West Morris Central Lacrosse Parent’s Club College Recruiting Overview September 2009

10/24/ West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide  Recruiting Process continues to start earlier and earlier for prospective college athletes  West Morris is very competitive program and our boys have opportunities to play in Div I. II & III programs  Process can be overwhelming at times so recommend developing overall plan and strategy that helps wade through the overall process  Many Div 1 programs looking for verbal commitments as early as Sophomore year and clearly by Junior year; Div II and III contacts can occur in summer after Sophomore year 

10/24/  Division I, II and III Programs Division I – 60 Programs Division II – 35 Programs Division III – 132 Programs  Academics and Grades are extremely important  Scholarships – Division 1 can offer up to 12.7 per team; Division II up to 10.8 Typically spread across team Not all programs participate (Ivy League – none, Patriot League varies, State programs generally at full level) Also offer financial aide and academic scholarships West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide

10/24/  College coaches scout Recruiting Camps, Summer tournaments and High School games; however: Focus migrating to recruiting camps and summer tournaments as college schedules conflict with significant portion of  Contact high school coaches  Reach out via , text messages and phone calls to your sons and yourself  Unofficial and Official Campus visits West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide

10/24/ Ten ways a prospective athlete can turn off a college coach! 1.Don’t lie about or over state your academic achievements. The college coach is your best friend when it comes to admission. Be honest and he will work with you. 2.Don’t be selfish when talking to the coach and only ask about what the college program can do for you. Do you have something to offer the college? 3.Don’t show little interest in the academic side of the college. You should select the lacrosse program after you choose a college for the academic fit. 4.Be honest, the coach will want to know what other programs are interested in you. Speak openly about the pros and cons you are considering and give each coach a chance to positively influence you. 5.Don’t openly compare lacrosse programs with a coach; he is well aware how competitive his program is. 6.Don’t fail to return a phone call or player questionnaire. If a coach has taken the time to contact you, you owe him a response. 7.Don’t boast or brag about your accomplishments. 8.Don’t have your parents call on your behalf. The college coach is interested in you, not your mom or dad. You need to own this process. Parents, it’s ok to be involved in campus visits and ask questions while meeting with the coach, but letters, and phone calls need to come from your son! 9.It’s ok to ask your parents for advice and to proof read your correspondence. Treat each or letter with respect and make sure it’s accurate and without errors. 10.If you know you are not interested in a particular program, don’t string the coach along. It may affect how the coach treats other players from your team that may be interested in his program. West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide

10/24/ Freshman Year (Worry about your grades.) 1.Take challenging courses and keep your grades up! Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA 2.Research and preparing for your first contact. First contact will be in your sophomore year. 3.Binder ready to file lacrosse communication both to and from college coaches. 4.Start collecting information regarding your achievements. GPA and/or class ranking PSAT scores Any special academic awards, honor role, AP or advanced classes Athletic statistics (goals scored, assists, quarters played, groundballs) Your physical size, speed, weight, etc. 5.Go to and print a list of the Division I, II and III lacrosse programs. 6.Start to follow some of the lacrosse programs. There are many programs close to home. Go to a game 7.Start to discuss college in general; Size of school Type of school, city, country, etc. Location, how far from home Major Cost, private vs. public 8.Visit college campuses while on family vacation. West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide

10/24/ Sophomore Year (Worry about your grades)  Challenging courses; keep your grades up!  Take the PSAT  Take an SAT preparation course  Visit several colleges on unofficial visits, these visits should include contact with the admissions department.  If you can, make a list of colleges.  Work on refining your lacrosse resume.  Write a letter or to the coaches of each college on your list  There are many tournaments targeting sophomores, Rutgers MVP, Hobart, U-Mass to name several. If you can, play in summer tournaments.  Let coaches know of your summer camp and tournaments  Fill out any prospective athlete form and return it.  During the summer months, coaches are concentrating on rising juniors, but this process is largely over in late August and early September. The recruiting process starts in earnest for the sophomore class with the fall tournaments.  Division I and II coaches still have significant restrictions on contact with underclassmen.  Division III coaches have much more freedom and can send unsolicited written material.. West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide

10/24/ Junior Year (Worry about your grades)  Take challenging courses and keep your grades up!  Take the PSAT and SATs again.  If you have selected a major, fine tune your You should have a short list of colleges, minimum of 6, maximum of 12.  Visit the schools over the summer.  Speak with the coaches and arrange and visits  Start to seriously research the lacrosse program.  Have a great high school season  Develop a game tape.  Recruiting camps and team camps  A sampling of individual camps are:  TopStar 225, Gettysburg  Blue Chip, Fairfield  New England Top 150  If you are interested in a particular school, contact the coach and ask if he runs a program.  If you’re playing on a travel team, go to team camps. Team camps include;  Champ Camp, Johns Hopkins (can also go as an individual)  MVP Rutgers Team Camp  Warrior National Tournament  Summer Sizzle, St. Paul’s  STX, Georgetown West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide

10/24/  Junior Year (continued)  Familiarize yourself with the FAFSA and NCAA clearing house WebSite.  Coaches tend to use extensively as this is deemed written material  Division II & III coaches can start to call you after June 15 th of your junior year.  Division I coaches can start to call you after July 1 st of your junior year.  In all cases, contact is limited to one phone call per week initiated by the coach. There is unlimited contact, if initiated by the athlete.  Verbal offers can be made any time in your junior year, but most are not made until after the high school lacrosse season is over.  If you’re a top player, you will receive pressure to make a commitment prior to the start of your junior year. West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide

10/24/ Senior Year  Make official visits. The college coaches arrange these. You can attend up to 5 official visits, only one per school.  You should have a short list of 3 to 5 schools  If you’re a Division I or II player, you have probably already been recruited and now you need to take care of the paperwork. Most Division top programs will keep a spot or two open well into the spring season  Fill out your FAFSA and clearing house forms after January 1 st.  Fill out your college applications. Don’t wait until the last moment, thy take time.  If you’re an early recruit, you will work to the following timeline:  Receive a verbal commitment from the coach some time over the summer  You will have to accept or decline it within two or three days  An official letter declaring the coach’s intent to offer you a position will be sent the second week of October.  An NLI will be sent FedEx to you on November 9 th  You will have several hours to decide. If you accept, sign the NLI, FAX a copy to your coach, FedEx the original to the school the same day you received it.  Regular application deadlines vary greatly. They can fall between early November to late February. Normal acceptance letters are mailed by April 1 st. West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide

10/24/ Q& A West Morris LAX Recruiting Guide