Congratulations to SportsForce client Saben Lee. Saben is a 2017 Point Guard from Phoenix, AZ. We began introducing Saben to college basketball coaches in his sophomore year of high school. Within about the first year of our working together, Saben received more than 20 Division I offers, including Stanford, Nebraska, Louisville, Utah, Pepperdine, Boise State and many others. His final commitment was made to Coach Bryce Drew at Vanderbilt University of the SEC.

Regardless of your sport, the 5 Critical Elements to Securing Multiple Offers include:

1. Good Communication: top college recruits understand how to effectively communicate with college coaches by asking strategic questions that uncover a coaches’ true interest in them, while also being uniquely prepared for those questions college coaches will ask of them.
2. Appropriate Target-Lists: top college recruits focus on proper target-list schools and sports programs that match their athletic and academic skill-set, instead of wasting valuable time and energy on collegiate opportunities that most likely will never be realized.
3. Take Control: top college recruits avoid the trap of relying solely on external factors to generate offers, such as assistance from high school or club team coaches, and only attending viewing tournaments, or camps in order to be “seen” or evaluated by college coaches.
4. Stay Disciplined: top college recruits prepare for, and are diligent in the use of appropriate follow-up strategies with college coaches, even when some opportunities appear to be going nowhere. They spend time researching best-fit schools and make it easy for coaches to communicate with them.
5. Game Plan Execution: top college recruits learn the importance of creating and then executing a well-thought out plan to beat the competition, and the competition is fierce in order to achieve your college recruiting goals. They know the absence of a well-developed plan creates uncertainty, misdirection and lost recruiting opportunities.

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.

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