Get Recruited to Play College Basketball: What International Players Need to Know

It might seem like a daunting task, but if you know the basics for how to get recruited to play college basketball fo International Players it can definitely really help you formulate a plan to get going. The main thing is that you must have a plan. Some kind of set approach that you follow and can track your progress. This way, you will not feel so overwhelmed. If you can see where you started from and where your heading for you are more likely to stick with things and get it done.

Why do International players go to the USA to play college basketball?

Playing college basketball is a goal that many international basketball players have and it is a great goal to have. Typically, international players want to go to the USA to play college basketball because they can play a high level of college basketball and push themselves further as a player and as a person. This can ultimately help them in the future, if later on they decide to continue with a professional career once they finish their college education.

Also, if you have the skill set and characteristics a Coach is looking for, some players are presented with the opportunity to receive an athletic scholarship to go and play for a college or university. This helps with the cost of education which can be quite high at times. Another reason they might want to play college basketball in the USA is because as an international basketball player, you will gain invaluable life experiences that you wouldn’t otherwise have been exposed to. International basketball players get to meet people from all over the world, mix with people from different backgrounds and cultures, experience life living in the USA and gain a great education all at the same time.

Ask yourself – Do you really want to play college basketball in the USA?

The first question you should as yourself is this: Do I really want to play college basketball in the USA? This is the most important question. To succeed, you must really want to do it as the task of playing college basketball is not for the faint hearted. If the answer is YES then great! You have to remain dedicated to your training and to your school work. You will need both. You must remember that playing basketball is a competition, and you are up against many other internationals players who are looking to do the same thing as you.

You need to think about what will make you stand out from the crowd? Is there anything that you can show to the coach that will give you an edge? College coaches like coachable players, this is a given. They also like players with a good attitude and desirable characteristics like: a good listener, great team player, considerate of others, responsible, etc. – think about if there is a way you can demonstrate any of your high quality characteristics for college coaches when presenting yourself. This will help.

Getting Your Information Together

So now you are 100% decided on wanting to play college basketball in the USA – good. The next step is to make sure you have everything together before you even start considering contacting schools and coaches. It’s best to have this done first because if you get a coach who is interested in you, he doesn’t have to wait around, you already have a file complete with all the information he could possibly want. And remember, time efficiency is key in recruitment. College coaches have limited amount of time and they don’t like to waste any of it.

If you want to know how to write the best email to a college coach CLICK HERE!

Basketball Information for International Players – What Needs to Be Done?

Top of the list of what you need is your most recent highlights. This is the first thing college coaches want to see. It is especially important for international basketball players because the coaches cannot come see you play in person. Make sure the quality of your video is good as this will be your first impression. Next on the list is your high school transcripts. You will need to have the official documents from the high school you graduated from (if you graduated from a high school where English is not your first language, you will need to have your transcripts translated by a professional company in order for them to be admissible into a USA college or university).

Once you have the above take care of you, you can focus on your player profile which should contain: height, weight, wing-span, date of birth, graduation date, all basketball teams you have played for, training camps you have attended, references from previous coaches or teachers for character references and your SAT/ACT/TOEFL.

In your profile you can also include stats such as your max lifts are for: squats, chest press, deadlifts and vertical jump (some coaches like to have this information). You must make sure that whatever you include in your profile is accurate and you can back your stats up. You can do this by videoing your lifts so the coaches can clearly see the weight you are doing during the exercises/jumps in real-life-time.

Do You Have Your College Entry Exams Taken Care Of?

All student athletes both domestic (players who were born and live in the USA) and internationals must have certain exams to be eligible to play college basketball and be admitted into college. I am sure you are already familiar with these exams which are the SAT, ACT and TOEFL. The SAT & ACT are aptitude tests. They have test centers in most countries. All you have to do is go to the collegeboard.org website to find the SAT dates and deadlines. To find your nearest SAT test center CLICK HERE. If you want to take the ACT test you can CLICK HERE to locate a test center.

If you want to learn more about the SAT CLICK HERE!

If you want to learn more about the ACT CLICK HERE!

Clearinghouses Registration – what is this?

There are two clearinghouses for two separate divisions. One is for NCAA and the other is for the NAIA. The NCAA clearinghouse is an independent organization who evaluates the academic records and test scores of every student athlete. They figure out if a player is eligible (allowed) to participate in NCAA D1 or D2 schools as a freshman. NAIA clearinghouse is the same, they requires all student athletes to submit transcripts and test scores to evaluate for partition eligibility.

As an international student athlete you will have to create an account for both the NCAA clearinghouse and the NAIA clearinghouse.

Contacting College Coaches – Where Should International Players Start?

Now that you have everything else taken care of, it is time to contact college coaches and start the process of getting recruited. This is where most people will fail as it is very difficult and very time consuming. You must start early – this really is key. Ideally, you will be in contact with college coaches in your senior year so are at least on their radar.

Be prepared to put in hours of work, contacting and talking to college coaches. Before you speak with a coach for the first time, make notes and be mentally prepared. Make sure when you are on the phone or facetime that there are no distractions going on around you. Here’s a tip, do your research on the school and the basketball program, be familiar with it so you will be able to ask specific, relevant questions when you get your opportunity to talk with a coach. When you are talking to a college coach for the first time it is advisable to have all your questions prepared and written down, ready before you talk on the phone. This is a valuable opportunity to get as much information about the basketball program and the school as you can.

When you are happy with a school and you know that “this is the one!” you should verbally commit to the coach right away. This shows him you are serious and you can start the necessary admissions paperwork early so that you have everything taken care of in time for the start of the first semester. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity because you took too long to decide. Remember, college coaches are actively talking with other recruits. If they want you and you want to go, commit! getting recruited to college is not a time to play games.