Dentist Hall feature athlete interview – signed with Cornell College
1. Why did you decide to sign with Cornell College?
I really like everything they offered me. They are very high on academics, which really interest me, and also the football team has a fresh new coach staff, so change is coming. They treated me like I was family on my visit and welcomed me with open arms.
2. Describe the excitement you feel about becoming a college student-athlete?
I’m very excited there aren’t words to even explain how excited I am for this opportunity. I dream about being in Iowa every night. I’m just training and counting my days down.
3. What advice would you give to other athletes looking to get recruited?
The advice I would give is to be at the top of everything. If someone runs extra sprints or does extra work you do double what they do and lead your team. Also, never get discouraged when things don’t go your way, because at one point in time I lost an offer because of coaching changes and I hung up my cleats. But nothing is ever given to you, you have to go out and take it.
4. Who has been the biggest influence in your sports career and why?
My biggest influence has been my uncle Rick and mother. My uncle Derek “Ricky” Newman attended Illinois State, and then played Arena football for the Cleveland Thunderbolts. He was shot 3 times in his car and killed. I want to finish what he started and play pro football one day. If I have to start from the bottom, I will and work my way up the chain to the top. My mother has done so much for me and has attended every single one of my sporting events since I started playing flag football. She has always wanted the best for me and I just want to give back to her all the love she has showed me. She is like my heart that keeps pumping and keeps me going when I’m down.
5. What would you like to accomplish during college sports career?
I would like to be one of those players that everyone talks about how hard he worked and how he led the team. I want people to say, “Yeah Dentist Hall, he was one of the greats I played with.” Also, I want to break a couple records and leave my name on the school.
Over the last five years SportsForce Recruiting has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.
Darnell Dunson feature athlete interview – signed with College of Mt. Saint Joseph
1. Why did you decide to sign with College of Mt. Saint Joseph?
I liked the coaching staff, they were real welcoming and they had a lot of confidence is their program. Also, for the school of course; they have a great educational program overall. I liked the location and it seemed like a lot fun down here.
2. Describe the excitement you feel about becoming a college student-athlete?
I’m very excited. I can’t wait to see exactly how everything is going to play out. I can’t wait to get there and compete for a position. I can’t wait to get there; I’m ready for everything
3. What advice would you give to other athletes looking to get recruited?
My first word of advice is, never get sold on any college until they offer you a serious offer. Keep an open mind about everything and don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
4. What would you like to accomplish during college sports career?
My first goal is to graduate, get that foundation. My secondary goal, I do wanna play at the next level, I know it will be a whole lot of work, but football is my life.
Over the last five years SportsForce Recruiting has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.
Adrian Galloway feature athlete interview – signed with Huntingdon College
1. Why did you decide to sign with Huntingdon College?
I decided to sign with Huntingdon because it’s a place I fit in perfectly, and it’s not very far from home. It’s a great school.
2. Describe the excitement you feel about becoming a college student-athlete?
I’m very excited to become a student-athlete at the college level. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. It’s a sweet feeling.
3. What advice would you give to other athletes looking to get recruited?
To other athletes looking to get recruited, I advise them to work hard, maintain good grades, and be disciplined on and off the field.
4. Who has been the biggest influence in your sports career and why?
The biggest influence in my sports career has been my dad. He always pushes me to another level and encourages me to work hard. He also trains me.
5. What would you like to accomplish during college sports career?
During my college sports career I would like to accomplish a lot. I would like to help Huntingdon College win their first NCAA DIII title and many more. I’m just excited I get to live out my dreams and I would also like to join Cody Pearcy in the NFL.
Over the last five years SportsForce Recruiting has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.
College Recruiting Success Story – Katriona Jackson
I chose UC Davis because it felt like it was a perfect fit for me. I felt at home there, where as I hadn’t felt that anywhere else. I also loved the campus and all of the people that I got to meet there, especially my future teammates. Finally, the last reason I chose UC Davis was because it excels in the field I want to major in and the professors are some of the most knowledgeable minds in the teaching world.
