Junior College Athletic Route an Excellent Alternative in Many Situations

JUCO Bad Rap Undeserved; Many Athletes Thrive

Going straight from high school to a four year college is sometimes not the best route for high school student-athletes.  But, there is a terrific alternative which many parents and athletes discount or overlook, junior college.  At NSR, our scouts often run into scenarios which lend themselves to serious consideration of the JUCO path, and we are quick to recommend it for particular prep student-athletes.  Here are some scenarios as examples:

• Good student-athlete that got into the recruiting process too late.  This is the most common situation we encounter — a very good high school athlete with good grades that simply waited too late to try and connect with college coaches.  Depending on outdated ideas of how the recruiting process works, these solid student-athletes are left with leftovers.  It’s not fair, true, but it happens everywhere from the biggest metro high schools to the smallest rural one. 
• Good student-athlete whose size, strength, speed, etc., kept them from being recruited.  Some athletes are physically only beginning to hit their stride as seniors.  These late bloomers start seeing remarkable changes in their bodies through natural growth and long term exercise plans such as weight training.  As a result, they may have seen limited playing time in high school, but they are confident in their fundamentals, grasp of the sport and potential.
• Good student-athlete primarily playing a support role in high school.  We regularly see really good high school athletes on really good teams who cannot possibly grab the attention of college coaches because they are relegated to mop-up duties in games.  Unfair or not, some solid athletes with the game and grades to move up to the next level simply don’t get the chance to be seen and evaluated.
• Good student-athlete in a bad situation.  Whether it is poor coaching, a relationship gone bad with a coach, no surrounding talent, or a very small school playing against zero competition, many very good college prospects never get a chance to be considered by college coaches because of the situation they find themselves.  A rift with a coach and a negative recommendation can doom a good athlete who is otherwise a viable prospect.  Playing with substandard teammates can place a loser label a potential recruit.  Good numbers against lowly regarded competitors can be an Albatross which is hard to dispatch.
• Good athlete, unacceptable grades.  Some athletes simply wait too late to start studying.  When the light bulb doesn’t come on until their senior year, it is often too late to shed any light on an otherwise dismal academic record.