What does it take? College Scholorship D1 SEC or ACC school

[PsychoTennisDad]

Getting close to college two years and counting and the cost of tuition keeps going up and up. Top Ranked GA cost I think about 30-35K out of state tuition a year. What does it really take to get a tennis scholarship to a top D1 School? Inquiring parents want to know. I'm not having the scholarship discussion with the kids. I don't want to put any pressure on them as I know ultimately this would hurt their performance but as a parent I'd like to know realistically what it takes.

Is it more important to be at the top of your Sectional level lets say top 10 in Southern section in the B18's or to be top 100 in the country NAT Level? I've seen a lot of really good sectional kids tear apart higher ranked National kids. Should you focus more on getting to the top of your section or climb the National ladder? If cost is a major consideration should one focus on one or two big NAT events a year or try to climb to the top of their section?

How important are grades:
Considering your grades are decent and your SAT scores are good? How important is it to A's over B's and C's in school? How much emphasis to coaches put on rankings over grades?

How important is to be a BlueChip or 5 star player on Tennis Recruiting website to get a college scholarship? The Tennis recruiting website is very different from the USTA ranking system. I've seen kids with a USTA National ranking of 335 but there TR ranking is 20 Nationally? So what do the college coaches rely on.

How important is an ITF Jr Ranking? How high on the ITF ranking do you have to be to get a D1 scholarship? Unfortunately most of these are not in the US and the ones that are in the US are not close. You need to get through the pre-qualifier just to play the qualifier so you can gain entry in a main draw. It's crazy. If by some miracle you get through the qualifier your already dead tired for the main draw lol.

I keep hearing about the Universal Tennis Rating system how high do you have to be to get a top 20 D1scholarship? 13-14??

What tournaments do college coaches go to watch potential prospects? NAT L1's or NAT L2's?

When should the kids reach out to college coaches? When their Freshman, Junior or senior in HS? How do you reach out?

 

[MathGeek]

Forget the athletic scholarships and focus on academics. In-state tuition isn't too bad at most ACC and SEC schools and several states have generous scholarship programs for students who do well in all the college prep courses in high school. In Louisiana it is called TOPS, in Georgia it is HOPE, South Carolina programs are Palmetto, Life, and Hope.

Do some homework to figure out what the academic scholarship programs are in your state, make sure your children get enrolled in all the required college prep courses, and make sure they are finishing their homework every day. Athletic scholarships are a pipe dream. Some decent parenting and academic scholarships are a cake walk in many states in the SE US.

If you are a home schooling parent, most of the academic scholarship programs require a bit of extra effort. But I am a homeschooling parent, and I expect we'll go four for four on our home schooled students getting full or nearly full ride academic scholarships. But start with the requirements for your state, and I can advise how to meet the requirements in a home school context.

 

[jcgatennismom]

The guys that actually play at ACC/SEC schools are usually TRN top 50. We've known 5 stars ranked in the 60s that sat on the bench. I dont know what your class year is, but the southern class of 2018 and 2019 has some really good blue chip/5 star players. Saw a couple unseeded 14y/o southern players nearly beat two of the top seeds in Kzoo 16s. Many of these high ranked players choose to play at an in state SEC/ACC schools. Think ACC/SEC coaches choose from top 50 TRN Americans and then go international.

USTA national ranking have no meaning as many good players dont travel to all the nationals-too expensive. TRN is much more accurate. Sectional rankings are relevant though as players get in national championships through sectional quotas. A sectional ranking in the top 10 in So Cal, Florida, Southern, Eastern, etc probably means the player is a blue chip or 5 star. There are guys from in the top 100 in the nation for USTA from weak sections that are killed by players in tough sections that are not even in the top 200 in the nation. College coaches visit some of the top sectional tournaments in the tough sections-seen them there. Big tourney to be seen by coaches- KZoo 16s and 18s. Not all national level 1s are the same-less coaches at clay than hard courts, heard there weren't that many coaches at level 1 Winter nationals last year. Coaches are probably in Florida in Dec watching high level ITFs like Orange Bowl.

