Very smart student but only three star athlete

[kumar157]

Hello Parents, Coaches and Experienced players,
My 15 year old son(sophomore) is a smart student but only a three star athlete with national ranking hovering around 330. He loves tennis and looking forward to play for a lower div 1 school.
Currently I am forcing him to focus more on academics and that leaves him with only 7 hours of play and 2 hours of fitness per week.
With all AP courses he makes A and B's. If I let him play for more hours his grades may drop but his national ranking may go up.
He loves the game and competition and he will be more than happy if I add more hours to his tennis. But I don't want his grades to drop. It's like I want to eat the cake and have it too!.
I am pretty sure there will be a ton of parents who went through this phase and this topic may have been discussed before. But as a concerned parent I would like to hear the experiences of parents who have navigated this phase of life and did well. Please share your experiences and advice.

Thanks in advance.

[Clemson_tennis]

7 hours isn't very much if he wants to get a lower D1 scholarship. Can you evaluate his talent? If he were to practice more would it benefit him in a significant way or has he already reached his talent potential and practicing would help only marginally?

[kumar157]

Originally Posted by Clemson_tennis

7 hours isn't very much if he wants to get a lower D1 scholarship. Can you evaluate his talent? If he were to practice more would it benefit him in a significant way or has he already reached his talent potential and practicing would help only marginally?

Hi Clemson_tennis,
He was 290 nationally (6 months back) but was doing 12 hours play and 3 hours of fitness per week. I cut it down to focus more on academics and he dropped in ranking. So I guess if I can add hours he may do better in the tournaments. But I am scared that his grades may drop. I want him to be a good student athlete and accomplish his dream to play for d1 (low d1 like UCONN or SLU). Is that a realistic goal?.

Thanks.

[JLyon]

Why not focus on academics, get a high ACT/SAT score and get a full ride Academic at a major DIII school, where he can play high level and get a great education? That is more realistic than seeking a 10-20% scholarship at a D1 school.

[Misterbill]

Originally Posted by JLyon

Why not focus on academics, get a high ACT/SAT score and get a full ride Academic at a major DIII school, where he can play high level and get a great education? That is more realistic than seeking a 10-20% scholarship at a D1 school.

I agree with that.

But if the dream....for whatever reason.....is to play low D1 tennis, then who are non-family members to argue?

I'd say taking all AP courses as a sophomore is an unusual and special academic accomplishment. So I would conclude that there is room "to give" a little on the academic side without compromising college entrance possibilities to schools such as UConn and SLU (St. Louis?)

[Clemson_tennis]

Originally Posted by JLyon

Why not focus on academics, get a high ACT/SAT score and get a full ride Academic at a major DIII school, where he can play high level and get a great education? That is more realistic than seeking a 10-20% scholarship at a D1 school.

Not really a high level. UC Santa Cruz(#8 D3) just got worked by Santa Clara.

D1 is the way to go if you can. I looked at some tennisrecruiting classes and many lower conference d1 schools go for 3 star players.

who is SLU?

[kumar157]

Originally Posted by JLyon

Why not focus on academics, get a high ACT/SAT score and get a full ride Academic at a major DIII school, where he can play high level and get a great education? That is more realistic than seeking a 10-20% scholarship at a D1 school.

Thanks JLyon.
Your advice is perfect for me. But my son does not want to go to DIII school. Not sure what's makes him think that way. May be he will agree with us in two more years...

[SoCal10s]

D1 tennis is a tougher gig to get these days.. even those Ivy league schools are recruiting 4 and 5 stars and some blue chip guys.. I think your son would be a nice fit in a strong academic D3 school say like MIT.. if his grades and SAT's are good enough ..

[Clemson_tennis]

D1 is far better for an athletic experience. Plus it's not like d1 is bad academically. At a D1 school you will get a lot more tennis gear including clothes, shoes, rackets and stringing. Not to mention access to an athletic trainer and academic tutors if needed.

I know someone who played D2 tennis and he said it really wasn't very fun. They had to take awful buses and string there own rackets. Had to buy their owns shoes,rackets and clothes.

