Anyone else out there follow college soccer in Houston? Or even Texas? Recently, Houston Baptist University started back up men's and women's soccer as part of their move back to NCAA D1 athletics. I will address the men's program, since I follow that more. They had men's soccer back in the 80s when they were previously D1, and were competitive in the Atlantic Sun (formerly Trans-America) Conference, actually winning the conference a few times and cracking the top 20 in the rankings. Well, now they become only the 2nd men's team in Texas with men's D1 soccer, along with SMU. HBU has won 10 games the past couple seasons, but their schedules have not been spectacular. (You can check them out at hbuhuskies.com). Anyways, it seems to me that they could become competitive again pretty quickly because of the amount of soccer talent in Houston/Texas and even countries in the central/south Americas. If a kid wants to play soccer in Texas, not everyone is going to be able to play at SMU. Anyways, just wanted to see if there was anyone out there watching with me. (Note: I also found a forum, www.talkhuskies.com, where the soccer team is talked about, among other things)
I don't keep up with HBU soccer, but I do keep up with Texas soccer in general - my son will be a senior next year, and will play soccer in college. As you note, the only two D-1 programs in Texas are SMU and HBU - and so he will go out of state if he plays D-1. SMU is pretty good. I know a kid who was recruited there but not treated too well . . . so they aren't tops on my list. But they have a top-20 to top-50 program, depending on the year. Although Houston has very good soccer talent, Dallas is historically better. We'll see how HBU does - I think they will be OK, but my guess is that it will take them as long as other schools climbing the ranks. And much of the talent can't afford a private school tuition . . . and 9.9 scholarships doesn't go very far in covering many with a full ride (similar but not as bad as SMU). Texas does have some great choices for non-D-1 soccer. Trinity is a top-5 D-III program. They can hold their own with most good D-1 programs. Southwestern in Georgetown also has a very good D-III team . . . they just aren't as good as Trinity. Midwestern (Wichita Falls) is a top 10 D-II program - and led the nation last year in D-II attendance. St. Edwards (Austin) is also good (top 20), as is West Texas A&M (top 25). Incarnate Word (San Antonio) made it to the D-II playoffs and took Midwestern to double overtime. San Jac Jr. College is a top-5/10 junior college for soccer (and other sports). I could have easily left others off - certainly some NAIA schools . . . but this is what I know about.
Can you get Houston Baptist to at least put out a release announcing their incoming recruits? They are in the minority of programs in DI college ball that haven't announced their recruits this year. A new program in a croweded sports market should do all it can to get attention for itself and its players.
I will be the first to admit that HBU's website is severely lacking. That said, here are the only 3 new players (below) that I am aware of for the 2009-2010 season. HBU did only have 4 seniors on their team last year, so they did not have a lot of turnover, but still, I agree that the new recruits should certainly be shown. Fransisco Diaz - Cinco Ranch HS (outside Houston), Texas Soccer Club Kyle Oehring - Cy Woods HS (outside Houston) Cody Hale - Aledo HS (outside Dallas)
Thank you. HBU was recommended by his club coach, and D-A was pleased when he learned the size of the University. We were very impressed with HBU and the people we met on our visit. He knows he "has his work cut out for him",so if he gets a chance to play, it will just be icing on the cake!
This isn't the best place to put this, but I can't make my own thread for some reason. I was just wondering if any of you soccer fans could shed some light on what sort of standard the NCAA divisions are. I have recently been released from a club in england and i've been thinking about going to university in USA combined with a scholarship in soccer. Just wondering if any of you have any experiences and how popular it is out there? I've got an interview with firstpointusa coming up, but i've heard they're pricey.
