NCAA Info Night is sponsored by the Conard and Hall PTOs and the War-Chief Sports Council and will held Feb. 7 at Conard High School in West Hartford.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford’s athletic department will be hosting an NCAA Info Night that will go far beyond informing potential college athletes about showcases to attend, the timing of official visits, and what type of video they should submit if they are interest in playing a sport at the next level.

NCAA Info Night, which will be held in the Conard High School Auditorium, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, will include a panel of athletic directors and current student-athletes, and a discussion about “responsible digital citizenship.”

Social media educator Tom Pincine of takethisplayoff.com, is the assistant athletic director of Communication and Media services at Central Connecticut State University. He’s a 19-year veteran in his position, as well as a former Division II athlete and the father of three, and has made hundreds of presentations to teens throughout the state about the perils of social media – particularly for potential college athletes.

Other speakers include Molly McCarthy, the assistant athletic director for Compliance & Student Services at CCSU, University of Hartford Athletic Director Mary Ellen Gillespie, and Conard and Hall alumni who are currently involved in college athletics.

Topics will include choosing a school that’s the right fit, how student-athletes can brand themselves for college recruitment, and what college coaches are looking for, as well as what can be expected regarding social media usage at the college level.

The forum will also include:

• Brief overview of the NCAA
• NCAA registration process
• Different levels of NCAA (I, II, III) and the differences between the three
• NCAA eligibility requirements for Division I and II
• What students should be doing now to prepare to be eligible
• College athletic recruitment tips
• What coaches are looking for in a recruit
• College recruitment timeline
• Head count vs Equivalency
• Pros and cons of sport specialization
• Scholarship limits
• The expectations that ADs have of student-athletes and parents and the hot topics in NCAA such as student-athlete mental health and recruiting periods

A Q&A period will follow the presentation.

Specific questions related to the process of NCAA athletics should be sent to West Hartford Athletic Director Jason Siegal at [email protected].

The forum is open to the public – regardless of school attended or age – and is free of charge.

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