next to the comment and it will be reviewed by the PBGametime staff.
Boys Lacrosse Forum
-
Can parents please comment on what a coaches job responsibilities are as it pertains to college recruiting help. My son is entering his soph year and is considered to be a very good player by peers and parents. He has friends talking about how their coaches are helping them with summer scouting camps, video high light tapes and college preparation. My sons coach seems very unprepared to help with these things and I feel like he has little or no interest in helping most of the kids on the team. Since my husband and I have no lacrosse background we feel lost when trying to help our son get noticed or properly evaluated for college recruitment. We know it's still early but time goes by fast and we want a plan so that next year can be productive. It's very troubling to us that a private HS coach has absolutely no interaction with our players or parents with regards to their future plan for lacrosse in college? What plan can we start to put in place for our son without the help from his Coach.
-
Your HS coach has no obligation to get your son to play in college. Most good coaches do what they can but YOU have to do it unless the kid is a superstar. Start by contacting coaches at a realistic level of college play. Dont call Hopkins just yet. It is not too early, rising soph and rising Jr are the ones being scouted. Take a look at this DIII football list and click on a school you can find the lax page.
http://www.d3football.com/teams/index
Contact the coach, send tape, ask him what camps to attend.
-
@none - I think you r wrong by stating "your high school coach has no obligation to get your son to play in college". He shouldn't be a high school coach then. The fact is, he has a big responsibility to do whatever he can to help both you and your son. Most parents in Florida have very little knowledge or connections to the lacrosse world. Coaches have a responsibility to help their high school players to achieve their goals or they shouldn't be coaching. After all, why are they coaching? Sadly, most lacrosse coaches in our area ( few exceptions ) have no time or interest in doing what many football coaches do year round, and that's to help their players get recruited or find scholarships to play football. @coaches responsibilities; if your son is a good player that wants to play in college then unfortunately you'll have to do the work yourself. Do not listen to your lacrosse coach on college expectations for your son. They always set the bar low and will never do the work necessary to help. Get organized and start contacting schools where your son will want to play. Find out what camps these coaches host or attend and make arrangements to have your son participate in these camps. There are many camps that require a coaches recommendation. Download the proper forms and ask your high school coach to complete. College coaches can't contact you until your son becomes NCAA eligible but you can call or email them anytime. Find out how many scholarships are being awarded from that school and be realistic about your sons ability. Your son can receive athletic scholarships from most Division 1 schools. DivisionII and III schools only offer financial aid. Most important of all is to have a highlight video of your sons play. Keep it short and sweet, about 4-5 minutes long. Finally, your sons grades will be the opening and deciding factor as to whether your son gets to play lacrosse. Most ivy league schools won't even consider your son unless he has a 3.6 gpa. Even non ivy division 1 schools require high grade point averages. Forget about any serious consideration for scholarship or aid if your sons grades are poor. Too many kids competing for positions and admission. Most college lacrosse coaches are preparing early. Recruiting takes up about 90 % of their total time. Get your son noticed this year and make sure to attend the right camps over the summer. Your son could be the best lacrosse player in Florida, but unless you r prepared to invest time, money and hard work, then he probably won't get noticed here. Above all, realize and understand that you the parent has to make it happen for your son. Unfortunately lacrosse coaches in Florida still think our kids play this sport for their entertainment and so they can have a job. It's pathetic.
-
I know you mentioned a few exceptions but I do want to say the few I am thinking of go above and beyond for their kids and parents. Also, dII does offer athletic scholarships.
-
just look at the schools that send kids to college, and you most likely will see the coaches that go above and beyond for their players.
-
While this is a good start, I know of a many travel programs that send kids to schools in which there regular high school coaches do very little.
-
There are many hs coaches that would do whatever it takes to help out their players as well as players from other teams. I do not think most coaches think the kids play for entertainment...many kids could not compete on the next level, but there are many that can and will. Ask around and I think you will be surprised at how many coaches are willing to help...even if they are not your hs coach. At the poster above...many hs footbal coaches down here get paid lots of money to work year round and recruit etc. not the case for most lax coaches at this point.
