Question from a Reader - Early versus Late Sign

A good question from one of our readers:


Hello Coach:
Can you please provide some insight on how the late signing period and admissions work out? My concern for our volleyball playing daughter is that she probably won't be part of the early signing period (November?). We are hoping some offers may come here direction after the early senior showcases in January/February for her to consider commitments. How late in the admissions cycle can late-recruited players (academically qualified of course) gain entrance into a Fall 2009 program if they didn't apply the previous Fall?
Mark

A good question that many of us in the college volleyball world really don't worry about. The bottom line is that early or late signing has no influence on the application process. The only division that I have experience with a late commitment influencing the admission process is Division III, but I don't believe they use the signing period within their governance.

The terms Early and Late do not really pertain to the admission process. I believe it was originally an opportunity for the signee and the future college to have some piece of mind, knowing that there is a contractual agreement between both parties. In reality, you don't have to actually sign a National Letter of Intent to go to a Division I or Division II school on financial support, you just need to sign the financial support letter.

Athletics in the university or college realm enjoys the benefits of working outside the advertised policies. A school may publicize that their maximum freshman enrollment has been reached, but this does not apply to athletics. If a coach wishes to sign an athlete, in any sport, than admission will be granted. The only exception would be if the Potential Student Athlete was an academic high risk - then there may be some discussions with the admission office.


Honestly, this is something that you should not even worry about and my feeling is that the current trend in Division I recruiting is to slow down a bit. I think that too many Division I programs had made poor choices by allowing themselves to be 'rushed' in the selection process by the early signing period and even more so by the current early commitment behavior.

Yes, there will be a bunch of early commitments and there will be a large number of signees in the Early Signing Period, but there will also be many, many spots available come the Late Signing Period.

I caution you and your daughter to not become caught in the Division I propaganda trap - by this I mean to not get hooked on a Division I school just because they are Division I. Experience has taught me that there are numerous Division II programs that enjoy comparable staff and program resources, are located in wonderful areas of the country and exhibit excellent academic ratings, but just are not "Division I".

The bottom line is that if your daughter is talented and has a good attitude, and if you folks keep an open mind to all collegiate comers, everything will work out fine - It usually does within that recipe!

Basic Volleyball

It is now the camp season in college volleyball - a slight lull between the recruiting season and the fall season. During this summer session of volleyball, I get the chance to work with high school and junior high age volleyball players.

As a sports fan, one of the criticisms that I have heard about college men's basketball is the departure from the basic skill of basketball. College coaches and broadcasters express their frustrations about so many high school age players not having a grasp of the basic skill sets - Yes, these players can fly through the air and slam dunk the ball, but they may not be able to execute a jump stop and pass.

This observation can be applied for too many high school volleyball players - we have focused too much on hitting and have lost some of the basic skills in volleyball. I really can't blame the athletes as they are just the product of the coaching. At the high school level, it even goes deeper than being a product of the coaching, but rather a product of the hiring. Too many high school athletic departments, in regions of the country where volleyball is not part of the athletic fabric of the community, are just looking to hire someone to coach volleyball - High school athletic departments are not looking to hire volleyball coaches. I hear horror stories from campers and players about how their high school coach has no idea about volleyball and was told weeks before the season that, "Congratulations, you the new volleyball coach".

Again I ask, as in other posts, would parent's of football or basketball players allow a high school athletic department to hire a coach who has zero experience playing or coaching the sport? No - but we allow it to happen in our sport.

But, back to my post title - Basic Volleyball. I absolutely believe that players will enjoy playing volleyball more and produce better post high school volleyball opportunities by focusing on the basics of volleyball.

The basics:

1. Passing/Serve Receive - Whether it is the National Team or Northside Junior High, if you can't pass, nothing else matters as a team. As a player, if you can pass, there will always be a spot for you on the team.

2. Serving - With the change over to rally score (a dark day in volleyball), serving is critical. Not only serving the ball over the net, but having the correct technique to serve the ball over the net in pressure situations and to serve specific zones when needed.

3. Setting - I almost think the change in the setting rules is a reaction by the referee's association to not have to call all the bad sets in volleyball. I am amazed by how many players cannot set a volleyball cleanly or to a hitter.

4. Defense - Rally score volleyball is a game of who can make the least amount of mistakes, versus who can make the most amount of good plays. When players are not able to dig and roll, cannot control the speed or direction of an attack and are not able to move away from the starting position or read an attack, this is not good.

