Benefits of a Post Graduate or Prep Year for Athletics

In the current competitive high school and college sports landscape, being prepared to play at the collegiate level has become increasingly difficult in all sports. An additional year as a post-graduate student or reclassifying before graduation can help student-athletes develop physically and mentally both on and off the floor. Individual skill development, strength and conditioning, film study, nutritional education, and an extra year of physical growth and development can help propel a student-athlete’s development and dramatically increase his or her recruitment potential.

“My decision to attend Perkiomen for my PG year was the best decision," says Chris Arcidiacono '19, now playing basketball for Villanova University. "My family and I knew that Perkiomen would be great to both expand myself as a person on the court and in the classroom.”

Benefits of Boarding

There are also social and emotional benefits to experiencing an extra year at prep school. Living away from home, waking up on your own in the morning, going to meals, doing your own laundry, having to be responsible for homework assignments, and meeting with teachers can all help in preparation for the rigors of college life. Long bus rides to and from games and finding time to complete your homework on these trips is also excellent preparation for the travel that student-athletes encounter in college athletics.

Academics

There are academic advantages as well. An extra year can help improve a standardized test score, show an upward trend in the GPA, or strengthen a transcript with Honors or AP classes. Keeshawn Kellman, a post-grad from the Class of 2019, leveraged his additional year of high school to demonstrate to the Princeton University Admissions office that he could thrive in a challenging academic environment by maintaining high grades and challenging himself with an AP course.

“Choosing to go to Perkiomen for a post-graduate year was one of the greatest and most impactful decisions of my life!" says Keeshawn, now playing at Princeton. "I was able to take classes where the teachers were passionate about instructing students and went out of their way to make sure everyone succeeded. I was able to work with Coach Baudinet and the basketball team for an additional year, honing my skills to prepare me for college basketball."

Reclassification

Another option for students is to reclassify at any point in their high school career. At Perkiomen School, students have re-classified as freshmen, sophomores, or juniors. The most common time students reclassify is the repeat junior year, something we refer to as a “2 for 1.” With college only a year away, this can be an ideal time to add the extra year of development if a student feels he or she is not getting the level of recruitment he or she wants and/or needs an extra year to prepare for college athletics. Having two years of development in a high-level program and an extra summer of recruitment makes a huge difference for most athletes. It also often provides a chance to personally mature by boarding as part of a high-level athletic program.

High school offers a short window of time to exhibit athletic ability. If a student has an injury, it can limit an athlete's options. Reclassifying, however, would allow he or she to recover from injury and reclaim the year or season they missed.

Results

Perkiomen School has had a lot of success in the past few years with athletes who chose to either reclassify or complete a post-graduate year. We have sent over a dozen of these “5^th year” student-athletes to participate in collegiate athletics, specifically in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball. These include Bryce Porter (West Chester, PA) attending Siena College to play baseball, and Chris Arcidiacono (Langhorne, PA), Keeshawn Kellman (Allentown, PA), and Josh Odunowo (Laurel, MD) attending Villanova University, Princeton University, and Columbia University respectively to compete in men’s basketball.

Next Steps

If you are interested in improving your game and increasing your recruitment opportunities like these former Panthers, please fill out the Athletic Inquiry form or contact Associate Director of Admissions & Financial Aid Terry Mangan at tmangan@perkiomen.org.

Athletic Inquiry Form        Post Grad & Prep Year at Perkiomen       Why Boarding?

By Thomas Baudinet, Director of Basketball Operations

Coach Baudinet began coaching at Perkiomen School in 2016. He has compiled a 89-36 record, including a 46-4 mark at home and two trips to the state semifinals. In 2019-20, Perkiomen defeated their first top 10 nationally ranked program in school history when they defeated #6 Northfield Mount Hermon on December 14. They also achieved their first national ranking in school history a month later when they would reach #15 in the January Hoop Hustle prep poll. During Baudinet’s tenure, 26 players have gone on to play collegiately, including 18 at the scholarship level. Prior to Perkiomen, Baudinet was the Director of Player Development for one season at the University of New Haven. Before New Haven, he played four seasons professionally- in the NBA D-League, China, Japan, and Germany. He is still the current record holder for the Kumamoto Volters of the Japanese Basketball League for points in a single game with 42. Baudinet played collegiately at St. Anselm College where he was a Division II All-American, NABC Northeast Region Player of the Year, and the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year in 2011.

We have had several goals in shaping the core mission for Perkiomen School's basketball program: first and most importantly, to help shape boys into young men on and off the court by holding them accountable to high standards, important values, and life lessons. We also strive to prepare them for college athletics both in the classroom and on the floor, while competing for PA State Tournament titles and National Prep Championship berths. We do not coach to simply win games; we coach to make our kids the best players they can be. - Thomas Baudinet, Director of Basketball Operations