To be honest, The top 10 or so schools in the NAIA are just as skilled and legit as some of the top NCAA Div I teams. You will probably find more scholarship money at an NAIA school because most Div I schools have their money committed to recruits a year or 2 in advance. There are more restrictions on an international player playing in the NCAA divisions as opposed to the NAIA (although NAIA has been tightening up its rules on foreign players). While you might not get as much exposure in the NAIA as you would in the NCAA...some of the football played amongst the top 10 or 15 teams in the NAIA is just as good as the top teams in NCAA Div I. I am not saying don't try to go to an NCAA Div I school, but don't rule out some of the soccer played in the NAIA. There are quite a few ex-pro/foreign players playing in the NAIA. I believe back in the 90's...the champions from NAIA, NCAA Div I, II, and III all played each other in a tournament at season's end and the few years they held this tournament, the NAIA team won majority, if not all the games. They haven't held it since (I am sure to save face and not lose recruits to the NAIA), but nonetheless that should give you an idea of the quality of soccer both in the NAIA and NCAA.
I know of four excellent signees for Houston Baptist that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere: Leo Munoz (Westside HS - Houston) - Houstonians FC Jaime Mimbella (Vista Ridge HS - Austin) - Houstonians FC Mateo Jimenez (SpringWoods HS - Houston) - Texas Premier Daniel Esparza (Leander HS- Austin) - Lonestar These four will make an impact and the team will be far better than most predict. When this class is sophmores and they have the run of the team, HBU will be dangerous. All very skilled and very smart players.
HBU has traditionally done a poor job of getting the top Houston players. They also still do a sub-par job of making local players "feel special" and really going after them (based on comments players have made to me). However - I agree - I've personally seen two of the four you mention, and they can be impact players. For HBU's sake, hopefully the trend continues.
Well apparently they did a great job on the two Houstonians and the Texas Premier player. I occassionally don the stripes and I saw them at a lot of Houston games and from comments heard from different players, they really recruited the Houstonians players hard (both tall and skillfull) and Jimenez is very skillful as well. Not sure about the kid that plays in Austin. But, I've seen the two from the Houstonians play club soccer and watched/ref a few Dynamo academy scrimmages that had the Jimenez kid and Mimbella kid out there. I would say that they did a good job of getting the cream of the Houston crop. From what I hear about the Austin kid, he is very skillful as well and has some relation to the other players...not sure how....maybe ODP. Oehring and Diaz are also strong Houston area recruits. So sounds like things are looking up at HBU. they will be young, but I do think this class will be the leaders really quick and the program will start on a roll in spite of itself!
The "top" players from Houston should not be going to Houston Baptist. They are a long way from being a top program or a top academic school. If they can get a couple solid guys good for them. Saying that a school like HBU should be able to recruit top home talent is a little different than SMU getting Dallas players.
Well, for some of these players, there is something to be said for remaining close to home. And you can say that SMU is a better option, but it is the only other D1 option in the state. Plenty of things can rub a kid the wrong way about a program, or make a kid like a certain program, and HBU's soccer program is on the up and up from everything that I have seen. Also, to the poster who said that HBU "traditionally" poorly recruits local players....HBU was without a team for about 20 years...not much history as far as any of the current players/staff/administration are concerned.
Their "tradition" = 2006, 2007, 2008 (as I said, they seem to have done better for 2009). I can only go by what there is, but maybe I should have said "in their existence" instead of "traditionally". But you are correct, they haven't had much recent history. My point is that they are doing a better job recruiting top Houston players as opposed to how they did the first few years. To the poster who said they shouldn't get "top" Houston players: In some sense I agree - they aren't a top soccer program and aren't a well-known academic institution. However, many Houston athletes would rather stay in Houston and go to school than play soccer at a "top" institution outside of Houston (and SMU is the only other D-1 choice, typically doesn't recruit much in Houston, and may not be the "style" school that many Houston players are looking for). I'm sure the same can be said for many other cities. The point is that out of the 30 or so "top" players in Houston, probably at least 10 would prefer to stay in Houston. HBU should easily be able to get ~5 of them that they want every year. Also, remember that many very good players aren't recruiting savvy for soccer - and so don't market themselves well and don't have many options. HBU should "swoop down" on these Houston players and get them - because they are in HBUs back-yard, HBU should know about them as opposed to other D-1 schools.
