The Athletic Recruiting & Scholarship Guide (Paperback)
 

The Athletic Recruiting & Scholarship Guide (Paperback) Book Description The only book written by a former high school athlete, college athlete and NCAA Division I coach. Personal experience and interviews with college coaches were used in writing this book. The book teaches high school athletes, parents, coaches, and guidance counselors how to navigate the athletic recruiting and scholarship process.

From the Back Cover
"From his years as a college coach, Wayne has developed a process which gets athletes the results they want. That process is what this book is all about." Paul Maineri, Head Baseball Coach, University of Notre Dame

"Wayne Mazzoni knows every piece of information on the recruiting process. A must read for all student-athletes and parents." Ed Blankmeyer, Head Baseball Coach, St. John's University

"The high school athlete needs to understand that opportunities are limited at the college level. Those who have the talent must also have the desire and the knowledge to make it. Wayne provides that knowledge." Andy Baylock, Head Baseball Coach, University of Connecticut

"If you're not scouted or recruited in high school, your career doesn't have to be over. Wayne Mazzoni can teach you how to get the right coaches to know about you and keep playing in college." Russ Bove, Scouting Supervisor, Milwaukee Brewers

"This is an opportunity for high school kids to take advantage of the expert advice of a professional to better themselves and reach their college dreams. People think college scouts are going to find them, that isn't the case." Joe Benanto, Owner, B&B Indoor Training Center

"Wayne Mazzoni's seminars go way beyond expectations. Athletes and parents came in here confused about recruiting and left knowing they were going to play at the college level. The same can be said about this book." Harry Efstas, Owner, Grand Slam U.S.A.

"Finding out the different techniques to attract the coaches made it clear what I have to do to play college sports." Ryan Casey, Wilton High School Baseball

About the Author
Wayne Mazzoni has been involved in the recruiting process since his days as a high school athlete. After playing football and baseball in college, he went on to coach at the NAIA and NCAA Division I college level. As a recruiter he realized the problems with the recruiting process and has developed a system for student-athletes to achieve their dreams. He leads seminars and consultations for high school athletes and parents.

Excerpted from The Athletic Recruiting & Scholarship Guide by Wayne Mazzoni. Copyright © 1998. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
You're a high school student-athlete (or the parent of one). You have thought about playing sports in college. You have heard a little about the recruiting process from friends, teammates, coaches, and counselors, but yet it all seems a little confusing. Many things have crossed your mind. At which school will I be the happiest? Am I good enough to play college sports? What level of competition would be best for me? How can I get the attention of college coaches? Can I get into the schools I want to get into? Am I good enough for a scholarship? What should I know about the athletic programs that recruit me? How do I make my final school decision?

These are all legitimate questions. This guide will help provide these and many other answers. For any student-athlete thinking of going to college and participating in sports, there is a specific process involved. This book will guide you through that process in distinct stages.

The first is deciding which schools make the best match for you. This is best done without considering athletics as a factor. For many reasons, you should first choose colleges you would like to attend on a non-athletic basis. Only after you have reached a target list of schools, should you then narrow down further using athletics as a factor. The first section of this book will give you the criteria to make an intelligent decision on which of the thousands of colleges would be most suitable for you.

The second step is to determine which of these colleges meets your athletic skills and goals. This section will explain the differences in college athletic divisions and give you a clear cut way to determine what school is best for your talent level. Further, I will cover the type of situation that is best for incoming freshman. Many athletes have gotten into the wrong athletic situation because of a lack of understanding of the recruiting process. This will give you the opportunity to learn from those who have made mistakes before you.

After narrowing down the list of target schools, step three will show you why it is hard to get coaches to notice you. Many times athletes think that because a coach did not contact them, they are not good enough to play at that school. I will explain why nothing could be further from the truth. I will then cover the recruiting process from the coaches point of view to show how difficult it is from their side and how this affects you.

Step four teaches you how to overcome the problems of the recruiting process and take matters into your own hands. Simply put, this section will teach you a specific set of methods you can use to get exposure to college coaches. It is impossible to say whether or not the coach will want you to play for their program, but at least you will be evaluated.

The next section discuses the various academic eligibility and recruiting rules one needs to meet in order to participate in college athletics. An overview of these rules and the function of the NCAA Clearinghouse will be covered.

In the sixth chapter, I will provide you with a list of questions to ask both players and coaches at schools you are considering. Most student-athletes fail to ask questions and find out upon arrival at the school that the real situation is completely different the one they had imagined.

The next section will discuss how to maximize your chances of getting accepted into the schools you desire. If you have the perfect school and athletic situation, but don't get accepted, nothing else matters. No one can promise to get you into a school, but there are some clear cut ways to maximize your chances. That will be the focus of the seventh chapter.

In the eighth section, you will learn how to maximize your scholarship potential. Once a coach has shown interest, there are a specific set of questions you can ask that will help you determine if any scholarship money is available to you. Many qualified athletes never get any athletic money because they don't ask for it. If you want more money on a job, ask for a raise. You may not get it, but it is better than waiting for someone to reward you when they are ready. By reading this section, you will learn all about the athletic scholarship process.

Finally, the last section will discuss how to make the final choice of schools. After narrowing down schools based on non-athletic and athletic factors, maximizing exposure to coaches, becoming eligible, giving yourself the best chance to be accepted, and maximizing your scholarship potential, you will be left with one more decision. Which one of the several schools you are considering do you choose? How do you come to this conclusion? This section will give you a guide to this process.

It is now time to begin this process, but before you do keep your end goal in mind. College should be the best four years of your life. You will spend four years of your life learning, making friends, becoming responsible, and having fun. If you are one of the lucky few who play college athletics, this should add to your experience. If you received a scholarship, congratulations, I am sure your parents are happy. But always remember, whatever happens to you in college and in life, never stop striving to be your best. The Japanese have a word for this; Kaizen. It means constant improvement in small increments. Keep working hard to achieve your goals and live life to the fullest. If you do so, more often than not you will have a wonderful life, full of great experiences and memories. I wish you luck!