THE RECRUITING GUIDE TO

U.S. COLLEGE TENNIS

Your Journey to an Athletic Scholarship
Provided by Smarthlete
#7 Life After College
#6 Signing

#5 Recruiting Process
#4 Academics

#2 US College Tennis
#3 Athletics

#1 Introduction
#1

Pepperdine University – Malibu, CA (NCAA D-I)

Introduction

Find useful information on college

tennis for athletes, parents & junior
coaches

[p.01]
 #1 Getting Recruited Is Hard
Work - Let’s Get To It
Introduction FUTURE STUDENT their final year of high school.
ATHLETES PARENTS
Chances are you are one of the
Welcome to you as well. As this is a
thousands of teenagers who have
major decision in the lives of young
looked into playing college tennis at athletes, parents are always involved
least once during their tennis career. in the recruiting process. If your son
If so, you might be from the USA and or daughter happens to be looking
you already know a great deal about into college tennis, the information
college sports. Or you are from
in this guide is as much for you as it
another country – just like ~19% of
is for athletes.
all male and ~27% of all female
tennis players who play collegiate HIGH SCHOOL/JUNIOR
tennis (in 2007). Either way, this shall
be a useful guideline on your way to COACHES
college. If you are active in the development
During the recruiting process, you of young tennis players in their
might come across the term junior careers (under 18 years), you
“Prospective student athlete” – really do play a major role in the
which is the name used for players in choices your players make.

✔Talk
  about
playing
college
tennis with
your family
and coaches
Georgia Tech in Doubles Action

[p.02]

 #1 That role comes with huge

responsibility as it entails that you
prepare and guide your kids in the
right direction: Once they graduate
from high school…
This guide will inform you about:
• #2 US College Tennis
• #3 Athletics
• #4 Academics
Introduction • Will they continue playing tennis? • #5 Recruiting Process
• Will they apply for college or enter • #6 Signing
the job market?
• #7 Life After College
• What if one of your players has a
realistic shot of going pro?
• When is the right time to do so
and could a college tennis season
or two help the player develop
further?
This college tennis guide shall help
coaches like you understand what
implications this “career path”
involves and what amazing
opportunities it has to offer.

7-STEP GUIDE TO COLLEGE

TENNIS
This Guide will provide you with all
the necessary information and –
equally important – inspiration for
you to feel college tennis is what you
would love to do.

#6 Signing
#7 Life After College

#5 Recruiting Process
#4 Academics

#2 US College Tennis
#3 Athletics

7-Step Guide to College Tennis

[p.03]

#2

Home Crowd at Stanford University – Stanford, CA (NCAA D-I)

US College Tennis

Understand how the college sports/

college tennis system actually works

[p.04]
 #2 There Is Plenty of Scholarship
Money Out There – Go Get It
US College
Tennis

Fort Lewis College – Durango, CO

UNIVERSITIES/COLLEGES attending college is not free – it’s in

fact a very large investment for
There are more than 10,500 families.
universities in the United States, of
✔1,700
  which more than 1,700 currently FINANCIAL AID
schools sponsor tennis programs. Once you Colleges grant a variety of financial
surf the web searching for a college aid to applicants:
currently that suits you, you come across • Need-based (family’s financial
sponsor public and private universities; the background)
latter charging higher tuition fees.
college • Merit-based (academic/athletic)
PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE

tennis UNIVERSITY

With costs of studying high, it’s great

news for athletes that a good level of
The higher education system is tennis can get them a scholarship.
✔You
  may divided into public and private
colleges. Public universities are COLLEGE SPORTS
qualify for financed by the government. Private Depending on the size of the
academic institutions are funded by the tuition institution, sports facilities are
and/or fees of its students. A general rule of usually provided for and are an
thumb, public schools offer a larger integral part of the university
athletic selection of degrees at lower costs campus.
scholarships than private schools.
Different from other countries,

[p.05]

 #2 While this may ser ve purely

recreational purposes for an
institution's student body and staff,
any university has the possibility to
hockey, baseball, soccer, volleyball,
basketball, and many other.
This variety of college teams and
different athletes really makes
US College organize sports activities more
formally by setting up different
student life on campus a special
experience.
Tennis sports programs for its student body.
By doing so, an institution has the COLLEGE TENNIS
option to join any of the existing
SCHOLARSHIPS
sports-governing associations, which
organize, regulate, and sanction There are two different forms of
intercollegiate sports competition. scholarships for headcount sports
These associations are the NCAA, and equivalency sports:
NAIA, and NJCAA. You can find more • Headcount sports foresee the
information on their difference in provision of full-ride scholarships
section #3 Athletics. With a school per athlete.
participating in intercollegiate • Equivalency sports allow the
competition, its athletic department coach to divide the available
is responsible for the bureaucratic scholarship money among the
requirements a membership in one team members.
of the above-mentioned associations The value of one full-ride scholarship
entails. is equivalent to 100% of all costs
Depending on the size of the school, which occur during a regular year,
it runs several sports programs comprising tuition, housing, meal
besides tennis, such as football, plan, fees, and course-related
material.

