With so many of our area young players having dreams of continuing their lacrosse playing careers at the collegiate level, we thought a brief overview of some of the key aspects of the recruiting process would be helpful. Using his 15 years of college coaching experience, in conjunction with years of involvement in various youth and high school programs, Coach Jon Lantzy has compiled a Top Ten list of things you need to know regarding the college recruiting process. So here goes!
1. PUT ALL YOUR ENERGY INTO THINGS THAT YOU CAN CONTROL – First and foremost, strive to maximize your potential in the classroom. Challenge yourself by putting in the extra time to become the best student possible. This extra effort will open many doors for your future.
2. BE THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE – Make being a high character individual a priority. Understand all decisions have consequences, so make sure you are trying to do the right thing at all times. Be a leader by positive example.
3. BE A WELL ROUNDED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE – Get involved in other sports and extra-curricular activities. This will help you be more attractive in the very competitive world of college admissions, as well as make you a more attractive athletic prospect. College coaches love to see multi-sport athletes.
4. KNOW THE RULES – If you have the desire to play in college, you and your family should take the time to educate yourself on the many rules and regulations regarding the recruiting process. Arm yourself with information! All NCAA rules governing the recruiting process can be found at www.ncaa.org.
5. DO YOUR RESEARCH – You and your family should start to look at potential institutional matches at the beginning of your junior year. This would include things such as student body size, distance from home, and cost. Then try to build a preliminary list of lacrosse playing schools that fit these parameters. Consult your high school coach and guidance counselor about setting a realistic bar both academically, and athletically.
6. MARKET YOURSELF – After you have your preliminary list of schools that match the above criteria, make sure you contact those coaches so they know that you have interest in both their school, and their lacrosse program. You can do this via a cover letter expressing your interest, accompanied with an academic and athletic resume, which should outline your accomplishments, in both areas, to date.
7. TAKE VISITS TO YOU SCHOOLS YOU HAVE INTEREST IN – Try your best to get out with your family and experience as many of these schools as possible. Try and spend some time with the coach and some of the players to get an overall feel for the atmosphere surrounding the program.
8. GET OUT AND BE SEEN – Enter yourself in some summer camps or play for your high school team or local club team in the summer months to be seen by as many college coaches as possible. Make sure you let the coaches of schools you have interest in know where you are going to be in the summer and get them updated on the results of your high school season via email. Consult you high school coach what the best path is for you in the off-season.
9. PUT IN THE EXTRA TIME TO BE THE BEST PLAYER POSSIBLE – Put in the extra time on the wall and the back yard to improve your individual lacrosse skills. You can always have better stick skills.
10. SEE NUMBER ONE AND TWO ON THIS LIST!
I hope this give you some help in getting started. Keep your eye out for a comprehensive list of area players headed to play in college next fall. Also, look for information regarding the 2nd Annual Fusion Lacrosse Recruiting Seminar. Hope to see you all there!