My career in the Westbury, New York Public Schools spanned 35 years during which I taught history, coached basketball and baseball and served as the district’s Director of Guidance.  For a good number of those years I also served as the Co-Chairman of the Harvard Club of Long Island Schools and Scholarships Committee at a time when Harvard University did not permit its coaches to recruit off campus.  Consequently, I was very much involved in athletic recruitment for my alma mater.

Since many of my Westbury High School athletes were being recruited by the coaches from highly competitive college athletic programs, I had a unique opportunity to view the recruitment of athletes from both sides.  It led me to come up with the concept of having an “Athletic Counselor” serve in a supporting role, working with the coaches and counselors of our student athletes and assisting them in the college admissions process.

Following are the “Athletic Counselor Procedures” that we established at Westbury High School during my tenure as the district’s Director of Guidance:

(1) All recruitment correspondence is to be referred by the coaches to the guidance office.  Letters of recruitment are to be acknowledged by both the student’s coach and guidance counselor as quickly as possible.  A form letter is available for this purpose.

(2) Coaches are requested to submit a “Coach’s Report” for each senior in the sports they supervise or coach.  A standard form is used for this purpose.  The report should be a frank appraisal of the student’s intercollegiate athletic potential.

(3) When a letter of recruitment specifies that a college is interested in a specific student, the Guidance Office will send by return mail the following:
     (a)  A letter of acknowledgement
     (b) A photocopy of the “Coach’s Report”
     (c)  A preliminary high school transcript
     (d) Photocopies of pertinent newspaper articles and other documentation of athletic achievement.
All colleges receive identical information from the guidance office in order to avoid any charges of favoritism.

(4) If a letter of recruitment is non-specific, the “Coach’s Reports” forms of athletes thought to be academically qualified for the inquiring college are submitted by mail.  Preliminary transcripts are available on request.

(5) Game videotapes are available on request.

(6) In the cases of athletes who are not actively recruited, but in the opinions of the coaches have intercollegiate athletic ability, the “Athletic Counselor” initiates contact with college coaches and admissions representatives.

(7) Students with outstanding athletic ability are encouraged to pursue an academic program in order to meet the minimum requirements for college admission.  While it is possible to place non-academic students in college, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so.  It takes exceptional athletic ability to open doors to college when academic credentials are suspect.  More often than not, athletes who have performed poorly in the classroom will have to enter remedial programs in junior colleges or prep schools in order to meet NCAA regulations and college admissions requirements.

(8) All opportunities for scholarship and financial aid are investigated.  If a “letter of intent” is involved in the athlete’s choice of college, a copy of the letter is kept in the student’s file.  The same is true of any financial aid agreement between the student and the admitting college.

(9) Only authorized college representatives are permitted to speak with students on school premises.  Students are asked to report any undue pressure or other irregularities to their coaches or the guidance office.

Note: Athletes are not assigned to the “Athletic Counselor.”  The regularly assigned counselor handles all records relating to academic performance.  The role of the “Athletic Counselor” is to support the efforts of the students’ regularly assigned counselors and coaches in the college admissions process.  There is complete cooperation among the guidance counselors, coaches and teachers in helping the school’s athletes take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

Sample Letter to Varsity Coaches from the Director of Athletics and the Director of Guidance:

In order to provide increased college admissions and financial aid opportunities for our senior athletes, we are requesting the cooperation and assistance of all varsity coaches in providing the guidance department with the following information:

(1) A list of all senior squad members.
(2) Individual “Coach’s Reports” on graduating seniors with intercollegiate athletic potential.
(3) Copies of all recruiting correspondence inquiring about the athletes on your team.

A joint effort by the coaches and guidance counselors will be of great benefit to our senior athletes, their parents, coaches and the entire interscholastic athletic program.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Respectfully,
Director of Athletics
Director of Guidance

COACH’S REPORT FORM

Name of Student___________________________Sport_________________

Home Address__________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Telephone________________Email_________________________

Date of Birth_____/_____/_____   Ht_____ Wt_____

Date of Graduation_____/_____/_____

Coach’s Comments: Please include in your comments the following information:
(1) Years on squad.
(2) Best positions.
(3) Main strengths (e.g., size, quickness, poise, skills).
(4) Reasons you believe athlete can compete on an intercollegiate level. Indicate level (e.g., Division 1, Division 2, Division 3)
(5) Honors and/or awards earned by athlete (e.g., All League, All State).
(6) Any anecdotal information that you believe to be appropriate.

Sample Coach's Report Form

WESTBURY HIGH SCHOOL
WESTBURY, NY 11590

Report on:  Dennis Duval___________________________Sport: Basketball

Home Address: __________________________________________________

Telephone: ____________ Date of Birth: ____/____/____ Ht 6’2” Wt  170

Coach’s Comments:

Dennis has extraordinary intercollegiate basketball potential.  He has reasonably good size for a point guard and is a superb playmaker.  A streak shooter from the outside, Dennis averaged 21 points per game as a junior.  My flat prediction is that he will be capable of starting for any major college team in the country as a college sophomore.

Dennis can handle the ball as well as any high school player that I have ever seen.  He is completely ambidextrous and his peripheral vision makes him a deadly passer. 
He is equally adept driving right or left and has been virtually unstoppable on the high school level.  If he has one weakness, it is that he sometimes settles for the outside shot rather than penetrating to the basket.

Defensively, Dennis is a hard worker and makes very few careless mistakes.  He has very quick hands and is the team leader in steals and interceptions.  He also rebounds well on both ends of the court.  He is physically strong, quick, aggressive and an excellent court general.  A tough competitor, Dennis thrives in pressure situations.

Many observers compare Dennis to two former Westbury High School players, Rudy Waterman (formerly of Dayton U.) and Joe Depre (currently at St. Johns).  Such comparisons are difficult, but Dennis does combine many of the skills of his two predecessors.  He has the finesse and ballhandling skills of Waterman and many of the physical attributes of Depre.  He is very coachable.

Dennis is a better than average student in the college preparatory program.  He has more academic ability than is reflected on his transcript and with improved study habits and an atmosphere more conducive to studying, he will more than hold his own academically on the college level.

Ed Krinsky
Varsity Basketball Coach