Parents of Athletes

Guiding Families Through the Club, High School, College and Professional Athletic Process

Parents of Athletes

Category Archives: Advanced Blogs

Reclassing up; a mistake – DJ Burns

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I’ve been saying for a long time that there’s no hurry to get to college and graduating early is a bad decision. Here’s the latest example supporting that. DJ Burns. He went to Tennessee early. He didn’t survive and was gone in a year because, by his parents’ admission, he wasn’t ready to handle college. He then transferred home to a smaller school.

 

Burns had taken enough classes to graduate from high school a year early. His family formulated a plan with Tennessee and decided Burns could handle the academic rigor a year ahead of schedule. And he did. It was the lifestyle he wasn’t ready for.

“Maturity-wise, he was not ready,” Takela said. “He needed to be back home to grow and mature. After you go to the University of Tennessee as one of their star athletes, whether you redshirt, you got access to everything and every party. He had fun.”

 

Washington Post April 5th 2024 Adam Kilgore

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/05/dj-burns-nc-state/

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Email of the Day: Changing Schools Too Many Times

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These emails are part of an exchange between me and a parent who contacted me looking for advice on having his child change prep schools. This same parent opted not to hire me a year ago when the child last switched schools. This is the child’s third school in four years (one public, one parochial, one prep – he reclassed) and they want to switch to a fourth school for his final year. His younger brother also currently attends the same school and they would like the two to stay together.

 

Kyle,
I tend to look at a much bigger picture than most families and others involved in the process. In your case, I think Michael should stay at his current prep school. After 3 schools in 4 years, it’s pretty clear the problem isn’t the schools, it’s Michael, you and his mom. You are the common denominator. If your goal is to best position yourselves for the future, the best thing you can do right now is to stick it out for once. That will start to try to reverse the bad foundation you’ve laid and the bad habit you’re all in of picking the wrong school and/or leaving when things get tough. (As it stands now, you’re likely to keep doing the same thing when he gets to college.) I think the best plan for everyone is to stay where he is and hire me now to help you with the college process. That’s the big picture.

If you want to just look at the smaller picture and decide you definitely want to change schools, I have a couple that I think are exactly what you’re looking for. I said yesterday that you can’t afford to make another mistake, but there’s another way to look at it that’s probably more accurate or at least more realistic. At this point, from a basketball standpoint, you have nothing to lose. You know you’re not going to get the basketball you want at his current school next year and you’ve already been to 3 schools so one more isn’t going to make much of a difference. If you want to, you can definitely put him in a better overall basketball situation for his last year. This will put him in the best position to be recruited and ready to play at the college level.

I know that ideally, Sam would move to the same school as Michael. The schools I have in mind would also be a good match for Sam and have room for him.

 

Mike

 

Dad’s response:

Mike,

I appreciate you keeping it real.  Kris and I both deep down felt the right move is to stick it out at his current school.  Michael loves the school, academics are great, etc.

Kris and I plan to have a call with his AD and coach and express our concerns, give them a chance.  You are right, Michael needs to stick it out and us supporting his habit of when it gets tough roll out needs to stop.

 

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Today’s Quiz: Current Ivy AI Minimum?

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Question: What’s the current minimum number required to meet the Ivy League Academic Index (AI)?

 

 



Answer: 184

AI calculations are different this year as a result of the pandemic and optional test scores, so this may change again when (if?) things get back to normal. Still, it’s good to know what the minimum is, even if the calculations are more convoluted than ever.

 

 

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Quote of the Day: Money Over Fit

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Too many golfers, especially girls, are choosing full rides over schools that offer partial scholarships but are a better fit. It’s a big part of why we’re seeing so many transfers recently. 

 

This came out in a recent conversation I had with a Big XII women’s golf coach talking about how families are deciding which college to choose. It’s indicative of two things. One, the financial pressure families are feeling to pay for college. Two, most families don’t know how to make a good college choice. 

 

 

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Today’s Quiz: Covid, Test Scores and the Ivy AI

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Question: Given that the Ivy League is test-optional for applicants this year, is the league still requiring test scores for athletes as part of the Academic Index?

 

 

 

Answer: No, they are not required for athletes as part of the AI.

 

On the surface, this appears to make it easier for some students to be admitted who wouldn’t have been admitted if a test score were required. (The case for removing what is generally perceived as a socio-economic barrier.) There’s certainly some truth to that. However, as a result of removing the test scores, transcripts, classes, etc. are getting closer scrutiny, so the reverse could also be true. While meeting the AI minimum was never an automatic pass, if you hit the numbers, your chances were very, very good. You didn’t have much else to prove. Without the test score, it seems to be more subjective. Therefore, it’s possible that it won’t be any easier, and may even be harder, for athletes, especially low band, borderline ones, to be admitted.

 

Bonus Question:  If you have a test score, can your AI be calculated using the test score? In other words, can it be calculated the old way?

 

 

 

Answer:  Yes, and the higher of the two AI calculations (with and without the test score) will be used to make the determination. 

