So you want to play college basketball? If so, there are a couple of things that you need. First off, and most obvious, you need to be a good player. In addition to this, coaches have to be aware of what you bring to the party. If you have both of these two things going for you, there is a good chance that you will be well on your way to playing college basketball sometime in the near future.
Once college coaches begin to notice what you can do on the court, the recruiting process will begin to heat up. For the best players, they really start getting recruited hard during their junior year in high school. Players that are a bit behind, more or less late bloomers, may not get discovered until their senior year. But no matter when the college coaches begin to contact you, the recruiting process is going to be pretty much the same.
1. If a college coach is interested in you, they will get in touch with you via mail or telephone. In fact, they may even contact your high school coach in order to get further information on you. As you can imagine, this makes having a good relationship with your high school coach very important.
2. Once you have been contacted, you will have the chance to correspond with the coach about what you are looking for, what you expect from college, and much more. Make sure that you ask any questions that are on your mind during this time. You will have time to ask questions later as well, but you might as well start early.
3. If everything progresses as it should, the coach will set up a meeting with you. Depending on the school, as well as how interested the coach is, you will either meet on campus, at home, or at your high school.
4. Most coaches will also want to come to at least one of your games to see how well you perform. If you are a heavily recruited player you will have coaches at most of your games, vying for your services.
5. When your senior season is over, you will have to compare all your offers, and then make a decision on what school is best for you. Base this decision on more than just the basketball program. You need to consider everything from the academics to proximity to home, and much more.
6. If you are going to receive a scholarship, you will sign a letter of intent with the college that you choose. For division three schools this is not necessary.
Now that you know the details of the recruiting process, all you have to do is perform on the court. When you show that you are a college level athlete, coaches will surely begin the process at step one!
