HOW TO CREATE A COLLEGE ATHLETE-2ND EDITION (eBook)

Chapter 1-HIGH SCHOOL

This is tricky, as in some points of parent reference the belief is that the high school varsity level is the end all be all for a student athlete to measure success. Parents and kids want to try to get there as fast as possible and at all costs. Parents and kids think that if they are not performing at a high level in high school their window of opportunity is over. They put all their dreams of playing division 1 sports is no longer possible if they don’t do well in high school. The emphasis is mostly on playing at a high level and not learning or competing at the high school level to win games or develop players unless the player is at a top program. My suggestion is to make sure your child is competing at a top high school for the sport they are playing. In 2020-21 we encouraged my son Kareem to transfer to Iowa city west high school because the boy’s program was better than our home area school. Their coach Bergman has over 7 state championships and we felt it was best for him to go across town and play for him rather than stay at home with his friends and play for a boy’s program with no recent success. Parents must sometimes make that hard choice to transfer to the better school, very much like we have them play for the better AAU team.

Parents, agents, coaches, and others at this level are often blinded by the illusions of trying to get to the next level without fully understanding the idea of high school sports. The terms, levels, and definitions are important for any kid who PLAYS at the high school level to know and learn.

Below are some terms and phrases often used in high school and in rare times used in the junior high seasons. At those levels, the player is showing signs and reasons of why they think they are deemed a college athlete. Often at live viewing events college coaches are showing up to games, tournaments, and practices using common language and terms. Parents, coaches, and kids who understand the path to the next level must speak the proper language.

My hope with this chapter is to educate the parents, family members, and student athletes on what the terms are and how they may relate to your child. Knowing is half the battle, but in today’s world the full battle is using the info for your child or client needs to excel.

PREP SCHOOL- I AM ADDING THIS PART NOW AS THIS IS NOW BECOMING A POPULAR TREND. IN FACT, MY SON IN HIS 8TH GRADE SEASON WAS RECRUITED BY MULTIPLE PREP SCHOOLS. MANY PARENTS ARE SCARED AND DO NOT KNOW WHAT PREP SCHOOL IS. PREP SCHOOLS ARE COLLEGE PREPARTORY SCHOOLS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE. THEY HELP STUDENTS PASS THE ACT/SAT AND BOOST THEIR GPA. MOST ARE NOT ATHLETICALLY INCLINED BUT NOW THAT HAS CHANGED. IN FACT, OF THE TOP 25 SCHOOLS RANKED IN 2021, MOST ARE PREP SCHOOLS. THEY ARE IN FACT MINI COLLEGES WITH THEIR FACILITIES, SCHEDULES, AND COACHING. IT’S THE BEST FOR MANY ATHLETES AND WELL WORTH IT IF A FAMILY WANTS TO SEND THEIR CHILD AWAY. THE ATHELETES OFTEN LIVE LIKE COLLEGE PLAYERS IN DORMS AND HAVE A SET SCHEDULE OF WEIGHTS, PRACTICE, GAMES AND SCHOOL. AGAIN, NOT FOR EVERYONE BUT SOMETHING TO LOOK AT. MOST OF THE TOP RECRUITS IN THE NATION IN MANY SPORTS COME FROM PREP SCHOOLS. THE COST IS OFTEN WAIVED AND SCHOLARSHIPPED TO THE FAMILIES OIF THEY ARE TOP TALENT.

High School Aged Athletes-Terms to Know -159

1-Recruitable athlete -An athlete who is of age to be recruited by a D1 college, normally 8th grade

2-Student athlete-An athlete who will play a sport and study at any institution.

3-Non-recruitable athlete-an athlete who is younger than 7th grade and cannot receive any college contact by a D1 school.

4-Qualifier -An athlete who will qualify to accept a full scholarship for a D1 school.

5-Partial qualifier-A student who partially qualifies to accept a scholarship to any D1 or D2 school.

6-Illegal benefits/under the table -Items and or services that players and/or their family take from agents, boosters, runners, etc. It will lead to the player not playing or games forfeited.  