 

 

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Smart College Recruitment

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The email below is my response to a parent who called asking for help with college recruitment. Her daughter, a junior who just reclassified, already has 3 full D2 offers. Mom is getting contacted regularly by colleges and has no idea how to respond. She was never an athlete herself and by her own admission has no understanding of the college recruiting process (a better place to start than many of you think). The starting point here is zero.

 

Hi Tamara,

Thanks for calling yesterday to talk about making a list of colleges that we should be looking at for Shanise. Here are some quick thoughts/guidelines to use as we go through Shanise’s recruitment over the next 1-2 years.

Education. This should be the most important factor. We don’t want to sacrifice on education if at all possible. We shouldn’t have to, if we do it right. You’d be stunned and disappointed at how many families say it’s most important but make decisions and choices that prove it’s really not. Let’s get the best education we can for Shanise. We’ll need to use basketball to do that. She can get admitted to a better college by leveraging her basketball than she could based on just her academic profile.

Cost. She’s already been offered some full D2 scholarships, so we know we can get a college education for free. Most families would give anything for that. At the right D3 school it may be worth it to pay a few thousand dollars per year instead of accepting a D2 or D1 full scholarship. That might sound crazy, but we should consider paying a little if the difference in level of education is very large and if we know the payback (lifetime earnings difference) is more than worth it.

D1. This would be great if we can get it. We’re not there yet. She may never get to that level. If she does, ideally she’d end up at a Patriot League school, Ivy League school or schools like Bryant, SUNY Binghamton, Vermont, William & Mary etc. that offer an excellent education.

D2. There are very few D2 schools that offer the high level of education we want and should be able to get. None of the D2 offers she currently has provide that level of education. The short list of the best academic D2 schools includes: (listed by academic rank and then alphabetically)

• Hillsdale College – Highly+ Competitive
• Bentley University – Highly Competitive

• Stonehill College – Very+ Competitive
• Assumption College – Very
• Grand Valley St. University – Very
• Le Moyne College – Very
• Mich. Tech University – Very
• Northern Michigan University – Very
• New York Institute of Technology – Very
• Pace University – Very
• St. Michael’s College – Very
• University of the Sciences – Very

D3. There are many excellent D3 academic schools/leagues. The best are the UAA and NESCAC. If she does well on her SAT/ACT we should focus on those and similar leagues. The UAA and NESCAC are the best D3 educations in the US and they are the best D3 women’s basketball leagues in the US. Outside of those leagues, let’s start by looking at SUNY Geneseo. I think they’ll be all over her, she can get admitted, and it could be a great choice. The education is excellent (Highly +), they play great D3 ball (they go to the NCAA tournament virtually every year), it’s close to home, the price should be right and I think it could fit her personality very well.

We should start the process from the ground up. That means starting with D3 schools. Yes, I know, everybody wants to play at the highest level and get a scholarship. You’ve already got D2 offers, so you might be thinking I’m nuts for saying we should be considering D3 schools. Smart families have the highest level as their goal, but start from the D3 level and work their way up.

I’m sure you’ll have lots of questions. Let me know when you do.

Thanks.

 

Mike

 

 

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Quote of the Day: NCAA Eligibility Knowledge

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Does the NCAA count pluses (B+) and minuses (C-) when calculating eligibility?

 

This from a longtime Athletic Director in an urban school district, one that produces many scholarship athletes. Neither the AD or the school counselor knew the answer, and they’re not alone. This happens at schools all over the country.

 

 

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Today’s Quiz: Army, Navy and the PL Academic Index

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The Patriot League has an academic index (a minimum academic requirement) that athletes must meet to be admissible and eligible to compete. Army West Point and the Naval Academy have fairly unique admissions processes that are much more involved/stringent/difficult than the rest of the Patriot League. 

 

Question:  Do Army West Point and Naval Academy athletes still have to meet the Patriot League Academic Index, or is admission to the Academy enough?

 

 

 

Answer:  Yes. It’s possible to be admitted to the Academy and NOT be eligible to compete in Patriot League sports, although that would be a rare occurrence.

 

 

Bonus question:  Do athletes have to meet the AI even if they come through the Academy prep schools?

 

 

 

Answer:  Yes, there’s no difference between being admitted directly to the Academy vs entering through the prep school.

 

 

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Quote of the Day – College vs. Minor League Baseball

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After seeing the body of work, the development that occurred, the maturity that occurred, I know it was the right decision (to play college ball).

 

 

– This from a  mid-level D1 college baseball player who was drafted in the 35th round out of high school, but opted for college. Three years of college (and a 3.6 GPA in finance) later, he’s signing after being taken in the 13th round. His high school and college ball were both played at schools in the northern US.

 

 

 

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Quote of the Day – Who Makes the School Choice?

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I think you should treat kids like grown-ups. I think you should expect them to be mature and to behave, and I think that’s what it means to treat someone like a grown-up, although….It’s not about the abdication of authority.

 …it’s common now in this country to find … the parent functions as educational consultant. The parent makes a recommendation, but the child makes the final decision. I know of cases where the kid was clearly making the wrong decision and the parents knew it but nevertheless felt completely powerless to overrule their child. The child is the one who suffers.

– Dr. Leonard Sax, speaking to Leanne Italie of the AP about his new book, The Collapse of Parenting, and about where today’s parents are making mistakes.

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