Unlike most employees at NCSA, I never played a sport in college. Despite not playing collegiately, athletics have played an enormous role in my life and helped me play a role in many other lives. Athletics helped me forge many dear friendships, learn how to interact with others and continues to shape my life on a daily basis. However, the single greatest gift athletics gave me was the will power and determination to participate in a charity bicycle event traveling across the United States to benefit people with disabilities.

Biking over 3,900 miles from San Francisco to the Capital steps in Washington D.C. would not have been possible without the lessons I learned earlier in life through sport. The willpower to climb mountains and endure hours on the bike were actually developed playing sports years earlier.

Most importantly the trip allowed me to help hundreds of people with disabilities all summer long. Working daily to help others allowed me the chance to really understand who I was as a person. I will be eternally grateful for the lessons I learned that summer and none of them would have been possible without sport.

As founder and CEO of the National Collegiate Scouting Association, my passion has always been to provide recruiting education for anyone and everyone who seeks it.  The mission for the last 25 years has been simple; ensure that every student-athlete, regardless of age, ability, or finances has access to the knowledge that will help them maximize their athletic scholarship potential.  That mission led to the creation of NCSA and its various educational parts (including this newsletter).

Now, I am proud to announce that I have recently finished writing my first book, “Athletes Wanted” – The complete guidebook to maximizing your child’s athletic scholarship and life potential. Athletes Wanted was born out of the idea that athletes are indeed wanted in all areas of society.  Athletes are not only wanted on college campuses to fill rosters, but also sought after by employers due to the unique skill set they possess.

Athletes Wanted includes:

- The NCAA bylaws that allow students to begin the recruiting process earlier than their competitors, even as early as the seventh or eighth grade.

- The five critical things an athlete must do and the five critical things an athlete must know to begin the process

- The biggest myths of the recruiting process

- The most important questions a student-athlete should ask a college coach

- The process for negotiating the best scholarship package

More than anything, Athletes Wanted provides a step by step plan for recruiting success that can be used by anyone.  I encourage you to read the foreword which was written by recruiting guru, Tom Lemming and also a preview of the book by clicking here.

Proceeds from Athletes Wanted will go to NCSA’s Educational Fund which will assist underprivileged student-athletes in their pursuit of collegiate athletics by defraying the costs of NCSA’s services.  Essentially, when you purchase a copy of Athletes Wanted, you will be allowing NCSA to provide recruiting education (like this newsletter and our educational workshops) nationwide for future student-athletes and families.

Writing this book has been a labor of love and symbolizes a culmination of all that I have experienced going through the recruiting process for the last 25 years.  If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Athletes Wanted, simply click here.  Thanks for your support!

There are many reasons why student athletes and families crave the opportunity to earn a college sports scholarship.  The prestige, desire to keep playing a sport at a high level, the fun, the scholarship dollars,the ability to get in a school where you might not be accepted without sports, and dozens of other reasons.  Most families are focused on the immediate returns on a  sports scholarship, however the benefits can be much longer lasting.

Former WNBA player Val Whiting recently sat down with Microsoft executive Lisa Brummel to talk about the advantages athletes have in the business world.

It is no coincidence that more than 80 percent of the female executives at Fortune 500 companies described themselves as former athletes.

Companies seek employees who can stand out in pressure situations, demonstrate leadership, and react positively to the instruction of superiors.

Lisa Brummel displays these qualities as senior vice president of human resources for Microsoft.

“The single biggest asset I have is not my education, not my experience, but my athletic background,” Brummel said in a phone interview.

“If you look, you will find people doing well in business and who were also athletes. You need stamina and pacing in corporate America, having the stamina to be able to perform.”

Brummel often asks managers to look for athletes when hiring.

“Athletes in companies are universally respected as high performers,” Brummel said. “Playing on a team, the understanding of team dynamics and roles, knowing when to step up or when to let someone else step up, and collaboration – if you come from team sports, you know these things already.”

Its clear that athletes enjoy a wide variety of advantages in college, but it is the longer lasting benefits that truly set athletes apart.

