 30's - which should be beyond embarrassing to our profession. Now, there are a number of schools, predominantly in the power conferences, but occasionally where volleyball has a following in the community or region, that can pay into the 50 to 75K range, but that is not the norm.
I have written about this before - being a college volleyball coach is a great job if you are single or if it is a second income job: Good health care, retirement, travel and a passionate endeavour.
In closing, I would like to apologize for the negativity and/or bitterness that comes through in this post. I just see how far behind we are professionally and we only have ourselves to blame for it.
Hey Coach,
So, after reading your blog on the ups and downs of being a college volleyball coach, I wonder what we can do to push the AVCA to help out. What things can we do to make it better? I'm very interested in moving up to the college level to coach, so this is important to me! Also, what is the average salary of an assistant coach at the college level?
Thanks, Marci
This is a question that many, many college volleyball coaches have been asking themselves, especially after the latest rule changes instituted by the NCAA. The fact that we even have to ponder what we can do to push the American Volleyball Coaches Association to help out is just staggering. I lost faith in the ability of the AVCA to be an instrument of positive action on behalf of the college volleyball coaches years ago.
Having lost the faith, I feel college volleyball coaches must form their own specific association whose only agenda is improving the benefits and professional satisfaction of being a college volleyball coach. The AVCA is trying to be everything for every single volleyball coach in the country. Any person who says they are a volleyball coach can pay the appropriate membership fee and join the AVCA - the focus seems to be to increase membership as a means to gain credibility.
The needs of a college volleyball coach are so drastically different than a club volleyball coach or a junior high coach, yet the AVCA is supposed to provide quality service? What a mid Division I (and any category) head volleyball coach must routinely manage and digest are categorically more significant than any non-college coach. It baffles me that we allow the representative organization for our profession to accept any and all comers.
The fees of Division I head coaches to be a member of the AVCA are significant (even though the program budget pays the fee), yet the professional service we receive is nebulous. I cannot think of one tangible benefit that the AVCA provides me as a college volleyball head coach - I get a monthly news magazine that is boilerplate in the format because I have seen the same exact magazine for the softball coaches. The AVCA National Convention is often touted as a big benefit - everyone gets to pay upwards of $500.00 to enjoy this benefit. In a very real sense, college volleyball coaches are doing nothing more than funding an organization whose demonstrated purpose is just to propagate.
The current dues of the AVCA for Division I head volleyball coaches is approximately $350.00 (this was raised a few years ago to try and get volleyball onto television more - the golden goose that we have all been chasing since the early 90's). If each of the 325+ Division I head coaches were to pay this fee, it would equal $113,000.00. If all the rest of the NCAA Volleyball coaches (Division II and II head coaches and all the assistants in all divisions), say 600 coaches paid a $100.00 fee, this would boost the phantom organization budget to approximately $175,000.00 (consider how much extra we could generate by shifting convention money into the new organization).
I would feel more confident about hiring 2 people whose only job description is to make college volleyball coaching more rewarding - that is it, day in and day out, just focus on making my professional life better. The reality is that college volleyball is the premier representative of volleyball in the United States (it is not the National team) - the higher we fly, the more we lift those volleyball coaches that are not coaching college. When we start to act big time, then we will be big time - Just look at women's basketball; they walk around like they are the show and people treat them with respect. You want to be Big Time, then act Big Time.
The areas that I believe should most be addressed by my new phantom association are; 1) Salary, 2) Contract, 3) Program resources (budget, staffing, equipment, etc), 4) Marketing and Promotion of Women's Volleyball. These are the exact areas that I have seen zero support for college volleyball coaches by the AVCA.
By addressed, I mean that the athletic departments need to be pushed into providing better support in these four areas for coaches. By and large, schools are not going to provide an increase in support out of the goodness of their heart or their moral/equity responsibility - they are going to do it because an organization is agitating for change. Read that again, it is not the individual coaches who make change happen; if this were so, we would not need a professional organization. The NCAA recently funded hundreds of grants, approximately $15,000 to $30,000 each, to be spent on marketing and promotions for women's basketball! Do you think their coaches association had anything to do with this or was it out of the goodness of the NCAA bank account?
An outside body, with the only focus being the betterment of their constituency, is the best agent for positive change. I go into my AD's office and push for a salary equal to the basketball coach, I will be laughed at - I do it twice and I will be labeled as a problem. My professional organization does the same thing, I may well get a raise just to placate this organization because this is the smart solution for the AD.
I could easily write 10 paragraphs about the chasm in each of the 4 listed categories between College Volleyball coaches and the other three NCAA head count sports of football, men's basketball and women's basketball. Just let me say that not only are we not even in the neighborhood of our departmental peers, we are not even the same state. Nothing demonstrates the lack of respect that the AVCA has, than the fact that many Division I athletic departments will not fund the sending of the entire volleyball staff to the National Convention. Absolutely no way would the Athletic Department make the same decision with football or the basketballs - everyone on staff goes, along with the AD's!
We have so much latent power, because of our status as a head count sport and the timing of our season; yet, as a body, the college volleyball coaching community has failed. And we are paying dues to a continuously failing professional organization.