✔The
  3 main
sanctioning
bodies are
the NCAA,
NAIA &
NJCAA

University of Florida/Saint Anselm College

[p.06]

 #2
NUMBER OF ATHLETIC
SCHOLARSHIPS - TENNIS
coaches to prepare their team on
and off-the court. Friendly
tournaments (“Invitationals”) enable
players to adapt to the new
US College
environment, such as surface, level
of play, or climate while at the same
Tennis
Division M W time giving the coach insights into
where the individuals could be
NCAA D-I 4.5E 8H placed in the line-up. Important
NCAA D-II 4.5E 6E questions to be answered are…
• How is the development of the
NCAA D-III - -
players during the fall?
NAIA 5E 5E
• Do the players work hard in
NJCAA 9H 9H practice sessions?
• How strong are the players in
singles?
E…Equivalency sport
• How strong are the players in
H…Headcount sport
doubles?
• Which players team up best in
doubles?
• Against what type of opponent
can the players excel?
The athletics department is subject • How do the players deal with
to limitations concerning the stress and pressure?
maximum amount of granted
SPRING SEASON
s c h o l a r s h i p s . Te n n i s i s a n
equivalency sport in all divisions, The spring season is then all about
except in NCAA D-I women’s tennis competing against other tennis
and NJCAA, where tennis counts as programs within the same
✔Depending
  headcount sports. conference. A typical “dual-match”
on the Scholarship agreements are for one
looks something like the graphic on
the next page: 3 doubles are
division, academic year and may be renewed
followed by 6 singles. The team
or cancelled by the coach at the end
tennis is a of the year. Typically, students
winning 4 points first, takes home
the victory.
headcount maintain their scholarships for the
time of the entire bachelor’s degree, The better a team does - especially
or unless they decide to transfer school. so against stronger teams - the more
equivalency However, the athletics department it may improve in the rankings. When
has to notify you in writing about we say rankings, we need to explain
sport your financial aids agreement for the the way college tennis is set up in a
next season. bit more detail.
✔Women
 
COLLEGE TENNIS UNIVERSE
have a
College Tennis is a spring sport. In
higher other words, the main season is set
likelihood of to happen in the first six months of
the year.
receiving a
FALL SEASON
full-ride
The off-season in the fall is used by
(100%)
scholarship
[p.07]

 #2 CONFERENCES & DIVISIONS

Divisions are all the organizations we
have covered above: The NCAA D-I,
NCAA D-II, NCAA D-III, NAIA, and the
the season to crown the national
champion.
MAJOR TOURNAMENTS
As in all sports, there are a few major
US College NJCAA. Within each of these
d i v i s i o n s , t h e r e a r e s e v e ra l
events, which are among the most
Tennis conferences, such as the Southland
prestigious tournaments to win for
the college elite; both on the
Conference in D-I or Golden State
individual and the team level:
Athletic Conference in NAIA.
Now in each of these conferences, a FALL
number of teams play against each • All American Championships
other to determine their champion. • National Indoor Championships
As a result, you have a team ranking
• Follow our SPRING
within each of the various
blog where conferences, as well as a ranking for • N a t i o n a l Te a m I n d o o r
we cover the division as a whole. Championships
main events
The result of this set-up is that there • National Team Championships
in college are a lot of winning programs. Once • Singles & Doubles Championships
tennis: you start talking to coaches of
http://bit.ly/ different parts of the country, they
22a0faJ will attempt to sell their tennis
program to you and part of that is
obviously how successful the team
has been in the past.
The best teams meet at the end of

✔Dual
 
matches see
a total of 9
matches: 3
doubles
followed by
6 singles
Structure of a Dual-Match

[p.08]

#3

Former ITA-#1 Sebastian Stiefelmeyer – University of Louisville ‘15

Athletics

Get an understanding of the college

divisions & where your future might be…

[p.09]
 #3 5 College Divisions – Which
One Will Be Yours?
Athletics COLLEGE DIVISIONS conference can have completely
different levels. We will explain a bit
Now here’s where the fun part starts later why that is, but for now the
– the various college divisions. graphic below should help get a
How strong is the level of play? And rough idea of how to look at the 5
what should you expect from a NCAA divisions:
school compared to a NAIA school? It
depends.
Teams in the same division and even

✔The
 
strongest Strength of College Divisions

division is
NCAA D-I
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE Isner and you understand that D-I
tennis has brought forward really
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION -
✔Not
  all NCAA
excellent players. But there’s a lot
more to it with plenty other tennis
divisions programs, which are by far not as
NCAA D-I
offer athletic Division I in the NCAA is by far the
strong and even comparable to
Division II (D-II) tennis.
scholarships strongest college league. Here’s the
NCAA D-I schools are generally the
place for all the top players in junior largest schools and, very often,
tennis, who want to play college major public state universities.
tennis. Think James Blake or John Sports teams are a huge part of the
universities' college life.

[p.10]

 #3 Ivy-Tennis
plenty of athletic scholarships
available and chances may even be
higher, as many of the top kids tend
to focus on D-I schools only.
NCAA D-II schools very often have an
Athletics
outstanding academic reputation. As
Brown, Columbia,
they are smaller in the number of
students, studying at such a college
Cornell, Darthmouth,
can mean a more personal
Harvard, Penn,
experience; a fact which many
students value highly.
Princeton, Yale.

