How do I know if my 8th grade volleyball player is a potential recruit for college?
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Anonymous
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Should I be looking at vball camps at Ivy League schools? She is in 8th grade in a large city in the South. 5 feet 5 inches. Setter. Very good hands. Solid player. She does not have a great vertical so would be setter/DS. She plays on a local club team but is not amazing.
I'm guessing we don't need to waste our time going to summer camps at MIT, other East Coast universities, etc? She is a very strong student academically. The fact I am asking this on a public forum means that she's not a recruit for college, right? |
Anonymous
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She's in 8th grade, you need to chill. Good heavens, lets the girl live. It's awesome she loves volleyball but it's too early to think like this- you are going to drive her and yourself crazy.
No to MIT camp. Next year. Focus on camps that work on serve recieve, passing, serving- it's not just about being a good setter so give her the opportunity to work on all the skills. Oh... and hope she grows atleast 5-7 inches. |
Anonymous
| Another vote to not worry about this. Let her enjoy the game. My daughter is the same age and goes to sleep away college camps because she has a lot of fun at them and attends with teammates. She is not thinking about recruitment. She plays on a more competitive team but knows she has very little chance of playing in college other than club because of her height and the competition is too great. Shes also in 8th. I would only look at college camps that are convenient, that you can afford and you feel that are worth it in your area. IF your daughter wants to do this. |
Anonymous
Dream on |
Anonymous
| Most but not all 8th grade girls are done growing. If that’s your daughter she is too short to be a serious recruit. But that doesn’t mean she can’t play in high school and love it. Volleyball will be one of the ten activities in her common core app and demonstrate that she has commitment and perseverance, and show that she is well rounded. |
Anonymous
| You know if both of her parents were college athletes or otherwise highly accomplished athletes. |
Anonymous
| She’s too short |
Anonymous
not true- my DD grew from 5'8" in 8th grade to 6'0 over the summer/first part of 9th grade. |
Anonymous
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The height is a real issue. I have an 8th grader who is 5'8". She might hit 5 9" or 10", and I think that would defnitely be on the short side for recruiting. Most of the hitters/setters are over 5'10" and a lot of them are over 6'. Just look at the rosters for some of the college teams. I was astounded.
How tall are her parents? If at least one of them is very tall, maybe she has a shot. It's also relevant when she got her period -- if she got her period in 5th grade, it's likely she is close to her final height. If she didn't get her period until 8th grade, she might still have a lot of growing to do. Also relevant when her parents stopped growing. I also don't think that the quality of hte summer camp is much tied to the quality of the school. I hear great things about the JMU summer camp on this forum, even though UVA is considered a better school academically. So there might be some great summer camps in your area. How far south are you? I know UF has a summer camp that people seem to like. |
Anonymous
My kid is a D1 athlete and DH and I were both mediocre athletes in youth/high school sports and definitely could never have played in college. Yes, a lot of it is hereditary, but my kid is an amazing athlete, against the odds. |
Anonymous
PP said, "Most but not all 8th grade girls are done growing." What part of that is not true? |
Anonymous
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OP, not sure if this exactly answers your question, but it may give you an indication.
Roughly 6% of high school volleyball players go on to play at the college level, and only about 1.2% of those players make it to a Division I school. So essentially if your kid is not a standout already, likely she is not going to play in college. As others have said, where she is in puberty is relevant. If she still has a lot of growing to do (both height and physical maturity), it is too early to tell, but I'd say within a year or 18 months after getting her period, you should likely know where she is going to end up skill level-wise. (I have coached another sport at the HS level.) |
Anonymous
| Vollyball you are competing against recruits from Euro countries. How tall are you and your husband? Has your daughter had her period. If she already has, she is not likely to get much taller. Doesn't mean she can't play anywhere, but, she may have trouble finding an academic fit. |
Anonymous
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I am the OP. My daughter is actually closer to 5'6. I am 5'5" and hubby is 5'11". Based on the date of her period, she has probably stopped growing.
Thanks for the responses. I really was asking b/c was wondering if was *supposed* to do be doing anything, and am very glad to know that the answer to that question is no. We are in North Texas, and vball here is VERY competitive, and so wanted to do a reality check with the rest of the country. She wants to be on the school team (and we want her to be able to play recreationally in college or at local leagues when she's an adult). That for us is plenty. |
Anonymous
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When it comes to D1 sports, ask yourself if your kid has always been the best kid on the floor/field in every sport they ever played.
If the answer is no then chances are they have no chance. |