-Playing basketball in college has been your dream for as long as you can remember. However, now that you’re in high school accomplishing it is not as easy as you expected. The good news for you is that you’re not alone. All you need is a little extra help because knowing how to get recruited for college basketball is not as difficult as you once thought.
How to get recruited for college basketball
A Few College Basketball Recruiting Facts
Basketball is one of the top scholarship sports in all of college athletics. There are almost 1,900 college basketball teams with over 20,000 college basketball players combined.
Your chance of playing college basketball after high school is just over 3 %. However, the chance of you playing Division 1 basketball is just under 1 %. The odds are stacked against you, so how will you achieve your goal of playing college basketball?
If you truly want to play college basketball at the Division 1 level you have to be two steps ahead of your competition.
Fun fact: Athletic scholarships offered to D1, D2, JUCO, and NAIA programs (women’s and men’s) combine for over $2 billion. There’s a lot of money in college basketball, you deserve a piece of it!
When Does Recruiting Start for Basketball
Recruiting for basketball starts the day it becomes your goal to play in college. It is now your responsibility to get it done on the court, in the classroom, and at the weight room.
Once you’ve made this decision, you can start to complete other essentials needed to have a rewarding recruiting process. This includes researching colleges, putting together a highlight tape, and looking in to camps/showcases. Generally, most of this work will occur during your freshman and sophomore year of high school.
As we start to introduce dates, it’s important to keep in mind that there’s a distinction between when you should begin the recruiting process and when you should expect to hear from college coaches. The top athletes will begin to hear from coaches before they even reach high school.
However, if you’re like the majority of recruits, D1 basketball coaches won’t start reaching out until your sophomore or junior year of high school. Most of their rosters will be filled for your recruiting class by the end of your junior year or early senior year of high school.
D2, D3, NJCAA, and NAIA coaches typically don’t start actively recruiting until you are a junior or senior. They recruit later than D1 programs because they typically go after recruits who haven’t yet been picked up.
For this reason alone many talented prospects slip through the cracks (maybe even you) and need a little extra boost in their recruiting journey. The earlier you start the more opportunities you will have and the greater your chance for success will be.
Evaluating Yourself and Setting Expectations
The college basketball recruiting process starts with you, your family, and any current coaches you have (whether high school or an AAU coach).
Take some time to go through the questions we are proposing here and answer them honestly. Be truthful with yourself or it could back fire in the long run.
How badly do I want to play basketball in college?
It doesn’t matter what division level you compete at, basketball is going to take up a lot of your time. If you struggle with motivation in high school then playing in college is probably not going to work out for you.
There will be early practices, lifting sessions, games, film studies, and traveling on top of classes, study hall, and homework. Make sure you are ready for this level of commitment before jumping into the recruiting process full force.
The average day of college athlete is much more intense than what you’re use to in high school.
Where do I currently stand in terms of talent level?
This might be one of the hardest questions to answer because we tend to overrate our own abilities and our parents often do as well. However, answering this question truthfully is critical to understanding where you are today and where you want to be.
First, you will need to evaluate your current athleticism and skillset. Next, try to project how much you will be able to improve by the time you reach your freshman year of college.
This is the perfect time for you to discuss your goals of playing college basketball and have an honest conversation about your skill level with your coach. You also have the ability to get evaluated by a third-party such as College Athlete Insight.
Am I qualified to play in college?
There are lots of opportunities for basketball players at the Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA, and NJCAA levels.
If you are wondering what levels you might be qualified for feel free to reach out to us or ask your current coach. It is important to understand the differences between each division and which ones you are qualified to play in.
Creating a List and Researching College Basketball Programs
One of the most important steps throughout the recruiting process is researching college programs and creating a list on schools you feel would be good a fit. A list of 20-30 schools is perfect.
When researching colleges make sure to consider location, academics, size, and social life on top of their basketball program. As time goes on you will begin to cut down this list until it is time to make your commitment.
Here’s how we recommend breaking down your list:
5 Dream Schools:
These are schools you have dreamed of playing basketball for since you were a kid. They might also be colleges that are extremely competitive in terms of academics (ex. Ivy League, Duke, MIT). Some of these colleges might also be really expensive and affording them may not be possible unless given a full athletic scholarship or substantial financial aid.