-
How can u say HS football coaches make a lot of money? The fact is palm beach county is littered with young inexperience lacrosse coaches that care more about drinking beers on Friday night than helping athletes get to the next level. Most of them have elitist attitudes that wreak of northern arrogance. There are exceptions to this but unfortunately Florida had to rely on very young coaches to start the process of helping schools start HS lacrosse programs. Most HS lacrosse coaches are immature, young and have little to no experience coaching. We as parents have to deal with these coaches who are not much older than the kids they coach. Unfortunately schools like Jupiter HS, Martin Cty and Jensen beach are forced to hire coaches that have no experience in youth sport coaching. Athletic departments need to hire adults that have more life experience than trusting our kids future to newbie players that think they are coaches. Most HS football coaches are seasoned experienced parents that understand how to handle our kids future. Lacrosse coaches in Florida could care less. That's the truth!
-
Obviously you have no idea what you are talking about...lots and lots of football coaches are also the ADs at the school. Many make a bunch more money than you probably even realize. As far as saying lacrosse coaches down here are elitists and only care about drinking beers....maybe you need to be more careful about who you allow your child to play for b/c I know that the coach my son plays for does not behave in that manner and is far from arrogant. All of your comments are opinions and it is sad that you find it so easy to make them, especially when you do not have to sign your name. Be a real man...and discuss your concerns with your coach and stop bashing and generalizing. Are all police officers cheaters and donut eaters?? Of course not...you sound so foolish. Get a good night of rest and maybe you will think more clearly..who is on here at three am anyway???
-
Head coaches stipends in PB co.are a little over $4k; who in their right mind thinks that is good money when you figure in how many hours most devote to their respective sports, and that coaching is their 2nd job? In Palm Beach County most head coaches are NOT ADs. Back to the actual question at hand.
With the exception of St Andrews Lax in South Florida is still in it's early stages, this will be the first year that all HS teams will be FHSAA varsity programs.
While a head coach technically has no responsibility to get your child looked at by colleges any decent coach will do what they can, but a lot of coaches have not developed the contacts that schools in traditional Lax regions have. The next two summers will be as important to your child as the their varsity seasons. Summer programs are great and are very important for honing skills by getting (hopefully) superior coaching and playing with and against players of high caliber. You pay a lot of money for summer programs, ask if they are playing in any tourneys that expose them to college coaches, and do the summer coaching staff have connections in the lacrosse world. Make sure you HS team videos all the games and you get them, so you can make or have made a highlight video.
and finally, if you haven't, and it seems like you have not, talk to your high school coach! Why would you exclude the coach from the recruiting process? Your child was a freshman last year why would you think the coach is thinking about recruiting for them yet? Don't assume that because you perceive your kid to be college lacrosse worthy that everyone else see's it that way, or that because you have a talented kid and the coach should automatically go knocking on doors. The coach has to know your kid wants to try and play at the next level, every kid does not have that desire or ability. Have a frank discussion about your child's ability desire and what they need to do to get to the college level. Then if your coach shows no interest in assisting I would go to the AD and inquire as to why and especially at a private school, they have this person coaching there.Be realistic if your kid wants to play college lacrosse they had better work at being, not the best player on their team, or even in their district, but in the county and if they are aspiring to a D-1 program, in the state!
-
FORGET A SCHOLARSHIP FOR LACROSSE IN FLORIDA. A division 1 lacrosse team at most can offer 11.5 scholarships for their entire team. Jacksonville offers 1. That means you're getting very little money to play lacrosse except in rare rare occasions.
You talent may get you admitted to the school but it WON'T get your college education paid for. as lacrosse gets more and more popular you chances for a scholarship get smaller and smaller.I wish HS and Youth coaches would educate lacrosse parents. They spend thousands of dollars a year sending their kids all over the country because the think they're going to get a full ride to college. IT AINT GOING TO HAPPEN. Even at St Andrews you can count the amount of full rides on 1 hand for the last 10 years.
SORRY TO BURST YOUR BUBBLE
-
Thanks for recognizing the hard work that coaches put in. Just as an FYI however, head coaches in PB County make anywhere from 2500.00 to 3500.00 /year (depending on the sport). I recently stopped coaching because of the strain it was putting on my personal and family life (coaching a varsity high school sport is an added 30 hrs per week). Again thanks for the recognition but we make less than what you posted.
Do head coaches have the responsibility to HELP the player get a scholarship? YES.
Is it their job to GET them one? NO.
All a coach can do is contact other coaches, send out film, talk up their players to college programs, call in people they know, send out info etc. This is time consuming but most coaches will do it if a player comes to them and tells them they plan on playing beyond HS.The worst thing I saw as 20 years as a HS football coach and 6 as a LAX coach was kids and parents not communicating to their coach about their expectations. Coaches should be in the loop immediately so they can provide the above mentioned support.
