Rivals.com Junior Day at Bothell High

First Pacific Northwest Junior Day for Rivals.com premiered in the Bothell High School gym, Saturday, April 7. Rivals.com is a website for potential recruits for D1 sports teams. Rivals houses one of the largest player databases in the nation. Sean Adams author of "Sports for Life: Daily Sports Themes for Life Success" gave an inspirational but realistic speach on the college bound player recruiting process. Local web recruiting celebrities were in attendance. Mike Warchol and Friday Night Scout, of Washingtonpreps.com, Angie Machado, Beaverblitz.com, at Oregon State University; and Jeremy Crabtree recruiting editor at Rivals, among others.

Parents watched as players from California to Canada were asked to fill out questionairs, measured, weighed, and given the 'eyeball' test. Some of the top looking recruits were interviewed by the Rivals staff in attendance. You can read some of the articles on Washingtonpreps, Beaverblitz, and Rivals.com. John Hekker got a personal interview by Angie Machado from Oregon State.

Sean Adams delivered a valuable presentation of the realities of college recruiting.

 

 


Sean talked about what the coaches are looking for, such as:

  • Work ethic
  • Articulate well spoken
  • Strengths and weaknesses
  • Mental and physical toughness
  • Relationship with teammates
  • Leadership

The list included a summary of what the recruiters could and could not do, and what players should seriously consider. This is a job interview! It can go for weeks and recruiters can 'bump' into players anywhere. Key points: 

  • Carry books
  • Be in class
  • Wear nice clothes
  • Stand up straight
  • Pull up your pants (your buddies with the sagging pants are not going to pay your tuition for the next 4 years)
  • Pay attention to what is on your 'my space' it is an open forum and they look
  • Involve your parents
  • Be gracious and pay full attention to everything said by recruiters

"Everyone gets grades, not everyone gets eligibility" said Sean, emphasizing the importance of the academics throughout the process.

This all sounds like great advice for anyone who wants to be a role model.