NCSA Membership Guide: Recruit-Match Plus by ncsa

ATHLEADERSHIP NEW MEMBER’S GUIDE

WELCOME TO NCSA ATHLETIC RECRUITING Welcome to the NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network! We’re excited to start working with you and want to help you get started right out of the gate. If you should ever have any questions along the way, you can always turn back to this guide to make sure that you’re on the right track.

A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER Congratulations and welcome to the world’s first Athleadership Network! Commit, succeed, and lead; these are the characteristics of an Athleader, and as an NCSA student-athlete, you’ve been recognized as embodying all three. The years you spend in college will shape the next 40 years of your life, and we’re thrilled that you’ve chosen NCSA to assist you on your journey through recruitment. We have an amazing team of Recruiting Experts ready to begin the process with you, and this guide will help prepare you for what lies ahead. It includes an outline of what you’ll be doing, when to do it, and how to do it! Good luck in your recruiting and Athlead On!

Chris Krause Founder & CEO

TABLE

OF CONTENTS 4 5 9 10 13

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR RECRUITING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CONNECTING WITH COLLEGE COACHES RECRUITING RESOURCES NCSA GAME PLAN BE PART OF THE NCSA TRADITION

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR

RECRUITING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Your first step will be getting to know the technology that will help you connect with college coaches and guide you through the recruiting process. It’s called your Recruiting Management System (RMS)!

BUILDING YOUR PROFILE Your RMS is your one-stop-shop for everything recruiting. The RMS is where you have the ability to: • Add and update all your athletic and academic information for college coaches • Find detailed information on any college • Access Video and Recruiting Libraries for a wealth of insider recruiting information by topic Now that you have full access to the NCSA Network, it’s time to get your information in front of college coaches! All of your athletic and academic information that appears on your profile is saved under the Edit Profile tab of your RMS. You can access or edit that information at any time. But the sooner you complete your profile, the sooner coaches

will be able to search for you! The NCAA prohibits any of the 42,000 college coaches in the network to view your profile unless you have the following information listed on your profile: Name, Graduation Year, High School, Sport, Position and GPA. Just take 3 minutes to make sure that information is posted so coaches can find you ASAP! As you complete more of your profile, you’ll see a progress bar on your home screen every time you login to your RMS. That progress bar will let you know exactly what percentage of your profile you have left to complete. Your home screen will also show what items are missing and what percentage each missing item is worth!

CONNECTING WITH

COLLEGE COACHES MATCH PERCENTAGE To help you determine which colleges and universities you would be a good fit for, you are given a match percentage with every school as soon as your profile is created. The percentage will always start around 50%, and will increase or decrease as you add more information to your profile. Your match percentage is determined by 4 criteria: • • • •

Academics – The grades and test scores you post in your profile Athletics – As determined by your video and statistical evaluation by a Head Recruiting Coach in your sport Your Preferences – Your level of interest in colleges based on location, size, athletic and academic strength, college type, major, etc. College Coach Preferences – Including athletic and academic preferences based on position needs and admissions

The more information you have on your profile and the more detailed you set your preferences, the more accurate your match percentage will be. Once you set your preferences, add the information you need to be viewed by coaches (as mentioned above), and post a video to be evaluated athletically, NCSA will send your profile out to the colleges you are a best fit for!

MONITORING VIEWS Outside NCSA, most student-athletes send their information to college coaches in unsolicited emails or through the postal service hoping the coach will take the time to view their information and follow up with a phone call or some form of mail. In reality, coaches don’t have the time or manpower to go through the thousands of emails and game videos they receive each year. Instead, they focus on recruiting lists and verified 3rd parties like NCSA Athletic Recruiting. NCSA has placed over 60,000 athletes since 2000, which is why coaches know and trust NCSA to send them only the recruits that meet their needs. That means your information is more likely to be seen over everyone else’s. Under the My Colleges tab in your RMS, you can see: • • • •

Every college coach that has viewed your profile When the coach viewed your profile How many times And past connections you’ve had with that coach