Playing college football was a passion since as long as I can remember and I always dreamed of playing college football. Growing up on the west coast, I had dreams of suiting up for UCLA and the University of Washington. By the end of my senior season, my high school football coach told me I was too small to play college. With no offers to play at the collegiate level, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. During the next four years of my life, the Marine Corps instilled discipline, responsibility and a hard-working mentality. In the summer of 2001, while overseas, I taught myself how to long snap.  

In 2002, after being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, I looked around at several schools on the West Coast. While coach after coach told me I was too small to play, I found a home at Scottsdale Community College. After almost being cut, I worked hard to get sufficient game film and marketed myself to over 100 colleges. I then made phone call after phone call to college coaches hounding them for a scholarship or at least a chance to play at their college. After a three month period of coaches telling me “No”, I found one college in Louisville, KY (University of Louisville) who was looking for a player to long snap. I never in my wildest dreams thought of playing football in Kentucky, but three years later with an NCAA record in one hand and the Orange Bowl ring in another, I would not have traded my college experience for anything in the world.

Ever since I could remember, basketball has been a part of my life. It’s a love that I can never seem to get over. Being born and raised in Chicago, I idolized Michael Jordan and wanted to be the female version of him, dreaming of playing for the WNBA when I grew up. Starting off practicing my dunks on the Little Tikes hoop in the basement (tongue out of course), then promoting myself to one-on-one sessions with my dad in the backyard, I finally started playing organized ball in 7th grade. In high school, I made the Junior Varsity team as a freshman, and played Varsity the rest of my high school career.  

Looking back on it, I didn’t really start thinking about playing college basketball until junior year. I didn’t go to a huge program that was a powerhouse for athletics so I wasn’t really informed about the recruiting process. I kind of just went with the flow and figured whatever happens, happens. I didn’t care, I just wanted to play. Then when my parents asked me if this was something I wanted to pursue in college, I had to say yes, because I just couldn’t picture my life without basketball.  

This is where Chris Krause and the materials in Athletes Wanted comes in! I enrolled Chris’ NCSA program, I believe after my junior season and soon enough, letters from all different colleges started pouring in. I had to talk to coaches, send out game tapes, log everything I did, write emails etc. I’m not going to lie, it was a lot of work, but I knew I needed to do it if I wanted to play, and that was something I was committed to doing. Chris got my name out there, guided me through what I needed to do with all these schools, and ultimately made me a collegiate basketball player.  

Making a final decision on which college to attend was probably the most difficult part of the process. I came to the realization that I would have to relinquish my hoop dreams of making it to the WNBA, so I based my decision on academics as well as athletics. I ended up going to the University of Chicago which is a Division III program in a very competitive conference. I feel as though I got the best of both worlds, getting a degree from one of the best universities in the world, while also being able to play the game that I love. The guideance that Chris and Athletes Wanted gave me made all this whole experience possible for me and I am glad I have the opportunity to do the same for today’s athletes.

My senior year of high school was the most stressful time of my life. I was a 17-year-old kid, and all I knew was that I wanted to play hockey in college. Hockey was my passion and my life revolved around this sport. I HAD to play college hockey. Not only did I want to play hockey in college, I wanted to play for a Division 1 program. I also wanted to attend school on the East Coast, particularly a top academic institution. I suppose you could say I had pretty lofty goals, but regardless of how impossible my ambitions seemed, these were my dreams and I was determined to achieve them. Now where did I begin? 

Knowing what you want to accomplish, and knowing how to do it are two entirely different concepts. I knew I wanted to play hockey in college, but I wasn’t sure how to attract coaches’ attention, or which schools might be good fits for me. I was fortunate, however, because women’s hockey at that time was a relatively small sport, and I had a short list of schools to choose from. These factors made it possible for me to send a resume to every woman’s college hockey program and attend a few showcases and well-known tournaments. My skills and grit got me noticed, and the next thing I knew, my mailbox was filled and the phone was constantly ringing. Still, I was completely overwhelmed. 

Coaches at some of the most elite colleges and hockey programs in the nation were telling me I would be accepted to their schools. High school guidance counselors told me that all coach’s lie, and I should stop communicating with them. I could go on and on but the point is, I needed some guidance! I needed someone to tell me what to say to coaches on the phone, what to look for on my visits, how many schools to apply to. For me, this mentor did not exist and my head spun. 