NCAA D-III
8 of the most renowned NCAA D-III schools are often the most
universities all run tennis academically renowned ones.
programs, but do not award However, there is one major
tennis scholarships drawback: there are no athletic
scholarships available. As a result, it
is a rather unusual choice for
Internationals, as it is slightly more
complex to receive funding. BUT,
academic scholarships and other
financial aid are available.
It's these teams people cheer for and
even watch on TV. If you consider yourself an average
athlete, but an outstanding student
Upcoming professionals in sports
with high aspirations, you should
such as basketball, football, or ice
definitely see what D-III coaches and
hockey very often come from D-I
universities have to offer…
colleges. Ivy League schools, such as
Harvard, Princeton, or Yale also
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
compete within this division, but
differ from other D-I schools in one INTERCOLLEGIATE
significant aspect: they don’t award ATHLETICS - NAIA
any athletic scholarships.
The NAIA as division is comparable to
✔NCAA: While many future student athletes the NCAA D-II in the level of tennis.
aim for D-I schools only, you should There are extremely strong NAIA
www.ncaa. not limit yourself to these only. There teams, which can easily compete
org are plenty of excellent schools both with NCAA D-I schools. And there are
athletically and academically which other teams, which are below the
compete in D-II and provide the level of NCAA D-II schools. You see,
same - and maybe even better - quite a variety, but with good
location, atmosphere, and scholarship money available, a very
✔NAIA: experience. attractive option for to-be student
www.naia.o NCAA D-II athletes.
g NCAA D-II schools are on average a The broad range is due to the fact
level below D-I schools when it that players are not subject to the
comes to athletics. The top NCAA D-II same strict eligibility rules as with
schools could compete and win the NCAA. As a result, there are some
against NCAA D-I teams - and they stronger and slightly older players
also do so in dual matches. There are who have decided somewhat later
than others to study, and the NAIA is

[p.11]

 #3 the only remaining option for them

to play collegiate tennis and have
their studies financed.
The college experience is likely to be
university with a good reputation

NATIONAL JUNIOR
COLLEGE ATHLETIC
similar to that of NCAA D-II or NCAA ASSOCIATION - NJCAA
Athletics D-III schools, as schools are smaller
in size and student enrolment, but The NJCAA differs somewhat from
spread all over the country. A great the other divisions. A junior college is
option for you if you : a two-year institution, which you
complete with an Associate degree.
• Are not the strongest in your
sport, but still play at a very good After that, students move on to
level another college, which could then be
any four-year institution, like a NCAA
• Wouldn’t be able to compete in
or NAIA school. It is important to
the NCAA
• Are on the lookout for a smaller

✔NJCAA: Bowdoin College – Brunswick, ME (NCAA D-III)

www.njcaa.
org
know that you are able to transfer not yet picking up from larger
your grades from the first two years schools' coaches; it will be easier for
✔NJCAA
  offers at college, leaving you with another you to find a team after two years, as
two years before graduating with a coaches can have a look at your
two-year bachelor's degree. results on a college level.
degrees It is certainly not the most usual way You might not have heard so much
of getting a foot into the college about people getting recruited into
sports system, for foreigners in NJCAA schools, but there is much
particular, but definitely one to interest out there from coaches, so
consider for various reasons. For make sure to keep your eyes open
instance, if you feel like interest is and be open-minded about this
option as well.

[p.12]

 #3 HOW DO YOU FIND THE

RIGHT TEAM?
Do you like the college you picked in

the end? This is a key question and

There are essentially 3 options:

1) Go through the roster (line-up) of
the teams and read about the six
starting players. How have they done
in their junior careers? Have they
Athletics it’s typically the result of 3 different

factors:

played nationally only or

internationally as well? How
1) Do you like the school, generally successful were they? Chances are
speaking? you find some useful information,
2) Are you happy with your degree which will enable you to compare
choice and the academic level? yourself against them. Thanks to
Youtube and passionate college
3) Do you get the athletic challenge
tennis followers, you also find a vast
• Get your UTR you had wished for and do you
number of video material online to
and add it to receive enough playing time?
get an idea of the level of play.
your As we’re still in section #3 Athletics,

2) Sign up on Universal Tennis Rating

Smarthlete let’s take a look at the following

(UTR) for free.

recruiting questions and issues:

The team behind UTR has created a

profile: How can you ensure to get a good system, which helps tremendously.
http://bit.ly/ match athletically? The Rating calculates a player’s
1o2Aj1S number on a scale from 1.00 to
Why do people end up unhappy?
16.50.Look at it like the golf
HOW TO GET A GOOD MATCH handicap, which enables you to
compare your game to that of pros:
On page 10 we mention that teams
can be of very different quality. Roger Federer for example has a UTR
of 16.22.
But how can you find out about this
if you’ve never before seen a college
tennis match?

✔The UTR is
an extremely
helpful tool
for getting in
contact with
the right
coaches

✔Universal
Tennis
Rating:
San Diego Christian College - San Diego, CA (NAIA)
http://bit.ly/
1nDURgF

[p.13]

 #3 Former college player and ATP #11

John Isner a UTR of 15.80 (ATP, UTR -
March 12, 2016).
3) Ask us J
There are two major reasons for
freshmen to realize that they might
have made the wrong choice by
signing with the particular college
team.
If you face any difficulties – drop us
Athletics an e-mail – we’re happy to help! Find Because as college athlete, you want
our e-mail to the left to do one thing: compete.
What is your UTR? If the coach decides you don’t make
the line-up and has 6 other athletes
Once you got your Rating, you have
play instead – you have a problem.
the option of also looking up all the
college teams. You can find out the Coaches want their strongest team
UTR of each of the team members to compete. So, do your homework
and get a really good idea if you well by talking to the coach and
• Just drop us a researching the team to understand
would have a realistic chance of
if you have a realistic chance of
line – we’re getting playing time or not.
playing.
happy to help! Let’s assume you are a girl and you
contact@sm really want to play at Ohio State. Because you don’t get along with the
arthlete.com Let’s say you have a UTR of 10.5. With coach.
t h a t Ra t i n g y o u w o u l d p l a y Get to know the coach. Do you like
somewhere at the bottom of the him/her? Do you get along well? How
line-up, considering the current #5 is the communication? Do you trust
player has a UTR of 10.7. the coach? Follow your instincts and
talk to family and friends about it.
WHY DO PEOPLE END UP

