good dolphin wrote:
That is a greater concentration of athletic scholarship money than most high school teams could get. Does the league have some alum type of program to highlight their former players for colleges. I know an adept coach can really make a difference in players of equal talent getting noticed.
Here is a nice story about the ACE program.
Spotlight on ACE Program
February 11th, 2015
Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t. Chicago is a city that has been ranked 1 through 3 in murder rates since 1985, and about 6% of African-American males in their public school system go on to college. Before 2006, it was easy to understand the difficulty in convincing scouts and college recruiters to delve in to the depths of the windy city. National Scout Nathan Durst, Ken Fullman, and Ro Coleman knew that the Chicago youth would succeed in the baseball world; they just needed the exposure and opportunities that other travel ball programs offered. Others might have been skeptical, but in 2006 a proposal crossed a Chicago White Sox executive’s desk.
In 2007, the first ACE team consisted of high school baseball players. It experienced moderate success, but the program wanted something more. This was simply a lesson learned, the high school age level was too old and the program could not develop talent nor cultivate their academic minds.
After a new proposal from Elite Baseball’s Justin Stone and Nathan Durst, a 13-year old team premiered. That initial team had two kids drafted in to professional baseball. As well as several kids go on to play college baseball. Louisville’s Corey Ray, Eastern Illinois’ Marshawn Taylor, Missouri’s Jerry Houston, and Alcorn State’s Robert Fletcher, are just a few of the names. However, their greatest success story is Jemelle Blue. A young man who had been shot 9 times in high school, is graduating from Texas Southern in May.
As far as success in life, the ACE program’s numbers are downright remarkable. Seventy percent of their kids come from low-income zip codes. Of the 250 kids who have taken part in the ACE program, 90 kids have gone on to college (several of those are first-generation college attendees). That is 600% better than what the Chicago Public Schools have done between 2006 and 2012.
The ACE Program has partnered with Kaplan to do ACT prep once a year, and they are in the process of setting up a tutor. In 2012, the ACE players were blessed with a field and indoor facility called the Kroc Center. This allows the team to practice four to five times a week and focus on the fundamentals all while aiding in the development of their self-discipline,
It is easy to see that the sky is the limit for this program. The ACE program matters to White Sox executives and its importance reaches all the way down to the lowest levels of this professional organization. The young men in this program are really good athletes and the next couple of years are going to be an exciting time. With the arrival of MLB scouts/NCAA baseball recruiters, more of Chicago’s youth will become inspired to play baseball. The ACE program’s main objective is to educate a player’s mind, then educate their body. Kevin Coe says, “Our goal is to create first-class citizens who can come back to out program and create a legacy.” Just like the young men blessed with the opportunity to take part, the Chicago White Sox Amateur City Elite program is on the path to success.
http://www.chicagoscoutsassociation.com/blog/