My son is a sophomore in high school. Since a very young age, he has played football, basketball and baseball. He had a very successful basketball season this year (1st team all league) and is now into baseball where so far, things are going very well (pitcher and can play anywhere else!). He is also looking forward to football (QB) in the fall. His goal is to play a sport in college. His first love is basketball but with his size (6'5" and still growing) and athletic ability, he may also shine in football or baseball the next 2 years.
Many people in our community (including a college-level trainer that he works out with) say that he needs to drop at least one sport after his sophomore year to focus on the sport of his choice. My son loves all three sports and as of now, he doesn't want to give any of them up! He is just beginning to fill out his frame and is getting stronger and more athletic by the day. People around here have high hopes for his athletic career but until he know which sport he wants to pursue after high school, he isn't willing to quit anything. His dad and I don't want him to have to drop a sport but if it means the difference between a college scholarship or not, that is huge!
Thoughts on 1,2 or 3 sport athletes in high school?
First - I am not an expert.
First - I am not an expert. Just a parent who has just gone through the recruitment process with my daughter. So, all of this is just my opinion.
To me, there is nothing wrong with playing multiple high school sports. Lots of kids who go on to play a sport in college and even professionally played multiple high school sports. The key is whether the kid can do so: (1) without negatively affecting his/her grades; and (2) still positioning themselves for athletic opportunities that could be available to them. Obviously some kids are very gifted athletes and your son may be one of those. A good many of the professionals playing in the NFL, NBA and MLB played multiple high school sports. But, a good many also focused on a single sport.
What we do not know, based on your post, is how good your son is compared to other sophomores playing his sports For example, you indicate that he made the all-league team in basketball, but we do not know how good that league is, how important that all league designation is, or even what position your son played. Obviously, in basketball, making the all-league team in a league made up of large urban schools that regularly has kids commit to big Division I schools is a lot different than a rural league with small schools where kids who go on to play in college typically play for small Division III schools. We also do not know anything about your son's abilities. Again by way of example, at 6'5" is he playing point guard or shooting guard, or is he a center? Is he done growing taller at 6'5" or is he headed for 6'10"? I am not suggesting that you post that kind of information to a message board, but I am suggesting that if you do not already know where your son stands vis a vis the other top sophomore athletes you need to figure that out asap.
Based on your post, and the suggestion about the possibility of maybe getting a college scholorship, it leads me to believe that college coaches have not already contacted your son. The NCAA rules about communicating with sophomores make coach/player contacts more difficult, but during a kid's sophomore year kids are certainly going to hear from coaches IF they are on the coaches' radar screens as a potential prospect. If you son is not hearing from coaches that does not mean all is lost. Rather, it could well mean that he simply has not made himself known to college coaches.
How does your son do that? I would say it differs by sport. I would start, however, by having a sit down meeting with your son's football coach, basketball coach and baseball coach. Have your son explain that he is looking to play in college and find out what they would suggest. Sometimes you will hear -- "if he is good enough college coaches will find him". Don't believe it. Most kids who play college football will have gone to a number of camps where they will have worked out in front of a number of coaches from different schools. The same is true with basketball and baseball although in those sports kids will also get seen in AAU/Travel ball.
So, back to the queston: Does playing multiple sports hurt your son's chances of getting a college athletic scholarship?
For football -- I would say probably not, but your son needs to be seen by college coaches so they will start looking for him during his junior and senior years. The best way to do that probably is the summer camp route.
For basketball -- I would say probably yes. If your son is headed for 7 feet it will not matter, nor would it matter if your son stopped growing at 6'5" and was a center with an average shooting touch and only okay speed and quickness. He certainly would be of interest to many smaller schools, but scholarship money may be lacking. On the other hand, if he is headed for 6-10 or is a quick ball handling 6-5 then big school play is certainly a possibility. He just needs to get seen as often as possible. Probably, again, that means camps and finding his way onto an AAU team. High school ball is okay, but college coaches will want to see him play against good competition his own age.
For baseball -- Like football it is a maybe. If your son is a pitcher throwing in the low 90s he is going to attract attention once that fact gets knows (particularly if he is left handed). Otherwise, camps and summer ball may be the way to go.
Your son does have a "big" advantage with his height. Because of that I suspect that coaches will be willing to give him a good look, and willing to consider that if he came and played for them -- they could turn him into a good player even if he is a little raw experience and skill wise right now due to his playing multiple sports. But, they can't give him that chance if they do not know he exists.
good luck. please consider updating as his recruitment/college selection process moves along.
Wow, lots to consider
Newscodad:
I guess I did leave out a lot of crucial information about my son and his athletic ability. Yes, he has had some college coaches express interest in him from around the area but we live in a semi-small town where unfortunately, exposure isn't that great. He was asked to try out for a select basketball team last week that will travel out of state in the spring but this was after he committed to baseball (see my dilemma about multiple sports? He missed out on that opportunity!) Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying my kid is some athletic superstar phenomenon but doctors say he will grow two more inches, making him a very coordinated 6 foot 7 athlete. He does go to several camps throughout the summer and gets exposure there. He is very quick and a good ball handler and excellent 3 point shooter. But he also is successful on the pitching mound and very accurate and game-smart on the football field.
I guess I know in my heart of hearts that my son will play college sports on some level in two years, I just want him to have every advantage and wasn't sure about the 3 sport rule! He's my only kid and I want to do things right!
First of all, congrats on
First of all, congrats on having a great son who is athletically gifted. Understand that there are hundreds, and maybe thousands just like him out there. There are also alot of D2 schools out there, some you may have never heard of, that may want him.
Spring sports (track, baseball, softball) are getting killed by AAU basketball and club volleyball. The season is short, depending on where you live, it may be cold and rainy out most of the month to 6 week spring season. If he really enjoys playing multiple sports, don't let his future "potential" college career hamper his high school experience. I've seen too many kids specialize in one sport, only to not even play that sport in college.