I think UTR rating/ranking is looked at more in California and Northeast. I think ACC/SEC coaches look more at TRN and ITF rankings. UTR is gradually gaining ground so do get a free UTR account and monitor your sons' UTR ranking.

I have heard that a B in a regular college prep course is better than a C in an AP. Dont take APs if you cant at least make a B. Recruited athletes can get in selective prestigious public schools with lower SATs and less rigorous courseload than average accepted applicant. Ask a coach and he will tell recruit what score is needed-could be 200-300 points lower. There is very little wiggle room for Ivys. I am talking about selective non Ivys. However, keep in mind if the player is less college ready than the typical applicant and he is drilling,playing and traveling 20-30 hours a week, he may have an issue with grades and time management. Some homeschooled kids adjust well to college; others struggle.

Write or call college coaches the summer after soph year. D1 cant call back until Sept 1 of junior year.However, your son can call or have his academy coach call and arrange a time for your son to talk to coach. It can be a bit of telephone tag. If you son gets in National Clays or hard courts the summer after soph year, he can look at the list of college coaches attending and Email coaches to ask them to watch match. My son did that with some coaches, and there were other coaches that saw him play and contacted him early in Sept of his junior year. For the most part, players have to take the initiative in contacting coaches. Now for blue chips, the coaches may take more initiative. I would recommend visiting colleges early in his high school career-visit colleges near tournaments. I wish we had visited more colleges the summer after soph year even if he didnt talk to coach but just to see school.

The college players that recently committed to top SEC/ACC schools were at least UTR 13; some were 13.5+. Many were homeschooled and played USTA and ITF.

If your son is a really good player and you want to keep costs down, if he plays the top 6 tournaments in his section (each section has 6 tournaments that earn sectional and national points-2 are nat 3, and 4 are nat 4) and finishes in the top 8 or better in a couple of them (64-160 draws), he should get in Kalamazoo.In our section, the last player to get in Kzoo had 4700 sectional points. Players who win one of the top 6 earn 2000-3000+ not including doubles. Even winning the backdraws (#9) can earn 1000+ points with bonuses. Winning dubs can add 500-600 more points. The top 6 for dubs and singles are counted. In our section, I think the players that got in Kzoo were TRN 130 or better. If a player is really good, he could get away with playing just 7-10 tournaments. He should also play Nat 2s if they are nearby to get a chance to play kids out of section.Play some ITFs if in driving distance. However the average 4 star to blue chip plays 20+ tournaments a year; most players dont bring their A game to every tournament Also it RAINs. A player can be playing really well in a high level tournament, be winning in main draws, then it rains for two days, and the tournament is cancelled. It is better to plan to play more tournaments to cover weather contingencies. Son played 5 tourneys this fall so far, one was completely rained out and another only got in 2 rounds-that's 40%. Rain and floods even screwed up some the ITA regionals this fall.

I think I answered most of your questions. It is very hard to earn a spot on a top ACC/SEC team. Most players are homeschooled, but definitely not all. Most blue chips are homeschooled. Many 4 and 5 star players attend regular school half day and take some online courses. I see a lot of talented 5 star players that live close to ACC/SEC schools that end up playing for other conferences; there is just so much competition for those spots. Even if a US player gets an offer to a top 20 school, I dont know how much the scholarship $ would be. The big scholarship $ may be going to the international players on the team. The other important thing to remember is choose a school where player is at least even with #6 on UTR. If player does not make line up as freshman, only 20% chance player will make line up as soph. Food for thought-instead of just looking at ACC/SEC teams, look at teams that play ACC/SEC in non regional matches and at fall invitationals. That way player still gets to play on those famous courts. If a player is a 4 or 5 star late bloomer who doubts he will make starting lineup for ACC/SEC team, player can sign with team that plays ACC/SEC teams, develop his game in college and have the chance to beat ranked players. There were players from midtier schools who had beaten players from power conference schools who were at qualifying at the All Americans. There is more than one way to have a challenging competitive college tennis experience. Dont limit your son just to ACC/SEC unless he is a shoo-in blue chip. Look at the top 10 regionally ranked teams for each section of the ITA-that will give you some more choices too.

