College Recruiting- Jenna Dougherty

Tags

amateur sports, athlete, College Athletics, college recruiting, high school athletes, high school sports, marketing high school athelete

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome Jenna Dougherty

Sport: Women’s Lacrosse
Position: Midfield
Hometown: Moorestown, N.J.
High School: Moorestown H.S.

High School
Three-year letter winner and starter for head coaches Deanna and KC Knobloch … Helped team win the state championship three times … Selected as the Midfielder Player of the Year in South Jersey as a senior … Also earned honorable mention All-America and Academic All-America honors in 2010 … Scored her 100th career goal during her senior season … Earned multiple honors as a junior and senior, including: first-team Burlington County Scholastic League, first-team All-South Jersey, All-Burlington County, All-Group Three, All-Group Three South Jersey and second-team all-state … Wore #51 (legacy lacrosse number at Moorestown) for three years … Four-year letter winner and starter in field hockey … Captained the team as a senior … Helped team win the state championship as a freshman … Earned multiple postseason awards, including first-team all-South Jersey honors as a senior … Academic All-American … Graduated with High Honors … Member of the Honor Roll three years … Member of the Honors Service and Society … Served as a Sunday School teacher for fourth graders.

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A: I graduated from the College of William and Mary this past May and will be returning in August for my Masters of Accounting.

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A: I was recruited to play field hockey and lacrosse in college, but chose to play just lacrosse.

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A: I played field hockey and lacrosse in high school.

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A: I talked a lot with older players from my high school about their experiences with the recruiting process. I also made a list of what was of high priority to me when looking at schools and was able to narrow the list down based on who was interested in me and my priorities (academics, lacrosse, social life, location).

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

A: No, I haven’t heard of College Board.

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor gave you about researching and selecting a college?

A: I mainly received my advice from older players and from my parents, but my coaches were highly involved in helping me get recruited. They reached out to any school that I was interested in.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

A: The main thing that my parents stressed was to go to a school with the best academics possible. They also wanted me to find a school that would be the right fit, where I didn’t  be overwhelmed on the lacrosse field, in the classroom, or in general. My parents were great at helping me find the right fit and went on all of my college visits.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?

A: No, I wasn’t. My high school coaches had a lot of their players recruited, so I knew that they could help me. Ultimately, however, I knew it was up to myself to pursue playing in college.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A: Yes, I attended around 2-3 summer camps each summer. I also played on a club lacrosse team that had a bunch of tournaments along the East Coast. The camps and tournaments were the most important showcases to get recruited.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A: My coach recommended doing as many summer camps as I could and were also my club coaches as well. I started doing summer camps when I was in middle school and did them through my senior year.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A: No, I haven’t tried any.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A: I think the most important thing is to put yourself out there; reach out to college coaches that you are interested in, strive to get better at camps, do as many recruiting showcases as you can. And make sure you understand what is most important to you, whether that be academics or winning a national championship.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A: You have more power than you think you do!

 

Thank you Jenna Dougherty for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Regards,

Coach Moody

College Recruiting – Spenser Patrick Rositano

Tags

amateur sports, athlete, College Athletics, college recruiting, high school athletes, high school sports, marketing high school athelete

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome Spenser Patrick Rositano

Sport: Football
Position: Defensive Back
Height: 6-1
Height: 208
Hometown: Ashburn, VA
High School: Stone Bridge H.S.

HIGH SCHOOL

Earned Virginia Preps All-State first-team honors and Virginia High School League All-State first-team honors in 2009 and 2010 as a safety at Stone Bridge High School; also played wide receiver and handled kickoffs, punting and punt-return duties … twice gained Northern Region first-team accolades and Liberty District first-team honors … was a Washington Post All-Met second-team selection as a senior … made 79 tackles (61 solos) and six interceptions in 2010; returned two interceptions and two punts for touchdowns … made 27 receptions for 570 yards and six scores as a senior … converted a 48-yard field goal in 2010 … booted a 68-yard punt as a junior … played for Bulldogs head coach Mickey Thompson … also starred on the school’s baseball team, earning Liberty District Player of the Year accolades and Northern Region first-team honors.

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A: I am currently attending Boston College.

