Month: October 2020

In mid-June, I recorded an Interview with Jody Jones, retired military (Army air traffic control & air space manager) parent of four student athletes, and just a tremendously supportive parent. He graciously took the time to share with me his perspective.

Admittedly, he was with a competitor before coming to PrepStar team and he shares some of the struggles and lessons learned from that experience.

Intro

3:20 The process- how did you know it was time to get started?
4:08 Not knowing the recruiting process
6:20- Leveraging camps with exposure
6:40 DJ’s offers
7’:10 Using social media
7:30 Narrowing down the offers / making the decisions.
11:10 His experience explained
11:56 Parent involvement
12:36 How he found PrepStar
12:58 Started with a competitor first, lesson learned
13:23 One of million, no, I want to be one of a few
13:51 Different feel when I talked to Coach Mike
14:31 Coach Mike making a call and getting DJ an official visit
17:00 The advantage of starting early
17:38 Early exposure to put your athlete on the radar
17:56 Start as soon as possible
18:37 No criticism for using an outlet like PrepStar, but did with the competitor
19:15 Investing in your kids
19:35 Prepstar is a win-win situation
20:10 Supporting your kids, then the rest is up to them
22:30 Process is overwhelming for athletes…
22:55 The benefit of having supportive people around you
25:40 Verbal commitment is not signing…
26:30 Deciding to graduate early
28:30 Overall experience with PrepStar
29:02 Coach Mike and the PrepStar tam responded…it makes a difference
29:30 The importance of an interactive recruiting program
30:20 It feels like family

A few years ago I wrote a blog outlining four reasons why choosing a Junior College (JUCO) program was worth considering. When I wrote that, no one had any premonition of Covid-19. Nor would anyone be taken seriously if they said entire sports seasons would be shut down. But it did happen. Now, athletes seeking to get recruited have to deal with unprecedented recruiting adversity as a result, and JUCO may be a viable option.  

Probably the most influential reason to consider Junior College is because  junior colleges are very cost effective. In comparison, the average cost of JUCO is considerably less than the tuition at state or private colleges. According to research most Junior college tuition is less than $5,000 per year. Though there is often a stigma connected with junior colleges the financial and athletic awards made possible have started to do away with this notion because many quality student-athletes are choosing JUCO as a reasonable college route. 

Next to cost, competition is a reason to mull over, especially for student athletes. For many the opportunity to participate in game competition right away is appealing. Without question actual in-game experience is way more more valuable than practice experience. In many examples, athletes with JUCO experience can offer high level colleges the experience and maturity necessary to step in and compete at a high level. The professional level is littered with student-athletes who found success coming-out of junior colleges including Aaron Rogers, Cam Newton and Warren Moon.

Another plausible reason is that some athletes need time to mature emotionally and physically. In some cases, the transition to college can be a difficult adjustment. Under these circumstances, JUCOs provide the space for an athlete to acclimate to the academic, athletic, and personal demands of the college experience. In some cases, junior colleges provide the  opportunity to improve grades required for entry into 4 year institutions. Furthermore, many athletes are late bloomers and a little more time to develop physically is required. It is common for some incoming JUCO athletes to grow several inches or bulk up after high school graduation. JUCOs then can offer time for physical development that some 4 year schools will permit. 

Finally, there are a number of Junior colleges competing at the DI and DII level that choose to offer athletic scholarships. Athletic scholarships coupled with lower tuition fees becomes a reasonably affordable option. 

The United States there are 525 schools in 24 different regions with athletic programs. Junior College athletics is governed independently by the National Junior College Athletic Association and  in DI, DII and DIII levels providing tremendous opportunities for student athletes.