2. Share your recruiting story and status
My recruiting process started in the fall of my freshman year. I was going to be participating in a huge National tournament and some of the older girls on my team had suggested that I should put together a resume that contained a photo, my name, academic accomplishments and of course athletic accomplishments. They also recommended that I email this resume to the coaches from any school I was thinking about looking into. Although the NCAA rules said they could not reply to me, this allowed me to enter the recruiting radar of some of the coaches. I followed the same process for a few more tournaments I attended that year and hoped that my constant introductions and level of play would interest some coaches. During my Sophomore year, I had my video done by the wonderful SportsForce team! They did everything I could have asked for and more! They even went back and added 10 clips of footage that I had obtained from a tournament in February of my sophomore year. I also followed the same process with tournaments, but the coaches were still not allowed to contact me due to the NCAA rules. That summer between my Sophomore and Junior year, I attended many field hockey camps on both the west and east coast. I also toured about 15 colleges on the east coast. While I was there I wanted to see if I would feel at home on the campus and to view the facilities that I could have possibly played on. I would recommend touring any colleges that a student-athlete is seriously thinking about during that summer because your Junior year is a big year for the recruitment process. It is best to know what you like and what you do not like in a school as you will be spending four years of your life there! Finally in my Junior year, I was invited on a few unofficial visits to campuses and I instantly fell in love with UC Davis. The team, coaching staff, facilities, professors, and the campus itself instantly made it feel like a home away from home. I also attended a few more tournaments that year and sent out both my resume and video. Now that it was my Junior year, I could have limited interaction with coaches via email and I was able to narrow down which ones were interested in me and which were not. In December, I was given a verbal commitment offer from the UC Davis coach and they asked me to think about it. I seriously thought about it and when I was invited to their Junior Day in April, I accepted the verbal offer and could not have been happier with my decision!
3. When did you start your recruiting process?
I started my recruiting process in the fall of my freshman year.
4. What advice would you give to other players and parents with the recruiting process (ex. start early, get a highlight video)?
Advice that I would give to players and parents is to definitely start early with the recruiting process. Your freshman year is an excellent time to organize a list of colleges that the player is interested in and focus on both the athletic and academic programs. My parents made sure that I am going to the school I want to go to and not just for the athletic aspect of it. It is important to find a place where the student-athlete will be happy and successful as they will be spending four years of their life there! Another tip is to make sure you get a video done in your sophomore or beginning of your junior year, as this is the prime time to start sending the video as well as the resume off to college coaches. Lastly, make sure that both the student-athlete and their parents go and tour the colleges in question before any commitments are made so you can get a good a sense of where the student-athlete may eventually end up and where the parents would be coming to visit.
5. What excites you the most about starting college?
The thing that excites me most about starting college is being able to meet people from not only all over the country, but also all over the world. I love interacting with people so I am definitely excited about meeting new people with different upbringings and stories and hopefully making life long friendships with them. This will especially apply to my future team, as I am positive that connections will be made during the years that will continue long past the end of college!
Over the last five years SportsForce Recruiting has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.
Emery Atkisson feature athlete interview – signed with Stephen F. Austin State University
1. Why did you decide to sign with the Stephen F. Austin State University?
I decided to sign with SFA because it gave me the great opportunity of playing Division 1 ball, as well as being a very reputable school in the teaching field. This gives me the chance to play with, and learn from, some great upperclassmen, and an amazing coaching staff.
2. Describe the excitement you feel about becoming a college student-athlete?
I’m very excited and blessed to have this opportunity! It’s great to finally see all my hard work pay off! It’s very humbling and exciting to be playing at the highest level of college baseball.
3. What advice would you give to other athletes looking to get recruited?
I would advise you to continue to work hard. God has a plan so try not to get frustrated! I know it was hard for me not to question why, but try hard to stay focused and understand there’s a place for you. It’s about being at the right place at the right time!
4. Who has been the biggest influence in your sports career and why?
My biggest influence is my family. They’ve sacrificed so much to help support my baseball goals. I’m very appreciative of them for sticking with me and believing in me. They gave me the best they good in terms of equipment and certain select teams so I get the best opportunity possible to get noticed.