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A: I was recruited for football and baseball, but I chose to stick with football in college

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A: In high school I played football and baseball

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A: When looking at colleges I tended to focuses on the colleges that were most interested in me. By looking at all of the colleges that were interested in me, I was able to narrow done the schools that would be a good fit for my future.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

A: Yes, and No

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor gave you about researching and selecting a college?

A: The advice that my coaches and counselors gave me were pretty similar to what my parents told me – Each of them told me to pick a university that i could see myself attending as if I were not playing a sport. By thinking in that state, I tried to find a university that fit me personally, athletically, academically, socially, etc.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

A: My parents did not really give me any advice when selecting a college.They wanted me to pick a university that fit me best. In addition, my parents would drive or fly me to several universities so I was able to see the campus and get a feel for what the university was like. They gave me opportunities that many don’t usually get – for that I am forever grateful.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?

A: I was never under the impression that it was my coaches job to get me recruited. I knew from day one that if i wanted the opportunity to play at the next level, then I would have to be willing to work everyday on and off the field, in the classroom, and make good decisions outside of school and practice to allow me to get an opportunity to play college football

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A: In total I believe I attended eight college camps. Going to camp in my opinion was the one thing that allowed me to get my name out and earn a scholarship. In today’s society, unless you are a freak athlete, high school students will mostly likely not get recruited unless they have attended camps in the summer.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A: My coach advised me to visit camps because different schools wanted me to workout for them live; but he never forced the issue on me. That being said, I started going to camps the summer going into my sophomore year.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A: I did the NIKE Combine twice just to see if i was progressing in my off season workouts. I never really used these services – or events as a recruiting tool.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A: As I mentioned early, the recruiting process for me was very difficult, so i knew going in that i was going to have to do everything i could just to get myself noticed by Division 1 schools. Furthermore, I simply put in the work on and off the field, in the classroom, went to camps, and did everything I possibly could to give myself an advantage to earn – and give myself an opportunity to succeed.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A: The biggest surprise to me during the college recruiting process was that I did not have any Division 1 offers until going into the playoffs of my senior year. I started to get nervous, but I continued to keep my faith and work hard everyday, and I eventually earned my scholarship to Boston College where I currently reside today!

Thank you Spencer Rositano for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Regards,

Coach Moody

College Recruiting – Emma Phillips

Tags

amateur sports, athlete, College Athletics, college recruiting, high school athletes, high school sports, marketing high school athelete, recruiting

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college. Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome Emma Phillips

Sports: Swimmer
Position: Breaststroke/Individual Medley
Height: 5’7
Hometown: Hurdle Mills, NC
High School: Cresset Christian Academy

High School/Club

Attended Cresset Christian Academy … Swam for the North Carolina Aquatic Club … Garnered Scholastic All-American consideration … Member of the senior sectional team her sophomore and junior seasons.

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A: Greensboro College (Pride), NCAA Division III, ODAC Conference

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A: Recruited for swimming and cross country; chose swimming for college

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A: Swimming, cross country, softball

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A: I mainly followed older swimmers on my club team; Division I programs were ideal, not many people talked about DII or DIII much less NAIA, etc.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

A: I did not use College Board for advice during my college selection process, but now, as a college coach, I have spoken to many athletes who do use it as a resource.

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor gave you about researching and selecting a college?

A: I don’t remember much advice shared other than to not be afraid to put myself out there and contact coaches. I only contacted one coach (UNCW) and they have me on their watch list, though I decided not to pursue them further.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

A: My mom was a big advocate for keeping options open and target smaller schools. Based on my high school size (very small), she thought I might fit in better at a smaller, possibly private school…for academics and athletics. I was set on going big and public.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?

A: I did think that my coaches would help me more than they did, however I was not educated on the whole process so I was naiive to assume that. As a coach now, I am recognizing that there needs to be more education and guidance in club swimming when it comes to swimmers preparing for college.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A: I went to UVA swim camp three or four years in a row, but that was before the age of 12 and I don’t think that helped in recruitment.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A: No, but I wish I had known that that was a great option to get yourself out there.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A: I didn’t use any outside recruiting services to get my name out there. As a coach now, I am realizing how helpful those services are because unless you know the athlete personally, it is hard to know who to reach out to.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A: When I transferred to Greensboro (from Gardner Webb University, Division I), I made sure the coach knew who I was and what my goals and expectations were. I also wanted to know his, to make sure that we had similar interests. The fit was right, so I ended up there, but I stress to my swimmers now that it is important to find your fit and do your research; not just expect college coaches to come to you.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A: The biggest surprise was that there are schools out there other than Stanford, UVA, UNC, Duke, etc. I don’t know if I would have ended up at GC if I had taken a different route following high school graduation, but I would advise future swimmers/athletes to not be afraid of looking at lower NCAA DI, DII, and DIII schools.

