A Case Study: Hannah, Aspiring College Tennis Player

Hannah decided in the spring of her junior year in high school that she wanted to play tennis in college. While this timing might sound appropriate to the uninitiated, Hannah got a late start for today’s college athletic recruiting process. Ideally, students who plan to play college sports, especially NCAA DI, should begin the recruiting process in the 10th grade or even earlier. While it’s not too late for Hannah to find a spot on a college team, most DI schools will have already identified prospects before the end of their junior year. Fortunately for Hannah, she is interested in playing at DIII schools where coaches may still be looking for players who are high school juniors.

High School VS. Club Tennis

Hannah has another obstacle to overcome: she has played on her high school team but has not been competing in USTA (U.S. Tennis Association) tournaments. College coaches, other than football, rarely travel to high school competitions. DIII coaches, in particular, try to limit the time they are away from their teams. Instead, they watch high school athletes play at regional club tournaments and showcases. In the tennis world, the most common opportunities for athletes to be seen by college coaches are at USTA tournaments. In addition, athletes who compete in USTA are assigned national rankings, so it’s easy for college coaches to gauge their level of play.

Hannah’s Plan

Since Hannah is focusing on DIII schools, her GPA and test scores need to meet the admission standards of the individual schools. If a coach wants Hannah on the team, the coach’s support may give her a bump equivalent to about 100 points on the SAT, but her grades and scores need to be close to the middle 50% range of admitted students. So, Hannah’s next steps will be the following:

• Develop a list of 50+ DIII schools for the initial email, ranging from the top to the bottom of Massey’s Ratings.
• Create a cover letter and an athletic profile with personal info, academics, and athletic participation and achievements; obtain a letter of recommendation from her high school coach.
• Make a high-quality recruiting video with spoken introduction, skills, and game shots with her playing partner, narrated by Hannah and her coach.
• Email all of the above to college coaches, then follow up with each coach by phone and ask for feedback.
• Refine the recruiting plan, based on the team ranking of the coaches who show interest, to include schools with a strong probability of athletic fit, as well as academic fit.
• Don’t get discouraged if most coaches don’t reply to the initial email! Typically, only 10-15% will respond. Pick up the phone and call them!

NCAA Divisions

DI / DII = Sports > Academics

Athletics are your “job”; 60% receive an athletic scholarship, but it may only be partial.

DIII = Academics > Sports

You are a student first; 80% receive merit aid or need-based financial aid, but there are no athletic scholarships.

The NCAA reports that Division III student-athletes say that their athletic experience did not hinder their academic and co-curricular pursuits. In fact, it had a positive effect on their collegiate experience:

• 25% studied abroad
• 45% worked 8.5 hours+/week
• 67% had an internship

Step-By-Step Plan for Recruiting

9th / 10th Grade

Prepare:

• Take NCAA-approved courses and keep your grades up!
• For DI/DII, register with the NCAA/NAIA Eligibility Center.
• For DIII, create a Profile Page at the NCAA Eligibility Center.

11th Grade

Reach Out:

• Identify schools that are a good fit – academic, athletic, financial – and register on their athletic webpage.
• Take the SAT or ACT and report the scores to NCAA, code 9999.
• Create a Student Athlete Profile, with athletics, academics, & NCAA ID#.
• Make a recruiting video; click to view a great example of a tennis video.
• Email 50+ coaches with a cover letter, profile, and video, and follow up by phone!
• Have a back-up plan!