I am very lucky. My recruiting story has a happy ending. I was accepted at, and ultimately chose to attend, Yale University. I had a fabulous life and hockey career at Yale, and if I could turn back the clock I would make the same decision. 

But this story is not about me. My time in the spotlight has long since past. Now it is your turn, and it is my job to make sure you have the mentor that I yearned for. The college recruiting process should be exciting and informative. I am eager to help guide you every step of the way. Where you attend college is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. Don’t leave it to luck.

I started playing soccer at the age of five in a small recreational league in Lake Orion, Michigan. After trying baseball, basketball, and football I knew soccer was my sport. By age thirteen I made my way onto the best travel team in Michigan, Vardar Soccer Club. At that point I knew I was on the right track to play college soccer, so I set my goals high shooting to play at a Division I program.  

Neither my family nor I had any idea on what the recruiting process was all about. I thought I was on the right track by going to showcase tournaments and playing on a premier team. Little did I know, that was only a small part of the recruiting process. I put together a profile of myself which included an introduction letter, a list of my accomplishments, newspaper clippings, and contact information. The next step was mailing my profile out to about 20-25 schools. The mistake I made was that I never followed up with these coaches asking them if they received my information. I didn’t send one email or call a single coach; I thought they would contact me, that wasn’t the case. I received a few letters from schools, but was not heavily recruited out of high school.  

The only schools I visited were because of the relations I had in the soccer community. I knew a player at Cleveland State University and I knew the coach at Eastern Michigan; those are the only two visits I took. Luckily, the Eastern Michigan coach offered me a spot on their roster. If my family didn’t l know this coach, I don’t know where I would have ended up. You can say that I was lucky to find a school that wanted me.  

Going into my freshman year of college I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. The first week of practice, I had to sit out because one of my classes from high school wasn’t cleared by the Eligibility Center. This was extremely frustrating because I thought I had completed everything correctly. After a few days of sitting out, I was cleared to play; it was just a minor set back.  

After my sophomore year at Eastern the athletic department discontinued the soccer program. My teammates and I were devastated with no where to turn. I still had two years of eligibility and I knew that I still wanted to play. I had to start the whole recruiting process all over. Again, this is where luck struck me for the second time. I knew a player at Western Michigan University where I eventually landed and played those final two years.  

If I could sum my recruiting process up in a few words I would say: “Challenging but Rewarding.” I hit a lot of road blocks, had a lot of headaches, but eventually I found the perfect fit for myself.

Have you ever found yourself lost in a moment, a moment so loud and intense, it’s deafening-time almost stops? It’s the championship game & your standing at the free throw line, down by one, with no time left on the clock, sweat pouring down your face, you feel your heart pounding through your chest… Then all of a sudden you realize, you’re either remembering the way it was or the way you wanted it to be. It might be a moment that could change everything. This is why every decision you make in your recruiting process is extremely important. You want to choose the right school & find the best fit for you. Your outcome, your story, is what you dream it to be-you have to make it happen. 

Well, my story begins the summer before freshman year when I received my first letter, for basketball, from Michigan State University. From then on came the letters, the calls, the games, the awards, and the dream grew bigger. The problem was that no one ever told me any of the rules or the processes involved in recruiting. I lived by the infamous line, if you’re good enough they will find you. No one imposed on me the importance of academics, because if they want you, you’ll get in. So, I didn’t have the best grades–I played AAU, I went to camps and I was getting letters, but I never followed up with coaches the way I know now, that you have to. I didn’t play the recruiting game. The sad fact is, that if I did, who knows what could have been. Don’t get me wrong, I love the experiences I have had and the places it has taken me.