Thank you Emma Phillips for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Regards,

Coach Moody

Coach Moody – Chanel Murchison

Tags

amateur sports, Chanel Murchinson, college recruiting, high school athletes, high school sports, marketing high school athelete, recruiting

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome Chanel Murchison

Position: Guard/ Forward
Height: 5’10
Hometown: Stafford, VA
High School: Colonial Forge

High School

Earned four varsity letters as a guard and shooting forward for coach Michelle Darley at Colonial Forge High School … Honorable mention McDonald’s All-American in 2008 … Named honorable mention all-state in 2006-07 by VirginiaPreps.com … Second-team all-district as a freshman … First-team all-district as a sophomore and junior … Four-time all-academic honoree … Also earned two letters as a thrower in track … District Champion in the shot put indoors in 2007 … Senior class President, after serving as class Vice President in 2006-07 and Treasurer in 2005-06 …

 

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A: I graduated from The College of William and Mary in May 2013.

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A: I was recruited for and played women’s basketball.

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A: I played basketball as well as, was thrower on the track and field team.

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A: I had to have a slight idea of what major fields interested me then see if those areas of study were available at the schools interested in me. It was easier to see what schools were interested in me, and then work from there.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

A: Yes, I have and I used the books available that give you basic admission and academic information of every institution in the country. These books were simply a resource, they helped but in only in a very baseline way.

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor gave you about researching and selecting a college?

A: My coaches made it clear that this was a decision I had to make on my own. I think that was the best advice.

My guidance counselors were effective in making sure that my academic success in high school could continue on after I graduated, in respect to taking courses that could benefit me in college.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

A: My parents were very supportive and just like my coaches stressed that, they weren’t the ones that would be going to the classes, spending time on the campus, and all the other aspects of going to college and playing a sport, so the I would have to make the overall decision, but they were definitely helpful in narrowing my options.

 

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?

A: No, I knew that in order to get looks I would have to put in the work both on and off the court. However, I think a good and supportive coach would naturally want to encourage and help their athletes in reaching their full potential in any way possible. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have coaches like that in my corner.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A: I attended The University of North Carolina’s team and individual camps, as well as Virginia Commonwealth University team camp.

However, I’d assume most amateur basketball athletes will compete on an AAU team and that’s where they will get most recognition, I believe that’s the platform that helped me most with being recruited.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A: No, I attended most camps at a young age, or with my team.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A: N/A

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A: First, I did my homework; I knew what I wanted in my experience as a collegiate athlete. I wanted a school with good academics, a program that was respectable, and not too far from home. Secondly, I put in the work.

However, you also have to sell yourself as a person. The coaches are going to call you, they are going to call your coaches, and you want to be able to sell what kind of individual you are on and off the court. You also want your high school/AAU coach to be able to talk about you in a positive light. I think that is the most important, because they can probably find someone else with the same skills as you somewhere.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A: I think the biggest surprise in the recruiting process is learning that it is a business. Recruiting is a job, and therefore the process is business.

Thank you Chanel Murchison for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

 

Regards,

 

Coach Moody

 

 

College Recruiting – Jared Silva

Tags

amateur sports, college recruiting, high school athletes, high school sports, Jared Silva, marketing high school athelete, recruiting

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

 

Please welcome Jared Silva

 

Position: Baseball Pitcher

Height: 6’0

Weight: 190

Home Town: Charles Town, WV

High School: Washington High School, 2014 graduate

 

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A:   I am going into my first semester at the Virginia Military Institute.    

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A:  I was recruited for baseball. I will only be playing baseball during my involvement at VMI.

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A: I only played varsity baseball in high school.

