LIVING THE DREAM..CONGRATS!

Kaitlyn Borgeshi and family will celebrate Georgian Court signing

Tomorrow is a big day for FAMILIES all across the country. Tomorrow is the day when DREAMS true. PLAYERS AND THEIR PARENTS will sign a letter of intent to attend a college. MOST watching will not know all that has taken place to get them to this point. Most will never know the ups and downs that these families have gone though over the years. They won’t see the stress of the recruiting process that the parents and players have gone though.  They won’t see all the people that have helped them along the way.

Tina LeBron will join former shore superstar and current Coach, Christina Danella at Caldwell College

Most kids dream of playing in college. The fact of the matter is a young lady or man can work very hard and still not fulfill there dream of playing at the next level. There is no guarantees all the hard work will end with a scholarship. It’s the cruel reality of high school sports. The hard work only guarantees a player can look in the mirror and say I did my best. Tomorrow doing your best will turn into a dream come true…for a SPECIAL FEW!

Stephanie Lesko will take her mega talents to Bryant College

When each player signs their letter intent tomorrow. It will not have come without many sacrifices.  These players have not be able to enjoy many of the things that go along with being young.  They know what it’s like to be  away from their families. They know what it’s like to spend hours and hours in the gym. They know what it’s like to practice for  hours and come home…ONLY TO HAVE TO DO HOMEWORK! They know what it feels like, not to get a good nights  sleep. The know what it feels like to be too tired to eat. They know what it’s like to skip the cool party. They knew that showing up and not making excuses was the only way…even if it meant giving up some of the things their peers were enjoying.  The parents and players signing tomorrow will smile and will know it it’s all been worth the ride….but god knows it wasn’t easy.

 Syd Sabino (Wagner College) will join older sister Sam(UNH) at the D1 level

The parents of these young ladies and men will sign their child’s letter of intent. It’s their signature every college needs to make things official. With that signature on that letter of intent, these parents will save hundreds of thousands of dollars. It will relieve them of the financial burden that many kids have attending college. Their children will leave college not in debt but with a clean financial start. But they will STILL remember the financial sacrifices made every step of the way to help make their child’s  dreams come true…KNOWING THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE when they first started this journey.

The Money Crew… Zeo Pero (St. Peters College) Kelly Crouch (Wagner College) and GiGI Caponegro (Long Island University)

Parents will think back to all the money spent on training, AAU, the hotels, the gas for travel, uniforms and eating on the road. They will remember the shirts they had to buy their child at a event as a souvenir…WHEN THEY KNEW COULDN’T AFFORD IT. They will remember the look in their child’s eyes when they had to say “NO” because their was no money. They will remember the Gatorade money spent that most kids take for granted. They will remember how other sibling had to play 2nd fiddle in order to make practices and games. Tomorrow these parents will reap the benefits of all there family sacrifices…. made FOR THEIR CHILD. Mom will remember that bag she had her eyes on and wanted but couldn’t or wouldn’t  buy because they needed that money for basketball. Dad will remember that dinner out with his wife that never happened because of the money needed for training. The parents will remember that overtime or extra job they took so they could pay for camp over the years. They made all the sacrifices willingly and gladly…just so their child could live the dream of playing college basketball.

Nicole Morris and her Mom are all thumbs up on HOLY CROSS

Tomorrow families will validate a long journey that has not always been easy.  There will now know the family trips, the traditions before and after games will be continued. The long conversations in the car that bring families together will continue. New traditions will be created like meetings at the same restaurant before and after a game at a college. Families members from all across country will gather around and watch games on TV when they cannot attend. The cheering and the fun of being part of college athletics will make the years of sacrifices, ALL WORTH IT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. It all will continue due to sacrifice and commitment.

Stephanie Karcz(LOYOLA COLLEGE) is not the only one to beat the odds…her MOM is cancer free

There all will be there tomorrow. That AAU coach, that high school coach, that youth coach, that relative, that best friend. They all will surround the table when each player signs that letter of intent. The friend who reminded that player not to give up. That coach who pushed that player to be the best they could be. That relative no matter how bad they played smiled and told them they were great after a game. That AAU coach who advocated and helped get them the exposure. That youth coach who made the game fun and created the interest. These are the people who were in shadows and helped each player live their dream of playing in college. These are the people who at times may have believed more than the player did themselves at times… THEY KNEW THEY WERE SPECIAL and tomorrow; it’s the players chance to say out loud “thank you and we have made it and you were a big reason”…THE VILLAGE, WHO IS ME… HAS WON THANKS TO YOU!”

Kelly Campbell and DePaul getting married tomorrow!

Tomorrow you will read that many players across the country won a scholarship. I am here to tell you nobody wins a scholarship, they EARN IT. The chances of receiving a division one women’s basketball are very remote. There are only about 350 division one programs, the odds of playing at the Division 1 level are less than 2%  not exactly the best odds… no matter how good you are. The odds of getting a D2 scholarship are not much better. TOMORROW A NUMBER OF KIDS WILL HAVE BEAT THE ODDS!

Tomorrow you will see pictures in the newspaper and social media. It will signal to everyone that a group of kids have lived the dream. It will not show the long summers or the mega hours traveling on the road. The pictures won’t show the tears and pains of doubts along the way. It won’t show the test of mental toughness when the haters and doubters threw rocks verbally, by pen, on message boards or social media. Tomorrow those ugly folks won’t matter, because tomorrow is validation day; it’s the haters worse day.  

Proof they do grow up and dreams do come TRUE!

There will be many watching and asking if I only I had run a little harder, maybe If I just didn’t give up, maybe If could have just hung in there a little longer, maybe if I just could have played it out to the end… maybe THEN JUST MAYBE my dream could’ve come true. Will tomorrow those kids and families signing letters of intent will be role models to those who think their dreams are dead or there road to success is too long and hard. They will give those who think it over a gift… that GIFT OF HOPE!…they will maybe convince a senior or junior who has not received that offer…TOO NEVER GIVE UP.  These kids will be showing everyone with a dream…There are NO Guarantees …BUT YOU CAN DO IT.

UPDATE

THE BOOT CAMP IS HERE..

SIGN UP HERE-  http://hoopgroup.com/headquarters/clinics/preseason-high-school-boot-camp