One of the biggest misconceptions among players and parents who are thinking about college recruiting is that the position they play in high school or club matters significantly to colleges. I can’t count the number of times I’ve tried to talk down concerned players or parents who were of the mindset that their chances of being recruited were being lessened by playing the position their team needed rather than playing their probable future position in college.
The fact of the matter is that the college game, even at small colleges, is so much different than the high school game from the level of ball control to the size, speed, and power of even the average player. Because of this, I would venture an estimate that only around half of college players are playing the position they played in high school. There are tons of college outsides who were middles in HS and almost as many opposites who are converted former outsides or middles. I would be confident in saying that well over half of the libero’s and DS’s in college were outsides or setters in high school. Although rare, I’ve even had some setters who didn’t set for their high school team!
The bottom line is this; be a great athlete with a great attitude and make yourself available. College coaches are just looking for athletes they can train to fit in to their program where they need them. This isn’t just for small colleges either; go back over the Husker rosters the past few years and see how many players moved around position wise DURING their college career much less from what positions they played in high school!
The last point about this whole position thing is that your attitude about it carries a great deal of weight and how you present yourself in regards to it can say a lot about you;
“I’m an outside, but my high school coach makes me play middle…”
“I’m a middle for my high school team because that’s what we need, but I’ve been told by a few coaches that I’m probably more of a pin hitter in college.”
Same statement, but which one sounds like someone I want on my team?
So regardless of where you are on the floor, play hard, be a great teammate, mention your availability to play multiple positions in your recruit communications, and train your entire game. Your college coach is going to put you where he or she wants with very little thought given to what position you are playing now 😊
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