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A: To prep for my research, I looked at the school’s baseball program, their academics, if they had my major, where the college was, and the lifestyle/environment of the college. Financing was the last thing I looked at during my research.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

A: Yes, I have heard of College Board and I used it here and there during my college research, in which I found it to be very useful.

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor gave you about researching and selecting a college?

A:  My coach and/or guidance counselor told me to find a place I could see myself at for the next four years or so— somewhere I would like to be at and a place that would benefit me.

 

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process? 

A: My parents told me to keep an open mind during my college research. They said to weigh the pros and cons and to find a place suitable for me that I would feel comfortable at.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?

A:  I never once thought that it was solely up to my coaches to get me recruited. I believed that they were there for help, upon showing ambition and reaching out to them for help.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A:  I don’t recall ever attending college summer camps. However, I did participate in a few college baseball camps in the fall.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A: Yes, my coach suggested going to camps. I began attending them the fall of my sophomore year in high school.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A:  I registered with an online recruiting service called CaptainU through my former travel team. It seemed to be helpful, however I rarely used it.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A: To help myself get recruited, I started to reach out to collge coaches via email, I made myself a profile, I began to make a recruiting DVD, and I simply reached out to one of my coaches for help. I would recommend these same tactics to others for their recruiting processes.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A: The biggest surprise to me during my recruitment process is how much of a business it really is. College recruitment acts early and fast, therefore you have to get yourself out there before it may become too late.

Thank you, Jared Silva for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Regards,

Coach Moody

 

College Recruiting – George Beerhalter

Tags

amateur sports, college recruiting, high school athletes, marketing high school athelete, recruiting

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome George Beerhalter

Position: Defensive Line
Height: 6’3
Weight: 280
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
HighSchool: Montour

High School

Three-year letter winner for head coach Lou Cerro at Montour High School … Earned second-team all-state honors as a senior after garnering third-team distinction as a junior … Will participate in the Pennsylvania Senior East vs. West Game … Reserve for the Big 33 Pennsylvania vs. Ohio Game … Participant at the 2009 Army National Combine in San Antonio … Selected to the all-conference team as both an offensive and defensive lineman following his junior and senior seasons … Served as a team captain in ’09 … Member of the Honor Roll … Volunteered with the Interact Club …

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A: I graduated from the College of William and Mary

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A: I was recruited and played football at William and Mary

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A: I played 3 sports in High School: Football, Baseball, and Basketball

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A: I usually researched the college on the internet after they started showing interest, and the more interest they showed the more I would research the college or university.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

A: I have not heard of College Board nor did I use it.

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor give you about researching and selecting a college?

A: My coach always said do not just pick a school for the purpose of football.  He always said weigh all of your options and pick a school that will make you become a better man and football player.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

A:  My parents were always very supportive of whatever I decided to do, and that meant the most to me.  No matter what decision I made I knew they would be behind me 100%.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?  

A: The only responsibility that I saw for my coach was to be honest to the college coaches about my abilities.  I was fortunate enough that my coach handled that and much more, which was a huge bonus in my case.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A: Yes, I attended over a dozen college camps in various regions of the country.  I believe that it does help but I also believe that you have to really know that the college is really interested in you.  Usually at the college summer camps, coaches are only paying attention to half the athletes that are at the camp.  So make sure that you and the coach have interest in each other before you make the trip.  Bigger colleges tend to have great camps for the athletes that aren’t sure what level they’ll play at because there are a wide variety of college coaches that attend.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A: Yes, my coach said the best way to show coaches your skills is in person.  I started attending camps after my sophomore season, but that was mainly the bigger camps with a lot of coaches.  The following year I made up a list of colleges that I found mutual interest in and attended those.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A:  I went to a camp called Metro Index that was run by Joe Butler in Pittsburgh, PA and I found that to be the most beneficial camp/service around.  I attended the Nike Sparq camps but they did not really seem to benefit me.  I also attended the US Army All-American Combine in San Antonio, it was a great experience but I felt like I was too small of a prospect to benefit from it.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A:  I was very active during the whole recruiting process.  I always followed up with a college that had interest in me.  Although recruiting is stressful, my advice is to just keep after it and always be honest with the coaches that are recruiting you.  Enjoy the whole process though; a lot of people out there would love to be in the shoes you are in.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A: I would say the biggest surprise is how overwhelming it is.  You have to stay on top of the recruitment or you will be swamped with make-up work.  Looking back at it, it is comparable to a yearlong research project.  