UNHAPPY

✔Make
  sure
the coach &
you have
similar
expectations

Universal Tennis Rating Applied

[p.14]

#4

Saint Louis University – Saint Louis, MO (NCAA D-I)

Academics

Read which academic tests it takes to

become a college tennis player

[p.15]
 #4
You Will Need Your High

School GPA & SAT or ACT

Academics
It’s been all about sports so far, make the final call on your eligibility
hasn’t it? And many young future to play college tennis!
student athletes often like to keep it
that way J GRADE POINT AVERAGE –
But you will be a full-time student at GPA
a university soon after all, and
The GPA is the result of your
chances are you will get in touch
p e r fo r m a n ce i n h i g h s c h o o l .
with academia sooner or later.
Depending on the country where you
But while few focus heavily on tennis went to school, your GPA can be for
only, there is the very large majority each class individually and your
of people who put a great deal of graduating degree.
concentration on their studies and
During the process of identifying
how they perform at college.
your eligibility, the NCAA and NAIA
calculate the GPA of the final 4 years
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
of high school.
But let’s take a step back for a In other words: Don’t be lazy for 3
second. This guide is about the years and go “all-in” in the last year –
recruiting of athletes into college you can’t cheat your way around the
teams. GPA, as all 4 years count equally.
So let’s not get ahead of ourselves Some students care a great deal
and speak of studying in your about their GPA and will know their
freshman year yet. There’s actually exact record on the spot, while
quite some academic requirements others know it approximately or not
you need to fulfill in order to be at all. However, applying for college
recruited by a coach. requires you find out about how you
For starters, you need to be able to are/were doing.
✔Work hard in show that you have graduated from Coaches will ask you for your GPA as
an accredited high school in your
high school – home country.
part of their checklist of facts they
want to find out about you.
your GPA Let’s walk through the other must-
WHY GPA MATTERS TO COACHES
matters! haves step by step:
Coaches recruit you to compete for
A very important fact first. Most of
you will know that you need to be their team. In order to do so, you
✔Foreign need to be eligible (=permitted to
formally accepted by the college’s
co m p ete by t h e N C A A ) b o t h
Credits – GPA admissions office. But many are not
aware of the fact that both the NCAA athletically and academically. If
Calculator: and the NAIA require that recruits you're a weaker student, there's a
certain amount of risk attached,
http:// meet certain minimum
coaches need to take into
requirements.
bit.ly While you might not care so much
consideration.
/1R1vPR9 about your grades In high school and If you don't know your GPA yet, don't
whether you are admitted to a good worry about it too much; the NCAA
college, NCAA and NAIA do care & will calculate the core-course GPA for

[p.16]

 #4 you once you have submitted all of

the relevant transcripts.

SCHOLASTIC TESTS
communication skills.
Good thing you need SAT or ACT
anyway to register with the NCAA
(and potentially also the NAIA). As
long as your scores are missing you
Prior to your acceptance to a college,
Academics you will have to show proof that you will not receive the green light to
play college tennis. You may use
meet the academic criteria and the
necessary skills as an applicant. them for the NAIA to show proof of
your academic eligibility, but it is not
You may show proof of your a key requirement as is for the NCAA.
academic skills by passing any of
Besides the obvious level of difficulty
two different tests - the "SAT" or the
"ACT". If English is not your mother of the test questions, both SAT and
tongue, most universities will require ACT can be quite a challenge if you
you to take the "TOEFL" test as well, are an International, depending on
your level of English.
in order to evaluate your level of

✔Take the SAT

and/or ACT
Which Test Scores Do You Need?
✔Internat­
ionals: Take
SAT points as possible.
the TOEFL The New SAT test (since March 2016) There are a total of 7 SAT test dates
is divided into two sections: available throughout the year with a
“summer break”, so make sure you
✔SAT: • Reading/Writing
plan ahead.
http://bit.ly/ • Mathematics
With 200-800 available points in each
1qz8jfy section, the test measures your
ability in both of them. You can't fail
the test, but instead you attempt to
get as many of the maximum 1,600

[p.17]

 #4 ACT

The ACT is currently the #1 college

admissions test in the US. Its
structure is slightly different from the
test multiple times. There are 6
available test dates each year.
TOEFL
The TOEFL is particularly relevant to
SAT with four sections on:
international students, seeking to
Academics • English receive an athletic scholarship. While
• Mathematics some of the test elements are similar
• Reading to what's being tested on SAT and
ACT, the TOEFL is somewhat easier
• Science
and contains these 4 sections:
The final composite score (0-36
• Speaking
points) is calculated as the average
of all sections. • Listening
• Add all the It doesn't matter whether you decide • Writing
test scores to to take the ACT or SAT. Some colleges • Reading
your may have a preference for one of the The test offers a maximum of 30
Smarthlete test formats, but as you'll likely talk points in each section (total 120) and
profile to several coaches and apply to more like the other tests, you can't fail the
http://bit.ly/ schools you should go for whichever TOEFL either. It’s important to note
1o2Aj1S test you prefer. Because SAT and ACT that the TOEFL is not a requirement
scores are widely used by colleges, it to obtain NCAA or NAIA eligibility, but
is vital for you to take the test early most colleges’ admissions offices will
on in your recruitment process. And require TOEFL scores.
don't worry: it's more than common
There are significantly more
and in fact recommended to take the
international test dates available as
is the case with SAT and ACT.

