Is it possible to just play varsity, no club and play in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My HS freshman loves multiple sports, and loves playing for his school. But he wants to play in college.

Has anyone’s kid played a team sport in HS and gone on to play in college, or is club necessary?

Soccer and lacrosse are his two strongest sports.

No chance unfortunately. And even with clubs, you need to be at the elite level. At least for soccer, if he is not in MLS Next or GA/ECNL for girls, the chance to get recruited is almost 0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something like 80% of D1 recruits are international players, so I wouldn't count on that. But D3, it's possible

+1 D1 athletes are generally pretty incredible. D3 is reasonable but D1 athletes are generally kids considering going pro so a lot of internationals and insane talent.

[Anonymous]

Impossible? No. Highly unlikely? Yes.

Focus on colleges your kid is thinking about. Look at the team website and check out the back grounds of the players. It will list what teams they played on, and any honors won. Would your kid fit in?

Also, look at fitness tests for the sport. Where would your kid stack up. It’s not impossible that a coach would give a meaningful tryout to a kid who had great speed, good fitness, decent high school film, and a story about focusing on hockey until high school and shifting late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to give you an idea - my neice was the #1 swimmer in our state, great grades and the best full ride scholarship she got was Colorado Mesa. Meh.

Colorado Mesa just came in third at the NCAA Division 2 Championships.

Um. Yeah?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to give you an idea - my neice was the #1 swimmer in our state, great grades and the best full ride scholarship she got was Colorado Mesa. Meh.

What state? Colorado?

It doesn’t tell anyone much to be the best swimmer in the state if say it’s Wyoming…where the best swimmer probably wouldn’t even be in the top 200 in the DMV.

Also, people aren’t talking about full scholarships here…just acceptance and getting to play.

I think at best only 50% of D1 swimmers receive a full scholarship.

Her receiving a free ride probably means she may have made a D1 team…but no $$$s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Impossible? No. Highly unlikely? Yes.

Focus on colleges your kid is thinking about. Look at the team website and check out the back grounds of the players. It will list what teams they played on, and any honors won. Would your kid fit in?

Also, look at fitness tests for the sport. Where would your kid stack up. It’s not impossible that a coach would give a meaningful tryout to a kid who had great speed, good fitness, decent high school film, and a story about focusing on hockey until high school and shifting late.

OP here (not the hockey parent).

My kid stacks up well on the fitness tests. He is incredibly quick, and has a lot of stamina. Right now he has good film from club, and from guest playing in the other sport. He has gone to some ID type camps and gotten good feedback.

I feel like right now he is on a good path to playing in college in his club sport. The question is if he stops playing club, and just does varsity (multiple sports), private training, guest playing, camps etc . . . Would that take him off the path?

[Anonymous]

^ my kid came in 2nd on beep test out of 22. 3rd in strength and is highly technical and couldn’t walk on. Pro scouted. The level of play isn’t that great in college. Still glorified kickball battles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HS level is soooo low. No. A kid has to be playing at the high rate of speed/IQ in MLSNext, minimum ECNL for a boy in soccer. And, nowadays--for boys--even that is a crap shoot--particularly if you want to attend a school you don't have to google to find out where it exists or what it is. The transfer portal/older players and internationals have effectively killed most recruiting for kids still in high school.

THIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ my kid came in 2nd on beep test out of 22. 3rd in strength and is highly technical and couldn’t walk on. Pro scouted. The level of play isn’t that great in college. Still glorified kickball battles

Out of 22 what? I hate when people tell half a story like it is supposed to enlighten us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Impossible? No. Highly unlikely? Yes.

Focus on colleges your kid is thinking about. Look at the team website and check out the back grounds of the players. It will list what teams they played on, and any honors won. Would your kid fit in?

Also, look at fitness tests for the sport. Where would your kid stack up. It’s not impossible that a coach would give a meaningful tryout to a kid who had great speed, good fitness, decent high school film, and a story about focusing on hockey until high school and shifting late.

OP here (not the hockey parent).

My kid stacks up well on the fitness tests. He is incredibly quick, and has a lot of stamina. Right now he has good film from club, and from guest playing in the other sport. He has gone to some ID type camps and gotten good feedback.

I feel like right now he is on a good path to playing in college in his club sport. The question is if he stops playing club, and just does varsity (multiple sports), private training, guest playing, camps etc . . . Would that take him off the path?

I think you’re not wanting to hear it, OP, because a number of posts have already told you it probably will take him off the path. You’re not specifying the sport so hard to say for sure.

Football and baseball are exceptions where some college coaches will look at players from strong high school teams. But for basketball, lacrosse, soccer, hockey, and others, no chance unless you’re in a club.

Also, high school athletes specialize and if you’re playing multiple sports it’s hard to compete against athletes playing year-round. Sorry but the additional sweat equity and game playing experience makes a difference in competitiveness. When you step away from that level of competition you’re just not going to be as good.

[Anonymous]

Might depend on sport? For baseball so much of recruiting is done via college camps, so participating in those independently can help. Also if you walk onto any team at any college and can help, you're going to make that team. (also for baseball if you can throw 90 mph with movement you'l play d3 most anywhere, regardless of club play.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Might depend on sport? For baseball so much of recruiting is done via college camps, so participating in those independently can help. Also if you walk onto any team at any college and can help, you're going to make that team. (also for baseball if you can throw 90 mph with movement you'l play d3 most anywhere, regardless of club play.)

I named the sports in the OP. Soccer and lacrosse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Might depend on sport? For baseball so much of recruiting is done via college camps, so participating in those independently can help. Also if you walk onto any team at any college and can help, you're going to make that team. (also for baseball if you can throw 90 mph with movement you'l play d3 most anywhere, regardless of club play.)

I named the sports in the OP. Soccer and lacrosse.

Yeah, no. In neither of those sports can you be competitive for college without playing year-round club sports. You almost make me think you’re a troll or your child must be in low-level travel because anyone whose child was a high-level athlete in either sport would already know this.

[Anonymous]

The magic 8 ball says: Highly unlikely

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Might depend on sport? For baseball so much of recruiting is done via college camps, so participating in those independently can help. Also if you walk onto any team at any college and can help, you're going to make that team. (also for baseball if you can throw 90 mph with movement you'l play d3 most anywhere, regardless of club play.)

I named the sports in the OP. Soccer and lacrosse.

Yeah, no. In neither of those sports can you be competitive for college without playing year-round club sports. You almost make me think you’re a troll or your child must be in low-level travel because anyone whose child was a high-level athlete in either sport would already know this.

I don’t understand why people make such blanket statements.

There are numerous mediocre D3 programs at least for LAX where you can get recruited without playing club.

I think OP’s issue is they want a Williams or a U Chicago D3 and not a Northland (which has an awful D3 LAX team).