Thank you, George Beerhalter for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Regards,

Coach Moody

 

College Recruiting – Brandon Heroux

Tags

amateur sports, Brandon Heroux, college recruiting, high school athletes, marketing high school athelete

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome Brandon Heroux

Position: Throws
Hometown: Westfield, N.J.
Major: Fiance
High School: Westfield

High School:

Penn Relays Champion in 2008 in the javelin throw … Named to the National Scholastic Sports Federation All-America Team in 2008 … Named second-team All-New Jersey, All Groups … First-team all-area (North II Group IV) in 2007 and 2008 … First-team All-Union County … First-team All-Watchung Conference in 2007 and 2008 … Named Male Athlete of the Week by the New Jersey Star Ledger, Courier News, and Westfield Ledger during the 2008 season … Named Westfield High School’s Union County Male Scholar Athlete of the Year … East Coast Relays Champion in 2007 … Also a standout on the pitch, earning honorable-mention all-state honors in soccer.
Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A:  I graduated from The College of William & Mary in 2012.

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A: I was recruited at the DI level for track & field, specifically the javelin throw. I also spoke to a number of DIII coaches for soccer.

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A: Yes, I played soccer and basketball.

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A: A number of schools contacted me during the summer of my junior year which got the ball rolling. I also made a 1-page ‘sports resume’ which I sent to a number coaches. I took 4 official visits that fall and officially committed to William & Mary the week before Thanksgiving.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it?

A: Was it helpful in your college selection process? I have not heard of or used College Board.

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor gave you about researching and selecting a college?

A: I didn’t receive any help from guidance counselors. My high school coach, Greg Gorski, was great – he and his brother Jeff are household names in the US javelin scene and both had positive things to say about the program and coaching staff at W&M.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

A: My parents were very supportive of my decision. They obviously wanted me to go to a school where I’d be happy and where I’d be challenged – both athletically and academically.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited?

A: If so, where did you get that impression from? No, I was never under the impression that it was my Coach’s responsibility. I knew from the start that I had to get my name out there, especially for an under the radar sport like the javelin.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A: Yes, I did a camp with Jeff Gorski down in Chapel Hill, NC – Jeff is actually my high school coach’s brother. He’s the former USATF Men’s Javelin Development chair and is without question the most knowledgeable and experienced javelin coach in the US. Training with him certainty helped me get recruited. It not only made me a better thrower but Jeff’s network is incredible. I don’t think there’s a coach out there that hasn’t heard of him or trained under him in some way, shape or form. Being able to tell coaches that I had a direct open line to him was definitely a big plus.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A: Ha-ha – it would have been troubling if my coach didn’t make the suggestion given the family ties. I went down to train with Jeff during the summer of my Junior year.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A: Nope.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A: The communication and dialogue between the athlete and coach needs to be a two-way street. Per NCAA rules, coaches can only call athletes so many times during the week/month so to gauge interest and build a relationship I was proactive in my communications. For a sport like track and field, coaches could quantify my results with a single mark, which made things a little easier. They didn’t have to be there in person to see my performance. It’s different for team sports where a coach may only have the 30 mins they spent at a showcase to judge your ability on.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A: I was fortunate to be on a partial scholarship but I was surprised at how little money some of these big schools have for scholarships. One of the schools I was recruited by (an ACC basketball powerhouse) had 2 full scholarships for their entire Men’s Track & Field/XC program. Those teams probably have a combined 60+ people on them for some perspective.

Thank you, Brandon Heroux for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Regards,

Coach Moody

College Recruiting – Alex Gottlieb

Tags

Alex Gottlieb, amateur sports, college recruiting, high school athletes, marketing high school athelete

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome Alex Gottlieb:

Position: Tight End
Height: 6’4
Weight: 255
Hometown: Delray Beach, FLA
High School: American Heritage School

High School:

Three-year letter winner at quarterback and tight end for American Heritage School … Co-captain of squad that captured the Florida 1A State Championship … Earned a bid to the prestigious Outback Bowl All-Star Game … Earned honorable mention all-area honors from the Palm Beach Post … Ended the season as team’s third-leading receiver with 250 yards and one touchdown on 13 receptions … Started scholastic playing career as a quarterback … Member of school’s Dean’s List … Lettered in lacrosse and baseball …

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

I graduated from The College of William and Mary in 2012.