The recent rule change, that reduced the scoring cap to 25 points and virtually allows all double hits clearly illustrated the impotency of the AVCA. This rule was not supported by the mass majority of the college volleyball coaches, in all divisions, in all conferences. Individual coaches were very active in their negative responses to the initial NCAA surveys about a possible change and were even more vociferous in their reaction to the change that occurred. Yet, no where to be found was the AVCA advocating the opinion of the college volleyball coaches. So far, the only response that I have seen is a letter from the AVCA to the NCAA asking what happened?
This is especially tough to stomach because every rule change that the NCAA approves for football, basketball and women's basketball is cleared through the coaches organizations first and those organizations are generally mentioned in the NCAA press release.
To answer your first question - I don't believe we can do anything to push the AVCA because they are not interested in servicing the needs of the college coaches. I absolutely believe the only thing we can do is form a college volleyball coach specific association.
The second question - Salaries of assistant coaches. This actually ties into the failing of the AVCA. The assistant coach's salaries are all over the board, but by and large, they are not good. I know of too many name brand schools, in nationally recognized conferences that pay the first assistant coaches in the 20's and low 30's - which should be beyond embarrassing to our profession. Now, there are a number of schools, predominantly in the power conferences, but occasionally where volleyball has a following in the community or region, that can pay into the 50 to 75K range, but that is not the norm.
I have written about this before - being a college volleyball coach is a great job if you are single or if it is a second income job: Good health care, retirement, travel and a passionate endeavour.
In closing, I would like to apologize for the negativity and/or bitterness that comes through in this post. I just see how far behind we are professionally and we only have ourselves to blame for it.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Division I and III Men's College Volleyball
A question about Men's College Volleyball recruiting:
Hello, Our son is a 17yr old (jr) student-athlete, (grad 09) wanting to continue playing volleyball at the college level. we have emailed all D1,II,III colleges with numerous responses, mostly from D3's on the east coast, we live in Calif. so we feel making the right choice to move that far away is vital.
Many colleges are interested but no scholarship/financial offers. They offer "recruited walk-on (DII), come visit our campus, we need you on our team, you will play etc etc.
My question is, what is our next step? What replies are necessary, etc
Any help would be appreciated - thank you
charles
It can be very tough to be a Men's Volleyball player with aspirations of playing at the college level, when compared to Women's Volleyball players. Look at the math - 4 scholarships per fully funded NCAA Division I program and about 50 programs (I think there may be NAIA men's programs but I can't say for sure); Women's Volleyball enjoys 12 scholarships per fully funded program and about 320 programs in Division I alone. When you throw in NCAA Division II, NAIA and Junior College opportunities, you are talking about thousands of college volleyball scholarship spots for female volleyball athletes.
The competition is fierce for those few scholarship opportunities in Division I Men's Volleyball and because of the numbers, the majority of Division I players are not on substantial scholarship support. Fortunately, there is Division III Men's Volleyball, that tends to be most represented among East Coast institutions.
Per NCAA rules, Division III athletic programs cannot offer scholarship support in anyway that reflects athletic ability. All scholarships must be based on merit (academic credentials) or need. Those are the rules that are written, but I know from experience that what is written and what is reality can be two different things. Some Division III schools truly embrace the DIII philosophy that reflects the importance of academic endeavours while supporting athletics as a component of the collegiate experience. Some other institutions will provide a bit more emphasis on the role of athletics within the college environment and tend to have a broader interpretation of what qualifies a Potential Student-Athlete for merit or need based scholarships.
Back to Charles questions - First off, don't get caught up in the term "recruited walk-on"; this is a Division I term that merely notes that a coach contacted a potential walk-on PSA more that once and in a quirk of the scholarship rules, which I have written about in a previous post, puts a cap on the amount of non-athletic aid so that it cannot exceed the value of a full athletic scholarship. Since these are Division III scholarships, there is no athletic aid, thus the term just sounds nice to a PSA.
The
Since the distances are considerable, it is important to be as active in this dialogue as possible and ask as many specific questions as possible - Some questions that come to mind:
1. What is the application deadline?
2. Does your school have an early decision or commit deadline?
3. What is the criteria for admission?
4. What scholarship opportunities are available?
5. What person in admissions or financial aid should we talk to about these opportunities?
6. What support does the program receive - Team travel, lodging, food, equipment? Find out exactly what is provided - there can be huge disparities between schools.
7. Does the school have a visit program (some schools will pay for a visit to their campus if it is non-athletics related)?
Because of travel cost considerations (at least gas would get cheaper for the middle stretch of a drive to the East Coast), you should plan on making one trip that allows visits at your top three schools - the function of communication is to determine your top three schools. The coach's job is to recruit and part of recruiting is to present accurate and attractive information to PSA's, no matter what the Division.
Ask specific questions and expect specific answers - if you are getting vague or general responses, then this should be a sign that maybe this institution does not support Men's Volleyball or the coach is not experienced or passionate. If a coach is able to provide detailed answers, complete information about the process as it pertains to their school and what resources may be available - then this should make a positive impression.
