need advice about DIII recruitment process

[toots]

I have been reading with interest the truth/misconceptions/advice about DI recruitment thread. Thanks to ref11 for starting it as it has been quite informative.

Now I need a bit of advice: I know I have read from various Div III posters about their experiences, but can we get some fresh advice on this thread? I have a daughter playing Div III, but she walked on and made the team. She did meet with a few coaches but made her decision on her own. Not sure coach even knew she was coming, but she did make the team. I have another daughter about to start her senior year and she wants to play DIII, but we really didn't do the whole recruiting thing with first daughter and I could sure use some advice. This kid is hearing a lot of promises or advice from current DIII players about what their coach can do for her as far as admissions, but I am not sure I believe it all.

Thanks in advance...

[hockeysb11]

Toots:

First thing the team your daughter plays for now should be able to advise her. I am the president of a girls ice hockey assoc and we try to help all our players by talking to college coaches for them and try very hard to get them sceen by them.

If that is not your case first thing you need to do is go to each college teams web site your daughter has interest in and fill out ther recruitment form. Do this right away it will get your daughters name on the schools list and may help your daughter get contacted it did mine. Next dont be afraid to contact a coach and let them know that you will be visiting there school. Get someone from the hockey program or the coach to talk to you and show you around on your visit.

You do not have alot of time left to get these things done if your daughter is starting her senior year, you should have got this started in her junior year. I can talk or e-mail with you if you are interested for any other advise I may be able to give you.

[uvmcats]

Many D3 schools allow the coach to indicate to the admissions office what players are considering attending the school. Some schools allow the coach to designate a few recruits to be admitted over more qualified applicants if they can meet minimum qualifications. Since the coach is limited in the number they can recommend, they will want to be sure the players interest is sincere. Also, if the player has the credentials to be admitted anyway, the coach will not want to waste one of the designations.

D3 schools can not give athletic based scholarships. Most financial aid at the D3 level is need based. However, many D3 schools can award money for other reasons, the most common of which is a good academic record. My daughter was able to garner an academic scholarship which far exceeded our stated FAFSA need based on her academic record. The coach called her after the acceptance letters went out and, in the course of the conversation, inquired what my daughter thought of the school's scholarship offer.

Given the competition at the D1 level for the limited athletic scholarships, I tell parents they have to be able to give the school an excuse to offer non-need based aid and the easiest area to get some is to bring a great academic record to the table.

The rest of the recruiting cycle is similar to D1. Coaches will appraoch players they are interested in. Players who have not been directly contacted should go to schools for a tour and mention they are interested in playing hockey. The tour will usually bring you by the coach's office for an introduction. If the player is still playing club, prep school or high school hockey, it doesn't hurt to have a schedule with you in case the coach or a trusted alum is in your area.

[uvmcats]

Forgot to mention, after the campus tours, the coaches from the schools my daughter was interested in attending did come and watch her play a couple of times during her senior year. The coaches also contacted my daughter's coach on their own initiative. I don't think it is late at all to start the campus visits and inquiries, the vast majority of D3 schools will be very interested in meeting a motivated player. Remember, the coach couldn't contact you until last July 1.

[toots]

Thanks to both of you for your responses.
If my daughter doesn't play club hockey and won't have a prep school game until early to mid-December, is that going to put her behind the 8-ball as far as getting a D3 coach interested? She has contacted the coaches and is planning the visits this fall. In fact, one D3 coach (a school she has already toured and had the admission interview) has seen her at summer rec league games and has already said "I would like you to come to my school and I definitely see you fitting in with my team". So that is good, but now daughter is looking at some of the most successful schools in D3, but I know it is a road strewn with emotional casualties from girls being made promises in the summer and fall and then spots seemingly dissappearing as other players commit ahead of her (happened to a prep teammate last fall with Bowdoin). Just wondering if player recommendations carry much weight with a coach if s/he can't see daughter play in person (or the parents of that same fellow summer league player who tell me "Oh, we'll tell the coach about your daughter").

I know I am being a nervous parent and I just need to let it play out. Again, thanks to both of you.

