Even amidst a global pandemic, high school student athletes still have hopes to get recruited. With COVID-19, certain changes will need to be put in place. The National Letter of Intent has changed signing dates, but still athletes will need to put in the work to get recruited.

“The process has been extremely different during the pandemic. I was recovering from an ACL tear before the pandemic started, which made my recruiting even harder,” said NDB senior basketball player Alaiyah San Juan. It’s more competitive for the Class of 2021 because girls who got offers before the pandemic just took them, closing the recruiting Class for 2021 athletes much faster than in the past.”

San Juan added that NDB’s basketball coaches have been helping her in this process by reaching out to coaches and being a second voice for her. Without the typical schedule of athletic events, it is harder for the skills of the athletes to be showcased.

“I started the process a little before the pandemic started but it definitely has been a lot harder,” said NDB senior and soccer player Julia Roche on how her athletic recruitment has been affected. “Usually coaches would come to tournaments and games to see you play and get an idea of you as a player. Because of the pandemic, coaches haven’t had the opportunity to come and see these games and tournaments which means the only thing they have is video to rely on.”

To help give more insight on what colleges may be expecting during this recruitment process, The Catalyst talked to Athletics Director Jason Levine.

“Continue to workout and create videos of any type of skill work and post. More importantly, do not post on social media pictures of themselves at large gatherings of people – especially parties during this time,” said Levine. “Colleges may think twice about letting that particular athlete come to their school because the athlete may not follow the rules set forth by the college since they are already not following the rules of the local government.”

Overall, NDB has high hopes for its athletes at this time.

“The coaches at NDB have helped me a lot and reached out to coaches for me to make the process easier. I would not be where I am today without them and I am so thankful for them and all the athletic staff,” said Roche.

“We always hope that our student athletes who wish to continue to pursue their dream to play sports in college are successful in doing so,” said Levine. “It is always a great day to be a Tiger and see our student-athletes accomplish their dream.”

Keep training Tigers, and grab those goals!