Don't be concerned about the DIII label - it is just bad luck that in the USA Men's Volleyball receives precious little support. Put forth the effort to gain knowledge and that effort will be rewarded with a great opportunity for your son (and maybe with some scholarship support)
Hello, Our son is a 17yr old (jr) student-athlete, (grad 09) wanting to continue playing volleyball at the college level. we have emailed all D1,II,III colleges with numerous responses, mostly from D3's on the east coast, we live in Calif. so we feel making the right choice to move that far away is vital.
Many colleges are interested but no scholarship/financial offers. They offer "recruited walk-on (DII), come visit our campus, we need you on our team, you will play etc etc.
My question is, what is our next step? What replies are necessary, etc
Any help would be appreciated - thank you
charles
It can be very tough to be a Men's Volleyball player with aspirations of playing at the college level, when compared to Women's Volleyball players. Look at the math - 4 scholarships per fully funded NCAA Division I program and about 50 programs (I think there may be NAIA men's programs but I can't say for sure); Women's Volleyball enjoys 12 scholarships per fully funded program and about 320 programs in Division I alone. When you throw in NCAA Division II, NAIA and Junior College opportunities, you are talking about thousands of college volleyball scholarship spots for female volleyball athletes.
The competition is fierce for those few scholarship opportunities in Division I Men's Volleyball and because of the numbers, the majority of Division I players are not on substantial scholarship support. Fortunately, there is Division III Men's Volleyball, that tends to be most represented among East Coast institutions.
Per NCAA rules, Division III athletic programs cannot offer scholarship support in anyway that reflects athletic ability. All scholarships must be based on merit (academic credentials) or need. Those are the rules that are written, but I know from experience that what is written and what is reality can be two different things. Some Division III schools truly embrace the DIII philosophy that reflects the importance of academic endeavours while supporting athletics as a component of the collegiate experience. Some other institutions will provide a bit more emphasis on the role of athletics within the college environment and tend to have a broader interpretation of what qualifies a Potential Student-Athlete for merit or need based scholarships.
Back to Charles questions - First off, don't get caught up in the term "recruited walk-on"; this is a Division I term that merely notes that a coach contacted a potential walk-on PSA more that once and in a quirk of the scholarship rules, which I have written about in a previous post, puts a cap on the amount of non-athletic aid so that it cannot exceed the value of a full athletic scholarship. Since these are Division III scholarships, there is no athletic aid, thus the term just sounds nice to a PSA.
The
next stepis to establish a dialogue with the schools that are interested in your son to determine what the application process and time table is, what is the protocol for exploring financial aid (scholarships, grants or loans) and to get a feel for the personality of the program and coaching staff.
Since the distances are considerable, it is important to be as active in this dialogue as possible and ask as many specific questions as possible - Some questions that come to mind:
1. What is the application deadline?
2. Does your school have an early decision or commit deadline?
3. What is the criteria for admission?
4. What scholarship opportunities are available?
5. What person in admissions or financial aid should we talk to about these opportunities?
6. What support does the program receive - Team travel, lodging, food, equipment? Find out exactly what is provided - there can be huge disparities between schools.
7. Does the school have a visit program (some schools will pay for a visit to their campus if it is non-athletics related)?
Because of travel cost considerations (at least gas would get cheaper for the middle stretch of a drive to the East Coast), you should plan on making one trip that allows visits at your top three schools - the function of communication is to determine your top three schools. The coach's job is to recruit and part of recruiting is to present accurate and attractive information to PSA's, no matter what the Division.
Ask specific questions and expect specific answers - if you are getting vague or general responses, then this should be a sign that maybe this institution does not support Men's Volleyball or the coach is not experienced or passionate. If a coach is able to provide detailed answers, complete information about the process as it pertains to their school and what resources may be available - then this should make a positive impression.
Don't be concerned about the DIII label - it is just bad luck that in the USA Men's Volleyball receives precious little support. Put forth the effort to gain knowledge and that effort will be rewarded with a great opportunity for your son (and maybe with some scholarship support)
Friday, May 16, 2008
College Volleyball Camps and Recruiting
A good question about summer camps and recruiting:
What is your opinion on attending summer college camps for the PSA to “get seen”? My daughter is a junior in high school and is one of those 5’9” OH average skill players but has a great attitude, wants to play and is a good team leader. Not a star player but a good consistent level player. Maybe a lower level D-2 player, or a good NAIA or JC player – skill wise. Are there any that have great instruction?
Thanks, Debbie
The biggest challenge that faces Debbie's daughter is that there are so many players like Debbie's daughter - I would guess that the most numerous volleyball position is the 5'9" Outside Hitter. By the lack of a mention of a club association, it looks that high school volleyball may be the extent of her volleyball background.
If the Prospective Student Athlete had played a full season or two of club volleyball, then I would venture to say that using college volleyball camps as means to display your volleyball abilities would be a poor choice. Granted that not every college can possibly see every club volleyball player, but it is the job of college coaches to find and evaluate players.
In those situations where participating in club volleyball is not possible (sport conflicts, finances, travel distance, etc.), the using college volleyball camps as an exposure vehicle can make sense if approached logically; right location, comfortable academics, college volleyball team has openings or expressed an interest.
