College Basketball Recruiting Process: Understanding How it Works

You’re reading this article because you want to understand more about how the college basketball recruiting process work. That’s good, because to play basketball in college you first have to be recruited and that is no easy task.

Only a small percentage of high school athletes will go on to play in college (about 3%).

In this article, I will cover the basics of how the college basketball recruiting process works.

Keep in mind, it will differ slightly between men’s and women’s basketball.

On top of that, some tips will be provided on how to get your name in front of coaches, recruiting services, and top AAU teams.

Understanding how the college basketball recruiting process operates will help you get ahead of the competition!

When Does Recruiting Start?

There are several factors that determine when recruiting starts:

• What level the college competes at
• The coach’s strategy
• Men’s or Women’s
• Athlete’s development stage

Typically, basketball recruiting starts at a much younger age for girls compared to boys.

This is because they develop faster and their potential can be seen earlier. College coaches begin looking after 8th grade for girls who they feel are on the college trajectory.

The effect of this is that girls often commit to a school early in their high school career. Entire classes might be filled out several years ahead of when they are suppose to touch foot on campus.

On the boys side, recruiting varies on how fast kids develop and when the potential can be realized. Some kids will get recruited as early as 7th grade, while others don’t reach their full potential until the end of their senior year.

This can lead to super late commitments and high anxiety for everyone involved.

College basketball recruiting starts at different times for everybody, but on average most kids will begin to hear from coaches either their sophomore or junior year of high school.

What do Basketball Recruiting Services Do?

When there is a demand for something there will always be a business willing to supply it. A great example of this is college basketball recruiting services.

In a perfect world, college coaches would be able to go out and find the exact type of players they need. However, this is impossible due to the large quantity of high school athletes, not only in the US, but around the world.

College basketball recruiting services are the middle-men between overlooked high school athletes and college coaches.

They are a very useful tool, especially for smaller schools who can’t always afford traveling costs associated with watching potential prospects.

These services won’t land you at Duke, but they can help get your recruiting started. If you’re planning to play at the D3 or NAIA level – recruiting services are your friend.

Before picking a recruiting service you need to do some research and make sure they are out for your best interest.

Understanding the college recruiting process as a whole is essential!

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! 

Download the Guidebook

When Can College Coaches Watch You?

Technically all the time if they are shown your film. Some ways – email, direct message, or through recruiting services.

However, most coaches will want to see you live before offering you a spot on the team. The NCAA sets the time frames for when college coaches can go watch athletes.

The two most important times for basketball are in April and July. For two weekends, coaches can go watch prospects play in AAU events and showcases.

There is also a set time for when colleges can contact you– so be aware of that.

Do not freak out if there are a bunch of coaches talking to you one day and then none the next day. It might just be a dead-period or time when no contact is allowed.

Always be proactive with college coaches and respond to all forms of contact. Use social media to your advantage as well.

Many coaches are now using Twitter and Instagram to get in touch with prospects.

High School, AAU, or Camps?

College coaches will have the ability to watch you play in a variety of different ways. Often, coaches prefer to watch you in AAU events because at those events they are able to see you play against higher competition.

Most kids receive offers from those type of events. High level camps (elite or invite-only) also provide kids with that opportunity, but sometimes these camps and AAU tournaments are going on simultaneously.

Basketball coaches love to evaluate players at AAU tournaments and at elite camps.

Some colleges like to watch kids in high school, but for most they want to see you play at other events against better teams and players.

Never spread yourself too thin and attend different types of events to have the highest chance of being seen.

Conclusion: Understand the College Basketball Recruiting Process

The college basketball recruiting process is not perfect and is frustrating for many high school athletes. Due to the high quantity of available kids it is hard to evaluate all the talent.

This is one of the main reasons why the transfer rate is so high in college basketball. Kids are either at the wrong level or want a better situation for themselves.

Understanding the college recruiting process is hard due to all the technicalities involved and ever-changing factors.

Give yourself the opportunity to be seen by coaches. Stay proactive in talking with them and setting up visits.

Utilize our services to gain more exposure or get help with managing the process. Play to the best of your ability and give it your all.

If you do these things you will be on your way to joining the small percentage of high school athletes who get the opportunity to play basketball in college.

Play hard, have fun, love the process, and go get recruited!