CONNECTING WITH

COLLEGE COACHES CONTINUED SHOWING INTEREST If a college coach contacted you today with a letter or email, what would you want it to say? Would you want it to say ‘We like what we see and we’ll keep our eyes on you’? Or would you rather the coach talk about how you could contribute to their team and where you stand among other recruits? When coaches talk about you in detail, it is a good indicator that they’ve done their homework and that they’re seriously interested in you. It gets your attention and gets you excited! And the truth is that college coaches feel the same way when you mail them! This is why it’s so important to identify where you will be a good fit academically and athletically. The better fit you are for a program, the better response you’ll receive from the coach. There are a lot of ways to reach out to college coaches and show your interest, including emails, phone calls, applying for roster openings, submitting questionnaires, connecting on social media and scheduling visits. Whenever you view a college’s information in your RMS, there’s a green check mark you can click that will notify that coach that you’re interested and add your information to their Coach RMS!

Remember college coaches may be limited in how they can respond depending on your sport or grad year. To help you make sense of which coaches can contact you, how and when, check out the Coach Communications section of the Resource Library in your RMS.

RECRUITING TIP On the Views & Recommendations page of your RMS, you have the ability to send an email directly to any coach that has viewed your profile. Before you follow up with a coach, make sure to learn about that program and introduce yourself the same way you would a coach that hasn’t viewed your profile. It will make for a smoother introduction.

CONNECTING WITH

COLLEGE COACHES CONTINUED APPLYING FOR ROSTER OPENINGS Once your information has been added to your profile, you can immediately begin applying for roster openings college coaches are actively looking to fill. Coaches reach out to NCSA about 25 times every day with new roster openings including any criteria the coach wants a recruit to meet for that position. Under the Roster Openings tab in your RMS, you can create a detailed search for any roster openings you’d be interested in. You can sort by division level, physical traits, academic requirements and location.

If you’re not sure where to start, the ‘Show Only What I Can Apply For’ button will automatically filter your results based on your accolades and college preferences. From this list, you can apply for any roster spot directly through your RMS! Just explain why you would be a good fit for that roster spot or that coach’s program and your application will get sent directly to that coach! Keep in mind it’s always good to follow up with a coach after you submit an application for a roster opening.

CONNECTING WITH

COLLEGE COACHES CONTINUED SELECTING YOUR FAVORITES As you find more colleges you’re interested in, save them to your Favorites page in your RMS so you can easily manage all your top colleges in one place. You can add any college to your Favorites by clicking the star marked ‘Add to Favorites’ on any college details page. Your full list of favorites can be viewed under the My Colleges tab. From there you can prioritize your favorite programs, track when and how many times coaches from

that college have viewed your profile and email any coach at that program directly. If there are criteria you use to select your favorite programs, make sure to include it on your Preferences page. Your preferences tell us what schools you’re interested in which will increase or decrease your match level with each college.

RECRUITING

RESOURCES

RECRUITING WIKI

YOUR ACCOUNT PAGE

Under the Recruiting 101 tab of your RMS, you’ll find a link to the Resource Library which is where you can find information on nearly every facet of recruiting. If you’re ever unsure where to find certain information, just type a question or phrase into the search bar and any page in the library matching your search will be in the results. It’s your personal search engine for recruiting information!

If you ever have questions regarding your membership or payment schedule, just click on the appropriate link under the Account tab in the top right of your RMS. From here you’re able to change your password, view the specifics of your membership, view your payment schedule and even update your payment information!

RECRUITING HELP Any time you have a question that can’t be answered in your RMS, or if you want to hear from a recruiting expert to get specific feedback based on your situation, feel free to email a Recruiting Coach anytime at recruitinghelp@ncsasports.org.

MEMBER SUPPORT LINE

VIDEO SECTION Similar to the Resource Library, there is a Video Library located under the Recruiting 101 tab of your RMS. The Video Library provides you with demos & tutorials of your RMS, example highlight videos, quick tips, FAQ’s (with a specific section for NCAA rules), and more!

