Northwest High School will offer an informational session for parents with student-athletes desiring to compete at the college level and in search of athletic scholarships.

Gary Hiles, author of A Simple Guide to Getting an Athletic Scholarship, will present information and host a question-and-answer session at Northwest High School on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

This session is open to parents and athletes from throughout the area, and copies of the book will be available for purchase.

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As a public school administrator and the father of two athletically talented sons, I had hopes that one or both would develop to the point where it was possible for them to get an athletic scholarship to college. I never pushed either of my sons toward athletics but did support them through my coaching of their teams and attendance at practice and games once they chose the sport in which they wished to participate.

Scott, my younger son, participated in baseball from (K-12) and basketball from (K-11). He was an exceptional left–handed baseball pitcher and first baseman. He played varsity four years in high school but his interest waned after graduation when he opted to concentrate on academics in college rather than athletics.

Greg my older son played baseball and basketball from (K-12). Even though he excelled in baseball and earned League and City All Star status as a senior his true love was basketball. At 6’5” Greg played the “two” guard position and was named to the All City of Cincinnati and all conference teams his senior year. His team, the Mt Healthy Owls, lost in the Ohio State High School Basketball Tournament in the semi final game in 1986. Even though he was an outstanding shooter and defensive player there were no sports scholarships offered initially to him. The University of Kentucky offered him a partial scholarship in baseball but we wanted more.

Once Gary Hiles became involved, Greg was recruited by Ball State University in Indiana, and University of Missouri–Rolla, a division II school and the Engineering Campus for the University of Missouri. Greg was offered a basketball scholarship and signed a National Letter of Intent with the University of Missouri at Rolla.

After playing four years and receiving his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering he remained on campus for an additional year and received a Masters Degree in Engineering Management. The Masters was funded through academic scholarships and a Chancellor’s Scholarship. After graduating with a Masters Degree, Greg entered O.C.S. for the U.S. Navy and received his commission as an Ensign. He spent the following six years aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Dwight Eisenhower then taught R.O.T.C. for the U.S. Navy for his final two years in the military at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Greg is now Project Manager for a construction company in Chapel Hill. All of Greg’s college education was funded as a result of Gary’s interest in high school athletics and in helping overlooked athletes obtain scholarships.

Our family is grateful to Gary for his role in getting Greg noticed by college coaches and ultimately in his receiving a full four year basketball scholarship.

Thanks Gary!

Samuel J Sallee
Retired Principal and Administrator
Mt. Healthy City Schools
Mt. Healthy, Ohio

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The excerpt below is taken from The Register Herald (Eaton, Ohio), published on November 2nd, 2011.

Hiles’ book aims to make recruiting easier on parents, athletes

By Ryan Peverly

Gary Hiles leaned forward in his chair and formed his hands into balled-up fists on a table in front of him.

“Parents are just hounded by recruiting firms, man — hounded,” he said. “They’re asking these parents to pay them mega-bucks to introduce their kid to colleges. It’s ridiculous.”

Hiles, an Eaton resident who’s just published a book titled “A Simple Guide to Getting an Athletic Scholarship,” is angry.

Not at these parents who shell out a price tag akin to a year of college tuition for a chance to score their son or daughter an athletic scholarship to a post-secondary institution.

Not at these high school athletes who have become more of a commodity to colleges and universities than ever before.

Not even at these recruiting firms who charge a price tag akin to a year of college tuition to help Mom or Dad find a college for their kid.

He’s just angry at the system. At the way high school athletes are being recruited have to be recruited and at the modern recruiting landscape, which has become more and more about making money off of kids and less and less about student-athletes finding their home-away-from-home in college.

So Hiles is doing his part to help those parents and their student-athletes by publishing “A Simple Guide,” a 167-page breeze of a read that acts as a recruiting manifesto for parents.

Hiles — who has spent the last three decades helping local athletes connect with NCAA Division I, II and III schools — offers advice to parents about how to handle their childs recruitment, and the book also includes testimonials from those who have already heeded Hiles advice, which urges parents to evaluate their athletes early and properly, and get started with their recruitment as soon as possible.

“Its a lot easier for parents to start the recruiting process,” Hiles said. “If parents can help the coaches and work with them so they’re on the same page, the process becomes a lot easier for everyone involved. The parents can focus on their individual athlete, and they can take some of that pressure off the coach.

“But parents have to be able to evaluate their athletes. We all love our kids, but some parents can over-inflate the quality of their athlete. If they evaluate their athlete properly and think they have the potential to play collegiately then they should start the recruiting process early and see where it goes from there. It’s never too soon to look into stuff like this.”

Hiles also urged parents to use the technology thats available to them as a way to kick-start the recruiting process.

“They can do a lot of this networking type stuff for free,” he said. “They can upload video clips on the Internet, they can email coaches. And these recruiting firms want the money up front to do the same thing, and most of them don’t live up to their end of the deal.

“And that’s kind of why I wrote this book to help guide the parents through the process, from start to finish. This book is not just for kids or parents of kids in high school, like I said. They can get started early if they want to, and they probably need to, in some cases.

“I’m really happy with what I’ve done,” Hiles added, “and I think parents will be too. The book is easy to read, doesnt burn them out, and its informative. It’s been a very rewarding process to me over the years, and I hope it’s rewarding to those who read my material.”

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