A few random thoughts to consider:
1. The skill instruction at college volleyball camps can run the spectrum - I have seen name brand DI camps that were a waste of money and no-name JC camps that were worth every penny; it can be hit or miss with instruction. I tend to favor smaller camps where a camper has a better opportunity to be taught by the head or assistant coach, rather than a current or former college player.
2. They can be expensive - When viewing some camp brochures that I pick up at Junior tournaments, I am amazed at some of the costs of these college volleyball camps. I understand there is the benefit of improving your technical volleyball abilities, in addition to exposure, but is can be costly proposition.
3. Consider putting together a first rate skills tape, making a lot of copies and sending these tapes to the college volleyball classifications that you mentioned in the question - I promise you that every tape you send will be watched. For the amount of money you would spend to go to one camp, you could film, edit, copy and mail out video to just about every potential school.
4. Start saving for club volleyball (if you currently don't play club - if you do, re-read the first part of my answer). Club volleyball is the best vehicle to get seen by college coaches (all classifications), develop your technical abilities (if your club coach is knowledgeable) and gain valuable competition experience. Put this money from camps into the bank and start saving for the costs of club.
5. NCAA Divisions I and III are the only classifications that do not allow for tryouts or participation with the team during a campus visit; all the other college volleyball programs use tryouts or workouts during visits to evaluate talent. If you really want to showcase your abilities, contact those schools that you believe may be a good fit for you and go try-out.
I do a number of camps each summer and I have been in a position to assist many PSA's with finding college opportunities - seldom is it with my program, but sometimes this does happen. But, that being said, I would discourage the pursuit of a college opportunity through summer camps. If you were a 6'3" OH who just has never played club and was from a small town high school, then maybe I could see the possibilities, but not with what you have described in your question.
The last thing is - Don't stop trying! There are spots available and it comes down to those PSA's that are willing to keep working for that spot - contact coaches, send out videos, offer to come for visits or workouts. Camps as a means to develop skills and broaden a PSA's horizons? Great. Camps to showcase ability? Not the best choice.
What is your opinion on attending summer college camps for the PSA to “get seen”? My daughter is a junior in high school and is one of those 5’9” OH average skill players but has a great attitude, wants to play and is a good team leader. Not a star player but a good consistent level player. Maybe a lower level D-2 player, or a good NAIA or JC player – skill wise. Are there any that have great instruction?
Thanks, Debbie
The biggest challenge that faces Debbie's daughter is that there are so many players like Debbie's daughter - I would guess that the most numerous volleyball position is the 5'9" Outside Hitter. By the lack of a mention of a club association, it looks that high school volleyball may be the extent of her volleyball background.
If the Prospective Student Athlete had played a full season or two of club volleyball, then I would venture to say that using college volleyball camps as means to display your volleyball abilities would be a poor choice. Granted that not every college can possibly see every club volleyball player, but it is the job of college coaches to find and evaluate players.
In those situations where participating in club volleyball is not possible (sport conflicts, finances, travel distance, etc.), the using college volleyball camps as an exposure vehicle can make sense if approached logically; right location, comfortable academics, college volleyball team has openings or expressed an interest.
A few random thoughts to consider:
1. The skill instruction at college volleyball camps can run the spectrum - I have seen name brand DI camps that were a waste of money and no-name JC camps that were worth every penny; it can be hit or miss with instruction. I tend to favor smaller camps where a camper has a better opportunity to be taught by the head or assistant coach, rather than a current or former college player.
2. They can be expensive - When viewing some camp brochures that I pick up at Junior tournaments, I am amazed at some of the costs of these college volleyball camps. I understand there is the benefit of improving your technical volleyball abilities, in addition to exposure, but is can be costly proposition.
3. Consider putting together a first rate skills tape, making a lot of copies and sending these tapes to the college volleyball classifications that you mentioned in the question - I promise you that every tape you send will be watched. For the amount of money you would spend to go to one camp, you could film, edit, copy and mail out video to just about every potential school.
4. Start saving for club volleyball (if you currently don't play club - if you do, re-read the first part of my answer). Club volleyball is the best vehicle to get seen by college coaches (all classifications), develop your technical abilities (if your club coach is knowledgeable) and gain valuable competition experience. Put this money from camps into the bank and start saving for the costs of club.
5. NCAA Divisions I and III are the only classifications that do not allow for tryouts or participation with the team during a campus visit; all the other college volleyball programs use tryouts or workouts during visits to evaluate talent. If you really want to showcase your abilities, contact those schools that you believe may be a good fit for you and go try-out.
I do a number of camps each summer and I have been in a position to assist many PSA's with finding college opportunities - seldom is it with my program, but sometimes this does happen. But, that being said, I would discourage the pursuit of a college opportunity through summer camps. If you were a 6'3" OH who just has never played club and was from a small town high school, then maybe I could see the possibilities, but not with what you have described in your question.
