News & Features

My Players

|

My Lists

|

My School

|

My Notifications

Team Home

Some junior tennis tournaments include "college forums" where junior tennis players and their parents can learn about the college recruiting process. These forums are intended to help all junior tennis players who so desire to find the right college tennis program for them.

One such forum took place earlier this year at the USTA Southern Sectionals in Rome, Ga., on the Berry College campus in the Science Auditorium. There were approximately 125 parents and junior players in attendance, evenly split between high school sophomores and freshmen.

An incredible panel of coaches was available to the parents and players at this forum:

Will Glenn (NCAA Div. I)

• 9th year as the Assistant Head Coach of the University of Georgia men's program
• Since he joined the UGA staff, the team has won 2 NCAA team titles, 2 ITA National Team Titles, and 8 SEC titles
• The 2013 team reached the NCAA final-4 for the 6th time in 8 years
• The 2014 team won the SEC title for the 37th time

Jeff Clark (NCAA Div. I)

• 8th year back as University of Tennessee - Chattanooga women's coach; previously coached the men's team for 3 years
• UTC has bettered its win total year over year for the past 6 seasons
• He has coached 5 singles players and 4 doubles teams to All Southern Conference Titles
• 5 of his teams were honored as ITA All-Academic teams

John Shackelford (NCAA Div. III)

• 30th season as head coach of the University of the South (Sewanee) men's program
• Has taken teams to the NCAA D3 Nationals 14 times
• 8 conference championships
• Has coached 16 All-Americans and 83 All-Conference players
• His wife has coached the women's program for 29 seasons and has had a winning record each season.

Peter Howell (NCAA Div. III)

• 11th year as the men's and women's coach at Oglethorpe (Division 3)
• He has over 40 years of playing and coaching experience -- Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame
• His men's program has been ranked regionally 5 of the past 7 seasons
• His women's program has shown improvement in conference standings each of the last few years

Clay Hightower (NCAA Div. III, host coach)

• 25th season as the head coach here at Berry College (Division 3)
• His women's program reached the 2nd round of the NCAA D3 Nationals last year
• His men's program improved their W-L record
• Berry used to be affiliated with NAIA and Coach Hightower was honored as the NAIA women's coach of the year
• 25 of his past players received NAIA All-American honors

The coaches addressed several topics of interest to high school players and their parents. Among them were:

• Differences between NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA
• Division III colleges tend to place emphasis on academics first
• Difference between official and unofficial visits and when these can be taken
• Registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse must be completed before any official visits can be taken
• The NCAA is increasing the high school GPA to 2.3 for a player to be eligible
• When a player can make contact with a college coach
• Suggestion to visit as many college campuses as possible during the coming years so a player can decide if he/she wants a campus in an urban, suburban, or rural setting. Also choose the right size of the college - large, medium, or small.
• What a coach looks for in a player they would recruit
• How much emphasis is put on doubles' results. A DIII coach said that he taught "Doubles 101" during the fall because "Usually the only time that players went to the net before they came to college was to shake hands!"
• On a player's record the coaches take negatively of lots of walkovers and withdrawals from consolations
• Players need to decide what they want out of college in tennis - whether they want to play immediately and make an impact, or whether they would be happy sitting on the bench and working out with better players and improving their game

Then things shifted to what goes on when a player gets to college:

• What does the college and the coach do for the players once they get to campus
• Description of a typical day in college during fall season and spring season, including differences between Division I and Division III

All coaches emphasized that, in order to be happy with their final decision, players need to (1) be realistic about their college choice, and (2) search out colleges that are the right fit both academically and athletically.

Editor's note: This forum was sponsored by Tennis Recruiting, and we plan to host additional events like this one in the future. If you attended the one at Berry College, we would be very interested in your feedback on what you liked and what you found lacking. And college coaches - if you would like to participate in a future College Coaches' Forum sponsored by TennisRecruiting.net, please let Julie Wrege know by sending her an email.

About Ethos School

We are excited to have Ethos School as the title sponsor of the Recruiting 101 series of articles at TennisRecruiting.net.

Ethos School - Transforming Education for Athletes

Ethos School is an online school committed to preparing next-level athletes with next-level learning opportunities through flexible, high-quality courses in a faith-based environment. Our online platform offers over 100+ a la carte courses for 4th-12th grade students, allowing families the freedom to pick and choose what course(s) they would like their child to take through either a fully homeschool or hybrid model. To date, Ethos boasts an AP pass rate of over 80%, with student-athletes going to universities such as the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Dartmouth, Auburn University, and more.

One of the unique aspects of Ethos School is our commitment to providing a holistic educational experience. Our students participate in a live 1-hour video session with their teacher and peers each week. These sessions offer enriching activities, opportunities to ask questions, discuss coursework, and present projects.

We are thrilled to extend an exclusive offer to TRN recruits like you. If you decide to enroll your child at Ethos School, we will waive the $95 enrollment fee. Additionally, we will provide a complimentary Academic Counseling session with one of Ethos' Academic Deans to plan out your child's educational journey to ensure they are on the right path for college and beyond.

To learn more about Ethos School, please visit EthosSchool.org - or connect with them on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, If you have any questions or would like to discuss how Ethos can meet your child's educational needs, please schedule a call here.

Leave a Comment