On Another Level
Being able to call yourself a college athlete is a goal shared among high school athletes across the country. Unfortunately not everyone with the dream will be able to achieve it. Only 7% of high schoolers move on to compete at the college level. Despite the tough odds, the expansion of social media and the development of recruitment camps has increased the chances of discovering an athlete. Even with the increased exposure to college scouts, hard work and good grades are the keys to college athletics.It used to be difficult for high school prospects to get themselves out into the spotlight, but now with the internet, all it takes is a simple email. The internet has also allowed for websites such as Perfect Game and Hudl to have information about athletes all in one place. Not only has the advancement of technology allowed for coaches to do more scouting at home, but it has also allowed them to travel to different parts of the country. Nowadays, with all of the various methods of travel, not to mention the numerous lodging options, college recruiting is easier than ever. Another way for high schoolers to get their name out there is by going to showcases or camps. These events often have multiple schools and even some professional organizations in attendance. The most popular football camps include Kohl’s Kicking Camps, NFL Series 100, and National Underclassmen Combines. Baseball players usually attend Perfect Game events which are held all over the country. If a player does well at one of the local events, he could receive an invite to a regional or national showcase. One downside to these is that they are costly, and they don’t come with the guarantee that a college coach will show interest. Even with the risk, it doesn’t stop thousands of players every year from attending these noteworthy showcases.
Wheeler High School has been a catalyst for grooming talented athletes. Former Atlanta Hawks all-star, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, attended Wheeler before playing college basketball at the University of California at Berkeley. Current Boston Celtics forward, Jaylen Brown, graduated from Wheeler in 2015 and followed in Abdur-Rahim’s footsteps and went to the University of California at Berkeley. In the early 2000s, Wheeler Baseball had multiple players drafted within the first three rounds of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft including former Wheeler pitching coach, Michael Schlact. Currently, Wheeler has some top-tier athletes such as kicker, Jake Pereira and wide receiver, Reikan Donaldson. Jake has been fielding offers from multiple schools, and he has even been invited to the Cobb Senior Bowl this year. Reikan was having a fantastic year before going down with a terrible knee injury. Despite that setback, he still has multiple offers from Division 1 schools. Center, EJ Montgomery is ranked 31st in ESPN’s top 100 and boasts offers from some of the top basketball universities in the country. Gage Vailes is a junior at Wheeler, and he is one of the top right-handed pitchers in the state of Georgia. He was invited to the Perfect Game Junior National Showcase this past summer. The future is bright for these young athletes.
Athletes do not build their displayed skills overnight. An article written by Tim Keown discussed the path Russell Westbrook took to superstardom. One thing highlighted multiple times was the amount of work Westbrook always put in. In high school, Russell was able to convince his whole team to come to school early to workout. At the time, he was a skinny, undersized point guard, but he willed himself to earn a scholarship to the University of California at Los Angeles. Darius Perry graduated from Wheeler in 2017, and he is now on a basketball scholarship at the University of Louisville. I remember I had a workout before school in the gym, and when I got there, I saw Darius already there sweating through his shirt even though he had a game that ended late the night before. It’s that kind of work ethic that college coaches search. These coaches can refine your skills, but one thing they can’t teach you is to work with a chip on your shoulder.
The path to college athletics is tough. There are no shortcuts, and even if you do everything right, there’s a chance that your dream won’t come true. Only a handful of athletes move on to participate at the college level, and even fewer have the talent to play professionally. If college athletics is something that you’re interested in, get your name out there. Email coaches to gauge their interest. Share your skills videos on multiple websites. Attend showcases and make sure schools that you are interested in are in attendance. This quote by Muhammad Ali encompasses what needs to be done to make it to the next level, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” Work hard now and reap the benefits of being able to call yourself a collegiate athlete.
Gabe is a senior at Wheeler and this is his second year on the Catalyst staff. He plays on the varsity baseball team, and he is also a D2 East Marietta...
