Here's just a little info on the whole early recruiting process. My 2016 daughter was fairly highly recruited: 8 schools from Hofstra in the north to University of Florida in the south. She committed to a D1 during the summer after sophomore year. She was very excited about her choice and so were we. She moved into school in early September last year and all was going well...fall ball, school, etc. Played very well and started some of the games during fall. All of a sudden,yesterday she informs me that she does not want to go back. I asked how long she's felt this way and she said since she moved. Wow! So, she called her coach yesterday and went and visited with her today. The coach told her that she was a big part of the teams upcoming season and hated to lose her. They talked for several hours, and some of the upper classmen talked to her, all to no avail. In the end she chose to leave and signed her release paperwork. Now she's on her way back home. Here's what I thought: That my daughter would never do this. She's very responsible, great student, takes care of her business, works hard, etc. She loves working out and didn't think the practices were too hard. She ran her mile run test in 6:15. She has lots of friends and got along with her room mate very well. But, ultimately, she didn't "feel right" at the school. Just "off". She's going to go the local community college, which is always highly ranked, and play there and hopefully continue at another 4-year school that is more for her. Her former team treated her wonderfully, she loved the coaches, liked the school. It just didn't work. So, my advice to any parents and players is to choose your school wisely. Talk about all of the negatives as much as the positives. Talk about the "what ifs". And, most of all communicate a lot. Good luck to all going through the process now. It can be exciting, pressure packed and fun all at the same time. And, do not discount a D2 or D3 school. It's not all about D1. Good Luck to all.
That is great advice! Your daughter is not the only one! I have a son in a similar situation with basically the same story. Top recruit, starting on a top D1 program, but just isn't happy. People need to be careful what they wish for!
Thank you, and that is why I put it out there. First, I would hope that a family in the middle of the recruiting process would read and heed at least a little of the info. Agree with your last sentence: Be careful what you wish for. Second, I know that this is partly due to the early recruiting trend. I'm not going to say all of our situation is due to early recruiting, but some of it has to be. She started to be recruited during the summer after her freshman year. It was almost non-stop for a year and I think it started to wear on her. She visited eight schools, but once she started getting offers, I think she felt pressure to go SOMEWHERE. So, like I mentioned above, ask the hard questions of your kid. Talk about the "what ifs". Have a Plan B. She's a smart kid, and I know academically she'll be fine. And,she still wants to play somewhere, which makes ol' dad happy (we spent a lot of money over the years) LOL.
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