SHU changes recruitment standards while entering NCAA

Seton Hill University (SHU) athletics have gone through tremendous change with joining the ranks of National Collegiat Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II. While that change has lately been seen in the new batch of schools that teams have been playing; another important change is the how SHU is going about recruiting new athletes to the university.

As a member of the National Association of Intercolegiate Athletics (NAIA), SHU’s set of initial criteria used in recruiting high school athletes was not as specific or structured. To qualify for recruitment, high school athletes were required either a minimum SAT score of 830 or a 2.0 grade point average out of high school. There was no core curriculum that was required for students to have fulfilled by the time of their high school graduation. Also, when it came to visiting prospective students athletes, there were no set times or rules to when and where coaches could meet them. There was no higher governing body that would oversee what coaches did to recruit.

By Rachel Prichard

Senior Staff Writer

Seton Hill University (SHU) athletics have gone through tremendous change with joining the ranks of National Collegiat Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II. While that change has lately been seen in the new batch of schools that teams have been playing; another important change is the how SHU is going about recruiting new athletes to the university.

As a member of the National Association of Intercolegiate Athletics (NAIA), SHU’s set of initial criteria used in recruiting high school athletes was not as specific or structured. To qualify for recruitment, high school athletes were required either a minimum SAT score of 830 or a 2.0 grade point average out of high school. There was no core curriculum that was required for students to have fulfilled by the time of their high school graduation. Also, when it came to visiting prospective students athletes, there were no set times or rules to when and where coaches could meet them. There was no higher governing body that would oversee what coaches did to recruit.

Times have certainly changed with the athletics at SHU becoming a part of the NCAA. Bruce Ivory, athletic director of SHU said that each prospective student athlete must now pay a fee of $60 and register for the initial eligibility center to make sure they meet the criteria to be eligible for recruitment.

“The initial eligibility center processes every high school students academic record and amateurism record to ensure that they meet the minimum criteria to be eligible,” said Ivory.

Ivory wants to put an emphasis on the fact that the students must only meet the minimum requirements when it comes to SAT or ACT testing. As long as the minimum test score is met, along with a 2.0 GPA out of 14 core classes, a student will meet the academic criteria needed.

“It is a process in and of itself. Every student must register and get cleared so we are all on a level playing field,” said Ivory.

The process of coaches going out to observe and visit with perspective athletes has changed the most. There is now a set of rules and regulations that cover recruiting and what coaches can do.

“They can only go out to recruit at certain periods of an academic calendar. It is not wide open anymore. There are periods called quiet periods, evaluation periods, contact periods, and then dead periods,” said Ivory.

These periods regulate the times coaches can go out and have face-to-face contact with prospective athletes.
“No coach at SHU is allowed to have more than three face to face contacts off of the campus with any prospect,” said Ivory. “The face to face contacts are monitored with paperwork of where they are going and whom they are seeing. That is all turned back into the compliance office so that all contacts and evaluations can be monitored.”

Coaches do have an unlimited number of evaluations. This includes going to schools to check academic records, going to games to watch a prospect, and talking to high school coaches or counselors. These evaluations do not include meeting or visiting with the prospect off campus.

Another procedure that the NCAA requires coaches to follow is that every year, each coach must pass, the NCAA recruiting exam. This exam tests coaches on the rules concerning recruiting and any new regulations that may have been passed in the last year.

The top three sports that the NCAA Division II regulates are football and men’s and women’s basketball. These sports have recruiting calendars that are more extensive than other sports.

Assistant Football Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Jeremy George is part of one of the sports programs that follow these regulations.
“Football now follows a NCAA Division II manual for recruiting. Some of what the manual tells us is: who is allowed to recruit for out institution, what type of entertainment the institution may provide prospective student athletes, when you are allowed to telephone them, and when they can visit your institution (official and unofficial visits). This is just a piece of the pie on how the recruitment process has changed for football,” said George.

Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach, Brian Novotny, has seen the move to NCAA Division II as a plus in the growth of his team. Men’s lacrosse has 16 new recruits brought in for the Spring 2009 season. He feels the move to NCAA has increased SHU’s exposure to potential student athletes.

“I am very involved with the recruiting process and rely heavily on my assistant coaches. Recruiting is the lifeblood of any college program,“ said Novotny. “Recruits know about the tremendous reputation of SHU. [The men’s lacrosse team] get a lot more unsolicited inquiries now than we ever have. Every student competing at the high school level has heard of the NCAA. That was not the case with the NAIA.”

SHU puts a high standard on bringing in recruits who work hard as both athletes and students. There is an emphasis on looking for recruits who will excel academically and want to graduate.

When asked about what SHU basketball was looking for in prospective recruits, Men’s Basketball head coach, Tony Morroco said, “There are three things we look for in recruits. We want a good person, someone who will graduate, and someone who has the ability to win championships.”

It is a challenge to make sure all coaches know the fundamentals of recruiting and eligibility at the NCAA level. It is for the good of the coaches, the prospective student athletes, and the University, that the many rules and regulations used in recruiting are followed.