If you ever have a question you’d like to discuss over the phone, the Recruiting Coach team can assist you with whatever you need. Each Recruiting Coach has either played or coached your sport at the college level and is very knowledgeable about the process. Our Recruiting Coach team can be reached at 877-845-6272 Monday - Thursday from 8am-8pm, Friday and Saturday from 8:30am-5:30pm, and Sunday 8:30am-6:30pm Central Time.

NCSA ATHLETIC RECRUITING

GAME PLAN RECRUITING CLASSES With your NCSA membership, recruiting classes are going to be a fantastic source of education to guide you through the process. These online classes are hosted live by a Head Recruiting Coach and range from sport specific topics to general recruiting topics like financial aid. And to make sure you leave each class with all of your questions answered, each recruiting class allows you to interact with the host Recruiting Coach anytime during the class! To help get you started, we’ve compiled our most important classes in the following recruiting class schedule. This curriculum is based on major milestones in your recruiting process to help keep you on track to success! And to give you an even bigger leg up on your competition, you can search and register for additional classes under the Recruiting 101 tab of your RMS.

NCSA RECRUITING CLASS SCHEDULE CHECK OFF EACH CLASS AS YOU TAKE THEM TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE THE MOST PREPARED RECRUIT YOU CAN BE! Here at NCSA, we believe in the power of recruiting education. Knowing how the process works today can mean the difference between earning a scholarship and not competing in college. To help set you up for success, we’ve put together some valuable classes about the process! *TIMELINE - Class should be completed within X days of enrollment.

CLASSES: ROOKIE ORIENTATION Get started here! We will cover your recruiting gameplan, dive in to how you can use your profile successfully, and make sure you know your next steps to success.

RECRUITING 101

Get to know the ins-and-outs of your sports recruiting! We will cover the scholarship structure of your sport, recruiting timelines, and make sure you know the NCAA requirements for your recruiting success.

FINDING THE RIGHT SCHOOL FOR YOU

Ever wonder how to start picking through the hundreds of schools out there to find the right fit for you? Join us and we will talk about how to use the tools in your profile to start identifying schools today!

COACH COMMUNICATIONS 101

How do you email/call a coach? We will walk you through how to create an introductory email and a calling script for contacting college coaches as well as lay out a gameplan to reach out efficiently.

ELIGIBILITY 101

Get an inside look at the NCAA & NAIA Eligibility Centers! Learn about the qualifications you’ll need to compete at the college level, when to apply to each center and what the application process looks like.

(SEASON) RECRUITING - (YOUR SPORT)

In these sport specific classes, we cover what you need to know to maximize your recruiting efforts during each season of each year. You’ll learn everything from important upcoming dates to what coaches look for in a recruit!

VISITS 101

What is the difference between an official and unofficial visit? We will define the often misunderstood differences as well as prep you for how to set-up, prepare for, and make a great impression on your visit to a school.

APPLICATIONS AND ADMISSIONS

Join this training to find out when and how to apply to schools. We will go over tips that will save you a TON of time and make sure you are getting into as many schools as possible.

BUILDING A SCHOLARSHIP PACKAGE

How do schools determine how much aid they can give to a student? Join this training to learn how to maximize your financial aid from schools!

MAKING YOUR COLLEGE COMMITMENT

How do you make a commitment to a school? What questions should I ask before making my final decision? Learn these as well as when you should make your commitment!

TIMELINE

ATTENDED

CLASSES: ROOKIE ORIENTATION Get started here! We will cover your recruiting gameplan, dive in to how you can use your profile successfully, and make sure you know your next steps to success.

RECRUITING 101

FINDING THE RIGHT SCHOOL FOR YOU

COACH COMMUNICATIONS 101

How do you email/call a coach? We will walk you through how to create an introductory email and a calling script for contacting college coaches as well as lay out a gameplan to reach out efficiently.

ELIGIBILITY 101

(SEASON) RECRUITING - (YOUR SPORT)

VISITS 101

APPLICATIONS AND ADMISSIONS

Join this training to find out when and how to apply to schools. We will go over tips that will save you a TON of time and make sure you are getting into as many schools as possible.

