A Word to the Wise

I thought it was a good time to bring this back

 

Once they....

hopefully get qa chance to step on a college ballfield as well as classroom they SEEE the light ususally and DO step upt to the plate (also I am The "O" I believe with the earlier post???

 

You are right that is what they are there for. Now, throw the other side of the coin. How many do it right??? How many go to the next level though the CC system? How many go to a four year D-1 or D-2 out of high school and fail to keep their grades up? How many quit and no long play? The four year player does have more resources that help him. Team tutors. More structured resouces for this very sort of thing. What CC has that? It falls on the CC player? You are right. Players need to know that what is expected of them. As for the course of study. Most four year admissions office will tell you the first couple of years you can do in CC. Many non players use CC as a stepping stone to a toward a 4 year degree.

Your post does carries an air of you are not good enough to play for a four school go to a CC, because your grades are not good enough. Guess those players that transfer to a four year school from a CC needs to pack their bags. How many players that go to a four year to play start out of hs? Many of these kids had their Mom & Dad manager to help to keep them on track though HS.

 

Well

your going to school to get an education first. So you better be ready to take care of business in the classroom and put in your study as well. Even if you slide by and get in you still have to do what it takes to stay in. The demands on a college athlete are tremendous. Its takes way more focus and maturity to do what you have to do in college than in hs. There are failures at every level juco cc and four year schools. But there are many that do succeed in the classroom and on the field.

College coaches do not have the luxury at the four year schools to take high risk students. You better be taking care of business in the classroom and learn how to manage your time in a mature manner. I was one of those that did just good enough in school to graduate. I missed out on some opportunities because I didnt focus on my academics like I should have. I went the juco route because that decision was made for me by my own actions. If a kid wants to go juco or cc then great. If a kid has to go juco or cc because he didnt do what he should have been doing then thats sad.

I will never forget Roger Williams offering a scholley to one of our players years back. "I just need you to fax his transcripts over here and then we will make him the offer." "Sorry coach we can't get him in." Now I dont care what anyone says thats a sad story. Dont let that be you.

 

i think grades are important for a baseball player, but only to a certain degree. i think your grades just have to be average or pretty good. good enough where the school can get you through the admissions process if you are an outstanding ball player. i haven't really seen where being a top-notch student helps you very much more than being a student who makes B's and C's. you just have to avoid making terrible grades.

from my observations, a student-athlete is much much better off being a 'great' player and a 'good' student, than a 'good' player and a 'great' student. or even being a 'great' player and an 'average' student, rather than a 'good' player and a 'great' student.

 

That post

will generate some responses thats for sure.

 

I take this as playing at the upper level in college. More than from how it will help you in life. I would have to say I agree to some extent. I hear what many of the baseball players are major in. It is like making a C in honors math and an A in gym. Which carries the most weight? I sure that coaches push PASSING grades not honor roll or Dean's List. He wants you to be an A+ player on the field. If you have a C in English. OK, but you cannot be a C player and play on the team.

 

Well, please don't tell my son. I see him work hard both on and off the field. He knows that if he wants to get to the next level (and he's been told this over and over again by more people than just me), that he'll have more and better opportunities if he keeps his grades up so that he can have an edge against the competition.

A great player with great grades has a better chance than a great player with "good" grades. I would rather he not think otherwise.

 

What schools are you trying to get in?

I can assure you if you have average grades B's and C's and an average SAT score there are a lot of very good baseball programs you will not have to worry about recruiting you. I don't care how good of a baseball player you are.

 

couldn't resist this one . . .

As a prof with experience at various levels of higher education institutions, the big schools with resources are about the only place you'll get academic support (e.g., tutors, note takers, etc.) being discussed; most schools cannot afford to offer such extras. Also, with admissions being much more competitive for the next several years (a function of demographics), schools are able to be more selective. For example, for the rank/file student, if you have a 3.0 and a 1000 SAT (math/verbal, i.e., out of the old 1600) that will NOT get you admitted to the major academic schools in this state (UNC, Duke, Wake, Davidson, Elon, etc); however, if you are an Aflac All-American baseball player with minimally acceptable scores (e.g., 3.0 and 800 SAT) the program may be able to get you in on provisional/conditional admissions. Problem is, as somebody noted, coaches only have so many chips to cash in with admissions. Also, with the NCAA graduation standards and penalties when academic progress rates are not met, they loose scholarships for that sport, which for baseball is very costly given the limits already imposed. In fact, unless the sport is a revenue sport (football or basketball), chances are any exceptions to minimum admissions standards will not be granted, particularly for the smaller schools (and those with fewer athletic dollars).

Therefore, the best thing a student/athlete can do is make it easier for everyone -- be diligent in your studies and do well in school. I can tell you that none of us care if you are the valedictorian or top player from your school, if you don't do the work you will fail the class. And, students with good habits in high school usually sustain those habits in college and generally are successful in their studies and do well in college.