[kme5150]

Keep his grades up and there will be tons of opportunities for him. Even more if he isn't picky about where he plays. He could easily play in one of the weaker DI conferences and definitely in every DII and DIII conference. Many DI teams do not offer much, if any, in regards to scholarships but he can get a top notch education. Perfect example, Georgetown & Villanova do not offer atheltic scholarships for men's tennis but those players are getting a top notch education and both teams have 3 star players in their starting line-up. If you are looking for a scholarship, there are still plenty of them out there. What parents/players don't understand is that the higher a player's GPA and test scores are, the more opportunities they have. Ask any tennis coach in the country, grades are always a factor when dealing with admissions. The less work the AD has to do in regards of entrance the better it is for the coach.

[JLyon]

Originally Posted by kumar157

Thanks JLyon.
Your advice is perfect for me. But my son does not want to go to DIII school. Not sure what's makes him think that way. May be he will agree with us in two more years...

Good enough, but have your son keep his eyes open to opportunities. As a 3* he can play at several smaller schools, but even then scholarship money, if even needed, will be low.
I know a 4* almost 5* who went to a CUSA school and only got 10%

[kumar157]

Originally Posted by kme5150

Keep his grades up and there will be tons of opportunities for him. Even more if he isn't picky about where he plays. He could easily play in one of the weaker DI conferences and definitely in every DII and DIII conference. Many DI teams do not offer much, if any, in regards to scholarships but he can get a top notch education. Perfect example, Georgetown & Villanova do not offer atheltic scholarships for men's tennis but those players are getting a top notch education and both teams have 3 star players in their starting line-up. If you are looking for a scholarship, there are still plenty of them out there. What parents/players don't understand is that the higher a player's GPA and test scores are, the more opportunities they have. Ask any tennis coach in the country, grades are always a factor when dealing with admissions. The less work the AD has to do in regards of entrance the better it is for the coach.

Thanks for the great advice. I will keep the pressure on his grades . He has just grown out of his hormones and is more coach-able and probably that should help some with his sport.

[tennis_ocd]

imo you've got to put grades and SATs above tennis -- and I wouldn't let a teenage see you waffle with the decision. as a 15 yo 3-star he'll have many opportunities to play.

[ClarkC]

Maybe someone can explain what is "higher level" about a D1 program where a 3 star recruit can play #5 or #6 in the lineup, as opposed to a good D3 program where a 3 star recruit can only reach #5 or #6 in the lineup.

[Vicious Vik]

You and your son are Indian am I right?


I would go D1. D3 tennis is really low quality. There are like 3 respectable teams. Even going to a team like Buffalo is better than a D3 team.

[ClarkC]

Originally Posted by Vicious Vik

I would go D1. D3 tennis is really low quality. There are like 3 respectable teams. Even going to a team like Buffalo is better than a D3 team.

The top D3 teams are full of four-star players, while numerous D1 teams could never dream of getting a four-star recruit. Do your homework before misleading someone with false information.

[kumar157]

Originally Posted by Vicious Vik

You and your son are Indian am I right?


I would go D1. D3 tennis is really low quality. There are like 3 respectable teams. Even going to a team like Buffalo is better than a D3 team.

Yes, I am a naturalized US citizen and my son is born here in US. Culturally academics is #1 on my priority list but for my son #1 is his sport. Since I am dominant personality I can always win. But lately I am thinking of relaxing my expectation on his grades a bit and let him play more. We have two more years together.....

[Misterbill]

If, as you say, the objective is UConn (does SLU=St Louis?), you have room to cut some slack on the academics, since he is a sophomore taking all APs and getting A's and B's.

If there is a different objective, I might offer different advice

[tennis_ocd]

Originally Posted by kumar157

Yes, I am a naturalized US citizen and my son is born here in US. Culturally academics is #1 on my priority list but for my son #1 is his sport. Since I am dominant personality I can always win. But lately I am thinking of relaxing my expectation on his grades a bit and let him play more. We have two more years together.....

There are EXCELLENT d3 tennis programs. Personnally, the decision to play d1/d2/d3 (assuming no athletic $$ in equation) should come down to the college experience you child desires and the amount of time he wishes to committ to college tennis. Quality tennis can be found at d1 or d3.

[kumar157]

Originally Posted by Misterbill

If, as you say, the objective is UConn (does SLU=St Louis?), you have room to cut some slack on the academics, since he is a sophomore taking all APs and getting A's and B's.

If there is a different objective, I might offer different advice

Yes, SLU is St Louis. My son thinks he has a good chance to play for UConn or St louis or Boston Univ. He knows more than me as I did not go to school in US.