BUILDING A SCHOLARSHIP PACKAGE

How do schools determine how much aid they can give to a student? Join this training to learn how to maximize your financial aid from schools!

MAKING YOUR COLLEGE COMMITMENT

How do you make a commitment to a school? What questions should I ask before making my final decision? Learn these as well as when you should make your commitment!

TIMELINE

ATTENDED

NCSA ATHLETIC RECRUITING

GAME PLAN CONTINUED COACHING SESSIONS In addition to recruiting classes, your membership also includes 4 one-on-one Recruiting Strategy Sessions (Coaching Sessions) with a Head Recruiting Coach. These half-hour phone calls or Skype sessions can be used to establish a recruiting game plan specific to you, or to discuss individual topics like visits, communicating with college coaches or narrowing your options to make a decision. You can schedule a Coaching Session from your profile by clicking the Contact Us button in the top right corner of your profile, then Coaching Session from the dropdown. We recommend using your first Coaching Session about 2 months after you join NCSA.

RECRUITING TASKS While recruiting classes guide you through the process from a high level, there are a few tools in your RMS designed specifically to guide you step by step through the process. The first of which are your Recruiting Tasks. Located on your home screen when you login, these tasks tell you what to do now to make sure you stay ahead of the competition. Each task is specific to your recruiting process and includes all the most important actions during each phase of recruiting. Out of 7 million high school athletes,

knowing what to do next is what will make you a part of the 2% that go on to compete at the college level. To make sure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fall behind, just take 60 seconds to login and check your tasks list. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that simple!

RECRUITING ROADMAP The second tool is your Recruiting Roadmap. The Roadmap is a recruiting timeline specific to your sport that walks you through each semester of high school. While your Recruiting Tasks are more focused on what to do to stay ahead, the Recruiting Roadmap is more focused on recruiting rules and actions to make your recruiting efforts most effective. This includes athletics, academics and recruiting broken down by season. And just like your Recruiting Tasks, your Recruiting Roadmap is on your home screen when you sign into your RMS.

NCSA ATHLETIC RECRUITING

GAME PLAN CONTINUED HOW COACHES USE THE NCSA NETWORK Just like you, college coaches have their own RMS built specifically for promoting their school and finding the student athletes that fit their needs. College coaches have the ability to post camp brochures or questionnaires, search the NCSA Network for athletes based on a variety of search filters, and set preferences based on what type of recruits they need. They also come directly to us with roster spots they’re looking to fill by providing us with the criteria student athletes need to meet to qualify for that spot! In addition to what coaches do, NCSA sends college coaches updates whenever new student athletes are interested or are qualified for their program. NCSA’s relationships with college coaches and the tools coaches use to easily access athletes in the NCSA Network are what resulted in 16,004 commitments from the 2013 NCSA grad class on an average scholarship of $19,300 per year. That’s over 1.2 BILLION scholarship dollars!

BE A PART OF THE NCSA TRADITION ADDING YOUR COLLEGE LOGO TO YOUR PROFILE We know going through the recruiting process takes a lot of work and we’re going to do anything we can to make sure your hard work pays off. So, when it comes time to make your final college decision, make sure to let us know! We have a gold bell in our office that we ring every time a student athlete like you commits and we want to make sure we celebrate with you. We also want to update your status and let other college coaches know you’ve committed. Even after you make your college decision, remember you’re part of the NCSA family for life. If at any time through your college career you have a question, need to transfer, etc., we’re going to be there to help!

The Member Support team is available by:

PHONE 877-845-6272 MON-THURS 8AM-8PM; FRI-SAT 8:30AM-5:30PM SUN 9:30AM-6:30PM CENTRAL EMAIL RECRUITINGHELP@NCSASPORTS.ORG FAX 866-996-6272 OFFICE NCSA ATHLETIC RECRUITING 1415 N. DAYTON ST. 4TH FLOOR CHICAGO, IL 60642

Any time you have any questions about your recruiting process, how to use a particular part of your profile or just want to know your next steps, make sure to give us a call. Our Member Support team and your personal Recruiting Coach are going to be here for you every step of the way. We’re excited to see you succeed so let’s get started!