 

[MathGeek]

I have heard that a B in a regular college prep course is better than a C in an AP. Dont take APs if you cant at least make a B. Recruited athletes can get in selective prestigious public schools with lower SATs and less rigorous courseload than average accepted applicant. Ask a coach and he will tell recruit what score is needed-could be 200-300 points lower. There is very little wiggle room for Ivys. I am talking about selective non Ivys. However, keep in mind if the player is less college ready than the typical applicant and he is drilling,playing and traveling 20-30 hours a week, he may have an issue with grades and time management. Some homeschooled kids adjust well to college; others struggle.

There are some good points here. Cs on the high school transcript are a bad thing. Also, be aware that most SEC/ACC schools will accept the SAT or the ACT, with some favoring the ACT. It is easier to tailor a homeschool program to the ACT and to identify specific areas of improvement after trying the ACT as a 9th grader. I would forget about AP courses and focus on dual enrollment courses through local colleges or online. The exposure to real college level work is the best preparation to ensure adjustment to college, and nothing convinces admissions offices of college capabilities like success in real college level work. Work with your student to pick dual enrollment courses they can do well in. There are some specific steps you should take to ensure success before enrolling a high school student in college chemistry or calculus.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

The guys that actually play at ACC/SEC schools are usually TRN top 50. We've known 5 stars ranked in the 60s that sat on the bench. I dont know what your class year is, but the southern class of 2018 and 2019 has some really good blue chip/5 star players. Saw a couple unseeded 14y/o southern players nearly beat two of the top seeds in Kzoo 16s. Many of these high ranked players choose to play at an in state SEC/ACC schools. Think ACC/SEC coaches choose from top 50 TRN Americans and then go international.

USTA national ranking have no meaning as many good players dont travel to all the nationals-too expensive. TRN is much more accurate. Sectional rankings are relevant though as players get in national championships through sectional quotas. A sectional ranking in the top 10 in So Cal, Florida, Southern, Eastern, etc probably means the player is a blue chip or 5 star. There are guys from in the top 100 in the nation for USTA from weak sections that are killed by players in tough sections that are not even in the top 200 in the nation. College coaches visit some of the top sectional tournaments in the tough sections-seen them there. Big tourney to be seen by coaches- KZoo 16s and 18s. Not all national level 1s are the same-less coaches at clay than hard courts, heard there weren't that many coaches at level 1 Winter nationals last year. Coaches are probably in Florida in Dec watching high level ITFs like Orange Bowl.

I think UTR rating/ranking is looked at more in California and Northeast. I think ACC/SEC coaches look more at TRN and ITF rankings. UTR is gradually gaining ground so do get a free UTR account and monitor your sons' UTR ranking.

I have heard that a B in a regular college prep course is better than a C in an AP. Dont take APs if you cant at least make a B. Recruited athletes can get in selective prestigious public schools with lower SATs and less rigorous courseload than average accepted applicant. Ask a coach and he will tell recruit what score is needed-could be 200-300 points lower. There is very little wiggle room for Ivys. I am talking about selective non Ivys. However, keep in mind if the player is less college ready than the typical applicant and he is drilling,playing and traveling 20-30 hours a week, he may have an issue with grades and time management. Some homeschooled kids adjust well to college; others struggle.

Write or call college coaches the summer after soph year. D1 cant call back until Sept 1 of junior year.However, your son can call or have his academy coach call and arrange a time for your son to talk to coach. It can be a bit of telephone tag. If you son gets in National Clays or hard courts the summer after soph year, he can look at the list of college coaches attending and Email coaches to ask them to watch match. My son did that with some coaches, and there were other coaches that saw him play and contacted him early in Sept of his junior year. For the most part, players have to take the initiative in contacting coaches. Now for blue chips, the coaches may take more initiative. I would recommend visiting colleges early in his high school career-visit colleges near tournaments. I wish we had visited more colleges the summer after soph year even if he didnt talk to coach but just to see school.