7 Security Schools:
Colleges within this category are very attainable and you have no doubt you can play basketball for them as well as qualify to play there academically. It is never bad to add more schools to this category within your list. Make sure you are reaching out to coaches at your security schools so they know of your interest. This could be very helpful later on if the other schools on your list don’t work out.
12 Target Schools:
This is where you’ll put the schools that best match you athletically, academically, and socially. You should focus most of your attention on college basketball programs within this category.
As you are creating your list it is also critical to get third party input to make sure you stay on track and have schools within all three categories that can be attained.
The College Recruiting Guidebook
The college recruiting guidebook is the ultimate manual to earning an athletic scholarship for student-athletes and parents.
How would a $50,000/year athletic scholarship change your families life?
Inside the guidebook you’ll have access to:
- step-by-step instructions freshman through senior year
- every single college coaches email in the country (broken up by division and school)
- sample email/dm/text templates you can use
- a manual for parents on how to negotiate scholarships/financial aid with college coaches
- access to an array of bonuses you won’t find anywhere else
Parents will pay $20 just for admission in to their kids game. You can get this guidebook for the same price.
The college recruiting guidebook could literally change your families future!
Start Working with Your Current Coaches
One of the best resources during the whole recruiting process will be your high school basketball coach. They should already have a bunch of contacts throughout the college basketball world.
This is why you need to make it clear from the start that you want to continue your basketball career after high school. That way your coach understands your intentions and can start reaching out to colleges about you. It’s his job to not only coach you, but also help you get to the next level.
Another resource you should utilize is your AAU/Travel coach. We understand not everyone plays AAU, but if you do make sure those coaches are marketing your abilities as well.
Many of the AAU coaches we know just so happened to play basketball in college themselves. Therefore, they already should have an understanding of the recruiting process and be willing to help you.
Keep in mind that some college coaches will also reach out to your high school and AAU coaches on their own. This is why you want to build a good relationship with them because when those calls occur you need them telling the college coaches positive things about you, not any problems or negative things.
Many athletes get hurt in the recruiting process because they burn bridges with a coach who then talks down on them to a college coach. As bad as this sounds, it is reality and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.
At the end of the day, your college basketball recruiting journey can often come down to connections.
Creating a Highlight Tape
Making a highlight video is an extremely important step in the college basketball recruiting process. College coaches don’t have the time or resources to go across the country and watch every recruit play in person.
High school and college basketball seasons overlap each other leaving a very small time frame for coaches to go out and see you play. That is why you are going to compile all of your best plays and skills in to a 3-5 minute highlight tape.
Here are some suggestions to help you along the way:
Put your best plays first: Coaches don’t have the time to watch every prospects entire highlight tape so make sure you make a good first impression to keep them engaged.
Add in variety: You should use different types of plays to showcase all of your skills. Coaches want to see all of the unique things you can do, not just 10 straight clips of basically the same thing. IQ and athleticism are important to show as well.
Extras: Music, sound effects, and intros aren’t necessary. If you spotlight yourself make sure you do it before the play. Show your versatility by having clips from both offense and defense.
Having a good highlight tape is a tremendous way to get noticed by college coaches and get your name in their system. If a coach is interested after observing your highlight video they will begin to arrange a time to see you play in person, request full game footage, or invite you to their campus.
Begin Reaching out to College Coaches
Now that you’ve completed some of the college basketball recruiting essentials you can begin reaching out to college coaches. Keep in mind that coaches receive lots of messages, mail, and texts daily. It is important to stand out from the crowd if you want to get noticed.
Here’s a solid guide filled with tips and strategies to help you get started:
- Don’t be discouraged or nervous to send an email; if you don’t try you’ll never know what could have been.
- If you aren’t sure who to reach out to at a larger program, start with the recruiting coordinator. Granted there’s no recruiting coordinator, contact the position coach, then the assistant coach, and finally the head coach.
- Send an introductory email that includes your updated highlight tape, any key statistics or awards, and your GPA if it is above a 3.0. Make sure there aren’t any grammar or spelling mistakes before sending.
- You now need to respond to everything coaches send you, including recruiting letters, emails, social media direct messages, and more.
- Continue to follow up with the coaches, sending them updated highlight tapes and new statistics/awards you garnered.
- Feel free to invite coaches to one of your games. Don’t over do it, but the more times your name comes across their desk, the better off you will be.
