Giving some good advice

Athletes helped by AACPS during virtual session

As public high school sports’ absence in Anne Arundel County nears 11 months, the county athletics office sought to find a way to aid its student-athletes in their path toward college.

On Tuesday night, Anne Arundel County Public Schools hosted a 90-minute virtual recruiting session featuring Holly Ismail, a former Division I basketball player at Syracuse and two-sport All-American at Patterson Mill with 15 years of coaching experience, and Mike Ionescu, who has equal experience in tutoring and detailed tips and tricks for finding the right school to fit a student’s needs.

The NCAA extended its dead period to April 15, 2021, freezing in-person Division I recruiting and visits while Division II and III loosened its restrictions in September. In the more sparse recruiting landscape, Ismail advised athletes and parents listening to find other channels.

“If you’re not online, you’re not doing the right thing,” Ismail said.

Ismail acknowledged the frustration some student-athletes must be feeling, not hearing back from college coaches as often when they reach out. As director of Next College Student Athlete, a “for-profit organization that connects middle and high school student-athletes with college coaches,” Ismail has heard repeatedly from coaches that right now they’re about as uncertain about the future as high school athletes are.

For one thing, Ismail said, coaches aren’t completely certain what their rosters will look like next year. Because the NCAA granted athletes an additional year of eligibility, many coaches expect not to add freshmen at all.

Ismail emphasized her advice is not just for seniors feeling the pressure of finding colleges as soon as possible. The pandemic cast a ripple effect that is expected to last through the class of 2025, Ismail said. Because of that, she said it’s never too early for freshmen to begin building connections with coaches.

As odds have slimmed, Ismail advises to be persistent: Seek out coaches on every single platform, from phone calls to Twitter to email, to follow up.

“Control what you can control, do what you can do,” she said. “You can still send emails, guys, no matter what sport you are.”

The speakers also emphasized the importance of handling SATs the right way. Creating score goals rather than hoping you do well, for instance, as well as learning from a tutor one-on-one instead

of in a group setting will help a student-athlete score higher. Ionescu also stressed taking the test more than once, especially if the first grade isn’t what you wanted, as the SATs are graded on a curve.

As more than 400 colleges eliminated testing requirements for applications this year, Ionescu warned students not to deprioritize the SATs. For one thing, SAT scores still matter when it comes to financial aid.

Also, the pandemic won’t last forever.

“I always tell people don’t be too quick to applaud that,” Ionescu said. “Something will always come to fill the void.”

The speakers cautioned that athletes looking to be recruited by Division II schools on down, which would be most county athletes, should remember that non-Division I schools simply have less money to give and want to stack smaller athletic scholarships with prospects who already have academic scholarships.

“If you’re qualified, there is a place for you,” Ismail said. “You just have to put the work in.”