Liberty Athletics.com, Liberty High School Elderbsurg, MD

  PAPER WORK COLLECTION DAY IS AUGUST 13th at 9AM @LHS 

STADIUM  SEATS

 VARSITY CLUB SPIRIT  WEAR

 

COLLEGE RECRUITING PAGE

 

FOR MANY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES, THE ABILITY TO PLAY THEIR RESPECTIVE SPORT AT THE COLLEGIATE LEVEL IS A DREAM COME TRUE.   Where do you begin?  What is the process?  For student athletes and their parents it's nice to know there are several resources available to assist you in the process. At Liberty High School we are proud to have several athletes that have gone on to play at the collegiate level.  We hope that the following resources will help you begin your quest for knowledge in regard to collegiate athletics. NCAA 2008-2009 HANDBOOK NCAA CLEARING HOUSE WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIVISION I, II and III From NCAA website: Division I Division I member institutions have to sponsor at least seven sports for men and seven for women (or six for men and eight for women) with two team sports for each gender. Each playing season has to be represented by each gender as well. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria. For sports other than football and basketball, Div. I schools must play 100% of the minimum number of contests against Div. I opponents -- anything over the minimum number of games has to be 50% Div. I. Men's and women's basketball teams have to play all but two games against Div. I teams, for men, they must play 1/3 of all their contests in the home arena. Schools that have football are classified as Div. I-A or I-AA. I-A football schools are usually fairly elaborate programs. Div. I-A teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements (17,000 people in attendance per home game, OR 20,000 average of all football games in the last four years or, 30,000 permanent seats in their stadium and average 17,000 per home game or 20,000 average of all football games in the last four years OR, be in a member conference in which at least six conference members sponsor football or more than half of football schools meet attendance criterion. Div. I-AA teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements. Div. I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, and there are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Div. I school cannot exceed. Division II Division II institutions have to sponsor at least four sports for men and four for women, with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria -- football and men's and women's basketball teams must play at least 50% of their games against Div. II or I-A or I-AA opponents. For sports other than football and basketball there are no scheduling requirements. There are not attendance requirements for football, or arena game requirements for basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Div. II school must not exceed. Division II teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student-athletes. Many Division II student-athletes pay for school through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans and employment earnings. Division II athletics programs are financed in the institution's budget like other academic departments on campus. Traditional rivalries with regional institutions dominate schedules of many Division II athletics programs. Division III Division III institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are minimum contest and participant minimums for each sport. Division III athletics features student-athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability and athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university. Division III athletics departments place special importance on the impact of athletics on the participants rather than on the spectators. The student-athlete's experience is of paramount concern. Division III athletics encourages participation by maximizing the number and variety of athletics opportunities available to students, placing primary emphasis on regional in-season and conference competition.

FIVE IMPORTANT RECRUITING TIPS: courtesy of RecruitZone.com Tip#1 - Grades Matter - We don't care how much talent or skill you have; you're no good to a college coach if you can't stay eligible academically. Why should they waste a scholarship or a spot on their team with a recruit that will never smell playing time because of academic ineligibility? It's in your best interest to prove, during high school, that you can take care of academics as well as athletics. Taking care of business in the classroom helps open up more opportunities during the recruiting process. All else being equal, having better academics than another recruit just may be the factor that sets you apart from other student-athletes. Grades are the most important. Don't slack in the classroom. Tip #2 - Attitude Counts - If you think attitude goes unnoticed by college coaches during the recruiting process, think again. Just one player with a bad attitude can infect the entire team. (Most people know the Terrell Owens and Eagles story) Most coaches would rather have a team full of decent players who work hard, who play together as a team, and know how to pull together when it counts than a team full of all-stars incapable of playing together. You need to demonstrate your ability to work hard, support your teammates, be a leader, and most of all be coachable! Tip# 3 - Test Early - If you plan on going to a school that has SAT/ACT requirements, try to take these tests during your Junior Year in high school (if not earlier). The colleges will take your best scores from each section of each test. Most students see a 5% or more increase in their score when taking the test again. Often times College Coaches will offer scholarships in the fall of a recruit's Senior Year in high school, sometimes even sooner. If you've already gotten your tests taken care of and they know you'll be able to get into their school, it's that much easier for them to decide that you're a recruit they want. Tip#4 - Send Information - Too many student-athletes mistakenly think "If I'm good, someone will find me". Don't make this mistake! Guess What? College coaches can't recruit you if they don't know you exist. Put together a video, if possible, and send it to programs of your choice along with an athletic "resume" highlighting your achievements. Include stats, awards, high school transcripts, information on SAT/ACT scores, and letters of recommendation from coaches and teachers. Don't forget your contact information. Tip#5- College Contacts and Visits- A college coach can only call or visit you after July of your junior year in high school. There are other contact periods that happen a few months earlier than this in football and basketball, but the "July rule" is pretty good in terms of a bench-mark. That means a coach can not place an outbound call to you, nor can he initiate a visit to your home or school specifically to talk to you about playing a sport at his or her college, until the summer before your senior year. Remember, this deals only with outbound communication from a coach. You can call or meet with a coach at any point in your high school career. That's right; you can call a coach whenever you want. The key here is that you are the one initiating contact with the coach and not the other way around. If you want to call a coach or visit a campus and set up a meeting with the coach, you may do so as often as you wish. If you're a junior or a senior who has not yet heard from enough college coaches, it is imperative that you begin taking positive steps towards getting in contact with coaches as soon as possible. In other words, now!

COLLEGE RECRUITING TIPS