5. Blocking - Remember that this is the first line of defense. If the block has no idea what it should be doing, then the back row is just winging it.

6. Hitting - Even though this seems to be what everyone wants to do, it is really not being done correctly. Too many players are 'goofy-foot' or have backwards footwork, too many players do not broad jump when they attack, too many players have a very poor arm swing.

When high school and junior high players go off to camp, please focus upon the basics. If you are struggling with your passing skills, then learn how to pass correctly. If your serve is unpredictable, then focus on making that better. You cannot control who the athletic department may hire, but since you are paying for a volleyball camp, you can determine what you are going to achieve within this camp.

If a player can pass, can set, can serve and play defense, then there will always be a spot on the volleyball court for them - high school or college. Kids that can hit the ball hard are everywhere. Kids that are volleyball players are rare. There are plenty of athletes that play volleyball, but a diminishing few that are volleyball players.

For instance, I can play golf, but I am no means a golfer.

In a broader sense, I can surmise that this is why there may be such an influx in international players into college volleyball, along with college basketball. These international kids have learned or have been taught within a system that espouses the basics of the sport. In my experience, by and large, the average international player is more complete than the average American player. Why do you think so many college programs have international players on the roster? It is because they are better.

I believe that if you sent out a survey, asking college coaches that if they had a choice between two exact skill ability players and one was American and one was an International, who would they choose; I absolutely believe the American kid would be overwhelmingly picked. But the reality is that the international players are more complete.

In sports like tennis and golf, the same argument is made but is magnified by the sheer absence of women's basketball, women's golf, cheerleading, softball, etc., in Europe and South America which has created larger numbers of players for tennis and golf. I think this is why you see college rosters that are almost all international.

Volleyball is a tough game to coach. Coaches must be committed and knowledgeable. I have coached a few sports (not at the college level) and volleyball demands much more focus in practice. Too many inexperienced or lazy coaches just scrimmage all the time; scrimmaging is fun, it is easy and the players like it, but scrimmaging does not teach technique or target specific areas that can be improved.

For those parents and players that may read this post, please learn the basic game of volleyball. Focus on learning how to play the sport, focus on how to execute each skill, focus on being a volleyball player, not someone who plays volleyball.

Volleyball Home Visits - What to do.

Since we have passed July 1st on the calendar, NCAA rules allow for college coaches to meet with Prospective Student-Athletes off campus. This is commonly referred to as a 'home visit', even though the visit can occur at a high school, club volleyball facility, etc.


While many folks correctly feel that a Home Visit is the in-person effort of a college coach to 'sell' their college volleyball program to the PSA and family, it is also an opportunity for a coach to get a better feel for the personality of a PSA. Experienced coaches have learned that attitude can compliment or decimate physical talent.

Home Visits have been devalued in recent years because of the communication advances in the Internet age and ability of PSA's to take Unofficial Visits to a few campuses during their Junior year of High School. While a Home Visit may occur with a PSA who has already committed, it is more of a courtesy visit.

Outside of the top tier of the current recruiting class, a number of PSA's will experience a Home Visit and should be prepared. A few suggestions to make the most of a Home Visit:

1. Be prepared by having a list of questions and write this list down. Make sure that parent questions are on the list, whether they are asked by the PSA or parents. It may seem uncool or silly to have a written list of questions, but it is viewed by the college coach as being prepared and sincerely interested in his or her college. Some questions that should/could be asked:

- If a scholarship has not been offered, where exactly does the PSA stand on list of recruits?
- If a scholarship has been offered, does this scholarship extend for 4 years, 4 years and a certain number of summer sessions, 5 years or 5 years and a certain number of summer sessions? This is very important because each major has a different number of classes to complete for graduation - If the PSA has a cumbersome major and the school only funds 4 years of a scholarship, the family could be stuck with a 5 year academic bill from the school.
- What are the housing and eating options for freshman year and beyond? These can vary dramatically between schools.
- What specific academic support is available? Some athletic departments carry all of their academic support 'in-house' while others offer support only through the academic departments.
- What happens if the PSA gets hurt while playing? What is the protocol for treating injuries? What happens if the PSA gets hurt between a verbal commitment and signing the National Letter of Intent? Tough questions but ones that must be asked.

