Cougar Diaries
Soccer players prepare for fast-track transition to NCAA Division I
Mike Jones and Nick Frasca
Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Sports
as told to Tony Patrico Alestle Sports Editor
Mike Jones
The transition from high school to college was the thing I was always excited for. Thank God, my excellent senior year at Fort Zumwalt South High led in the direction of getting many offers from schools all over the region.
I always dreamed about playing for a top D-I school, but the colleges I had gotten the better offers from were all out of town. From the beginning, I wasn't sure about going far away from my home. I had many doubts about leaving my family behind, being the only man around to help out since my parents are divorced. My mom was taking care of my 78-year-old grandpa as well as herself and my older sister.
Deciding to attend SIUE, I was nervous playing for a top D-II school, but I was ready for the challenge. When I first came for my visit, the coaches told me this division would be one where I had to work hard and focus on my mental game.
Being a forward all four years of my high school career changed when my coaches decided to make me into a centerback. Being a centerback, or even playing defense, came with great responsibilities. The defense was the team. The defense started the offense and shut down others.
While playing against different types players in the league was challenging, it was also a cool experience being able to see all sorts of talent on and off the field. As a player, much was expected of me and from my teammates. In D-II, soccer programs focused on systems and formations of play.
D-II was just my first experience of challenging soccer. The team before me was used to being on top, and as my year's team went along, we were used to being the top dogs every game. Everyone wanted to beat us. Every team that played us played like it was their last game of the season, as if they wanted to end their season hard and strong. That's what made every game the game of our lives. The competition was challenging.
When talk of a transition back to D-I was going around, I was more than flabbergasted. The thought of competing with all the great D-I schools is an awesome feeling. At least for a little while, we know what type of talent we have and how much we can take from D-I styles after beating Eastern Illinois, Creighton and Tulsa. Each team gave us a fight, but we took it upon ourselves to fight that much harder.
Mike Jones
The transition from high school to college was the thing I was always excited for. Thank God, my excellent senior year at Fort Zumwalt South High led in the direction of getting many offers from schools all over the region.
I always dreamed about playing for a top D-I school, but the colleges I had gotten the better offers from were all out of town. From the beginning, I wasn't sure about going far away from my home. I had many doubts about leaving my family behind, being the only man around to help out since my parents are divorced. My mom was taking care of my 78-year-old grandpa as well as herself and my older sister.
Deciding to attend SIUE, I was nervous playing for a top D-II school, but I was ready for the challenge. When I first came for my visit, the coaches told me this division would be one where I had to work hard and focus on my mental game.
Being a forward all four years of my high school career changed when my coaches decided to make me into a centerback. Being a centerback, or even playing defense, came with great responsibilities. The defense was the team. The defense started the offense and shut down others.
While playing against different types players in the league was challenging, it was also a cool experience being able to see all sorts of talent on and off the field. As a player, much was expected of me and from my teammates. In D-II, soccer programs focused on systems and formations of play.
D-II was just my first experience of challenging soccer. The team before me was used to being on top, and as my year's team went along, we were used to being the top dogs every game. Everyone wanted to beat us. Every team that played us played like it was their last game of the season, as if they wanted to end their season hard and strong. That's what made every game the game of our lives. The competition was challenging.
When talk of a transition back to D-I was going around, I was more than flabbergasted. The thought of competing with all the great D-I schools is an awesome feeling. At least for a little while, we know what type of talent we have and how much we can take from D-I styles after beating Eastern Illinois, Creighton and Tulsa. Each team gave us a fight, but we took it upon ourselves to fight that much harder.
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