Originally posted by Unregistered
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To your first question, I was a D1 athlete at a mid-major that academically competes with the top NESCACs and other similar schools that you mentioned. My kid is a high school senior who will be able to make a team at a D3 level, and depending on the final choice, may or may not see significant playing time. He would not be an impact player at Bucknell or any similar D1 program regardless of his efforts or how many breaks went his way (with 90% certainty).
Secondly, I was not mind-reading. The poster you seemed put out by clearly mentioned Patriot League schools because a proud Mom (?) said her kid chose a very good or top D3 over 3 Patriot League schools where he could have played soccer in some capacity (according to the suggestion of her post). Your poster wasn't comparing Patriot League schools to other D1s except for the Ivies where I do presume the poster thought of the Ivies as a potential superior option because of the similar D1 soccer level coupled with somewhat superior academics. It makes sense to think that Patriot League and Ivy League soccer are similar in quality, and that given the opportunity a kid might then lean towards Ivy.
Finally, in terms of your "binary" thinking critique, that's why I used the word "projected." Of course there are no guarantees and there can be an ACL tear, or a girlfriend, or partying, or an emerging passion for biophysical engineeering, but kids and families do make decisions based on projections. Isn't that what recruiting is about? A kid has some idea going in, based on $ offered and/or coach assessments and discussions with the player, where he stands and whether he is viewed as a likely immediate playing time player or a needs development player or a practice player. If Coach K at Duke brings in 7 freshmen, those kids have a more than decent idea where they fit in the pecking order. I am guessing the same is true when Bucknell or Lehigh bring in 7-8 soccer recruits (allowing for your point about "anything can happen"). Just like when kids figure out where to apply academically, don't you think a kid knows if he is perceived as a low-end Patriot League player vs a mid-to-high range D3 player?
To be more honest, my pet peeve is the all too common "I'm going D3 but could have gone D1." I'm sure there are occasional examples of this, but not to the degree we hear about in this forum. How often does a real D1 basketball prospect choose a D3? Not very often, and if they do they are not choosing between the Dukes, Kentuckys, Syracuse, UCLA, Berkeley, Stanford, etc. vs ANY D3s (not matter how great the D3 is). The most likely scenario for this to happen would be in cases where a kid was "projected" to be a marginal recruit at a Patriot League or similar level D1 school athletically and therefore a kid goes with the better fit athletically and academically at a D3. And if a kid is expected to be very much in the mix at these D1 schools that are almost as good and in some cases just as good academically as the D3s, the kid in most instances is going to choose the D1. Another way of putting it is this: how many times do kids actually pick Williams or Amherst OVER Harvard, Yale, or Princeton (assuming they can really play soccer at both). I'm sure it happens, but not often.
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