The only thing worse than this is kids with inflated egos and too high expectations (for example, every football player in PBC thinks they should be getting D1 scholarships).
D1 at this point in hard for florida because it is so new here compared to up north. When I called coaches for my lax players, Florida wasn't even on their recruiting map. This will change as more players come out and schools like FSU and UCF push for D1 programs, but it will take time.
If you think a player is college level, make a highlight tape, contact the schools, let you coach know what you hope to achieve (e.g. what schools you want to go to etc), and play on travel teams. Also, see if the school you want to go to holds a camp. Go to it, out perform everyone there and talk with the coaches ahead of time!
Good luck!
-
i'm going to be honest not that many coaches know that much about recruiting down here normally the kids do it themselves by making highlight tapes and sending them to schools or going to top 205, peak 200 etc
-
1. Grades Grades Grades. Your son should focus on being a good student.
2. Pick schools he would like to go to perhaps 10; a few small, a few medium sized and a few large sized schools.
3. Do not count on scholarships at all. Count on the grades and skills to open doors.
4. Put together a film from travel club and school lax.
5. Go to web sites of university/college, find out their summer camps and go to them each summer.
6. Fill out each schools athletic questionnaires.
7. Talk with your high schoolcoach, AD and club lacrosse coaches. Most of them are very helpful. I even know a few coaches who help kids not at their schools.
Bottom line is if your kid is a great student, and a good lax player, they can play in college. D2 or 3. Only if they are exceptional will they play D1. Exceptional is an opinion only shared by a college coach, not a parents opinion. Take your opinion of your son and knock it down a few knotches, because that is reality.
Summer combine camps are good too, but your son must make it a point to contact college coaches and keep in touch with them. They won't knock on your door, if you're not knocking on theirs. -
if you really want to get out there, I suggest you go on NSCAsports.org. Its a really good recruiting profile, they help you out with any situation you need. They give you contact info on schools, you can create you highlight video and post on their and so much other good stuff. It helped me out a lot and it showed me steps on being successful with the recruiting steps
-
@my experience hit the nail on the head on every single point he made. Grades are so important. Alot of d2 lax programs will match lacrosse money with academic money. The better the grades the more money on both sides.
-
Then why pay HS lacrosse coaches any money at all. From what I see here and what most parents have said is that their coaches do very little to promote or help get players recruited. What a joke. Kids and parents should demand more from their schools, especially if private. Most kids play HS lacrosse so that they may have an opportunity to play in college. If Florida HS coaches aren't expected to help then something needs to change. What a sad commentary.
-
Athletic coaches spend a lot of time and energy putting the team together, at practices, and lots of behind the scene work. In the end their pay is negligble. To say they OWE YOU anything is ridiculous. Private school or not, coaches are mostly willing to guide you to the path you should take to get your child further down the road in their sport, but to expect them to do it for you is ignorant on your part. Our coach offers us guidance, makes calls on our behalf but doesn't write the letters, or make the films. College coaches want to hear from the student, not the parents. Your child and you make those decisions. A priest won't get you into heaven, a teacher doesn't get you into college, HELLO!!!!! YOU are responsible for your own outcomes!
-
If your child were a cheerleader or involved in the Audio Visual Club would you expect their coach or teacher to help get them recruited to a school. Maybe You as Parents should take a more active role in the process, these kids should be guided but it is an arduous process that takes countless hours. If you are interested in doing all that it takes to get your child recruited, then the coach should help, but not do your JOB as a parent or student athlete for you. College coaches want to hear from the perspective players to see if they are mature enough to even pursue or are they a waste of time. High School coaches I know go above and beyond for their players. So let's stop bashing these guys who spend lots of time with these boys. Most probably would help at the drop of a hat if you did most of the leg work yourself and asked them to get involved.
There's always someone to blame! Maybe you should start by looking in the mirror!
Coaches Responsibilities
Reply to this Thread:
We'd like your thoughts on this topic. I appreciate your willingness to share them. We want to avoid comments that are obscene, hateful, racist or otherwise inappropriate. If you post offensive comments, we will delete them as soon as we can. If you see such comments, please flag them to notify us. -- Tim Burke, Publisher and Executive Editor, The Palm Beach Post
©
Cox Media Group. By using this website, you accept the terms of our
Visitor Agreement and
Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding
Ad Choices
.