The college players that recently committed to top SEC/ACC schools were at least UTR 13; some were 13.5+. Many were homeschooled and played USTA and ITF.

If your son is a really good player and you want to keep costs down, if he plays the top 6 tournaments in his section (each section has 6 tournaments that earn sectional and national points-2 are nat 3, and 4 are nat 4) and finishes in the top 8 or better in a couple of them (64-160 draws), he should get in Kalamazoo.In our section, the last player to get in Kzoo had 4700 sectional points. Players who win one of the top 6 earn 2000-3000+ not including doubles. Even winning the backdraws (#9) can earn 1000+ points with bonuses. Winning dubs can add 500-600 more points. The top 6 for dubs and singles are counted. In our section, I think the players that got in Kzoo were TRN 130 or better. If a player is really good, he could get away with playing just 7-10 tournaments. He should also play Nat 2s if they are nearby to get a chance to play kids out of section.Play some ITFs if in driving distance. However the average 4 star to blue chip plays 20+ tournaments a year; most players dont bring their A game to every tournament Also it RAINs. A player can be playing really well in a high level tournament, be winning in main draws, then it rains for two days, and the tournament is cancelled. It is better to plan to play more tournaments to cover weather contingencies. Son played 5 tourneys this fall so far, one was completely rained out and another only got in 2 rounds-that's 40%. Rain and floods even screwed up some the ITA regionals this fall.

I think I answered most of your questions. It is very hard to earn a spot on a top ACC/SEC team. Most players are homeschooled, but definitely not all. Most blue chips are homeschooled. Many 4 and 5 star players attend regular school half day and take some online courses. I see a lot of talented 5 star players that live close to ACC/SEC schools that end up playing for other conferences; there is just so much competition for those spots. Even if a US player gets an offer to a top 20 school, I dont know how much the scholarship $ would be. The big scholarship $ may be going to the international players on the team. The other important thing to remember is choose a school where player is at least even with #6 on UTR. If player does not make line up as freshman, only 20% chance player will make line up as soph. Food for thought-instead of just looking at ACC/SEC teams, look at teams that play ACC/SEC in non regional matches and at fall invitationals. That way player still gets to play on those famous courts. If a player is a 4 or 5 star late bloomer who doubts he will make starting lineup for ACC/SEC team, player can sign with team that plays ACC/SEC teams, develop his game in college and have the chance to beat ranked players. There were players from midtier schools who had beaten players from power conference schools who were at qualifying at the All Americans. There is more than one way to have a challenging competitive college tennis experience. Dont limit your son just to ACC/SEC unless he is a shoo-in blue chip. Look at the top 10 regionally ranked teams for each section of the ITA-that will give you some more choices too.

WOW Thanks for the GREAT INFO! I guess I'm jumping the gun a little. My son is in 9th (2019) grade(B16's) right now. My strategy was to play him up in the B18's. He's only going to play B16's STA L1's NAT L1's 2's and 3's everything else B18's. Cost and schedule permitting. Certainly no help from the USTA. He's got a solid year and a half left in the B16's. The plan was to jumpstart his B18's so he can get him some additional exposure for college coaches. I've heard you don't want to start looking your Junior year by then its to late. Hence why he's playing B18's at the ripe age of 14/15.

Great tip about playing tournaments that are being hosted at university facilities. We have been and looked at several campus like Mercer in Macon GA, Clemson SC, UM (Miami, FL),Berry and Shorter colleges in Rome GA. I'll have to play closer attention so that we spend a little more time walking around campus.

I wanted to create a recruiting video and start getting letters ready but he has no idea of where he wants to go. I don't want to put that pressure on him as he's only 15 and has a little while to go yet. However I do want to start prepping my self so I don't leave anything important out.

Small world my son trains with the boy you mentioned at hardcourts this year at Kalamazoo. Very talented young man. He's actually playing dubs with him this year at winter nats pending he gets in.

Question:
"If your son gets in National Clays or hard courts the summer after soph year, he can look at the list of college coaches attending and Email coaches to ask them to watch match." So where is this information located? Is it posted on the USTA Tournament website. This would be great to know.