5. What would you like to accomplish during college sports career?
I would like to better myself physically and mentally and become the best ball player I can. The stats and winning will take care of themselves if I prepare the right way. But I hope to continue playing as long as I can and when I’m done, I plan to coach high school baseball!
Over the last five years, SportsForce Recruiting has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.
Feature Athlete Interview with Charles Folger – University of Tennessee
1. Why did you decide to sign with the University of Tennessee?
I had it narrowed down to Georgia, Tennessee and Clemson. Tennessee just felt like home. It has a monster stadium, the faculty staff was real nice, I met some of the players and felt like it was a good atmosphere to play in.
2. Describe the excitement you feel about becoming a college student-athlete?
I’m so excited, it ain’t even funny
3. What advice would you give to other athletes looking to get recruited?
Don’t give up in school, in God, in football because you never know how far you can make it. Don’t be afraid to step out of the box and enjoy life.
4. Who has been the biggest influence in your sports career and why?
Probably my parents. We moved into another home and I went back to football. They were always there for me. They always took me to camps; my mom would wash my clothes, and my dad would be the one to drive me. One weekend we drove to the University of Kentucky on Friday night and drove back down to Lincolnton on Saturday to come back home and go to church on Sunday.
5. What would you like to accomplish during college sports career?
I’m thinking 10-12 years in the NFL, retire when I’m about 35 and live on the beach (laughing).
Over the last five years SportsForce Recruiting has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.
College Recruiting Success Story: Frankie Sanchez
1. Share your recruiting story and status (ex. what was the process like? when did you commit/sign?)
My recruiter was head coach Alex Smith. The process was long because he did not have my film and therefore was not able to make a proper evaluation of me. Once my film was submitted to the coach he became much more interested because I showed that I was committed. I wanted to show them that I was not only interested in their baseball program but in their education program as well. Once they had seen one of my games the coach had asked me if I would like to play for Luther and so I signed on April 14, 2012.
2. What school are you going to, and why did you choose them?
I am attending Luther College in Iowa. I chose Luther because I knew that this school has what it takes to provide me with a successful future academically and athletically.
3. How did SportsForce help in the process?
SportsForce provides you with the means necessary to find coaches and schools of interests, while also providing the coaches with information about yourself.
4. What advice would you give to other players and parents with the recruiting process (ex. start early, get a highlight video)?
Advice that I would give to others is to start playing ball at an early age and to have as much fun with the game as possible. While playing always make highlight videos of yourself to show off your skills and the progress that you make.
5. How excited are you on your future in college?
I am very excited to go to a school that will provide me with a great education as well as be playing the game that I have always loved since I was a child.
MLB Draft: Day 1 Re-Cap
Day 1 of the draft was very eventful to say the least. While it still seems like baseball season began just the other day, the draft is in full force. Day 1 came with surprises as well as disappointment, and with the new draft bonus system in place, all of these results played out on center stage for everyone to see. While it’s still too early to grade teams as winners or losers, here is a re-cap of some of the biggest surprises and steals we’ve seen yet.
Surprise #1: Carlos Correa, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy; Taken By: Houston Astros
I don’t think anyone in the baseball world would have imagined Correa going first overall. He has shown off incredible skills in infield practice and batting practice, but seeing how these tools will translate into game-time action will be crucial. The Houston Astros need all the help they can get, and they took the long-term view with this pick; it was a bold move to say the least, and I think Correa will either be a bust or a superstar shortstop.
Surprise #2: Brian Johnson, LHP, Florida; Picked By: Boston Red Sox
Johnson definitely has the ability to be a first-round pick. His fastball is around 90-91 mph, and he knows exactly how to locate his secondary pitches. The surprise here, is that Boston is not usually associated with more conservative picks. Johnson is a fast-moving lefty, and I think this pick will really pay off for the Red Sox.
Steal #1: Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford; Picked by Pittsburgh Pirates
This is where the disappointment and the mystery started to set in. Teams began passing on the right-hander who entered the day as the favorite choice to go to Houston first overall. It seemed a bit strange that Appel slid until the Pirates grabbed him with the eighth overall pick. Appel was never considered a once-in-a-generation phenomenon player like Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg, but Pirate fans should welcome this new addition with open arms; Appel will give these fans a big jolt of excitement for seasons to come.