[MNhockeyfan09]

Just wondering if player recommendations carry much weight with a coach if s/he can't see daughter play in person (or the parents of that same fellow summer league player who tell me "Oh, we'll tell the coach about your daughter").

I know I am being a nervous parent and I just need to let it play out. Again, thanks to both of you.

I wouldn't rely solely on a player telling the coach about your daughter, that's great if they do and it could have some value. You can call or e-mail these coaches and let them know your interest. The DIII recruiting game doesn't really start until after November/December. The DIII schools have to wait for the DI programs to get their scholarship players committed and its then that the DIII programs can start to work on their lists.

[finalapprch]

Thanks to both of you for your responses.
I know it is a road strewn with emotional casualties from girls being made promises in the summer and fall and then spots seemingly dissappearing as other players commit ahead of her (happened to a prep teammate last fall with Bowdoin).

I don't want to make a broad statement but this is not the first I have heard of problems with the process at Bowdoin. It has happen to my daughter, her teammate, and two other players from other teams last year. I would say there are honest and good coaches and then there are others. The tough part of the process is to decide where a particular programs fits between these extreme pov's. I would really just try to get as much info on not only the schools but also the coaches. Word does get around about those with a spotty record. The process has its highs and lows. Try to ride out the extremes and look for the consistant coach.

[dSkatedad]

I don't want to make a broad statement but this is not the first I have heard of problems with the process at Bowdoin. It has happen to my daughter, her teammate, and two other players from other teams last year. I would say there are honest and good coaches and then there are others. I would really just try to get as much info on not only the schools but also the coaches. Word does get around about those with a spotty record. The process has its highs and lows. Try to ride out the extremes and look for the consistant coach.

Another good reason kids should choose a school where they can be happy and successful as students, even if hockey ceases to be an option because of recruiting situations like these, coaching changes, career-ending injuries, etc. We didn't necessarily want to hear it when my daughter was going through the process, but it's true.

[gopher25]

The recruiting is much different at the d3 level. The coaches have to go after many more players because there is a higher turnover as well as all they are offering is their school, no money. As a former player at both d1 and d3 levels. Pick a school that you can see yourself at. Don't go there for hockey. If you want to play thats great but in all honesty hockey at the d3 level should only be for fun and a chance to a few more years. In the west if you end up at one of the higher end schools the talent is extremely good and in some cases some have turned down d1 opportunites. Its hard for coaches to tell players they will get all of this ice time or be guaranted a spot when they don't know who is coming back next year, or how many people are coming in.
1. Pick a school you like and feel comfortable at for academic reasons.
2. Make sure if you are going to play hockey you like the coach. In so many cases the coach can make a huge difference. Yes the coach might leave, but in my case I had the same coach and that person made a huge difference in how I felt about playing, both good and bad.
3. Pick a school where you want to go not where your teammates from high school are going.

[Daunting55]

Here is what I think is the best way to go about getting recruited for D3 hockey:
Visit a huge variety of schools early- sophomore year- so that the girl knows what kind of school she is looking for - big, small, rural, whatever. Get the basics down on paper. You can use a site like Petersons.com to use that criteria and come up with a list of schools to then visit early junior year. Summer showcases are an awesome time to get seen. I am 100% behind the NAHA showcase. It has tons of coaches, tons of ice time and is really fun. Email the coaches of the schools and have them come watch. Wait to get calls, but don't limit your schools to those that call you. When you do overnights, meet with the coaches if they are there.

[hockeysb11]

Toots:

2 things I ask every girl I help are:

1. Pick a school for academics first because after 4 years hockey will not get you a job most likely.

2. If you were to get injured or cut would you still want to go to the school you are at. If you answer no then dont go there.

Some may disagree with that last statement but i believe in it.

[puxrex]

I would totaly agree with point number 2. In fact, it should be the number one question that a prospecitve student should ask herself/himself when applying to college. The corollary should be, "If I don't get a lot of playing time my first year will I still be happy with my choice?" I've sen players leave top level academic programs to go to lower level academic programs during their first year because they were unhappy about the amount of ice time. To me, they went to the school for the wrong reason in the first place. Be sure of the type of school (small, large, state, private, urban, rural, etc.) and the academic standards and programs of interest first. Then worry about playing D3 women's hockey.