7-Non-permissible benefits-A violation from the NCAA that says player took something illegal. Same as above

8-Test score -The score for the college entrance exams such as the ACT and SAT by a student athlete.

9-GPA-Grade point average of the student athlete in high /prep school or college.

10-Core Classes- The classes that only count for college credit, such as English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language etc. 

11-Non-core classes-classes that are electives and do not count towards college credit for high school athletes.

12-Prep School- A school a player attends after a player graduates high school. 

13-Full scholarship -when a college or university pays the pays the tuition, room, board, and books for a student athlete

14-Partial scholarship-when a school gives only a partial amount to the student athlete, maybe 1 or 2 of the above items or a percentage such as 75%, 50%, or 25%

15-D-2- A term that is used for a school that is not D-1 and does not play on a national scale.  They still give out full or partial scholarships

16-D-3-A term used for smaller colleges that do not give out scholarships.  The emphasis is on academics and the level of play is often not very high as athletic scholarships only aid is given.

17-J.U.C.O.-A term used for junior and/or community two-year colleges.  Coaches often give out full and or partial scholarships.  Players often transfer to bigger universities or colleges after THEIR J.U.C.O. 2-year season. 

18-N.A.I.A.-similar to D-3, and often mistaken for D-3. But still competes in many sports and does give out full scholarships not only partial financial aid.

19-Agent- A representative who represents the player or coach with colleges, shoe companies, and or the athletic teams.

20-Runner- The middleman or go between to help the agent secure the player to sign with the agent.

21-A.A.U.- A term used to detail the highest level of play at the high school level where players showcase their talents that stands for amateur athletic union.

22-Travel Team- A term used when players play organized ball outside of school ball and rec ball.

23-G- League-The league that used to be the D league, now taking over from Gatorade to be renamed.  A feeder league to NBA teams often owned by the NBA teams as a farm system.

24-Overseas-A high school player may go overseas to skip a year of college to be eligible for the NBA draft after 1 year removed from their high school graduation year.

25-ACT/SAT-The standardized college entrance tests for incoming Freshmen used mostly at any college.

26-Adviser-A term for a family friend and or attorney who is advising the player on sports issues.

27-Family advisor- Same as above but also is advising the players family as well.

28-Partial qualifier- When a high school graduate has passed a few but not all the requirements to accept a full or partial scholarship

29-Letter of intent-when a D-1, player signs a form saying they will attend that specific college.

30-Scholarship tender-When a player arrives on campus in the fall or before and signs a form to accept a full or partial scholarship only at that school.

31-Official visit- A campus visit where a player may only use or go on 15 visits paid by the school regarding; travel, food, and entertainment for the player and their parents.

32-Unofficial visit- A player may visit a school or college as many times as they want to and not get any travel, food, entertainment, or lodging paid for them or their parents.

33-Letter- A standard form letter that recruits often get in the mail from a school wanting them to attend that college.

34 Questionnaire- A standardized short form that schools send to recruits to gauge their interest in the school and create a profile on the athlete either online or by mail.

35-Offer-When a university offers an athlete a full or partial scholarship to attend their school.

36-Pending/contingent offer-When a school offers a scholarship to a player, but it is contingent on a certain time frame to accept the offer or on another player they offered 1st.

37-Walk on-When a player is not offered a scholarship but encouraged to tryout to make the team.

38-Preferred walk on-When a school invites a player to walk on with the hopes a scholarship will be earned or opened later for that player.

40-1 and done rule- A rule that allows and or mandates high school players to attend 1 year of college before they declare for the draft, most likely will be cut out by 2023.

42-Travel team-The level of ball below AAU that kids play that might feed into their area and or school system that allows the kids to play for free or low cost.

43-School Ball-Known as junior high and or high school, or travel teams.

44-Trainer-A person hired by the family, agent, coach, etc. to help the player improve their skills individually.

45-Speed and agility/plyometrics program-A specific type of training that works on the players speed, quickness, agility, explosion, and power etc., but not specific skills sets of their sport.

46-Weight program-A program that helps the player gain muscle, power and weight.

47-Tutor-A person that helps...