Steal #2: Ty Hensley, RHP, Santa Fe H.S. (Okla.); Picked by New York Yankees
According to late breaking rumors, Hensley was allegedly the second option for the Colorado Rockies with the 10th overall pick. The Yankees picked him at number 30, which says a lot. Hensley is a very strong right-hander with a 92-95 mph fastball. His large frame paired with his powerful fastballs and curve-balls, looks to be a winning formula for the Yankees.
The rest of the MLB draft is sure to bring many more surprises, disappointment, and shock. Stay tuned to see what will happen next!
NBA Inconsistencies: Superstar treatment?
When watching the NBA Playoffs almost every fan will have some kind of gripe against the refs at one point or another. There’s always a game or two where you feel your team got the short end of the stick when it came to the whistles. Some will say that’s part of home court advantage, some say the more aggressive team is given the benefit of the doubt, and some will claim the league is flat out rigged.
However the game ends up being called, the primary thing both players and fans will ask for is consistency and it’s the particular lack of consistency that has made the refereeing of this years playoffs so controversial. While there have been scattered inconsistencies throughout this year’s playoffs, game 5 of the Miami-Indiana series serves as a focal point for inconsistent calls and feeds the conspiracy theorists who believe in superstar calls and league-favored teams. The controversy in the game is over the definition of a personal foul, a flagrant 1, and a flagrant 2.
Lets look at a flagrant 1 that is given to Tyler Hansbrough for his foul on Dwayne Wade. In the play Hansbrough definitely swings down on the ball with a lot of force, making contact with Wade’s head. Hansbrough was undoubtedly making a play on the ball, but if you want to say he used unnecessary force, thus making it a flagrant 1, that is fine, but that also creates a standard.
Now lets look at the flagrant that was given to Udonis Haslem for his foul on Tyler Hansbrough. This play was ruled a flagrant 1 despite the fact that Haslem clearly makes NO attempt to make a play on the ball and instead forcefully throws both arms at Hansbrough’s face, undoubtedly in retaliation for Hansbrough’s foul on Wade earlier in the game. If Hansbrough’s foul was ruled a flagrant 1, there is no doubt this should be ruled a flagrant 2 (as announcer Steve Kerr immediately notes) due to the fact that the foul is an unnecessary and forceful blow to the face, with no attempt to go for the ball, and is likely a retaliation play. Despite this, the foul is ruled a flagrant 1 and Halsem, a key player for Miami due to Bosh’s injury, is allowed to play the remainder of the game. Sure, Haslem has been suspended for the upcoming game 6, but the fact remains that he was allowed to play in a critical game 5 for Miami and will also be available for a game 7 if the series goes that far. Was Hansbrough punished by the refs for the fact that he got up after that foul, rather than lying on the ground as if he was shot like Wade did earlier in the game? Let’s also consider that in instances like this, referees are instructed to call flagrant 2 fouls, as those are then reviewable, where as flagrant 1 fouls are not. So by this judgment, the referees are saying that this is clearly not a flagrant 2 foul. Put me down as suspect.
Lets then look at the foul by Dexter Pittman on Lance Stephenson that was also dubbed a flagrant 1. Not even the biggest Miami homer can argue that foul should not be an immediate ejection. Not to mention Pittman’s wink over to the Miami bench, making Pittman’s clear act of revenge that more disgusting. And once again this was called a flagrant 1.
To go even further in the case of referee inconsistency in the series came when Dwayne was called for a flagrant for his foul on Darren Collison. While I don’t disagree that this should be a flagrant 1 foul, it is hard to argue that Wade made much of any play on the ball and simply lowered his shoulder into the back of a defenseless Collison. Let’s just say that wouldn’t fly on the playground. The inconsistency comes in the fact that earlier in the year Jason Smith committed a near identical foul on Blake Griffin and was suspended 2 games for it. That sets the precedent. What was Wade’s consequence? No suspension. No fine. Some may argue that it’s the nature of playoff basketball and that playoff suspensions should be for only really harmful plays. To that school of thought I offer you James Posey’s foul on Kirk Heinrich that landed him a 1 game suspension…and that was in a playoff game.