The last thing is - Don't stop trying! There are spots available and it comes down to those PSA's that are willing to keep working for that spot - contact coaches, send out videos, offer to come for visits or workouts. Camps as a means to develop skills and broaden a PSA's horizons? Great. Camps to showcase ability? Not the best choice.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Junior College Volleyball
A great question for this time of the Senior recruiting cycle:
My senior daughter had a rough year in volleyball this past season. She started about ½ of the season (the first half) and then, she was rarely played. After the season concluded, she continued playing during open gyms and, she signed up for club volleyball. Her coach approached her a month ago and told her he had been watching her and that she could play at a community college for a year or two and with that under her belt, easily move into a four year college. She’s been offered two scholarships however, those colleges don’t offer courses that will transfer to the college of choice for her four year. Our question to you … is it too late for her to find a junior/community college that is looking for an 08/09 recruit? Would we be wasting our time at this point to contact other colleges?
Thanks in advance for your response.
Curious in the Northwest
The quick answer is that, NO, it is not too late to find a Junior College. Each year, I have a number of Junior College coaches contact me to find out if I know of any available seniors. It is my impression that many programs will keep recruiting right up until the start of practice.
On the hierarchy of college volleyball recruiting, Junior Colleges are at the bottom. This means that they must wait until all the other divisions/classifications select their incoming players. What makes it doubly tough on JC's, is that they are the back-up plans for many Prospective Student Athletes. Again, I hear from JC coaches that such and such a player will come to them, only if they don't score high enough on the SAT/ACT or if they can't get into a certain 4 year school.
I strongly encourage PSA's to look at JC's because of the positives - well funded scholarships that approach full rides (if not full), competitive matches, slightly less academic pressure and the ability to play immediately. Let's not forget, that the JC avenue gets you halfway to the diploma of a 4 year school, while someone paid for the gas.
But, the clock is ticking because a number of solid PSA's are probably coming to the same conclusion - What about Junior Colleges? Don't wait any longer - quickly put together a list of potential JC's to contact (make the list longer than you think you need), look up their contact information on the web and start shooting out e-mails with PSA information ASAP.
Complete listings of Junior Colleges can be found at www.njcaa.org for the majority of the USA. California Junior Colleges play in an different organization, which can be found at www.coasports.org.
Be prepared to send out videos or have a link to a website hosted video - this late in the club season, there may not be any other tournaments for coaches to watch your daughter. Remember that Junior Colleges allow for tryouts, so don't hesitate to go to a campus to play some volleyball on a visit, if invited to a school of interest.
I think that you are making a wise choice to pursue a Junior College scholarship and I encourage you to move very quickly!
My senior daughter had a rough year in volleyball this past season. She started about ½ of the season (the first half) and then, she was rarely played. After the season concluded, she continued playing during open gyms and, she signed up for club volleyball. Her coach approached her a month ago and told her he had been watching her and that she could play at a community college for a year or two and with that under her belt, easily move into a four year college. She’s been offered two scholarships however, those colleges don’t offer courses that will transfer to the college of choice for her four year. Our question to you … is it too late for her to find a junior/community college that is looking for an 08/09 recruit? Would we be wasting our time at this point to contact other colleges?
Thanks in advance for your response.
Curious in the Northwest
The quick answer is that, NO, it is not too late to find a Junior College. Each year, I have a number of Junior College coaches contact me to find out if I know of any available seniors. It is my impression that many programs will keep recruiting right up until the start of practice.
On the hierarchy of college volleyball recruiting, Junior Colleges are at the bottom. This means that they must wait until all the other divisions/classifications select their incoming players. What makes it doubly tough on JC's, is that they are the back-up plans for many Prospective Student Athletes. Again, I hear from JC coaches that such and such a player will come to them, only if they don't score high enough on the SAT/ACT or if they can't get into a certain 4 year school.
I strongly encourage PSA's to look at JC's because of the positives - well funded scholarships that approach full rides (if not full), competitive matches, slightly less academic pressure and the ability to play immediately. Let's not forget, that the JC avenue gets you halfway to the diploma of a 4 year school, while someone paid for the gas.
But, the clock is ticking because a number of solid PSA's are probably coming to the same conclusion - What about Junior Colleges? Don't wait any longer - quickly put together a list of potential JC's to contact (make the list longer than you think you need), look up their contact information on the web and start shooting out e-mails with PSA information ASAP.
Complete listings of Junior Colleges can be found at www.njcaa.org for the majority of the USA. California Junior Colleges play in an different organization, which can be found at www.coasports.org.
Be prepared to send out videos or have a link to a website hosted video - this late in the club season, there may not be any other tournaments for coaches to watch your daughter. Remember that Junior Colleges allow for tryouts, so don't hesitate to go to a campus to play some volleyball on a visit, if invited to a school of interest.
I think that you are making a wise choice to pursue a Junior College scholarship and I encourage you to move very quickly!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Division II Volleyball Programs
A question about the top Division II Volleyball programs and how this relates to recruiting:
Hey Coach,
Could you try to let us know some of the Top Division II programs with in the three general regions - West - Central - East.
We are trying to hash out out some schools. Our daughter has some Mid to Lower level Div 1 offers and a couple of Upper Div II (at Least by Rankings) offers from the above areas. She is leaning toward Div II in So Cal and the Northwest but has a couple of Div II schools interested in her from both the central states and east Coast. Just a little advice would be nice......
Thanks, Chris
This is a good question, especially this late in the recruiting process - come late spring, many high school Seniors are having to make some tough choices. The American way, and maybe human, nature is to try and reach the highest level of anything - do you want to drive a Porsche or a Ford, do you want to live in a house or an apartment, are you going to get an A or a C in a certain class? Do you chase the title/ego of Division I or the better fit of Division II?
