There are well over 100,000 high school students in this country who also play sports, from prep football to prep tennis. For some, kicking the soccer ball around is nothing more than an after-school activity, a calorie-burning alternative to a job at the mall. For others, it is serious business. Sports is perceived as more than a way to stay in shape, it is a vehicle to a different lifestyle, a meal ticket to a college of their choice, expenses included.
Or is it?
"The truth is, less than 1 percent of kids in this country get athletic scholarships," said Jack Renkens, a former college basketball coach and president and founder of Recruiting Realities.
Renkens travels the country speaking on issues surrounding the collegiate recruiting process. It is a murky subject, where the lines are blurred between fact and fiction.
"Very rarely does an athlete get to pick the school they've dreamed about their whole lives," says Renkens.
Yesterday, we began the story of Mike Emerick, a volleyball player from Gurnee, IL who will be a junior this fall at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. Mike fell into the less than 1 percent catagory as a good portion of his 1st year expenses were picked up by the NAIA school.
"I liked the players, I liked the school and I liked the money," said Emerick.
In exchange for scholarship money, Mike had to perform on the court. Told before the season he would be the team's 3rd Libero, a defensive position, it didn't take long for his coach to re-evaluate that decision.
"I started practicing with the JV team, which is not as good," said Emerick.
3 weeks into the season, the coaching staff still hadn't explained to Mike why he was not playing with the varsity.
"He (head coach) didn't like to confront," said Emerick. "The assistant coach also didn't tell you things straight forward."
One player on varsity quit, opening up a spot for Mike. But as he saw another teammate get promoted over him, someone who had a previous relationship with the coach, his demeanor became more and more one of frustration.
"There was a lot of political stuff going on," said Emerick, who by this time, was already considering redshirting his sophomore season.
Remember, Mike liked the school, the players and the money. But less than one season into his career at Lindenwood, the wheels were starting to come off the tracks.
Could this have been prevented?
COMING TUESDAY: MIKE COMES TO A DECISION ABOUT HIS FUTURE
Keywords: Jack Renkens, Libero, Lindenwood University, Mike Emerick, MO, NAIA, prep football, prep tennis, Recruiting Realities, St. Charles
