How to get recruited to HS team before committing to school/ transferring if you don't make it

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to make sure your kid will make the team before committing to a high school? I am a clueless parent. How much contact is okay, will the coach's even tell you or just tell you to tryout? I don't want to start at one school and then have to change because DC didn't make the team and is miserable. Do kids transfer schools in high school because of this?

[Anonymous]

Great questions.... following

-- clueless parent of middle school basketball player

[Anonymous]

There’s no guarantee that your athlete will make the team or start, and no decent coach should make you a guarantee. We know many people who have changed schools for their child, been disappointed with playing time, and changed again. If the sport is that important it is worth a good look at the current team along with an objective assessment of where your child stacks up

[Anonymous]

You reach out to the coach no later than the summer before 8th grade (preferably earlier). Go to their camps to get exposure to the coach and then have some pretty candid conversations during the 8th grade application process. Also try to go watch teh varsity team play while you are in middle school. You’ll never really know in advance how secure your position isn’t eh team because its all relative to how successful the recruiting class is, but you will have a sense of how goo they usually are and how your kid stacks up.

[Anonymous]

This may seem harsh…but if your child is not good enough to make a high school team, then they are not good enough to have their high school chosen based on where they could play x sport. I would encourage you to zoom out and look at best fit inclusive of that sport but not exclusively around playing a sport.

[Anonymous]

op here, I am not talking about the top athletic schools, my kid just wants to play somewhere. Trying to figure out how to make it happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:op here, I am not talking about the top athletic schools, my kid just wants to play somewhere. Trying to figure out how to make it happen.

But you're going to choose an academic path based on whether they can play a sport that they're not a top athlete in? Interesting.

[Anonymous]

For basketball, go to clinics the coach either attends or participates in. When your kid plays a team that someone on the staff coaches, make sure they know they have to stand out and have the kid, not you, the kid introduce themselves afterwards. Above all, be honest with yourself about the kid's level of talent compared to the team's. If the kid is a transfer student, how do they stack up against current players?

[Anonymous]

I guess you are talking about private schools.

[Anonymous]

Your kid won’t make the cut if you’re asking. This question here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:op here, I am not talking about the top athletic schools, my kid just wants to play somewhere. Trying to figure out how to make it happen.

But you're going to choose an academic path based on whether they can play a sport that they're not a top athlete in? Interesting.

Many of these schools have very similar academic paths. Choosing based on other factors including extracurriculars is the only way that makes sense. We know that kids who are happier and more involved in their school community, because of things like sports. My kid's choice came down to which school had the most appealing robotics team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This may seem harsh…but if your child is not good enough to make a high school team, then they are not good enough to have their high school chosen based on where they could play x sport. I would encourage you to zoom out and look at best fit inclusive of that sport but not exclusively around playing a sport.

+1

[Anonymous]

My kid doesn’t fit into this situation- but out of curiosity how does puberty factor in, especially for boys? For example my DS was teeny tiny the summer before 8th grade and has grown about a foot in the last 2.5yrs. And he does play for his high school team. Some of the “big” boys from middle school haven’t grown any further. Hard to believe coaches are making predictions or guarantees about 7th and 8th graders- with the exception of maybe a few.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kid won’t make the cut if you’re asking. This question here

That is a really helpful response..... 🙄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For basketball, go to clinics the coach either attends or participates in. When your kid plays a team that someone on the staff coaches, make sure they know they have to stand out and have the kid, not you, the kid introduce themselves afterwards. Above all, be honest with yourself about the kid's level of talent compared to the team's. If the kid is a transfer student, how do they stack up against current players?

No to this.
These coaches do this all the time for money and then the kid does not make a team.
W HS had a coach for girls lax this was years ago made a boatload of money off of parents where she told them their kid was amazing and then of course none of them made the team. No it was not my kid but I watched it happen. They lie and take your money.