Because of my ignorance, the dream slowed down, the calls stopped, the letters stopped coming in and I watched everyone else sign away, pack up and go. I chose to go to South Suburban College, a JUCO on the south side of Chicago. Even though it wasn’t the dream, it was the right fit for me. I didn’t have the grades, I wasn’t ready to leave home and I loved the coach. My first year we were the region champs and we went to the NJCAA Championships. I couldn’t wait for next year, but I got hurt in the first game that year. I struggled to come back, with a torn LCL and bruised Tibia Plateau. I thought it was over, the calls stopped again, the letters didn’t come anymore, so I played hurt. We were region champs and we went to the NJCAA Championships again. That’s where St. John’s University saw me play and I transferred to SJU a DI Big East program. As my Mom would say, “the basketball fairies blessed me.” I finally got my dream to play DI, I will never forget playing at UCONN, a packed house with cameras in your face, fans screaming at you-it was terrifying & awesome all at the same time. 

The most important thing is to remember to have fun and to always give it your all, because one day it will be over. I didn’t get to play my senior year in college; I would have needed to get an artificial knee. Whether it’s your senior year of HS, last game in college, after a couple years in the pros, or unfortunately, if you get hurt, what will you fall back on–academics? The one thing I know is that I gave it my all, I left it all on the court; I have no regrets–I want to ensure that no else does either.

My recruiting story starts early on. I attended various “exposure camps” such as Michigan, Nebraska, and some professional sponsored ones as early as the age 12. From those camps your information was supposedly sent out to hundreds of colleges, but even though I got numerous awards (Top Safety, Top Running back, Top 15 Club), I never heard from any schools. 

Because I attended a school in the Chicago Catholic League, I was unable to participate in varsity athletics until my sophomore year in school. But, when I did become a sophomore I was immediately put in the starting lineup as Quarterback for a team that went 9-0 the previous year and advanced to the state quarter finals the previous year. Given the history of success and the fact I had soon-to-be college star, and current Chicago Bear, Garrett Wolfe, in the backfield with me, I thought these factors alone would give me plenty of exposure. This is all not to mention that our head coach had the guts to tell us that his main goal was to get us into college and play football. With potentially a dozen players that should have played in college, and maybe a handful that could have played scholarship ball, I was the only one to get any “ride”. 

After a couple visits and just a few handwritten letters sent to the house, Fisher DeBerry visited the school and then my house. The Air Force Academy ended up being the only team among Northwestern and University of Illinois to actually make an offer for a full ride. This is even though I thought the other schools were interested, just because they sent me information.  

I went through the process completely oblivious to what I should have been doing. Everything I’ve been taught since reading Athletes Wanted on the recruiting process I had no idea of when I went through it. I just wish I would have known about this book when I went through the recruiting process.

My recruiting story starts the summer after my freshman year in high school. I grew up in Ohio and it had always been my dream to play for The Ohio State University. I attended their summer camp and a coach from Buffalo University approached me. He said to me, “In four years, there’s a place for you at Buffalo.” I knew then that I might have a shot to play at the level and school that I always dreamed of. I thought to myself, “Man, if Buffalo wants me now, the buckeyes have to be interested in a few years.” I was right; as I entered my junior year of high school I was receiving regular mail from Ohio State and many other schools throughout the country. This is really where I made my first mistake in the recruiting process. I failed to take full advantage of the all the schools that were interested in me. I didn’t respond to coaches’ letters, I didn’t call any one to let them know that I was interested. I didn’t really do anything. 

As my high school career rolled on I was fortunate to play on a very successful high school team. We had completed my junior season, with a 13-1 record, our only loss in the state semi finials. This marked two years in a row that we had completed the regular season undefeated. My goal at that time was finish my high school career with three undefeated regular seasons and go to the state championship game. I really put the recruiting process on the back burner. I wasn’t proactive; I didn’t take any unofficial visits. Again I did nothing. 

As I was about to enter my senior season everything was in full swing. I had received several division one scholarships, but not the school I wanted. Ohio State had informed me that they would make a decision during the first few weeks of the season, as I was scheduled to play one of their defensive line commits. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to play in that game. During a preseason game a suffered a dislocated knee cap and would miss almost the entire regular season. I would return for the last few weeks of the year.

Needless to say I didn’t put myself in a great position with other schools. I had ignored them, while only focusing on the Buckeyes. Fortunately I still had a few offers to choose from and ended up at a great academic institution in Northwestern University. If I would have had Athletes Wanted while I was in high school I would have been better educated on how to deal with colleges and been more prepared for the bumps in the road that almost every student athlete goes through.