US College Signings 2019 (and general college chat)

Born2WinTennis · Club Coach

US College Signings 2019 (and general college chat)

EddietheEagle · County player

How does one go about picking and choosing a place to play U.S. college tennis? Or go about becoming informed even? There seems to be a plethora of choice over there.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

EddietheEagle wrote:
How does one go about picking and choosing a place to play U.S. college tennis? Or go about becoming informed even? There seems to be a plethora of choice over there.

That's where Sarah Borwell would step in smile

Born2WinTennis · Club Coach

Yes I think there are a number of agent types like Sarah who helps place the students at particular colleges, presumably for a fee.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Born2WinTennis wrote:
Yes I think there are a number of agent types like Sarah who helps place the students at particular colleges, presumably for a fee.

It's across all sports now. A few of my athletes have gone over on scholarships.

The agents tend to target "tennis" schools and major events, but most parents are aware and will contact directly.

EddietheEagle · County player

Sounds like swimming in shark soup. Who's interests come first, the students' or the placement agents'?

I don't see much on Google beyond these various agents plying their trade.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

I think if you realise its an option late and then charge round trying to find somewhere it would be challenging but for good players with an ITF rank 10-500 there are some excellent (gold plated)?opportunities particularly if you are genuinely academic. The programmes are well established often the best coaches have been at the same institution for many years, it is pretty easy to see what has happened to players and how they have progressed by looking through the rosters.

Given the enormous number of womens scholarships relative to men (because of tittle IX) the opportunities run much deeper but again if you are looking at breaking into the pro game the choice of programmes you would consider pretty clear. What I dont know is if there is any greasing of palms by placement agents of head coaches although given how strict the NCAA are I think its unlikely (ie in other more lucrative sports the punishment for any programme being caught are fit for purpose). Generally though there are many variables from what I can see from a distance agents do get the right players into the right schools.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Thursday 21st of November 2019 07:18:05 AM

Oakland2002 · All-time great

EddietheEagle wrote:
How does one go about picking and choosing a place to play U.S. college tennis? Or go about becoming informed even? There seems to be a plethora of choice over there.

Bromley tennis centre run introduction to US University recruitment days. In my limited experience the players and parents there get very realistic and sensible advice as they progress through their performance programmes.

Gonzaga (Spokane, Washington State) appear to be really trying to build their tennis programmes, in a weak conference (one of a number of private catholic schools) but like many catholic universities very keen on Sport. Muscular Christianity. Notre Dame being historically the most famous football school in the US with its own contract with abc for saturday nights. So if you have devout religious beliefs there is also likely to be a perfect fit. BYU for Mormans etc...

Quite a big isolated town so it substitutes for professional sport (all wrong (for basketball players) if you ask me but good for tennis players). Academically bleh but I am sure there is a great college life.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

EddietheEagle wrote:
Sounds like swimming in shark soup. Who's interests come first, the students' or the placement agents'?

I don't see much on Google beyond these various agents plying their trade.

I've never had any dealings with them but I think that's probably slightly unfair.

Or, put it this way, it's no different from when you use a consultancy service (employment agency, real estate agency...) of any kind.

Most are pretty ethical. A few aren't. But, here, it's in the company's interest to provide a good service in order to get new business by recommendation. It's a small market and you often hear players talking about them so if one placement agent was really just trying to maximise money up front, it would soon get round and backfire.

EddietheEagle · County player

They're all angels then, guiding their charges to a higher purpose.

Apart from knowing of it as a hothouse for developing ATP talent, I don't know much about U.S. college tennis tbh. All very interesting stuff though.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

EddietheEagle wrote:
They're all angels then, guiding their charges to a higher purpose.

Apart from knowing of it as a hothouse for developing ATP talent, I don't know much about U.S. college tennis tbh. All very interesting stuff though.

I don't think I quite said that biggrin

Simply that even for their own self-serving purposes, they have to try their best to place players in the best places and programmes, where kids do well (overall), otherwise they won't get much knock-on business.

And I do believe that most people do try and do a decent job, in general, even if not quite angels

Elegant Point · Satellite level

There are loads of websites eg College Tennis Recruitment Video Group on FB - mostly recruit D2 and 3, but lots helpfull advice, Scholarshipstat.com, College Tennis Today (less up to date than it used to be), tennis recruiting.net

Best piece of advice we had was don't sign unless you have visited the college and make sure it's a good fit both academically and tennis wise.

Elegant Point · Satellite level

Announced today Valparaiso (D1 Summit league) cuts men's tennis and soccer.

Suggestions that struggling, small private universities with rosters full of internationals are prime targets for men's tennis to be cut. Valporiaso had 8 Americans on the roster..............

Oakland2002 · All-time great

EddietheEagle wrote:
They're all angels then, guiding their charges to a higher purpose.

Apart from knowing of it as a hothouse for developing ATP talent, I don't know much about U.S. college tennis tbh. All very interesting stuff though.

Well no they are in it to make money out of their knowledge and understanding of a particular market but there are a lot of people doing that in all walks of life. The difference is that initially almost all played college tennis and enjoyed it enough to want to set up a tennis based business to help others have a similar experience.

As EP points out there are a number of resources online as it is a massive indigenous market of which the international players are a significant but small part. If you have the money it would be straight forward to attend the conference finals where it is pretty easy to talk to a number of parents from different colleges, see different teams in action. At the highest level recruitment is pretty sophisticated so while at the PAC 12 championship a number of committed players were playing in the open tournament (Ojai) others, with their parents watching the championship. Including the British boys at Cal.

D2 and D3 recruitment is a bit more niche, really the players and level is some distance away from the ITF tour, college tennis is not really a hothouse for the ATP tour (only a small proportion of the power conference Div 1 programmes are relevant, 6-7 girls and 4-5 boys listed this year are going to such programmes and that is being generous) it is more a cultural anomaly, a product of the way athletics are engrained in American educational cultural. The drive to support it are around the life long allegiances formed with Alumni, local rivalries sustain interest from locals who also support, eat the hotdogs attend buy merch etc. In Football and Basketball it replaces professional sport and tennis benefits indirectly.

Tennpar · Strong Club Player

I found an agent invaluable for their 'local' knowledge of the US colleges, coaches and how the system works and felt that the service was ethical.
Some will even accompany the kids on visits, and this may suit some - although I've heard that the associated expenses bill for the agent could be significant (flights, accommodation, meals).