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

I was recruited to play football and that is what I played at WM.

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

Yes, I played Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Lacrosse in high school.

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

During the recruiting process, I established parameters for the type of school that I would like to attend. The criteria, in order of importance: Quality of education, type of football program, location, campus life.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

I have not heard of College Board.

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor gave you about researching and selecting a college?

My coach was very helpful in the selection process. He provided me with incite of the process altogether and helped me pick out what factors were the most important when making the decision.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

My Dad was my number one supporter. It definitely made the process much more enjoyable and less stressful knowing that no matter where I went he would be by my side. He came with me on my official visits and ultimately helped me arrive to my decision to attend The College of William and Mary.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?

I don’t know if it was his responsibility but he was the one who promoted me to the many college coaches that came through my high school.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

Yes. The reason I was able to play football at the collegiate level is because of the camps that I attended. I was not fortunate enough to have junior season film because I was making the transition from Quarterback to Tight End. I didn’t see the field much that year. The summer going into my senior year is when I started getting looks. I went to two camps: D1 Sports Camp in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and the University of Michigan Camp. All of my offers came from schools that I made an impact with while attending these camps. I was awarded “The Tight End of Camp” at the D1 camp and that definitely opened some scouts eyes.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

Yes. My coach knew that I needed to showcase my talent at these camps because no one knew about me because of my lack of junior film. Junior film is extremely valuable to play at the next level.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

I did not use any recruiting services. I knew a lot of people who did and it proved to be helpful.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

I would recommend for others to take advantage of the many resources that are available out there. It is all about marketing yourself and getting your name out there. Most importantly, put in the time that is necessary for you to be successful on the field and in the classroom. You need to show these colleges that you are the complete package and that you will be able to compete on all levels from the first day that you step on campus. I have seen too many guys who have all of the talent in the world but don’t have it mentally, or cannot stay on the straight and narrow and end up being a bust. Don’t be that guy.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

The fun part about being recruited to play college ball is that it is all a surprise. Everyone experiences this process for the first time and it is extremely exciting. My advice is to relish in the moment and enjoy the process. It can be stressful but it is the time in your life that you will never forget.

Thank you, Alex Gottlieb for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Regards,

Coach Moody

 

College Recruiting – Gary Kagan

Tags

amateur sports, college recruiting, high school athletes, marketing high school athelete

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome Gary Kagan

Position: Long Snapper
Height: 6’1
Weight: 265lb
Hometwon: Sabastian , FLA
High School: Sabastion River

High School:
Played under head coach Randy Bethel at Sebastian River High School… Named 2009 All-Indian River County Center… Named All-Treasure Coast Center in 2009… Selected 2008 Special Teams Player of the Year… 2009 Offensive Line Most Valuable Player.

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A: Monmouth University

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A: I was recruited to play football at Monmouth. I only played football while I was there.

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A: Yes, I played lacrosse in high school as well.

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A: Unlike most high school athletes I knew exactly what I wanted to study before I even began looking at schools. So that really narrowed down my choices a lot. I wanted a relatively small school where I could play football and study software engineering.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

A: I have heard of College Board but I didn’t use its services for my college selection.

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselors give you about researching and selecting a college?

A: My coach and guidance counselor knew that I knew what I wanted to study, so they advised me to look first at a school that would be able to fit my academic needs and second give me an opportunity in football.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

A: My dad was the driving force behind the whole college selection process. He made it a much lower stress situation than it could have been. He helped me identify schools that fit my criteria and kept everything organized, as a result my decision was a much more informed decision than I would have made if he wasn’t there to guide me.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?

A: No not at all. It was my coach’s responsibility to prepare me for college football, not to sell me to the college coaches.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A: No I did not attend any college summer camps. I was initially recruited to Monmouth as a long snapper so I did attend some position specific camps that helped me immensely in my skill development.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A: My coach made the college camps as accessible as possible to all of his players that he thought had potential at the next level.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A: I never used any recruiting or combine services.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A: Good grades in high school would probably be the number one thing. A college coach would be much more likely to take a chance on a player when they don’t have to worry about the player doing poorly in the classroom. Aside from that, just constantly working to be in the best shape you can be in.