Can I sense some major favoritism given to the stars of the game? If Louis Amundson had committed the same foul against Wade (and inevitably see Wade lay on the floor for an hour, whilst having LeBron negotiating with the refs) would we be looking at a suspension? No doubt about it. Wade’s ‘attacker’ would have been immediately removed from the game, would probably face a suspension (like Smith and Posey), and he would probably be talked about like some kind of arch villain on Sportscenter. Similarly, if Jason Smith committed on Reggie Evans rather than NBA golden boy Blake Griffin, there is no way a 2 game suspension would have been handed out. Unfortunately that is the NBA David Stern has created and allowed today. It almost seems as if the league and media are yearning for the superstar driven league we saw in the 80s and 90s. That desire is putting a serious damper on the game. People complain about the diva attitude that many NBA stars display? Blame the entitlement that league has given these players based on their superstar treatment. If the NBA wants to get rid of the growing conspiracy theories, its inconsistencies like these that need to be amended. Will Indiana retaliate? Lets just say game 6 will be a fun one to watch.
6 Thoughts: NBA Playoffs Edition
As the first round of this year’s NBA Playoffs begins to wrap up we’ve certainly had some surprises as well as some disappointments. We’ve seen incredible performances as some well…flat out mystifying ones. Here are a few thoughts on what has occurred thus far…
1. The Knicks just aren’t that good. Despite all the hype about Melo, Linsanity, STAT, and Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler and despite being a headline love child for the major media outlets, we can finally see that the Knicks simply aren’t a great team and deserved that 8th seed. I know they had some injuries, I know that the Heat are a great team, and I know fire extinguishers are a very formidable opponent…but its hard to deny that this Knicks team was pretty over hyped.
2. The Pacers are the anti-Knicks. How can a team that finished with the 3rd seed be so under the radar? Despite the lack of a true superstar, this Pacers team is loaded with very good players. Danny Granger, David West, Roy Hibbert, George Hill, Paul George, Darren Collison with names such as Leandro Barbosa and Tyler Hansbrough off the bench. They may not all be household names, but that is a VERY good team with a lot of talent and depth. Don’t be shocked if they give the Heat a serious run for their money.
3. The Spurs and the Thunder are for REAL. Both of these teams are an absolute joy to watch. In terms of the Spurs, Duncan has found the fountain of youth, Parker is playing some of the best basketball in the league, they have an incredibly deep roster, and play possibly the best team basketball of any team out there. You want to know how basketball is supposed to be played? Watch the Spurs. The Thunder, on the other hand, are just so difficult to contain. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden are nearly impossible to stop…if you corral one, another will go off. We saw this against the Mavs. Games 1-3 were all very close, but Durant, Westbrook, and Harden each took over one of those games and got the Thunder a win. It’s hard to do much about that.
4. Andre Miller is incredible. There’s a lot of buzz about Javale McGee following the Nuggetts win in game 5 and deservedly so…he played great, but this overlooks the absolute CLINIC put on by Andre Miller in that game. Post moves, floater, bank shot, lob pass, spin move, you name it and Miller put it on display AND made it look easy. The fact that Miller has no speed, can barely jump, and is older than every single player on the Lakers roster, yet is still able to dominate a game…that is incredible. I’m not sure about George Karl’s claim about Miller being a top 10 point guard of all time, but this guy might have a serious claim to top 10 most underrated of all time.
5. Javale McGee has made himself some serious cash. You think McGee doesn’t know he’s a restricted free agent this summer? Something tells me he’s going to be getting a lot more than that $3.5M qualifying offer after his performance in the Lakers series.
6. Was Josh Smith serious with that inbounds pass? I know the Hawks got away with it because Rondo fumbled the ball at the end and it will probably be overlooked and forgotten, but come on. You are going to throw a bounce pass right at one of the league’s great steal artists…and expect to get away with it? Imagine if Rondo didn’t fumble the ball afterwards and ended up scoring…that play ends the Hawks’ season. I guess that’s why they are the Hawks.
