It Takes More Than Talent

Former Coach and college recruiter Mike Kostoff , discusses the importance of academics to earn an athletic sch0larship in his new publication: "Win All Four". The following article appeared in the Sunday, November 16th edition of the "Oakland Press.

Sunday, November 16, 2008 12:19 AM ESTBy TYLER CAMERON Special to The Oakland PressFrom a young age, kids are often introduced to sports with passion for competing, winning and being the best of the best.For many, their hearts and dreams are filled with the hope that one day they will receive an athletic scholarship that will pave the way for an education at a great college, and the possibility that they will get the chance to play the game they love professionally.But what if an athlete was denied a college scholarship because they didn’t do well their freshman or senior year of high school, or if their SAT or ACT scores were low, or if they were absent too often?Unfortunately for many high school student-athletes, this is the case for one simple reason: Their transcript wasn’t good enough, according to Mike Kostoff, former high school football coach and college recruiter, and author of “Win All Four,” a four-year guide and workbook for high school athletes aiming for college.“I’ve given seminars at the Michigan Football Camp for the past two years, and I say to them ‘Stand up if you want a scholarship’. Of course almost all of them want a scholarship,” said Kostoff, a teacher at Detroit Country Day Middle School in Beverly Hills.“And so I ask them, ‘What’s the one scholarship that’s guaranteed across the country?’ Of course they don’t have a clue, and I say ‘It’s an academic scholarship.’ If you get a certain GPA, or a certain SAT or ACT score, they will give you an academic scholarship,” Kostoff said.“Why not go for an academic scholarship? That’s a guarantee. You could have the greatest talent in the world and not qualify because of a bad GPA, and there goes your athletic scholarship out the door,” Kostoff added.His message is that the most important thing for a student-athlete looking for an athletic scholarship to do is focus on academics.Unfortunately, most student-athletes and even educators don’t understand how the college recruitment process works, or what the academic and motivational standards are for college recruitment, he said.Kostoff believes it’s his job as an educator to ensure the student-athlete understands how to qualify for college recruitment every step of the way, and that it’s a four-year process, about 740 school days.“There’s a big disconnect between what colleges require and expect, and what high schools think they want, in terms of both the NCAA Clearinghouse and admittance through the admittance office of that college,” Kostoff said.“For example, out of 800 kids, Hope College will let in 15 ‘at risk’ kids. And for high school coaches, they think that ‘at risk’ means a GPA of 2.0 or 2.5, and an 18 on their ACT. What they don’t know is that Hope College defines ‘at risk’ as at least a 2.9 with a 23 on the ACT. And where are those kids going to go with a 2.8? Nowhere,” Kostoff said.Educating students and educators themselves on the college recruitment process is just part of the battle, though.Kostoff said it’s the parents who sacrifice countless time, energy and money driving to out-of-town tournaments, buying new equipment and getting up early on weekends for practice, all in the name of their children’s dreams of playing college sports.Parents then too must understand that academics is the most important thing if they want to see their children fulfill in their athletic dreams. And even if they do succeed, that success comes at a price — the college tuition.“The average scholarship for any athlete in the NCAA is $6,000. If they qualify for a college on the East Coast that’s $35,000 a year, where’s the rest of that money going to come from?” Kostoff said.The transcript is the student-athlete’s resume for college athletics, and will tabulate everything from grades to tardies throughout their high school career, and ultimately will determine if an athlete will be eligible for college recruitment.“If your GPA doesn’t qualify, then you can’t get a scholarship, simple as that. A bad ninth-grade year could cost you that scholarship,” Kostoff said.For more information about Mike Kostoff and his workbook and guide “Win All Four,” visit http://www.totalstudentathlete.com/.