Sports at St. John's

[Anonymous]

I have a very athletic kid who plays a number of sports in middle school. That being said, I'm not deluding myself into thinking he can make the St. John's basketball team or any of the other super competitive sports. My question is -- is there an opportunity for kids who want to play sports to play them there or is every sport hyper-competitive? For example, my son also runs track -- would he have a chance of doing that at St. John's? I'm concerned that he can't play high school sports at all he'll be miserable.

[Anonymous]

No clue about track, but I know students who started running cross country their freshman year at SJC. Crew, rugby, and wrestling are sports that don’t expect a lot of knowledge coming in. Just someone willing to work hard and try.

[Anonymous]

SJC Cross country and track are mostly no-cut if the kid shows up and shows strong work ethic (and possibly crew too.) SJC's cross country & track head coach is great, BTW. It is a great way for an active kid who is not a superstar to stay active. As for other sports, if the coach didn't already reach out and invite kid to apply to SJC, then don't expect kid to come off the bench during a game, or even to make the team. (This applies to boys, girls may have a slightly easier time.)

[Anonymous]

Depends on the sport. Good shot for cross country, crew, freshman football and wrestling. But for lax, hockey, and baseball you’re probably not making a team unless you are recruited in 7th/8th.

[Anonymous]

I didn't think St. John's had freshman football . . . I believe Gonzaga does though.

[Anonymous]

What sports other than basketball? How tall is he? Is he truly athletic or does he just like to play?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What sports other than basketball? How tall is he? Is he truly athletic or does he just like to play?

PS - track is no cut, but very successful.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My son also plays baseball and soccer. I figured those were recruited sports at St. John's along with basketball. He is a talented athlete and I think he could excel at new sports, but I wasn't sure what would be open to him at St. John's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My son also plays baseball and soccer. I figured those were recruited sports at St. John's along with basketball. He is a talented athlete and I think he could excel at new sports, but I wasn't sure what would be open to him at St. John's.

Soccer is a recruited sport to get on to varsity as a freshman. Otherwise, you can try out and make the freshmen team. It maybe the same for baseball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My son also plays baseball and soccer. I figured those were recruited sports at St. John's along with basketball. He is a talented athlete and I think he could excel at new sports, but I wasn't sure what would be open to him at St. John's.

Travel or rec? Is he tall? Have you done any of the camps at SJC for any of the sports you mentioned?

[Anonymous]

Agree with the above. Based on our experience, cross country and track should definitely be options for him. Both are wonderful at SJC, as an overall experience and as competitive teams.

Baseball would be hard, even at the freshman level, unless he is extremely good. He also has to be passionate enough about baseball to play very seriously, year-round. Most, if not all, of the players will have connected with and gotten some prior encouragement from the coach before coming to SJC. A player is unlikely to make the freshman team unless the coach can see that person being able to develop into a variety-level player by senior year. And keep in mind that most SJC varsity players are good enough to play baseball in college.

Soccer is likely doable, at least in the first year or two. Gets tougher after that.

My best advice for anyone interested in any sport at SJC is always don't wait for tryouts. Talk to coaches at the open house, accepted students night, and/or by emailing them (depending on where you are in the process of considering and applying). Make sure you ask coaches and check the athletic department's website and communications for info on summer camps and unofficial workouts that your student may be able to participate in. Those will give a prospective student a better sense of the coaches as well as his or her chances of making a team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What sports other than basketball? How tall is he? Is he truly athletic or does he just like to play?

PS - track is no cut, but very successful.

Not true

There are kids who do not make the team and are given the opportunity to train but not be a part of the team.

[Anonymous]

Freshman baseball is very possible for anyone who has played travel baseball. JV is harder. Varsity starters are almost all D1 level players (3-4 per year)

[Anonymous]

No way is your kid playing soccer/basketball/football/lacrosse. You would already know this because the good kids are already known and recruited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Freshman baseball is very possible for anyone who has played travel baseball. JV is harder. Varsity starters are almost all D1 level players (3-4 per year)

Baseball added one player out of the tryouts last year. One.