Just making sure that Houston people don't start complaining when a Houston kid chooses to go to Duke or Wake or Michigan or ... instead of Houston Baptist. It is one thing for SLU fans to complain about a lost recruit, but for Houston people to talk at this juncture about "losing" good players is rediculous. Any solid recruits that you get now should be considered a bonus. Are you saying there are 30 Division I players in Houston each year ? That seems a little high.
No complaints at all if a Houston kid picks any college over HBU. My son certainly isn't considering HBU - and would choose Trinity or Washington University over HBU, if it came down to that. However, I personally know a number of D-1 caliber kids who want to play soccer but ONLY want to stay in the area. They would rather play at St. Thomas, San Jac or Southwestern rather than Duke/Wake/Michigan. And HBU should know that and get those kids. Yes, I think there are easily 30 Division I caliber kids in Houston each and every year - soccer wise. However, some choose to play Div. II or III, some choose to stay in the area and not play soccer rather than move out of the area, some don't market themselves and so only have certain options, and some don't have the grades.
My son is one of the recruits mentioned in this thread and I can tell you that he was recruited by some of the bigger schools: Duke, UNC Greensboro, Boston College, UCSB and Tulsa. We choose HBU for several different reasons: Close to home Friends attending either HBU or UofH able to live off campus (with family) - saving housing costs But, the deciding factors were the ability to make an impact immediately as opposed to sitting one or two years at the bigger schools. The size of the school was a huge plus as well.....smaller classes mean more attention and usually a better understanding. So while it would have been nice to say my son is attending Duke, for us the smaller school, closer to home that will let him have a shot his freshman year was the better choice. I also think this team will begin to make some noise soon and that only attracts better players thus increasing the team's ability to continually attract better players. They have to start somewhere and my son like that he would be a part of starting that history as well. So, there are tons of reasons to pick any one school and I think HBU is an excellent choice for many Texans and considering that full rides are few and far between, HBU will start looking a lot better to many Texas boys.
CONGRATS! A D-1 scholarship - especially one that is full or even > 50% is a great accomplishment. Since my son is a year behind yours, any insight into the recruiting process is appreciated. Did your son's team do many recuriting tournaments (CASL, Disney, etc.) or did he do any summer camps?
Hi HBUMom, Congrats to you and your son! You listed several points that I and my son talked about. His main point being that he wanted to attend a smaller university. He was in love with HBU before his visit and is looking forward to the upcoming season. I'm looking forward to this season, too. And I have a feeling its going to be a good one, and only the beginning of great things to come for HBU Men's Soccer! He will be attending the Soccer Camp next week...
Well, I am no expert, but we found out real quick that the select coaches only had pull with a few colleges and not the ones we wanted to attend. We emailed the coaching staff of the schools he was interested in and provided them with a cover letter that highlighted his skills and a soccer resume that went into more depth. We sent video....a little more footage than a highlight reel so they can 'see' your ability to move without the ball and read the plays, etc. Of course some highlights .... we had dribbling skills, heading, goal scoring and assists in our highlight reel. We attended a ton of showcases and we emailed the coaches of the schools we were interested in and gave them our schedules. We had brochures that were handed out to the coaches at the showcases. We also mailed the brochures and hard copies of the schedule to the coaches before the tournament. As you can see, it takes a bit of work on your part so really get them to narrow their choices down a bit and focus on those schools. Other schools will come along during the showcases as well. But, before a coach ever even saw a game of ours, they had our soccer resume, highlight reel, brochure, email, and schedule. We kept our name out there....that is extremely important....probably the most important. My son won't be at camp as he is attending a camp outside the US>
HBUMom - Thanks. That's pretty much exactly what we're doing . . . I'm just always looking for any insight from those who have gone before! Best of Luck.