2. Expect the coach to bring academic brochures, current and/or past media guides, department athletic information, a highlight video and school academic information video. If this is not the case, then ask.

3. Don't worry about feeding the coach. An offer of some water/ice tea/soft drinks is a nice gesture. Remember that the coach will have a recruiting budget and this a nice excuse to go out and have a very good meal at a great restaurant in town.

4. If asked, be specific about where you stand in the recruiting process. Let the coach know where their school stands on your list, your time frame for making a decision and your preferences when evaluating programs/schools.

5. If you are interested in the program, ask about making arrangements for an unofficial or official visit so you can see the campus (if you have not already).

On the flip side of this list of recommendations, a few Home Visit killers that I have seen or heard about:

1. Falling asleep while the college coach is talking.
2. Answering your cell phone or taking calls.
3. The coach answering his/her cell phone or taking calls.
4. Not talking or having your parents do all the talking.
5. Yawning endlessly.
6. Having an overly excited pet trying to get to know the coach.
7. Leaving the conversation to go outside and play with friends.
8. Being abrasive or dismissive towards your parents.

While the coach is going to being doing their best to answer your questions and to 'sell' you on their school, they are also looking to see what type of a person you are. Are you respectful towards your folks/family? Do you ask good questions or just hang out? Are you paying attention or zoning out?

I will be the first to say that most of my home visits have not resulted in a PSA eventually committing to my school, which is understandable because of reaching beyond the volleyball reputation of my program. But, I will also relate that I have eliminated many good players after a home visit because I would not want them within my program after seeing what I saw on my visit.

Good luck and if you are a Junior or older, please don't hesitate to shoot me a question.

USA Volleyball Junior Nationals in Dallas

Thought I would give you the coach's perspective of a Nationals tournament. To keep it rather quick (because I should really get some breakfast before to the gym), here are some observations:

* Last time I was at a Nationals in Dallas the gym was beyond cold - Only because of Texas air conditioning could it snow in Dallas in July! This time, the AC is set at a normal temperature.

* Not too impressed with the layout of the space. While it is an interesting feature to have the tournament on two tiers, the upper section is tight with the spacing of the courts. Yesterday had the final day of 17's pool and the first day of 15's pool, and getting around was very slow. Today has the start of the 16's pool and I think I may need to break out my jet-pack to get from court to court.

* Not only is maneuvering between courts tough, but the crowds are literally spilling into the courts while the players are competing. You see athletes trying to serve or chase a ball having to dodge parents and coaches to touch a ball.

* Only one 'feature' or grandstand court. I believe I remember in year's past, there would be a big grandstand court and then a couple of other courts with bleachers around them. Again, not too impressed with the lay-out.

* Parking was interesting - I was hoping there would be some lot that took plastic. I drove all around the convention center the first day, but no luck. The good news is that on the south east side of the CC, I actually found a lot where parking was .75 cents!!! On an equal walking distance on the northwest side of the CC, the lots were $8.00!!

* In coming up to the venue, I did not see any signs advertising the National Championship or welcoming the players/families to the tournament. I know it is a small thing, but it was always nice to see some signs promoting the event - I may have missed them based on my routing.

* Today I will venture out into the downtown to find lunch, the CC options were not too great. In my parking endeavour, I only saw a McDonald's but there must be other restaurant options since it is downtown with all the Federal buildings. I did see a herd of cows - very impressive sculptures!

* There should be a barrier keeping college coaches away from the 15's courts. Really - why are we scouting 15 year olds? They are freshman in high school.

* The 3 out of 5 format for the Open pools is a nice feature for scouting - it allows for bouncing between courts without fear of missing a team. Of course, it means a reduction in total matches per day, but I like it from a scouting perspective.

* I don't know if it is because of the JDVA (or JVDA) development but this Nationals does not seem to have the "buzz" of Nationals past. There always tended to be a certain energy with this last big tournament and the bringing together of so many good teams. Even with the VolleyFest keeping some of the better west coast teams away, Junior Nationals had an energy that is missing this year.

The June and July calender could get very busy for college coaches in the future. It used to be that Nationals allowed a catch all of the top teams/players, but things may be changing. In my quick view, Nationals has been devalued and now we could well be looking at attending AAU's, the Volleyball Festival, the JDVA (or JVDA) Championships and Nationals to evaluate teams.

For some college programs this is possible, but for many the budget is just not there to spend a majority of the recruiting money in a 4 week time period.