Support-Role Athletes have a place in College Sports (Sponsored by NSR)

The following article is sponsored by National Scouting Report. Visit NSR’s web site at http://www.nsr-inc.com/

SUPPORT-ROLE ATHLETES HAVE A PLACE IN COLLEGE SPORTS

Remember the song “Only the Strong Survive”? It was a big hit in the late 1960s, its lyrics coinciding with a popular phrase of the time.

However, in high school athletics, that phrase isn’t so true anymore.

Much to the surprise of many parents and prospects, high school athletes don’t have to be all-stars to play college sports. Many support-role athletes have gone on to successful college careers.

There are lots of high school athletes who don't make headlines but are good enough to play at the college level. They simply need to be exposed to college coaches.

College coaches look for all types of athletes when building their teams. Yes, they want the best prospects they can find, but they also need ones to fill specific roles. Those athletes show a glimpse of promise, display versatility or impress coaches through their work ethic, personality or character.

Coaches might stumble upon those support-role athletes at a game or tournament when scouting more well-known prospects. Or they hear about them from high school scouting and college recruiting organizations.

Bryan Black, a veteran area director for National Scouting Report, has observed dozens of unheralded high school athletes who were offered college roster spots and scholarships.

“When our scouts are evaluating talent, we aren’t just scoping out the stars -- those players that coaches tend to flock around,” Black said.  “Our view is much broader. We also try to identify athletes with really good grades, some desirable skills, excellent attitudes and a keen desire to play in college.  Those are kids we can work with as productively as top-tier athletes, promote to coaches, highly recommend and place them [at colleges] where they are valued for their overall contributions, regardless of the sport.”

Not every college coach has the luxury of recruiting top-rated prospects. After all, there are only so many of them. Plus, there is a pecking order in recruiting. However, coaches in lower divisions or with substantially lower budgets don’t have to settle for less-skilled athletes.

College coaches often recruit prospects who may not have the size, speed, quickness or strength to qualify for high-profile programs. Many of those prospects have never made an all-conference team or led their own teams in any statistical categories. But they have the attitude, drive and commitment that college coaches seek.

There’s a place for them, too, in college athletics.

That’s why many college coaches today live by the lyrics of another popular song of the late 1970s: “You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be In My Show).”

Not a high school star? Not a problem. National Scouting Report, the world’s oldest and largest college recruiting organization, has received hundreds of requests from college coaches seeking 2017-19 prospects on all levels. More than 95 percent of NSR’s qualified prospects receive scholarship offers. For a FREE athletic evaluation, contact NSR Area Director Gary Silvers, former Executive Sports Editor of the Bucks County Courier Times, at (215) 480-8764 or gsilvers@nsr-inc.com.