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A: My biggest surprise came once I actually started at Monmouth. I came to the realization that the college coaches that are recruiting you and treating you like royalty now, will treat you like just another player once you’re on the field.

Thank you Gary Kagan for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Regards,

Coach Moody

 

 

College Recruiting – Devon Brown

Tags

amateur sports, college recruiting, high school athletes, high school sports, marketing high school athelete

Hi, my name is Coach Gil Moody, and would like to welcome you all to an ongoing series called: “College Recruiting”. To gain a better insight on this topic, I have reached out to several formal: High School Athlete’s that are currently playing collegiate sports or had played and now have graduated from college.  Below is one of these interviews.

Please welcome Devon Brown

Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5-9
Weight: 185
Class: Senior
Hometown: Ashburn, Va.
High School: Stone Bridge

High School
The 2006 AAA Northern Region Offensive Player of the Year … First team Associated Press All-State … Named offensive player of the year by the Washington Post … Offensive player of the year in the Liberty District and Northern Region … Rushed for 1,744 yards and 29 touchdowns during his senior season at Stone Bridge, earning first team all-state honors, regional offensive player of the year, conference player of the year honors and first team all-conference honors … Owns the Stone Bridge record with 312 rushing yards in a 2006 game against Virginia Madison … also owns the season record with 1,730 yards in 2006 … As a junior at Bishop O’Connell, Brown rushed for 1,282 yards and 14 touchdowns … He also caught six passes for 157 yards and threw a touchdown … Transferred to Stone Bridge from Bishop O’Connell for his senior year … Coached by Mickey Thompson … One of four Stone Bridge products on the Wake Forest roster.

Q: What College are you currently attending or have graduated from?

A1: Wake Forest University/ West Virginia university

Q: What sports were you recruited for, and played in College? Did you play more than one sport in College?

A2: Football only

Q: Did you play more than one sport in High School, and if so which sports were they?

A3: Football, and basketball

Q: What preparations did you take to research what colleges you were interested in?

A4: My recruiting began late, so I really looked at mostly FCS, academic, and smaller BCS schools.

Q: Have you heard of College Board, and have you used it? Was it helpful in your college selection process?

A5: I did use College Board coming out of high school. It was helpful as gave me insight on necessary qualifications for admittance into schools.

 

Q: What kind of advice did your coach and or guidance counselor gave you about researching and selecting a college?

A6: My coach helped me a lot and gave me great advice in making my choice. Told me to make sure that I was comfortable at the school and to make a decision based off of more than just football.

Q: What advice did your parents give you to help throughout your college selection process?

A7: I really made my own decision and decided what was best for me.

Q: Were you under the impression that it was your coach’s responsibility to get you recruited? If so, where did you get that impression from?

A8: I did feel that some of the responsibility was on the coach to send highlight films and contact coaches. Although, I did feel that I was the most responsible through my performance.

Q: Did you attend any college summer camps? How many did you attend, and do you believe that it help you get recruited?

A9: The only college summer camp that I attended was JMU. I believe that it helped get my first offer as they were able to see me perform in person and were impressed.

Q: Did your coach suggest that you attend college summer camps, and if so at what grade level did you start to attend?

A10: I was recommended by my coach to attend camps. The one that I attended was going into my senior year.

Q: There several recruiting services, and combine services, have you tried any of them, and do you think that they were helpful?

A11: I attended the scout.com all American combine as well as the nike combine, both of which we’re going into my senior year. I do not believe that they helped too much.

Q: What did you do to help yourself get recruited, and would you recommend the same to others?

A12: To help my own recruitment, I emailed and contacted coaches myself. I let them know that I was interested in their program and send film

Q: What was the biggest surprise to you during the college recruiting process?

A13: There weren’t many surprises about the process, but once I was actually on campus and saw the talent it was a real eye opener. You go from being the guy to just another guy. It takes a lot of getting used to and adjustments have to be made from high school to college.

Thank you, Devon Brown for sharing your college recruiting experiences with our readers. We would love to have you back to share what it is like to be a college athlete.

Coach Moody