Understanding Star Ratings in College Basketball
Every year the main media websites release a list of their top college basketball prospects. Star ratings are attached along with any offers those kids might have.
The best players are given a 5-star rating. It then goes all the way down to lower-end prospects who typically receive a 2-star rating.
ESPN, 247Sports.com, Rivals.com, and Scout.com are the main rating companies.
To assign a rating these media platforms typically analyze film footage, attend live games, camps and combines, and judge overall athleticism to make their decisions.
Just because you are given a 5-star does not mean you will excel in college. The same goes for kids that don’t receive any stars as they are often the prospects who play with a chip on their shoulder and end up proving a lot of people wrong.
What Star Ratings Do
The star ratings help these media companies make money, but they also serve a few other purposes. They provide people with an easy way to see who the top recruits are and the ability to track their journey.
The ratings also help college coaches find athletes who are the right caliber for their program. Keep in mind though, that star ratings aren’t an exact science and certainly don’t guarantee success.
Plenty of 2-star and no-star athletes have gone on to have successful college and even professional careers. If you do receive a ranking, use it as a baseline to find programs that might fit you well. However, don’t let it deter you from contacting coaches at schools that might seem out of your reach.
Why You Might Need to Attend Some Camps, Showcases, and Combines
The college basketball season overlaps with the high school season making it very hard for coaches to see every recruit play in person. That is why you need a good highlight tape, but will also most likely to attend some camps, showcases, and combines. It is very important to do some research and attend events that will maximize your exposure.
Camps:
Camps are a great way for recruits to show off their skill sets and athleticism to coaches who they are interested in. You will also have the ability to talk with the coaches and begin building a personal relationship. This is one of the most important things, so always talk with the coaches before, during, and after the event.
Elite camps are one of the best investments you can make. The competition to attend is getting stronger every year. At Ivy League elite camps there are usually 50+ coaches in attendance. The demand to get an elite education, at a fraction of the cost, through the game of basketball is highly sought after.
Showcases/Combines:
College coaches usually do not attend showcases, but they still play an important role in the basketball recruiting process. Lots of media companies and scouting services will be in attendance. With a strong performance you will get extra exposure from those third party services in the form of a video or online article. Picking the right showcases is key.
Important Note About Events Like These:
At a camp, coaches often have very little time to look at each and every athlete. They make quick first impressions and athleticism is often the first thing they examine.
As unfortunate as it is, many colleges coaches would rather take an athletic kid over one who is more skilled, but athletically inferior. That is because of something called potential.
Kids that can dunk are always the first one coaches look at in a camp setting.
Anyway, you can actually use this to your advantage by getting stronger, faster, quicker, and more explosive.
Supervising Your College Basketball Recruiting Process
The college basketball recruiting process can be very frustrating and confusing. You might feel stuck or unsure of what the next step is for you.
This time period is one of the main reasons we created College Athlete Insight. We want you to keep moving forward and worry more about improving your game rather than all the recruiting stuff.
Here’s what you need to be doing during this time phase:
- Keep communicating with college coaches especially the ones showing you the most interest.
- Feel free to add new schools to your list that might have contacted you. Make sure to remove schools as you move on as well.
- Update your highlight videos and continue to send them out to college coaches and third parties that will distribute them.
- Take the ACT and SAT. Have an idea what scores you will need for all the schools on your list.
- Go on unofficial visits as well as official visits. At this point your list should be getting narrower with a decision to be made in the near future.
- Stay on top of your grades and academic requirements.
- Check on deadlines whether for financial aid or the eligibility center.
- Be sure to update everything so if a coach ever asks you will have all your most recent tapes, stats, and grades.
The Impact of Redshirting and How it Works
College basketball redshirts the second most amount of athletes behind only football. A redshirt year is especially important in basketball to help put on strength, learn the system, and get use to the college grind.
You won’t be able to play in games, but will be a full participant in practice, lifting, and school. A redshirt year is beneficial to many athletes.
You can ask coaches if they are big on redshirting or typically stay away from it.
My Experience:
I had a wild college basketball recruiting process, but it all worked out in the end.
- worked my butt off
- earned 10+ offers
- committed to a school
- decommitted
- lost all my offers
- signed to D1 Boston University
I created CAI to help you (an underrated and overlooked hooper) get recruited to play in college.
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