[BKDad]

I am 100% behind the NAHA showcase. It has tons of coaches, tons of ice time and is really fun.
The NAHA showcase is supposed to be great.

The only problem is that a lot of kids who go to public school are still taking exams that time in June. Since everybody agrees that academics come first, that eliminates this as a possibility. Maybe this is just part of the reality that very few think that anybody outside of prep school kids are serious about hockey.

[uvmcats]

Toots:

2 things I ask every girl I help are:

1. Pick a school for academics first because after 4 years hockey will not get you a job most likely.

2. If you were to get injured or cut would you still want to go to the school you are at. If you answer no then dont go there.

Some may disagree with that last statement but i believe in it.

These are good rules of thumb. My daughter was sick of hockey by her senior year and decided not to play. She excelled in the academics at the school and landed a great job with a bank in Boston.

One difference in D3 from D1, in D1 if a coach has put their scholarship money on the line, it will take an exceptional 'walk on' player to grab a spot in the line up. At D3, the coach does not have that kind of investment and can re-recruit the entire line up each year. If that is an issue for you, look for programs that have an equitable balance of players across the classes. To me that indicates a mature program with a coach that recruits specific needs each year with a look to long term consistancy. Watch out for programs that have peaks and valleys in recruiting years.

[OhiohockeyDad]

The NAHA showcase is supposed to be great.

The only problem is that a lot of kids who go to public school are still taking exams that time in June. Since everybody agrees that academics come first, that eliminates this as a possibility. Maybe this is just part of the reality that very few think that anybody outside of prep school kids are serious about hockey.

I think that mostly only applies to NY kids- my oldest daughter was there twice, and the girls from other states were all shocked at the NY girls' exam schedule. One year, I believe the girl left on friday to go write the exam and came back..

[OhiohockeyDad]

I don't want to make a broad statement but this is not the first I have heard of problems with the process at Bowdoin. It has happen to my daughter, her teammate, and two other players from other teams last year. I would say there are honest and good coaches and then there are others. The tough part of the process is to decide where a particular programs fits between these extreme pov's. I would really just try to get as much info on not only the schools but also the coaches. Word does get around about those with a spotty record. The process has its highs and lows. Try to ride out the extremes and look for the consistant coach.

Not to boil the pot, but I sat in the meeting with my daughter and Bowdoin coaches, and it was pretty plainly stated- we only take the best hockey players, that will make this team their first priority. Basically, they laid it out, and that was a good thing, rather than an around the bushes talk, and she had her decision to make from there.
I agree 1000% with necdad- that was one bit of advice given to us years ago about the mature program/newbie ones, and it has proven true to a lot of girls.. The maure programs may not tell you what you want to hear, or what you thought you heard, but it's better than being the #1 recruit as a freshman, then not knowing anyone the next year at tryouts..

[dogskate]

The NAHA showcase is supposed to be great.

The only problem is that a lot of kids who go to public school are still taking exams that time in June. Since everybody agrees that academics come first, that eliminates this as a possibility. Maybe this is just part of the reality that very few think that anybody outside of prep school kids are serious about hockey.

Get used to it. Some Colleges have exams during the NCAA's.

[Hux]

These days nearly every parent has a digital video camera, and every coach a laptop of PC with DVD capability. Take your camera and record your daughter's shifts from several games. Do it from the end zone, and up high if possible. To show the coach what was happening on the ice, and how your daughter responded, include as much of the ice area and action as possible. Don't just focus on her, as that doesn't give the total picture.

Then make up some DVDs and mail them to the coaches at the prospective schools. This will ensure that the coach has knowledge of, and has "seen," your daughter.

[BKDad]

I think that mostly only applies to NY kids- my oldest daughter was there twice, and the girls from other states were all shocked at the NY girls' exam schedule. One year, I believe the girl left on friday to go write the exam and came back..
We are not from NY, and my daughter started exams the same day the camp started.