1) The top priority for most families is cost. How many money can the family afford per year and/or over the course of four years? What kind of financial aid can the school provided? It's good to find out how much each school's endowment is, because that usually translates to better (high endowment) or worse (low endowment) financial aid packages. Basically, does the school meet 100% of need or is the percentage much lower.
Some schools do a pretty good job of getting out academic scholarship packages after the application process. Others schools wait until they've gathered all of their applicants and then send out financial aid packages all at the same time. Knowing what the timeline looks like is very important. Sometimes, the school that you want to go to the most will make you wait the most.
There are also other times that money isn't an issue. If that's the case, the admission process is a bit different. Why? The family doesn't have to worry about comparing financial aid packages from different schools. What also could happen is the admission department knows the applicant is a "full pay" applicant and they will get into school even if their grades/test scores aren't what they need to normally get into school. That's called "private school economics." More on this in a bit.
While I was coaching in college there was a prominent "recruiting guru" that came and spoke. He had some really useful information and some really interesting ideas. One thing he said that if the financial aid package came out $4,000 on the wrong end (another school had a better package) and the recruit didn't come then the coach didn't sell the school hard enough. I laughed out loud when he said that. $4,000 is a lot money over the course of four years. That's a mid-size car or $16,000. When families are making decisions based off $1,000-$2,000 then $4,000 is going to be a big deal (for most families).
2) You are going to college to get an education, why would you go to a college that doesn't have your preferred major? When kids transfer and say "they didn't have my major," didn't the kid know that going in? The education is the reason why you are going to school, even though athletics are a big reason why you are interested in a certain school. 18-22 year olds change their minds on a daily basis, it would be a good idea to go somewhere that has a lot of options as far as majors, if your original thoughts on the major you want isn't what you thought it would be.
There are some schools that give you the option to "major" in multiple things. Not exactly a double major but the school gives you opportunities in multiple disciplines to figure out what you are truly looking for. Some schools will have "interdisciplinary studies" as a major, which is code word for having three minors that you emphasize in because the full major doesn't make a ton of sense in what you want to do.
3) If a coach tells you that they play fast, look at the team's box scores. There aren't many players in high school that want to go to college and play in a grind it out type offense and defense. Coaches will say, "we want to play fast," and then call out plays every time down the floor. Majority of the coaches don't play fast and don't want to play fast because they don't have control.
Teams that play fast have the tendency to turn the ball over (on offense) a good amount and they also score a lot. If you watch West Virginia play, they play fast but they generally don't score a ton. If you can't watch a team that is recruiting you in person, watch them on a webcast since most schools have that capability now.
4) A head or assistant coach tells you they play a lot of players and in reality they only play seven or eight players. Please look at the team's box scores in their perceived rivalry games and/or postseason games (if they've made it) to see if they play that many players. Playing five players 30+ minutes and then having one player play 15 minutes and two more guys play between 5 and 8 minutes means they don't play a lot of players. If they have 9 or 10 guys average above 12 minutes a game, that means the coach plays a lot of players.
Coaches tend to shorten their bench toward the end of the year because they want to win and they'll only play the players they trust. If you look at stats at the beginning of the year, more players will play. Why? The coaching staff is trying to figure out who fits where, who plays better with other players, and who does better with the lights on.
5) Know the recruiting philosophy of the school and the program. There are certain schools that want coaches to recruit and get as many players as they can. This is another example of "private school economics." The more bodies the better the bottom line is for the school. So they'll have a lot of players on their roster but very few play, even with a JV team.
There are many schools that have the ability to give out good financial aid packages to a lot of kids. It will give the coaches the ability to "load up" in consecutive years in order to make a run at a championship. What happens ends up being a disservice to the kids. Why? There are a lot of very good players that could probably start or play significant minutes at other schools, get stuck on the bench of the school those chose. Basically, it's buyer beware when you are choosing a school.
When push comes to shove, cost and academics should be the number 1 and 1a when it comes to picking a school. The athletic side is super important but shouldn't be the priority because what happens when the "ball stops bouncing?" You and your family have to make the correct decision for life.
There are some schools that give you the option to "major" in multiple things. Not exactly a double major but the school gives you opportunities in multiple disciplines to figure out what you are truly looking for. Some schools will have "interdisciplinary studies" as a major, which is code word for having three minors that you emphasize in because the full major doesn't make a ton of sense in what you want to do.
3) If a coach tells you that they play fast, look at the team's box scores. There aren't many players in high school that want to go to college and play in a grind it out type offense and defense. Coaches will say, "we want to play fast," and then call out plays every time down the floor. Majority of the coaches don't play fast and don't want to play fast because they don't have control.
Teams that play fast have the tendency to turn the ball over (on offense) a good amount and they also score a lot. If you watch West Virginia play, they play fast but they generally don't score a ton. If you can't watch a team that is recruiting you in person, watch them on a webcast since most schools have that capability now.
4) A head or assistant coach tells you they play a lot of players and in reality they only play seven or eight players. Please look at the team's box scores in their perceived rivalry games and/or postseason games (if they've made it) to see if they play that many players. Playing five players 30+ minutes and then having one player play 15 minutes and two more guys play between 5 and 8 minutes means they don't play a lot of players. If they have 9 or 10 guys average above 12 minutes a game, that means the coach plays a lot of players.
Coaches tend to shorten their bench toward the end of the year because they want to win and they'll only play the players they trust. If you look at stats at the beginning of the year, more players will play. Why? The coaching staff is trying to figure out who fits where, who plays better with other players, and who does better with the lights on.
5) Know the recruiting philosophy of the school and the program. There are certain schools that want coaches to recruit and get as many players as they can. This is another example of "private school economics." The more bodies the better the bottom line is for the school. So they'll have a lot of players on their roster but very few play, even with a JV team.
There are many schools that have the ability to give out good financial aid packages to a lot of kids. It will give the coaches the ability to "load up" in consecutive years in order to make a run at a championship. What happens ends up being a disservice to the kids. Why? There are a lot of very good players that could probably start or play significant minutes at other schools, get stuck on the bench of the school those chose. Basically, it's buyer beware when you are choosing a school.
When push comes to shove, cost and academics should be the number 1 and 1a when it comes to picking a school. The athletic side is super important but shouldn't be the priority because what happens when the "ball stops bouncing?" You and your family have to make the correct decision for life.
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