 

[jcgatennismom]

Here is the list of the 60+ coaches who attended Kzoo summer of 2015. http://ustaboys.com/college_coaches.html Most, not all ACC/SEC coaches attended. It is easy for coaches to watch both 16s and 18s at Kzoo as there are only two sites, and both 16s and 18s use both sites. My son heard from a couple coaches at Kzoo outside our section that he would not have considered before; he plans to visit one this spring. I think coaches also attended Atlanta and SC ITFs. Another coach from Kzoo called son to ask if he was playing Atlanta ITF but we missed the deadline on it this year; he played the qualifer for it when he was 15. Hard to keep up with USTA and ITF.

Your strategy makes sense. A lot of players skip 14s and/or 16s. Lot of 13 year olds playing 18s and ITFs.

One caution on doing videos early. College recruiting videos cost around $300. If your son grows a lot, you might need to redo. Better just to post a clip from tournament matchplay ($50-$60 video) on TRN until he gets older unless he is a 6 ft tall 15 year old. My son grew 7 inches between 14 1/2 and 16 1/2 and his ranking went up a lot so for us it made sense that he waited to contact coaches until summer of soph year. The scary thing is a lot of players drop in rankings. We saw guys who were 5 star sophs/jrs who had ambitious college lists on TRN and now as seniors they have dropped to 4 stars who are losing to guys 1-2 years younger. Best to have a range of schools on your list. Use your academy coach if you do want to send feelers out to coaches before summer of soph year. My son let one coach know (via pro) that he was interested in Feb of soph year, and he is still in contact with that coach. Coach asked him to visit summer after soph year. Before Sept 1 of junior year, D1 coaches cannot answer Emails or call back so players play telephone tag with coaches. Easiest for player during soph summer to let coaches know he is interested, send tournament schedule,send video, Email good results, and do most of the follow up after Sept 1 junior year. Coaches probably have the blue chips on their radar as freshmen, but for the rest they probably start looking at them summer after soph year. The ACC/SEC schools that signed recruits during the Nov NLI mainly signed blue chips-top 25. Most of those verbally committed last spring during jr year. Some 5 stars who were interested in ACC/SEC schools went ahead and signed with other schools rather than wait around for coaches to decide who would complete their roster in the spring. Some 5 stars are still holding out. That is the unfun part of recruiting-some players are strung along by coaches. Focus on coaches who show their interest by keeping in contact, inviting players to visit, and who respond to player texts, Emails or calls. An unfortunate result of early recruiting is players may have to make decisions before official visits. Parents pay for players to visit schools as sophs or juniors at their own expense, when those flights might be covered if they could wait until they were seniors.

 

[justinmadison]

I guess I'm jumping the gun a little. My son is in 9th (2019) grade(B16's) right now. My strategy was to play him up

The only thing you should be worrying about at this stage is how he can become a better player. USTA Rankings, TRN, UTR ... it's all meaningless at this point except where it helps you figure out how to get better.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

The only thing you should be worrying about at this stage is how he can become a better player. USTA Rankings, TRN, UTR ... it's all meaningless at this point except where it helps you figure out how to get better.

I don't think all these things are meaningless. These are meant to be used as gauges or tools. Their indicators to show where you stand amongst your peers. There used as tools by coaches to determine which kids they may be interested in playing for their school.

Let me ask you something what is the right stage then to worry about this?

I think you have to worry about many things sure in the broader sense his B14's ranking means nothing. But what about his B16's or B18's. Unfortunately rankings are one of those important details that coaches look at. Kind of like your grades in school. If you don't get good grades then chances are your not going to go to a good school. As parents we have a multi facetted role. Were more like project managers. Were essentially managing their brief tennis career. Coaches have their role in constantly evolving their game. I see my role as more of a planner for example making sure he gets to practice on time, making sure he's signed up for the right tournaments, making sure hotel reservation is setup on and on. There are so many tasks that need to be done to achieve success at the higher levels. It's practically a full time job.