The scholarship pecking order seems to be Division I, Division II, NAIA (because these are 4 year schools), Junior College and then Division III (I don't agree with DIII being last in line because even though they don't offer athletic scholarships, academic scholarships are readily available and the DIII philosophy keeps volleyball from overwhelming a student's college experience).
I strongly encourage players and families to look at the whole package - too often I have seen PSA's choose a school simply because it was Division I while not looking at academics, location, staff abilities or personality. Many times in these situations, the player ends up transferring or just stopping volleyball. As I have written about already, too many Division I programs trade on the title Division I while not providing the support incumbent to a Division I level athletics program.
When Head Coaches are making less than a fast food restaurant manager, being asked to fund raise budget money for basic program needs and have to play the political games of a Division I athletics department, this is the recipe for a short term head coach who can quickly lose the passion for the sport they love. Many, many Division II volleyball coaches are in a better financial and emotional situation than their DI counterparts - they make as much or more, don't have to travel nationally to play and recruit, don't have to deal with the massive amount of politics that are a residual of DI basketball and football, and they have more free time. By and large, this leads to a higher job satisfaction and long term coaching tenures.
The same thing can be said of Division III and NAIA coaches, and possibly Junior College coaches (I just don't know enough coaches to generate a solid opinion). Of course, each classification will have turn over and change, but my perception is that non-Division I coaches are a bit happier overall. I feel this is important because if the Head Coach is happy and satisfied, this will usually translate into a better experience for their players.
Back to the Question - The top Division II programs in each region can be be found by looking at the NCAA website and linking to Division II Volleyball Regional rankings. Division II Volleyball (and other DII sports) is a bit more logical than Division I - they do everything truly by region. In Division I, the top 3 conferences will put in 6 to 7 teams each to the NCAA Championship - selection is driven by conference not region ranking. In Division II, regional ranking determines your selection to the NCAA Division II Championship. This is why researching the regional rankings and cross referencing it to the Top 25 DII ranking is important. For example, one region that is very weak will put in 8 teams, while another region that is very strong will put in 8 teams and per the format of Division II Volleyball, the opening rounds of the National Championship tournament are just a Regional Championship - only one team will come out of the region to play another team outside of the region. There is no regional cross over or mixing of the geographical regions like in Division I.
In Division II Volleyball the mid-west regional teams really don't care a bit about the southeast regional teams. In DI we always hear about such and such a conference expressing their belief they should have more teams in the NCAA Tournament than another conference located across the country.
Division II is regionally focused - period. Because of this, a PSA must just look at that school (academic quality) and how that program does within its region (don't worry about nationally). If it is consistently ranked in the top 3 in the region year in and year out, then that is a top team. Don't look at conference, because even though the conference gets one automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, if the team has a poor regional ranking, they will get beat quickly in the NCAA Tournament.
Division II institutions tend to have a bit more academic focus than Division I. They don't travel as much, they only are supposed to play in-region or a border region (if located near another region), the National Championship is just a regional tournament until the top 8 (eight regions each send one team to the real championship tournament) and the season is not as long as Division I. This means that the players can actually have an existence outside of their sport. Division III is the best classification if a PSA wants to play volleyball but not have volleyball be the main reason for going to a certain college. When all is said and done in my career, I can see finishing out as a Division III coach.
For Chris and his daughter, my advice is simple - look at the academic quality of the school and if they have the major you want, look at the location (close or far from home - what is important to your daughter?), and then look at how well the program consistently does within its region. Don't over think the situation, just keep an open mind, look objectively at each school and go with what feels right to your daughter.
If it feels right, it usually is right.
Hey Coach,
Could you try to let us know some of the Top Division II programs with in the three general regions - West - Central - East.
We are trying to hash out out some schools. Our daughter has some Mid to Lower level Div 1 offers and a couple of Upper Div II (at Least by Rankings) offers from the above areas. She is leaning toward Div II in So Cal and the Northwest but has a couple of Div II schools interested in her from both the central states and east Coast. Just a little advice would be nice......
Thanks, Chris
This is a good question, especially this late in the recruiting process - come late spring, many high school Seniors are having to make some tough choices. The American way, and maybe human, nature is to try and reach the highest level of anything - do you want to drive a Porsche or a Ford, do you want to live in a house or an apartment, are you going to get an A or a C in a certain class? Do you chase the title/ego of Division I or the better fit of Division II?
The scholarship pecking order seems to be Division I, Division II, NAIA (because these are 4 year schools), Junior College and then Division III (I don't agree with DIII being last in line because even though they don't offer athletic scholarships, academic scholarships are readily available and the DIII philosophy keeps volleyball from overwhelming a student's college experience).
I strongly encourage players and families to look at the whole package - too often I have seen PSA's choose a school simply because it was Division I while not looking at academics, location, staff abilities or personality. Many times in these situations, the player ends up transferring or just stopping volleyball. As I have written about already, too many Division I programs trade on the title Division I while not providing the support incumbent to a Division I level athletics program.
