Now that High School Varsity and Junior Varsity teams are winding their way through the playoffs, this is the time to start getting your letters out to college coaches to invite them to see you at your upcoming November and December showcase events : CASL/Raleigh, National Elite, MAPS/December Winter Showcase, Massapequa, Disney, Orange, Cocoa Beach, and others.

How late do most college coaches keep looking for players? I know there are walk-on opportunities but what is realistic for getting any scholarship money for HS seniors? Should a GU18 team keep going to Showcases in Spring of senior year?

Hi. It's been years since I've posted. I have a Senior who is already committed for college but I thought I'd add my two cents re: recruiting videos from a different perspective.

Some background: I am a professional filmmaker and photographer who played college soccer, coached WYSL D1 level teams as well as running our local soccer club. I've been shooting some recruiting videos for students wishing to showcase their talents for college coaches in Westchester, LI and NYC.

Sometimes parents come to me with footage they've shot and ask me to edit it into a highlight reel. Here is some professional advice: college coaches need to see your son or daughter in a game-like setting that will closely resemble the level of play they expect to see at the college level. So choose a game vs. an opponent where BOTH teams look as good as possible. No one is impressed by players dribbling around soft opponents. Second: make sure you shoot on a tripod and try to shoot this way - stay wide on the field until your child receives the ball (his/her movement off the ball is important - do they move to space?), when they receive the ball, try to zoom in a bit so coaches can see a bit of their ball control, 1 v 1, awareness etc.. When they pass or shoot, try to widen out again to show the outcome - was the pass to open space, on goal, on target? Don't do this all the time, certainly not in a one-touch environment - try to anticipate the play. If your child is in open space, they'll probably receive the ball and carry it for a bit - that's an opportunity to zoom in. If they're in traffic, stay static with the zooming no need to yoyo.

If you're going to edit the tape, and of course you need to, don't even try to edit in the camera by starting and stopping right at the action points, you may want to follow these guidelines: Clearly identify your child in the beginning of the tape. I use a freeze frame and superimpose the jersey number and position with an arrow or highlight vignette. If your child has a dynamic personality, you can shoot an intro - in uniform is best - "Hi coach (I've done tapes where athletes mentioned coaches by name and talked about their desire to go to a specific school), my name is xxxx and I usually play defense. I'm known for my speed and great throw-in (It's good to set expectations for coaches to look for in a video IF YOU CAN DELIVER)"
I also like to use a lower third graphic that runs throughout the tape with the child's name, phone number and email address (if privacy issues are a concern you can set up a free email account just for recruiting).

My last bit of advice is that if you haven't already shot a video, and you can afford it, hire a professional videographer to cover a game or two and edit your tape. Most parents don't have the talent, the equipment or the ability to not watch the game to do a good job shooting. A pro can shoot HD video with pro level telephoto lenses to capture your child's game better than you could ever hope to.

I hope this helps. If anyone has specific questions, please feel free to contact me offline.

- Michael Berkman
MichaelBerkmanPhoto.com

Dear Michael : Welcome (back) to the BOTN College Board. One of the emerging trends from a technology perspective is the usage of YouTube and similar video exchange mediums. By embedding a link inside an e-mail, the player/parent can lower the barrier to being seen by a college coach who no longer has to handle bulky media and media players (tape/CD/DVD or otherwise). You should be seeing a similar trend from parents for whom you have done work at this point. Can you share the trends that you are seeing and the relative success of physical media over a web-based link?

There are no fixed rules regarding these questions so it is always best to ask your target coach however BOTN Industries experiences show the following trends.

[1] Most NCAA Division I money for a given college freshman year is allocated between the High School Junior Year in November and the close of the Junior Year season in May.

[2] NCAA Division II money is allocated throughout Junior Year but can also extend well into the early stage of Senior Year. One should expect that most available athletic funds have been allocated by the close of November in Senior Year regardless of divisions.

[3] The trend is moving towards earlier commitments rather than later. Therefore, some handshake deals are now happening in the late Sophomore or early Junior Years.

[4] As for showcasing in the U/18 season (where you are assumed to have all seniors, no juniors) there might still be some NCAA Divsion III schools looking for players, but those roster spots are also typically committed by December in the Senior Year. College coaches will generally not attend a U/18 showcase game to recruit a player; however, they will check on a player's continued training progress and preparation for college play. So, showcasing into the second half of the Senior Year has little to no value.

Two very relevant postings have been put onto the Back of the Cage College Board during December. One deals with early commitments placing more pressure on Freshman Year High School transcripts. The second discusses the impact that Division I recruiting is having on Division III programs. Both articles are worthwhile reading.

Earlier Commitments Place Pressure on Freshman HS Grades

How Division I Recruiting Impacts Division III Coaches

Some seasonal reminders from BOTN leading up to the Spring Showcasing season. While showcasing at Disney/Orange/Cocoa Beach is taking place in Florida over the coming week, now is the time for those teams not working this week to start doing your Spring homework.

Players : Now is the time to start writing those thank you e-mails to coaches who came to see you play during the Fall 2010 season at your invitation. It is also time to contact coaches for the Spring 2011 season who might have reached out to your club coach at the field to check for on-going interest. Be sure to have your parents proofread your letters before e-mailing. Start lining up those top ten colleges for academics and athletics during January 2011 so you are ready for the Spring season.

Parents : Now is the time to start making plans for those campus visits with your juniors in the Spring - President's Week and Easter Break week are perfect times to visit campuses as most are in full swing at those times. Work with your child to encourage their contacting coaches and starting to narrow down where real interest exists.

Coaches : Start pulling together the list of schools in which your juniors have an interest and start matching your showcase schedule and plans with those schools. Deadlines will come and go before you know it - be sure to get your paperwork completed for this important Spring season for juniors (and sophomores just starting out).

I got a call from an organization that claims to be a main network for college recruiters/coaches and a "must" to be part of. I'd like to know if anyone has any information about it or is it just a scam/money maker. It's called NCSA, It's website is http://****/.

Anyone (Larry - If I'm not supposed to paste the website please just edit/delete it but I'd still like to know if it's something valid and if anyone has experience with it.) Thanks

Organizations such as NCSA or others in the same line of work act as a representative (not an agent, chose the words carefully there) or advocate for your child with college coaches ... for a substantial fee. It is not an accident that this particular firm has named itself NCSA to closely reflect the NCAA name and therefore lend credibility.

Player profiles, contact letters, introductions, and perhaps arranging a college visit are part of the service portfolio for most such organizations. You will notice that we cover all of these points for free here on the BOTN College Message Board.

However, given that soccer is much more team oriented regarding showcases (as opposed to football or perhaps lacrosse), isn't your team already performing these functions?

In summary, BOTN Industries believes that these service organizations are a huge waste of parent's hard earned money; money which could better be used for freshman (and sophomore) year books. The legwork done can easily be handled by the family, team, and coach of your current team with some elbow grease and commitment.

Thanks - thought it was as you said - thanks for confirming. Can't agree with you more regarding money spent.....