From a getting better perspective, I've got him in a great academy where the coaches are constantly working on improving and tweaking. I try not to get too evolved here. I try and let the coaches do their job. I get involved when and If I see an issue with a stroke or if he's struggling, then I make sure the coaches are aware. I try and provide constructive feedback so they can address any concerns. Were still working on not reverting back to old bad habits and tweaking performance by understanding how to anticipate or how to read your opponents weakness. So working on his game is a given. However If your not putting focus on multiple fronts your going to miss something. Perfect example if all your doing is hitting ball's at practice and playing some practice sets in todays game your not going to live up to your full potential. You need to understand nutrition and how it impacts performance on and off court, you need strength and condition, you need to understand mental conditioning and preparation, you need yoga / stretching for preventative maintenance and the list goes on and on. All of this directly impacts performance. The point of all this is if your a Jr or young adult with out support it's almost impossible to reach your full potential. You don't want to leave things to chance if you can be proactive and prepare accordingly and that's exactly what I'm doing. It's funny because when we talk about his game he's well aware of what needs to work on as there is a ton of unrealized potential yet to be uncovered. You just have to work it a little at a time.

What I'm attempting to do in this exercise is understand what's required for the next step that's basically around the corner.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Your strategy makes sense. A lot of players skip 14s and/or 16s. Lot of 13 year olds playing 18s and ITFs.

The scary thing is a lot of players drop in rankings. We saw guys who were 5 star sophs/jrs who had ambitious college lists on TRN and now as seniors they have dropped to 4 stars who are losing to guys 1-2 years younger. Best to have a range of schools on your list. .

I've noticed this as well. Why do you suppose this is? Most of the Blue Chip players in the B14's are now 4 and 5star in the B16's. Still trying to figure this out. I wonder if they loose the passion as other interest come up or if they just get a little burned out. The finish line is so close. At this point I'm pretty ambitious but I'm also a realist if things change so will our strategy. At this point he continues to climb

 

[andfor]

I've noticed this as well. Why do you suppose this is? Most of the Blue Chip players in the B14's are now 4 and 5star in the B16's. Still trying to figure this out. I wonder if they loose the passion as other interest come up or if they just get a little burned out. The finish line is so close. At this point I'm pretty ambitious but I'm also a realist if things change so will our strategy. At this point he continues to climb

Slipping in the ranking can be attributed to a few things, 1. burn out. 2. Other players games progressing faster. 3. Physical maturity (see #2). 4. Player still trying to use strategies and tactics in older age divisions that won him matches in the 12's and 14's.

I see number 4 as the potential worst of the scenarios. If the player is not coached and also looking for new ways to improve, they will get past by. If the focus is winning over improving, the player will resort to what he did when he had success, and in the older divisions that may not be enough. Also, the players understand the scouting report on them making matches even tougher. Make sure your player is always looking for areas to improve on, physical, mental, strategy and tactics.

 

[justinmadison]

I think you have to worry about many things sure in the broader sense his B14's ranking means nothing. But what about his B16's or B18's. Unfortunately rankings are one of those important details that coaches look at.

Don't get caught up in playing the rankings game. I have seen many people do it and it is not helpful. The only important thing at your stage is improving. Rankings are important as far as they enable you to get into tournaments and to be seeded in those tournaments but that is it. As your kid improves rankings will take care of themselves.

BTW, your post starts out will questions about scholarships and costs. The amount of money necessary to enable the growth of a high level tennis player far exceeds any scholarship money he will receive. It is not even close. If your kid is not going pro in tennis, (and really this is practically a certainty), you should make sure he is progressing as well in school as he is in tennis. Does he want to have an opportunity to go pro in computer science or business? Those options are only on the table for kids who prepare for them in high school. The D1 schools are competitive in the class room and you don't want him to feel like a JV student.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Slipping in the ranking can be attributed to a few things, 1. burn out. 2. Other players games progressing faster. 3. Physical maturity (see #2). 4. Player still trying to use strategies and tactics in older age divisions that won him matches in the 12's and 14's.