✔Got a low
GPA? Invest
in getting
good results
on SAT or
ACT!

✔ACT:
www.act.or
g

✔TOEFL:
www.ets.or
g

[p.18]

 #4 YOUR COLLEGE EDUCATION

O n ce yo u s ta r t yo u r co l l ege
education you are able to focus
100% on the things you are most
educate themselves and get a
foundation for reaching their goals in
life. Some care more about their
grades than others and that’s totally
understandable. But there is one key
interested in. Sure, some classes in
Academics the first year or so might not be
dimension of college sports in the
broader sense you need to keep in
exactly what you had signed up for, mind:
but they’ll help you develop anyway.
You are required to
BACCALAUREATE DEGREE • Maintain a certain Grade Point
There’s a huge selection of different Average to remain eligible and
degrees you can pick from. compete alongside your team.
Depending on the college you will • Pass a certain number of classes
literally find ever ything from per semester/trimester
Archaeology to Zoology at the large Too bad a GPA + failing classes
schools, and a more narrow offer at
smaller school. An undergraduate =

degree takes 4 years, after which you Risking Eligibility

will graduate and are ready to move That can be tough at times,
on into working life or continuing especially so during the intense
your studies. season with lots of travels to all
REMAIN ELIGIBLE corners of the country. But the entire
team is in this together and that
Most students decide to study at alone should be motivation enough
college because they want to for all members to not let their fellow
team mates down.

✔Maintain
 
your playing
eligibility by
keeping a
solid GPA

College Student Studying

[p.19]

#5

The Recruiting Process Implies Talking to Coaches – Hopefully a Lot of Them

Recruiting Process

Make sure you have a clear plan when

to do what on your scholarship hunt

[p.20]
 #5 You Need A Clear Plan When
To Do What
Recruiting
Process GET STARTED Let’s get to it and look into the key
milestones for you to take care of.
Truth to be told, getting everything
ready for your college experience as #1 PREPARE A RECRUITING
collegiate athlete is no walk in the
PROFILE
park.
Quite the opposite, it’s actually a Roughly 16-17 months before your
massive amount of work you are expected start at college
facing. Coaches are extremely busy people.
You really want to be on top of They take a glance at the profiles of
things, as your plans can otherwise prospects and decide quickly
easily go the wrong way. Some whether they would be an option for
players handle this just fine all by their team or not.
themselves whereas others need You can put yourself in a better
help from their parents or a position by “helping them do their
recruiting service. job”:
The recruiting process is also the Later on you can either send them an
most exciting part of the whole ride e-mail with all the main information
before arriving at your new school. about yourself and a link to a
platform, where you have stored
your video.

✔Start
  around IMAGE
16-17 GRAGHIC
months QUOTE
before you
intend to
enroll at
college
Student Athlete at University of Nevada - Reno, NV (NCAA D-I)

[p.21]

 #5 Or you address them with all the

relevant information about you as a
player and student by setting up a
free recruiting profile on Smarthlete.
#4 REGISTER WITH NCAA/
NAIA ELIGIBILITY CENTER
Roughly 13 months before your
Recruiting That way coaches click on your
profile and can learn about your
expected start at college
In order to be able to compete at
Process grades, tournament results, and college all future student athletes at
rankings in an instant. And best of NCAA D-I, D-II, and NAIA schools need
all, your recruiting video can also be to undergo a screening process
uploaded easily! (academic and athletic) by either of
You can start your profile early on in the two main organizations, NCAA
the process and fill it with life as you and NAIA.
move ahead. The evaluation procedure requires
that you:
• Create your #2 SIGN UP FOR SAT/ACT • Provide answers to all questions
free profile Roughly 16-17 months before your regarding your academic and
now: expected start at college athletic past
http://bit.ly/ Here’s where the SAT or ACT comes • Have your grade transcripts
1o2Aj1S into play. Flip back to page 17/18 to translated and certified if they are
get more information on the issued in another language than
difference of the examinations. English
Why 17 months ahead of time you • Send certified copies of all
might ask? Well, for one part there’s documents in original language
a summer break and no tests are (and translated, if applicable) by
available. That means if you don’t mail to the NCAA or NAIA
take one of the tests on the May or
June date, you’d have to plan for the • Order your SAT or ACT test result
September test – with the processing copies to be sent (9999 - NCAA
of the scores taking some weeks, you Code, 9876 - NAIA Code)
are really getting close to the first • Pay the registration fee
early signing period in November. It’s
good for coaches to see you’re ahead Here is why we recommend you start
this process early on: It can take
of things and academics won’t be
quite some time for the two
the deal breaker. organizations to determine your
eligibility; especially so if there are
#3 SIGN UP FOR TOEFL complications or missing
(INTERNATIONALS ONLY) documents. Starting well ahead of
✔Plan
  ahead Roughly 11-14 months before your time, you cover yourself against
when you expected start at college potential delays. Maybe you’re
wondering if you should register with
take the SAT/ There are significantly more test
NCAA or NAIA. Paying the fees and
dates available throughout the year.
ACT As TOEFL scores do not play any role
sending documents and scores is
quite a lot of money and work after
in the NCAA’s and NAIA’s assessment
all.
of your eligibility, you are not as
pushed to take the test as early on as This question is hard to answer on a
the SAT or ACT. universal basis, but it depends on
your contact with coaches. Are you
clearly going for a NCAA D-I school?

