Sports recruiting for WP

D

Doc910

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Jan 29, 2020
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I’m looking to play volleyball at WP and am definitely at the level where I could, playing in the Open divisions at national qualifiers and with my team being consistently ranked within the top ten teams in the state (of all ages). I’ve sent two emails to the volleyball coaches and haven’t heard anything back. I will be at the Triple Crown NIT where the coaches will be, so that’s a plus.

Anyone gone through the NCAA recruiting process with WP? How does it change? And any tips?
 
Have you visited the USMA athletics page and filled out a recruitment questionnaire? That is typically the first step.
 
This is a reality of the world of recruiting. We have had two go through the process...different sport, different SA, but recruiting is recruiting. One son was a high level, had an official visit, lots of coach interaction. DS #2 has better stats, but pretty much crickets from staff past the initial ‘recruiting’ email.

Why? Maybe they dont need his specialty on the team this year. Maybe there are other ‘commits’ with better stats. Maybe they want to see his season. Who knows 🤷‍♀️. But if you have reached out, filled out the sports recruiting questionnaire, then you have done you part. Now just go out and be the best you can be. Good luck!!
 
A simple, though not foolproof, test is to ask yourself this question: Am I being recruited by other D1 programs, even those at the bottom end of competitiveness? As a D1 school in a moderately competitive conference, USMA seeks top talent. Not necessarily elite talent, mind you, but still someone in the higher echelons of the high-school level. Being recruited by other D1 schools is typically a good indicator that you might be WP athletic material.
 
You should continue to email the coaches and invite them to all of your events. If you can, attend the sports ID camp at West Point. Be persistent, but respectful. The reality of D1 recruiting is harsh. You will hear from them if they are interested... It’s very likely they have hundreds of athletes vying for only a few spots on the team. College coaches usually will not provide feedback/evaluations.
 
All good advice above. To hopefully add on, here are a few other things to consider (my experience is with baseball recruiting but let’s hope it’s similar)

If you have video send it in an email with your most impressive stats in the subject line. For example my older son’s email header was 2019 RHP- 34 ACT, 88mph. Beyond test scores I’m not sure what might be attractive in your sport but the goal is simply to get them to watch the video. Coaches see hundreds of videos and can typically decide to engage in the first 30 seconds

Coaching is a small world and these folks are all connected. We had multiple situations where The coach he was talking to was the minor league roommate of another coach at a different school that he’d also been talking to...so you have to network. A warm reference from someone who knows you well can be hugely valuable

Good luck
 
Echoing the points above, make sure you're making it easy for the coach to check you out. So use an email subject that says "OH 6'2" 32 ACT from TAV Black" (or whatever) and then put a link (not the actual video, as most email system will strip out huge files) to your stuff. Indicate your sincere interest in the academy life, in your high level of achievement both academically and in the sport, and include the next place you can be seen, and do it in as short a fashion as you can. Maybe CC the assistant coach as well, since recruiting isn't always handled by the head coach.

Also try calling. It's not clear how old you are, but NCAA rules in some sports (including VB) have changed recently to not allow them to contact you if you're not a junior yet. But they can take calls from you, so pick up the phone some afternoon and take a shot.
 
Your club team should be assisting in your recruiting - has the recruiting coordinator reached out to the coach? If your club team doesn't have a recruiting coordinator, you need a new club, but it may be too late at this point. Coaches often have go to places they recruit from - tournaments where the level of competition is known to be high, or clubs or leagues where good players come from. As @MidCakePa says above, if you aren't being recruited by other Div 1 programs, you shouldn't be surprised that you aren't being recruited by USMA.

I'm sure its sport/coach specific, and I have no experience with VB at USMA, but the recruiting Questionnaire on the website is very likely a waste of time. My child was seen, recruited, and offered a spot without the recruiting questionnaire ever being mentioned. Some school's coaches did ask to fill them out, though.
 
Does USMA only recruit for NCAA sports? Or are the competitive teams sports also recruiting? Any insight would be helpful.
 
Korab said:
Your club team should be assisting in your recruiting - has the recruiting coordinator reached out to the coach? If your club team doesn't have a recruiting coordinator, you need a new club, but it may be too late at this point. Coaches often have go to places they recruit from - tournaments where the level of competition is known to be high, or clubs or leagues where good players come from. As @MidCakePa says above, if you aren't being recruited by other Div 1 programs, you shouldn't be surprised that you aren't being recruited by USMA.

I'm sure its sport/coach specific, and I have no experience with VB at USMA, but the recruiting Questionnaire on the website is very likely a waste of time. My child was seen, recruited, and offered a spot without the recruiting questionnaire ever being mentioned. Some school's coaches did ask to fill them out, though.
Click to expand...

My club actually encourages us to not use recruiting coordinators because most of them (where I’m at at least) simply take your money and don’t actually help. We are however a well-recognized national club (Stanford, UCLA, Nebraska, etc. graduates in the past two years) and I will be playing in the club volleyball invitational (elite) tournament in February.

I have gotten interest from a couple other D1 programs, the problem is that I play a position where there’s not a lot of recruiting/scholarships. I’m a libero/DS so most of the attention goes to the big middles or outside hitters.
 
Doc910 said:
My club actually encourages us to not use recruiting coordinators because most of them (where I’m at at least) simply take your money and don’t actually help. We are however a well-recognized national club (Stanford, UCLA, Nebraska, etc. graduates in the past two years) and I will be playing in the club volleyball invitational (elite) tournament in February.

I have gotten interest from a couple other D1 programs, the problem is that I play a position where there’s not a lot of recruiting/scholarships. I’m a libero/DS so most of the attention goes to the big middles or outside hitters.
Click to expand...
I meant that your club should have a designated person who handles recruiting issues and contact with college programs, not an outsider. That's who you should be talking to, and they should be reaching out to USMA on your behalf. If they don't or won't, then all you can do is fill out the recruiting questionnaire and continue to email, and don't be afraid to call. Send them video, stats, schedule, etc. Keep it up. The fact the coach hasn't gotten back to you could be because they are terrible at communication (more common than you would think), aren't interested in you/your position this recruiting cycle, or because they aren't getting your email. Be persistent until they tell you they aren't interested. If your club doesn't have a recruiting coordinator, don't be afraid to approach the coach at an event - its unconventional and not normally recommended, but if you can't get a response any other way and its truly your desire to attend USMA, then it's worth a shot.
 
DD is a recruited D1 athlete and applied to WP. She reached out to the coach and received luke warm reply...much like your experience. Once she got her PN and qualified academically that changed...she was listed as a recruited athlete and has been in active communication with the coach. My guess is if you are elite, WP may pursue more aggressively, but for most they wait to see if you may be likely to qualify. Unlike most other universities, the bar is extreme high to get in and being a really good D1 athlete isn’t enough. So persevere, get the Nom and keep pinging the coach. Best of luck!
 
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