When Head Coaches are making less than a fast food restaurant manager, being asked to fund raise budget money for basic program needs and have to play the political games of a Division I athletics department, this is the recipe for a short term head coach who can quickly lose the passion for the sport they love. Many, many Division II volleyball coaches are in a better financial and emotional situation than their DI counterparts - they make as much or more, don't have to travel nationally to play and recruit, don't have to deal with the massive amount of politics that are a residual of DI basketball and football, and they have more free time. By and large, this leads to a higher job satisfaction and long term coaching tenures.
The same thing can be said of Division III and NAIA coaches, and possibly Junior College coaches (I just don't know enough coaches to generate a solid opinion). Of course, each classification will have turn over and change, but my perception is that non-Division I coaches are a bit happier overall. I feel this is important because if the Head Coach is happy and satisfied, this will usually translate into a better experience for their players.
Back to the Question - The top Division II programs in each region can be be found by looking at the NCAA website and linking to Division II Volleyball Regional rankings. Division II Volleyball (and other DII sports) is a bit more logical than Division I - they do everything truly by region. In Division I, the top 3 conferences will put in 6 to 7 teams each to the NCAA Championship - selection is driven by conference not region ranking. In Division II, regional ranking determines your selection to the NCAA Division II Championship. This is why researching the regional rankings and cross referencing it to the Top 25 DII ranking is important. For example, one region that is very weak will put in 8 teams, while another region that is very strong will put in 8 teams and per the format of Division II Volleyball, the opening rounds of the National Championship tournament are just a Regional Championship - only one team will come out of the region to play another team outside of the region. There is no regional cross over or mixing of the geographical regions like in Division I.
In Division II Volleyball the mid-west regional teams really don't care a bit about the southeast regional teams. In DI we always hear about such and such a conference expressing their belief they should have more teams in the NCAA Tournament than another conference located across the country.
Division II is regionally focused - period. Because of this, a PSA must just look at that school (academic quality) and how that program does within its region (don't worry about nationally). If it is consistently ranked in the top 3 in the region year in and year out, then that is a top team. Don't look at conference, because even though the conference gets one automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, if the team has a poor regional ranking, they will get beat quickly in the NCAA Tournament.
Division II institutions tend to have a bit more academic focus than Division I. They don't travel as much, they only are supposed to play in-region or a border region (if located near another region), the National Championship is just a regional tournament until the top 8 (eight regions each send one team to the real championship tournament) and the season is not as long as Division I. This means that the players can actually have an existence outside of their sport. Division III is the best classification if a PSA wants to play volleyball but not have volleyball be the main reason for going to a certain college. When all is said and done in my career, I can see finishing out as a Division III coach.
For Chris and his daughter, my advice is simple - look at the academic quality of the school and if they have the major you want, look at the location (close or far from home - what is important to your daughter?), and then look at how well the program consistently does within its region. Don't over think the situation, just keep an open mind, look objectively at each school and go with what feels right to your daughter.
If it feels right, it usually is right.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
College Volleyball Camps and Recruiting
First of all, let me apologize for not posting any information or answers to questions recently - I have transitioned to a new school and have just been way too busy! Now that things are a bit more under control and we are in the DI Recruiting Quiet Period, I will be able to provide some current information.
One of our readers has asked a very good question about College Volleyball Camps and Recruiting:
I am a junior and have already done a lot of the things you suggest. I play club ball on a national team, have attended showcases and 2 camps between my sophomore/junior year. I have my skills tape on the Internet and have contacted coaches with a link to it. I have been in contact by email with several coaches as a result of all of this. I have also sent out a game tape to all of them. Many of them have suggested I can play at the college level and that if I visit their school be sure to stop in and see them, or call them if I have questions. Mainly DIV III, but a couple DIV II. I did this with one of them. I have also received emails and mailings with camp information from 5 schools. Some of them have personal notes inviting me to the camp and one suggested coming early and spending the night with players. My question is how do I know if the camp info is from a school that is thinking about recruiting me or just sending info that they are having a camp? I think that the school that suggested spending time with players might be interested. There is a DIV I school that sent me an email with the camp info. There wasn't anything personal, just a line at the end saying contact the assistant coach if I had questions about the camp. They contacted me once before, after a showcase with a recruiting questionnaire, again - nothing personal to me. If that school was interested, I'd probably go to that camp for sure. Do I just call and ask, and what do I say? - Heather
First of all, Heather has done a nice job of being proactive in the recruiting process - there are so many talented high school volleyball players that have the ability to play at the college level, that many times (and all college coaches are guilty of this) the college coaches can just lose track or not find out about many players.
Summer Volleyball Camps hosted by colleges have become a significant recruiting tool during the Sophomore and Junior years of high school. By and large, it is an Unofficial Visit by the player, yet the camp also allows the college coach(s) to train the Prospective Student Athlete because it is a skill instructional camp. College programs that are proactive in the recruiting process have become very aggressive about using their summer camps as a means of evaluating and recruiting the PSA's that they believe will help the program.
As Heather talks about, how do you separate those programs that are recruiting with those that are just running the camp. A simple step would be to cross-reference the list of schools that Heather has contacted and received a response from, with those schools that have sent her camp information. If the only correspondence or response from a college program has just been for camp, then I would venture to say that this program is not interested in her as a potential member of the team.