[p.22]

 #5 Then there is no need to register with

the NAIA. Are you unsure whether
you’re strong enough for a D-I
school, but you’re confident D-II or
expected start at college
You could say that you’ve been
working all your tennis life for this
period of time to come: talking to
Recruiting NAIA could work out?
Then you can either go ahead and
coaches, getting to know them
better, and finding out where you
Process get started with both of them or you want to spend the next 4 years
wait first how the talks with coaches studying and competing for a tennis
from NCAA or NAIA programs are squad.
proceeding before getting started.
GET THE COACHES’ ATTENTION
Most of the times, coaches are very
That’s the part of the recruiting
helpful in this matter and assist you.
process that really depends on your
• Upload your At some point interested coaches level of play and you as a person.
will also ask you for your NCAA ID
video straight Top Juniors
number or your NAIA ID# - your
to your unique identification number, which The top juniors in the US and
Smarthlete coaches can use to look up your internationally will be contacted by
profile: eligibility status. the coaching staff of the best tennis
http://bit.ly/ programs in the country. These
1o2Aj1S #5 RECRUITING VIDEO players have a wide selection of
• Video attractive offers to choose from – if
Roughly 12 months before your
Guideline: expected start at college they want to play collegiate tennis at
http://bit.ly/ all. It is a tiny group of players
Unless you are among the very small
24WgP0c however who enjoy this convenient
group of players who are either Top situation. The remaining large
10 in the country or internationally portion of interested teenagers
and thus reached out to by coaches needs to invest in attracting coaches’
directly, you need a video. And you
attention:
need a good one.
Be Active
Coaches have seen players come and
go and paired with their vast Be active? What is that even
experience on the court, they can get supposed to mean?
a real quick feel of players’ potential It resembles the fact that coaches
  proactive
✔Be by just watching them play for a few like to see initiative. They appreciate
minutes. to be contacted directly by young
about athletes.
Based on our experience a recruiting
contacting video should include: It says something about their
coaches • Brief presentation who you are
mindset and attitude. It shows that
you are independent and able to get
• Strokes displayed from different things done on your own.
✔There
  is no camera positions To be active typically translates into
Eligibility • Games against a comparable writing a message to college
player coaches. You can get this project
Center for started in two ways by:
• Keep it short – ~10 minutes
NCAA D-III & • Looking up various college teams
• Use a proper, stable camera – no
NJCAA cell phones!
and writing the coaches an email,
including important key facts
programs about you as a player and
#6 CONTACT COACHES student.
Roughly 11 months before your

[p.23]

 #5
Recruiting
Process

Getting Recruited is Hard Work

• Or you open up a free recruiting little bit of homework done upfront.

profile on Smarthlete. Having On the one hand coaches will have
done so, go ahead and reach out questions, such as below:
to coaches directly on Smarthlete
• Describe yourself as a player.
or send them the link to your
What are your strengths, what are
public profile!
your weaknesses?
Get Help • What is your personality on the
Another decision young athletes and court?
their families’ take is to get
assistance from a recruiting service. • What are things you like to do in
your off-time?
Typically, the player gets guidance
and help in all things related to the • What are your goals for your
recruiting process. From aggregating game?
relevant information on the player, • What are your goals
registering with the NCAA/NAIA to academically? What would you
making the final choice which like to work with later in life?
college to commit for.
• Have you competed in any other
We believe that with the right tools sports apart from tennis?
and knowledge every prospect can
achieve finding a scholarship on his/ • Have you been away from your
her own, but in case athletes need family for a longer time before?
assistance we are happy to function • What do you like about our
as a full recruiting service as well. college and the tennis program?
E-MAILS & PHONE CALLS On the other hand, you should take
Getting the coaches interested in you the opportunity and have questions
and being in touch is exciting, but ready. This shows you are interested
you have got to make sure to get a and passionate about this
opportunity:

[p.24]

