Veteran sportscaster Charlie Adams speaks to Rockford Wildcats AAU Jan. 27

From press release

As the first semester of this school year winds down, high school student athletes step back to evaluate both their athletic and academic performance thus far.

Success in both is extremely important especially for the student athlete hoping to pursue a collegiate athletic career. The recruitment process can be very confusing and frustrating for many students and their parents, but nationally-recognized sportscaster and NCSA educational speaker Charlie Adams will be in town to clear up the myths and misconceptions of the college recruitment process through the popular National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) seminar, “College Recruiting Simplified,” at Rockford Wildcats AAU at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 27 in the Rock Valley College P.E. Center.

As an NCSA speaker, Adams will share the following “5 Things You Need to Know to Get Recruited” tips among many more with student athletes and their families.

1. The recruitment process does NOT begin during the athlete’s junior or senior year. The recruitment process does not begin when a student athlete is contacted by a college coach; it can start as early as seventh or eighth grade.

2. College coaches don’t just discover talented athletes. The athlete must initiate communication and convey interest to be noticed. Even if a student athlete is a superstar, they must be prepared to call coaches, ask the right questions and take initiative.

3. College coaches do a majority of their initial interest by looking at videos before making in-person visits to games. Student athletes can expect college coaches to have the means to travel to watch their games, and professional film is very important for coaches to evaluate.

4. Most opportunities to play college athletics are NOT Division I Programs. Many athletes and parents feel their only option for collegiate athletic scholarships are D1 schools, but there are more than 1,800 colleges and universities that sponsor college athletes and are able to offer financial packages, and most are not D1 programs.

5. Student athletes and their families are ultimately responsible for connecting with college coaches. Student athletes cannot rely on their high school coaches to connect to college coaches. Most high school coaches do not have the time or resources to make sure their athletes are recruited, so it is up to the athletes and their families to reach out to the college coaches.

Rock Valley College is at 3301 Mulford Road, Rockford. For student athletes and their families who are interested in attending NCSA’s “College Recruiting Simplified” seminar, call Jaclyn Thomas at (312) 624-7446.