OnDeck... is it a good thing or a waste of time?

[CountryBumpkin]

We've participated in OnDeck over the last 18-months. Our experience has only been positive up to this point. However I have heard things that if you want to be recruited OnDeck is a must and college coaches love having an "athletic index" to go off of to being told college coaches think it is a joke and hate it when recruits use their OnDeck numbers as a recruiting tool.

What do you guys think? Do you use the OnDeck numbers for recruiting?

Edited to add: Is OnDeck a big thing nationwide or only in certain areas?

[BAM2]

We've been to two On Deck Camps and 1 invite. We did one daughter for the experience, an the other cause we had a Sunday off and got in. On Deck is great if your daughter needs help in getting noticed. They are a lot of coaches that have attended. I personally know of a few girls that got noticed here and verballed to Major colleges because of on deck. The Index though I think is not as critical. And I can use my kid for example. She rated in the top 7 in most categories' but wasn't invited because she was too young..... Mind you her athletic index finished in the top 10 of all combined age groups.
But coaches are looking at on field presence at any giving time during the camp, Athleticism, How they act while they are waiting, hustling, an all the stations.
Anyway JMO

[tbjd33]

We've been to two On Deck Camps and 1 invite. We did one daughter for the experience, an the other cause we had a Sunday off and got in. On Deck is great if your daughter needs help in getting noticed. They are a lot of coaches that have attended. I personally know of a few girls that got noticed here and verballed to Major colleges because of on deck. The Index though I think is not as critical. And I can use my kid for example. She rated in the top 7 in most categories' but wasn't invited because she was too young..... Mind you her athletic index finished in the top 10 of all combined age groups.
But coaches are looking at on field presence at any giving time during the camp, Athleticism, How they act while they are waiting, hustling, an all the stations.
Anyway JMO

I agree... Many I talked to put a ton of value in attending, but they don't realize putting up a bad index can hurt too. I feel overall it is a good experience for all DD's. Always good to put yourself I front of coaches.

Side note: had a school notice my daughter as an outfielder while she was shagging. Hasn't played outfield in Two years. That goes to Bam's point they watch everything

[as the world turns]

There was a time when DD was working snack bar at a showcase and sold a hot dog to a college coach, she was really impressed on how fast she filled the order. She had been selling hamburgers but hadn't sold a hot dog in Two years. I'm sure that coach will come back to her at the next showcase.

[CountryBumpkin]

Bit of an update... DD was invited to the OnDeck East Coast National Elite Camp. She performed well and caught the eye of at least 2 D1 schools. At the Colorado Jamboree earlier this year she caught the eye of 2 other D1 schools (who are still interested).

So far it has paid off. Derek & Joann are wonderful people. I hope in the end all the money we have paid to OnDeck gets her a verbal.

[Mark H]

I hear good things about Ondeck and the index is a work in progress influential people are working with them on to perfect as I understand it. Same people are trying to eventually make some sense of the current recruiting mess

[exD1dad]

The Allister's are well respected by coaches, when my DD was invited to the Mt Sac West Coast Elite National Futures Camp last year the 4 schools she was interested in immediately began a dialogue & answered her emails, requesting grades etc.

Now IMHO the recruiting landscape has changed in the last 3 years dramatically in the form of dozens of cottage industry recruiters with web sites & profiles & i can only guess how many emails coaches receive on a daily basis, a lot! That being said I think it's even more difficult for DD's to get noticed & that's where getting in front of the coaches at camps, clinics, combines etc becomes important. Well they gotta perform too Check the link for a scientific view on performance

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/0 ... _hp_ref=tw

[Tyler Durden]

There was a time when DD was working snack bar at a showcase and sold a hot dog to a college coach, she was really impressed on how fast she filled the order. She had been selling hamburgers but hadn't sold a hot dog in Two years. I'm sure that coach will come back to her at the next showcase.

Awesome. I guess they do watch everything.

[rbi]

With the EXPLOSION of camps and combines over last couple years, I will say one thing about OnDeck that most others cannot say. Ondeck is a well run, well attended (college coachs), pure event. Meaning you do not have 300 girls running around like a chicken with their heads cut off wondering why in the hell are we doing conditioning and learning how to slide. Could OnDeck put that amount of kids in an event, hell yes, but they choose not to. Plus 6 hours later at other events you wonder why you only had three live cuts and told to swing at everything and spent an hour with 6 other girls trading off hitting off tee with not a pair of eyes watching. So you scratch your head and think how are these 20 colleges getting a look at me on 3 cuts and 300 girls running around. I can only imagine what these college coachs are doing besides getting a major headache. That $250 check gets deposited in a heart beat though

Other good thing about OnDeck, is you get feedback, good or bad they will let you know how you stack up. PLUS your results are sent to dozens of college coach's, who DO look at them, trust me.

With girls committing younger and younger, these camps are really giving "other" less recruited kids a shot to get into these big time events, that in years past would of been overlooked. Now keep in mind in most of these others camps, you just sign up, pay and show up , not at OnDeck!

In all, is OnDeck a be all end all event, no but it sure is nice to have them in your pocket. Kids and parents need to be proactive in the recruiting game, dont expect it, you need to go get it in all aspects. Including but not limited to emails, letters, phone calls, texts, good fields, and most importantly hustle and quality play and positive attitude on and off the field.

Lastly, i will never forget the story i heard from a very well known TB coach who said to me, "one of my most highly recruited players of all time, was not in my top 50 talent wise, as she was a relentless marketing genius". And yes she ended up at a top PAC12 school,....FWIW

[CheckWriter]

Youngest DD now a senior in college so it has been a while since I have been at a TB event. I presume the Allisters still do it the same way though.

I would routinely see them at showcases. Stockton and HB is where I saw them most often. Watched the girls play. Talking to people in the stands. Getting tips on those under the radar diamonds in the rough. Speaking of radar, always had a radar gun in hand. They were actually SCOUTING the girls being considered camp for camp invites.

They are an OBJECTIVE source of information. In the long run, and they are clearly in it for the long run, they stand to gain only by having their service pan out for the college coaches - by having their assessments be something the college coaches can rely on.

JMO