 #5
• How does a typical practice day
look like?
• Could you describe your coaching
style?
• signed an agreement to be
represented by an agent
• delayed initial full-time collegiate
enrolment to participate in
Recruiting
• What do you value the most in
organized sports competition
Since the above are considered
Process
your players?
indicators of competing in
• Where do you see the team going professional sports, those elements
over the next 4 years? determine whether a tennis player
• Where in the line-up do you see will gain amateur status or not.
me compete? In the first season The above is applied for D-I and D-II
and in later seasons? eligibility. D-III doesn’t require that
• How do you plan your team’s fall- athletes are cleared by the NCAA.
season? The NAIA applies similar, though not
as strict rules. Click on the link to the
There are of course plenty of more left to find out more about NCAA and
questions to ask and likely to be
NAIA.
asked, but the above ones shall give
you a good starting point. Talking Academic Eligibility
back and forth with various coaches In addition to athletic eligibility,
is a process that takes time und you students also need to be cleared
should take your time until you’re academically. Since this is already
entirely certain which offer is the determined by the university which
most attractive for you. accepts the student you might be
wondering why the NCAA also
THINGS TO REMEMBER double checks this.
ELIGIBILITY The reason is that the NCAA wants to
make sure the academic standards
✔NCAA D-I, Because of the huge importance of
are maintained across college sports,
getting things right with the
D-II & NAIA Eligibility Centers, we will highlight
and thus also college tennis.
require what it is the two institutions are By checking students' academic
abilities, the NCAA ensures and
academic & looking at. The NCAA Division I
enables a level playing field for all
imposes the strictest rules, which
athletic will therefore be the focus in the universities. A more detailed
description of the tests that need to
eligibility following section:
be taken to be academically eligible
Athletic Eligibility and get accepted to college can
✔NCAA Since student athletes are not be found in the previous section
allowed to receive salaries they need ”#4 Academics”.
Eligibility: to be classified as amateurs. In order
You will need to show proof of
http:// to obtain amateur status, the NCAA
fulfilling the academic
assesses students' prior athletic
on.ncaa.co activities. requirements in a number of
m/21nkkZ4 ways:
The NCAA will specifically check
whether the players: NCAA D-I
• received prize money, exceeding • Core-course GPA of at least 2.3 on
✔NAIA their expenses a 4.0 scale
Eligibility: • SAT score of at least 400 (Reading
• received benefits from agents or
http:// prospective agents
& Math combined)

bit.ly/1Su0
3Re
[p.25]

 #5 OR

• ACT score of at least 37 (sub

scores English, Math, Reading,
Writing combined)
Either way, it is a fantastic
opportunity to get to know the
school, campus, the facilities, and
dorms – you will probably make a
Recruiting Note that the requirements for NCAA
decision for the next 4 years of your
life after all…
Division II differ and are stricter until
Process 2018. FINANCIAL SITUATION
If you have a low GPA you must do W h a t ’s y o u r a n n u a l b u d get?
proportionately better on SAT or ACT. Remember we spoke about financial
If you have a high GPA, you can aid in section #2 US College Tennis?
afford to do worse on the test(s). That’s a really important topic and
NAIA most athletes will receive this
• Minimum overall GPA of at least question at some point.
2.0 on a 4.0 scale Yes, there are many full-ride
scholarships for girls available. But in
• SAT score of at least 860 (Reading
& Math combined) lower college divisions and for men
in general, a 100% scholarship
OR
package is a very rare thing.
• ACT score of at least 18 If you haven’t yet spoken with your
(composite score) parents, talk to them and find out if
• Class Rank in Top 50% they would be willing to help you
To be eligible for NAIA competition, finance your college education. If so
you need to fulfill 2 out of the 3 what is the maximum budget you
criteria above. Hence, you don’t could afford for a full year?
necessarily need to take any test, but Once coaches drop the question you
it is extremely likely admissions are prepared and the coaches know
offices at colleges require you do.  what it would take to get you to their
UNOFFICIAL/OFFICIAL VISITS school.
Coaches have to follow a number of
rules according to the NCAA and SLIDING SCALE
NAIA. As a prospective student
athlete, you are not required to know
Core GPA SAT ACT
them all, but the one about visiting
colleges is worth to be aware of: NCAA D-I
One of the best things you can do is 3.525 410 38
✔Sliding
  go and visit the school(s), you are 3.500 420 39
scales tell considering to commit to. While 3.475 430 40
that’s not an easy thing to do for
you how well Internationals, athletes from the US
...
NCAA D-II (after August 1, 2018)
you need to should certainly consider this
3.300 400 37
do on the opportunity.
3.275 410 38
Coaches can either invite you and
tests cover parts of your travel-related
...
costs. That would be defined as an
official visit.
Or you can visit the school on an
unofficial visit – paid for yourself and Sliding Scale
on your own initiative.

[p.26]

#6

Your Signature on a “NLI” – You Are All Set

Signing
Check whether you know the most
important facts about signing a
financial aid agreement

[p.27]
 #6 The End Goal: Signing With A
Team
Signing Signing with a team stands for The NLI is a voluntary program and
committing to attend the signing comprises ~650 NCAA D-I and D-II
institution for one academic year. schools. D-III, NAIA, and junior
Signing officially ends the recruiting colleges are not part of the NLI. As it
process as coaches are subject to the is a voluntary program, it could be
“recruiting ban”; they are not that a NCAA school you may commit
allowed to recruit you any longer. to is not part of it. At the same time it
means that you are not obliged to
Now there are several ways how the
sign a NLI.
act of signing could look like. Let’s
bring some light into the dark, but The National Letter of Intent is a
bear in mind that you will be very binding written agreement, issued
close to the coach by the time you by the member school and
are about to sign – the coach will accompanied by the financial aid
help you with all your questions agreement, which contains your
centering around the signing athletic scholarship details.
procedure. ADVANTAGES OF NLI
NATIONAL LETTER OF You will realize that it’s tough
competition out there. Many kids
INTENT - NLI looking for a scholarship and many

✔You
  don’t
have to sign
a NLI, but it’s
recommen­
ded

One of Many Tweets Announcing Successful

Signing of a Tennis Recruit

[p.28]

 #6
coaches trying to add the best
available players to their teams.
Signing a NLI often happens good
time ahead of starting enrollment at
NJCAA

