Thanks for the response. If you would like to leave your email I definitely have some further questions to ask.
Would anyone know what sorts of things I should know being a first time juco coach? Like differences in scholarships to D1 and general rules that are different as far as eligibility is concerned? It's tough for me to find these things online so any help would be great. I plan on getting my hands on a rule book this weekend and reading it through.[/quote]
While I won't say eligibility rules are non existent, I will say they are lax. No test scores needed, unless your institution requires them. Kids have to graduate high school. Easy to get in internationals.
Keeping kids eligible is a little harder. Need to average 12 credits a semester. First semester at 1.75. After that 2.0. The 12 credits they earn can be remedial, so keeping kids eligible is not the same as preparing them to transfer. Often time athletes at this level will need the remedial classes, but you have to encourage them to be aggressive with their classes as well if they want to transfer and be eligible at the next level they go to.
As far as scholarships in the NJCAA is is completely different than the NCAA. Where the NCAA gives 12.6 and 18 for equivalency for men and women in DI and i think 12 and 12 in DII, the NJCAA goes off of the number of signed Letters if Intent. Track gets 20 and cross gets 10 scholarships for both genders. This means you could potentially have 30 kids on fulls for one gender of an NJCAA track team (this is rare). Whether an athlete is on books or on tuition or on a full, they count toward your LOI totals, so you could have 30 men's book scholarships on your roster and be maxed out on LOIs. Cross country's 10 scholarships are separate from tracks 20. Cross kids can run track but to be on a cross scholarship you must run at least two cross meets. A cross only program will get 10 scholarships per gender. The real limitation is your budget and your institution. For example, for the most part the Kansas schools can give 30 tuition and books scholarships for both genders, but their conference will not allow them to cover room and board. Some programs have cash and have many scholarship athletes near full-rides, most though are not funded even near to what the rules will allow them.
NJCAA.org should have an online rule book.
I provided my email. I'll be at the convention this week, but I'll get back to when I can. Best of luck.