1). Are the 18 months that follow 8th grade graduation the most important.
2). What are the best events to attend?
3). Do you really need to play for a travel team Summer going into Jr year or should you just play tournaments with your HS team and do Showcases?
Trying to save for college and this seems a bit much. Bought into the travel concept in the early years and still believe it has paid off in skill and exposure and being in the know. But saving 20K instead of spending 6-8K a year on this seems like a better choice.
The 18 months after graduating from 8th grade are important if your son is a top tier player. If he is middle tier I think the Junior and Senior year are more important as there are plenty of schools that wait till then to fill their recruiting pipeline.
Best event to attend are camps associated with the schools your interested in. Club coaches dont like telling you that because it takes money out of their pockets. I know several top tier kids who where recruited without ever having gone to a showcase or the summer tournament circuit. They only went to the schools camps starting at a young age.
My son is committed and plays with a travel team. It is important to keep building your skills. He also does the high school team. The showcases are not a good use of money unless you have pre arranged for coaches to watch your son.