Different from the NAIA, the NJCAA

uses a Letter of Intent (LOI) scheme as
well. Signing of a LOI is possible as
the college. As a result, you and the early as having completed the junior
Signing
coach get security and predictability
for the upcoming season.
year in high school. Signing officially
ends the recruiting process, as is the
case for D-I and D-II recruits.
You know that you will get X amount
of scholarship money and you start Different from the NCAA, the
studying at college X in the fall of scholarship agreement must take the
201X. The coach in return knows that form of the NJCAA LOI.
the team will be joined by you and X
amount of athletic scholarship
FROM SIGNING TO
money has been awarded to you. ENROLMENT
Plus, the coach successfully takes
APPLICATION WITH COLLEGE
you off the market, preventing
potentially better offers from other As a prospective student athlete you
tennis programs to get you hooked. will also have to go through the
regular admissions process with the
SIGNING PERIODS college of your choice. Upon signing,
There are specific signing periods there might still be a couple of tasks
assigned to when you are allowed to that need to be completed, such as
receive the NLI from the athletics sending missing test scores.
department of the Issuing institution ELIGIBILITY
and when you are allowed to sign it
consequentially. As signing happens in the senior year
of high school, you have not been
The signing periods typically are: able to submit your final grade
• 1 week in the fall semester – the transcripts to NCAA or NAIA. Once
“early signing period” these have been issued it’s your job
• From April to the beginning of to have them sent to the Eligibility
August Center. The same accounts for any
other documents that might be
COMMITTING WITHOUT NLI missing.

✔Early NAIA INTERNATIONALS: VISA

If you happen to be an international
signing The NAIA does not foresee a similar
student, studying in the US requires
formal Letter of Intent scheme
period is in for future student athletes. you obtain a student visa (F-1) for
November Instead, you and the college you the United States. In order to apply
are about to commit to are more for a visa you will receive a
flexible how to go about: document (I-20) from the college you
✔NLI: have been admitted to, stating the
• Sign whenever you are ready to –
exact starting date and when you are
http:// even before senior year in high
expected to graduate. Once you have
school
bit.ly/ • The school is free to set up its own
obtained the I-20 form, you can take
the next steps with the American
1fuN23v financial aid agreements, athletic embassy or consulate in your home
letters of intent, or offers of country.
financial aid.

[p.29]

#7

The Bryan Brothers: Two of The Most Famous Former College Players

Life After College

Get inspired for your future

after college sports – studies,
work, or pro tennis…?

[p.30]
#7 Studying, Working or Even
Turning Pro…?
Life After
College With an undergraduate degree in
your pocket, the world is your oyster.
having your graduate degree
financed that way. As assistant
Your options are wonderfully diverse coach, you work and travel with the
and there’s strong reason to believe team and support the head coach in
you’re well-equipped to meet the his/her daily work as well as the
challenges and tasks ahead of you. scouting of future team members.
Upon graduation, people embark on
very different journeys. Let’s look at DIVE INTO WORK LIFE
your options.
The other very logical step is for
people to get out into the real world
GRADUATE STUDIES
and get a job.
A common future for many Might be there are loans to be paid
graduates is to top up their back or simply the temptation to try
education with another degree, apply your acquired skill set in the
which is especially common among real work environment.
Internationals.
One thing is certain: Former college
An excellent option for interested athletes come with characteristics
former college players is getting a many other peers are lacking: year­
position as assistant coach and long discipline and hard work in a
competitive environment.

Graduate Degree/Entry Position

[p.31]

 #7 TURNING PRO
The third journey is the least
probable, but potentially the most
glorious one: taking your game to
and who have successfully managed
the transition.
DOUBLES SPECIALISTS
Owed to the high relevance of
Life After the next level and trying to break doubles at college, the doubles
through on the ATP or WTA tour.
College The number of people doing so is
circuit sees an armada of successful
doubles pros take home big titles.
diminishingly small given how many There are the Bryan Brothers (USA)
people play college tennis. But those of course, Rajeev Ram (USA), John
who make it through are stars on the Peers (AUS), Robert Lindstedt (SWE)
tour today: or Eric Butorac (USA), who came
from a NCAA D-III (!) school by the
SINGLES
• We often write way.
about former The last years have brought forward
But whatever their background,
a number of former college players
college college tennis proves over and over
who are world-class:
players on the again that it is a great platform for
tour: John Isner (USA), Benjamin Becker players to develop their game in a
(GER), Kevin Anderson (RSA) and very professional environment for a
http://bit.ly/
Steve Johnson (USA) are the most couple of years before making the
22a0faJ famous ones as we speak. On the move.
women’s side Irina Falconi and
Noah Rubin (USA), who’s played one
Nicole Gibbs (both USA) are currently
season (‘14-’15) at Wake Forest
ambassadors of college tennis. There
University is the newest former
are many more players who keep
college player who has managed to
moving in and out of the Top 100,
make an impact on the tour.

✔Excellent
insights into
college
tennis & pro
tennis by Eric
Butorac:
http://bit.ly/
1QSCxZy
John Isner (University of Georgia ‘07)

[p.32]

Provided by

SMARTHLETE
The Tennis College Recruiting Platform –
Connecting College Coaches & Student Athletes

https://www.smarthlete.com
[email protected]

Dominic Tinodi
Yannick Weihs
Image courtesy

Aggies Student Athlete #4

#1 Saint Louis University
Georgia Tech Doubles #5
#2 Coach  
Stanford Supporters Nevada Student Athlete
Fort Lewis College #7
University of Florida Basketball Signature
Saint Anselm College Bryan Brothers
#3 Graduate
Bowdoin College Working environment
John Isner
Tennis courts