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Chicago Mom Takes on Game of College Recruiting and Wins!

Laurie Richter will give a brief discussion and Q&A of her newly-released book,
“Put Me In, Coach: A Parent’s Guide to Winning the Game of College Recruiting” followed by a book signing.

Riverwoods, IL (February 17, 2009) — What do you do when you realize that your high school son desperately wants to play basketball in college and you can’t find the right kind of information to help you figure out how to make it happen?

You do what any parent would do: you read everything you can, you call as many people you know who are connected, and you network like crazy. You come up with a whole lot of bright ideas and great strategies and then you put it into a book, Put Me In Coach: A Parent’s Guide to Winning the Game of College Recruiting, and publish it.

Simple yes? Well not exactly, especially if you are a trained researcher and consummate professional who wants all of it to be just right, in a universe of recruiting that is filled with an old boy’s network of coaches and recruiters.

Laurie Richter has written the ultimate guidebook that parents can follow. The first thing Laurie learned is that no one is in charge of the recruiting game, and the second thing she learned is that there are a lot of kids who have had coaches trailing after them as early as in 7th grade.

Like many Moms and Dads, Laurie has turned her life upside down more than once for her kids. One day she was cheering from the stands at her son’s high school basketball game and the next day (or so it seemed) she was doing a book signing at Borders and optimizing her page on Amazon. She was a publisher, running a little company of one, and people were asking her a bunch of questions as the authority on college sports recruiting and she had to learn to wear that hat with confidence.

As her son Dylan puts it, “I’m thankful my mom helped me through the recruiting process. And I’m really proud of her for the having the drive to research and write a book to help future players. I ended up at a college I’m happy with, but I know people who aren’t. It was worth all effort we put in to learn about it.”

Laurie and Dylan’s story does have a happy ending. Her son is now a freshman at a great college and as of today, his team is 19-1 and headed for the playoffs. A mother’s dream.

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» WANT TO GET ON THE COLLEGE COACHES’ RECRUITING RADAR? | November 1, 2008

When Midwest mom Laurie Richter started looking at colleges and sports programs with her son Dylan, she found herself on a road she was sure must have been traveled many times by other parents, but there were no directional signs and no visitors center with information about the process of college sports recruiting. Laurie was frustrated trying to figure it out, a sentiment that doesn’t sit well with her for very long. So she started comparing notes with other friends whose kids were also trying to get recruited. What she heard were a lot of stories with unhappy endings. Laurie soon realized that if parents really understood the process and could help navigate their kids through it, there would be a lot more happy endings. Through her own instincts and determination, Laurie uncovered the necessary knowledge and was able to forge a path that resulted in success for her son. She and Dylan found a school and athletic program that was a perfect fit for him.

Laurie has walked the walk and she’d be the first to say that there’s no substitute for having had the experience herself. Now, a year ago, if you had asked Laurie what she was determined to do next, she probably would have told you that she wanted to find a way to help parents of student-athletes start the ball rolling with confidence. What better way than to put her college recruitment findings into a book that parents new to the process would find invaluable. In fact, there was a specific moment when Laurie decided to write Put Me In, Coach. She was sitting at lunch with a friend whose son was trying to get recruited to play college lacrosse. Her friend was really stressed out and jokingly said that when recruiting was all over, Laurie could look her up at the Betty Ford Clinic. Her anxiety was a reaction that Laurie had heard over and over again. Currently, Laurie’s greatest hope is that her book will empower parents and their student-athletes by giving them the information they need to make informed decisions throughout the recruitment process.

When Laurie is not out on the speaking circuit or giving encouragement to student-athletes and their parents, she enjoys reading, volunteering, spending time with friends, and traveling with her husband, Jim, for fun and personal enlightenment. She also always enjoys a good basketball game. For her, the most enlightening aspect about travel is reflecting on the many different ways people view their world and the value they bring it. So it’s not surprising that if Laurie weren’t doing what she’s doing today in regards to being an author, she’d be involved somehow in the travel industry … or at least planning her own trip to the South Pacific!

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1. Make your visit before your senior year sport season, when you are more likely to have the time, and the college team’s season hasn’t started yet.

2. Inquire if one of the team members can take you on an informal walk-around. (The best would be if the coach does it!)

3. Don’t feel you have to prove yourself if you get to scrimmage with the current team members. If you’re good, it’ll show.

4. Bring a list of questions to ask the coaching staff and don’t be shy about referring to your list.

5. Ask current team members what a typical day is like and what they like best and least about the sports program.

6. Most important, ask when you can expect to play and when a coach wavers on an answer, ask how often they have played freshmen in the past.

7. Stay away from awkward and potentially embarrassing situations when socializing with team members.

8. If possible, observe a practice or game; try to observe the coach in action.

9. Attend a class or two in your academic area of interest.

10. Don’t make a final decision without a campus visit!

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1. What was your motivation for writing Put Me In, Coach?

2. Why do you think college athletic recruiting is an important topic?

3. How does a kid know if he or she has the athletic skills to compete at the college level?

4. Why did you write Put Me In, Coach as a parent’s guide? Why not write it for the kids?

5. What kind of research did you do before writing the book?

6. Is it more important for a student-athlete to think about the sports program or the academic program when looking at colleges?

7. What’s the best way to get a kid in front of college coaches?

8. When did you first realize that you’d have to invent your own method of getting your son through the maze of athletic recruitment?

9. What is the toughest lesson you learned going through the process with your son?

10. What is the most important point you want readers of your book to remember?

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