I see number 4 as the potential worst of the scenarios. If the player is not coached and also looking for new ways to improve, they will get past by. If the focus is winning over improving, the player will resort to what he did when he had success, and in the older divisions that may not be enough. Also, the players understand the scouting report on them making matches even tougher. Make sure your player is always looking for areas to improve on, physical, mental, strategy and tactics.

Totally agree on 4. Transitioning from a high heavy ball from the 12's to the 14's didn't work and took him 8 months to adjust his game. His coach was all about winning and not improving. We left when I finally figured this out. With academy there at now they teach players to win NOT play not to loose if that makes sense. Were always working on how to improve if not with your strokes then with your tactics and or how to improve your mental stability on court. (mental conditioning) One of the things I've noticed him playing against the better B18's is their discipline in shot selection. Their shots are well calculated and planned.

He played his first ITF a few weeks ago won a couple of rounds in the qualifier. The kid that beat him wasn't necessarily a better ball striker but he was smarter and well disciplined. He knew that my son was going to hit a slice backhand before my son actually hit it. Bringing the racket back nice and high with an open face told him that my son was going to slice. So he stepped up and they were usually short so he just attacked every time he saw it coming. After the match we talked about this and lesson to be learned is look for signs that show you what's coming next. So for the last several weeks we talk about this and try to find a tell sign from each of his friends at practice to reinforce the lesson. He's getting close to where the focus is not on technique but more on strategy, tactics and mental discipline. You need to be constantly evolving.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Don't get caught up in playing the rankings game. I have seen many people do it and it is not helpful. The only important thing at your stage is improving. Rankings are important as far as they enable you to get into tournaments and to be seeded in those tournaments but that is it. As your kid improves rankings will take care of themselves.

BTW, your post starts out will questions about scholarships and costs. The amount of money necessary to enable the growth of a high level tennis player far exceeds any scholarship money he will receive. It is not even close. If your kid is not going pro in tennis, (and really this is practically a certainty), you should make sure he is progressing as well in school as he is in tennis. Does he want to have an opportunity to go pro in computer science or business? Those options are only on the table for kids who prepare for them in high school. The D1 schools are competitive in the class room and you don't want him to feel like a JV student.

Good advice. I pay attention to the rankings but my son doesn't even know what his ranking is. He asks once in a while but he does seem to take more of an interest. I encourage him not to worry about his ranking but focus on becoming a better player. With my daughter she's very focused on her ranking and this certainly makes it worse. It's more of a social status with her. Not sure how to un-condition this behavior.

The kids are in a type of "prep school" It's very similar to college where they give you assignments and you have to be self disciplined to manage your work load. Great training ground for college. He takes his homework and school work pretty seriously. The other attribute he's learning is time management. He brings his books to tournaments and reads in the car. I have heard that tennis is very demanding at some of the more tennis focused schools ACC / SEC and they do provide tutors and help if they start to fall behind. Someone mentioned that if they take enough college prep courses they could free up their course load for the first semester or two so they can get a little better acclimated to the college lifestyle and not have the pressure of taking a full course load.

 

[illzoni]

Our son will be 14 very soon. Has played a few USTA B16s, but still primarily playing B14s. Assuming he progresses well, how and when do we get him into ITFs?

Thanks.

 

[PsychoTennisDad]

Search for ITF Jr schedule. You will need to get him an IPIN# I think there $35 a year. Find tournament and register. Look for events with in driving distance first. You wont get in the main draw but you have a great shot at being an onsite alternate. The trick is to show up the day before and apply as a stand by alternate for the qualifier draw. We got into the qualifier by showing up the day before and registering. The ITF he played in didn't even fill the qualifier draw. If you looked at the list there were 175 kids that applied for a 64 size draw but only 62 actually played the qualifier. Great experience. There was a referee on every court.

I think that all the ITF's in the US are 18U so I wouldn't recommend a 13yr or 14yr unless he's winning some fairly high level USTA B18's events. It's possible but highly unlikely. I would say that a L4 ITF would be equivalent to a L2 or L1 NAT B18's event. Now the qualifier draw would be more like a NAT L2 B16's USTA event. A lot of college level players playing those. Were planning on playing a few more.