Sound advice

L.E.A.D. is an acronym that stands for Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct. We successfully carry out our mission by advising parents, coaches and players about the college baseball recruiting process so that the families we serve can use baseball to access college.

Back in the day, baseball scouts would always find you if you were a good baseball player. It was also back in the day when you only had to pay $100 to play baseball. There was no need for families to budget for private baseball instruction because the industry didn't exist. Today, the baseball industry is worth billions. To be competitive for a baseball scholarship you must invest in all or a combination of the following resources and services (professional skill instructor, speed/strength coach, nutritionist, mental performance coach, baseball equipment, travel expenses to showcases/tournaments, showcase/tournament fees, and an advisor to help you manage the process) just to name a few.

I have successfully worked in the baseball industry as a skill trainer and advisor for 12 years. To give a child the best chance to leverage baseball to receive a baseball scholarship, you have to invest a minimum of $8,000 annually into the student/athlete. If you start the process after 15, you are too late.

L.E.A.D. exists because my parents didn't have $8,000 to invest in my dream of playing college and professional baseball. Today, 75% of inner city Atlanta students live at or below the poverty line. How can these young men possibly dream of playing a game that they love at the collegiate level when they don't have the income to support the dream? How did I do it? I did it with the help of my parents, T.J. Wilson, Dave Whitfield and others within the Atlanta community.

My advice as the owner of Diamond Directors (www.DiamondDirectors.com) has helped placed Brandon Thomas at GA Tech, Chris Epps to Clemson University, Jason Heyward (Atlanta Braves) to UCLA, Dexter Fowler (Colorado Rockies) to Harvard and many more. How does L.E.A.D. continue to send so many inner city students to college on baseball scholarships? Sound advice from someone who has lived the life!