If a school has been interactive in the recruiting process before the camp season and then suggests attending the camp as a means to get to know the program better, then this may be a good opportunity. Just an e-mail or camp letter is nothing more than business - don't be afraid to go to such a camp if you are academically interested in the school and feel you could showcase your talents; this has happened at many, many schools with players that received an opportunity because of their efforts.
With this being later in the Spring and later in the Club season, if the majority of the contact that you have received has been from non-Division I schools, then I would say that your level of ability would be Division II or III. While DI programs can't be everywhere at all times with Juniors tournaments, they have the resources to send out information or introductory letters to anyone they feel is or could become a Division I volleyball player. That is not to say that a Division I opportunity may not present itself very late in the process (just look at all the late DI commitments this year for Seniors), but statistically you may find a better volleyball fit with the non DI schools.
If you can afford to attend 3 camps this summer, then this is what I would suggest based on your questions: Go to the camps of the two schools (whatever division) that have been the most interactive with you thus far in the recruiting process and that you are the most interested in - this would allow you to compare and contrast your top two interactive schools. Take the third camp opportunity and shoot high with the one Division I camp that you expressed a strong interest in - who knows what will become of it, but at least you can practice volleyball!
The most important part of the recruiting process is effective communication - not only by the PSA, but also understanding what is being said or not being said by the college programs. If you are confused or have a question, then call or e-mail the college coach - all the numbers and e-mails can be found at the college websites. If there is no response or the answer is evasive, then you have your answer.
Good luck and you are doing a great job!
One of our readers has asked a very good question about College Volleyball Camps and Recruiting:
I am a junior and have already done a lot of the things you suggest. I play club ball on a national team, have attended showcases and 2 camps between my sophomore/junior year. I have my skills tape on the Internet and have contacted coaches with a link to it. I have been in contact by email with several coaches as a result of all of this. I have also sent out a game tape to all of them. Many of them have suggested I can play at the college level and that if I visit their school be sure to stop in and see them, or call them if I have questions. Mainly DIV III, but a couple DIV II. I did this with one of them. I have also received emails and mailings with camp information from 5 schools. Some of them have personal notes inviting me to the camp and one suggested coming early and spending the night with players. My question is how do I know if the camp info is from a school that is thinking about recruiting me or just sending info that they are having a camp? I think that the school that suggested spending time with players might be interested. There is a DIV I school that sent me an email with the camp info. There wasn't anything personal, just a line at the end saying contact the assistant coach if I had questions about the camp. They contacted me once before, after a showcase with a recruiting questionnaire, again - nothing personal to me. If that school was interested, I'd probably go to that camp for sure. Do I just call and ask, and what do I say? - Heather
First of all, Heather has done a nice job of being proactive in the recruiting process - there are so many talented high school volleyball players that have the ability to play at the college level, that many times (and all college coaches are guilty of this) the college coaches can just lose track or not find out about many players.
Summer Volleyball Camps hosted by colleges have become a significant recruiting tool during the Sophomore and Junior years of high school. By and large, it is an Unofficial Visit by the player, yet the camp also allows the college coach(s) to train the Prospective Student Athlete because it is a skill instructional camp. College programs that are proactive in the recruiting process have become very aggressive about using their summer camps as a means of evaluating and recruiting the PSA's that they believe will help the program.
As Heather talks about, how do you separate those programs that are recruiting with those that are just running the camp. A simple step would be to cross-reference the list of schools that Heather has contacted and received a response from, with those schools that have sent her camp information. If the only correspondence or response from a college program has just been for camp, then I would venture to say that this program is not interested in her as a potential member of the team.
If a school has been interactive in the recruiting process before the camp season and then suggests attending the camp as a means to get to know the program better, then this may be a good opportunity. Just an e-mail or camp letter is nothing more than business - don't be afraid to go to such a camp if you are academically interested in the school and feel you could showcase your talents; this has happened at many, many schools with players that received an opportunity because of their efforts.
With this being later in the Spring and later in the Club season, if the majority of the contact that you have received has been from non-Division I schools, then I would say that your level of ability would be Division II or III. While DI programs can't be everywhere at all times with Juniors tournaments, they have the resources to send out information or introductory letters to anyone they feel is or could become a Division I volleyball player. That is not to say that a Division I opportunity may not present itself very late in the process (just look at all the late DI commitments this year for Seniors), but statistically you may find a better volleyball fit with the non DI schools.
If you can afford to attend 3 camps this summer, then this is what I would suggest based on your questions: Go to the camps of the two schools (whatever division) that have been the most interactive with you thus far in the recruiting process and that you are the most interested in - this would allow you to compare and contrast your top two interactive schools. Take the third camp opportunity and shoot high with the one Division I camp that you expressed a strong interest in - who knows what will become of it, but at least you can practice volleyball!
The most important part of the recruiting process is effective communication - not only by the PSA, but also understanding what is being said or not being said by the college programs. If you are confused or have a question, then call or e-mail the college coach - all the numbers and e-mails can be found at the college websites. If there is no response or the answer is evasive, then you have your answer.
Good luck and you are doing a great job!
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