How Do I Get Recruited to Play College Basketball? Here are Some Tips to Help

It can be daunting and a little overwhelming when you start to think about how you are going to get recruited to play college basketball. Many student athletes and their families are often unsure of how to go about getting seen and recruited by college coaches. In this article we will take a look at ways you can start to begin the process and tips on how you can increase your chances of success.

What Do I Need to Do to Get Recruited. How do I Start the Process?

Start Early. Some players start to focus on playing college basketball as early as 9th Grade (14-15 years old). Also it is advisable to remember that there isn’t just one straight path to getting recruited to play college basketball. There is no clear cut step by step process when you are trying to get recruited by a coach. The best thing you can do is come up with a strategy that works for you,. Do you research, keep track of which schools you are interested in and have contacted, keep a separate list of coaches who are interested etc.

How Do I Plan to Get Recruited? Whats the Strategy?

Research Schools and States Student-athletes should start researching online and gaining as much information about the schools and the town/city and state they are in. Pretty much every school has an athletics page where you can check out their basketball program, coaching staff, facilities and a ton of other useful information. Pay close to the schools roster page. Which senior players are in what positions and who is graduating?

Build a target list. Once you have gone through the schools that you are interested in or that you have found is recruiting your position, make a list of these schools. This is going to be your list of college coaches that you are going to contact (once you have all the other things taken care of first – see below)

Compete against the highest level of competition as you can: For a college coach to correctly assess your abilities, they need to see how you play against high level competition. College coaches are trying to figure out if you can compete at their schools level, they are trying to see if you would fit in to their team structure, if you are a starter or need to be worked with more etc. Ideally, college, coaches want to see you play against high-ranked athletes so they have a baseline to work from with their assessment.

Play as much as you can: During regular season can be difficult for coaches to dedicate time to watch game videos or get out to games in person. This is why they like to go out to exposure camps and clinics during live periods over the summer months. During the summer, they will also have a lot more free time to watch players highlight videos as the regular season distractions have ended. If you are an international player, you need to focus on getting as much high quality video as you can. It might not be possible for you to get to the US to play in exposure camps or clinics so you should focus on playing against the best competition in your region to get the best highlights for your video,

Academics are paramount. In order to get into any school in the US you need to have all of your academics in order and have the best grades you can get. If you are looking to play in NCAA D1 or D2 you will have to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center as they are the ones who determine your academic eligibility and amateur status. The same goes if you are looking at NAIA schools as an option. They have the own Play NAIA Eligibility Center who determine your academic eligibility and amateur status. You will also have to have your SAT or ACT score as both eligibility centers require this from student athletes. For International players where English is not your first language, you will also have to have your TOEFL score and all documents transcripted from your native language into English.

Create a quality highlight video. Once you have collected enough game video which is diverse enough to show ample highlights of your offense and defensive skills/abilities, you need to produce a highlight video. You will send this highlight video to college coaches. It is your first impression to the coach so really make it count! This is the best way to secure yourself an in-depth phone conversation which may even lead to an in-person evaluation (depending on your circumstances etc.). Make sure you put aside your best full game video as some college coaches may request to see it.

Take Charge. You have to be motivated and proactive about your own recruitment. When you send your highlight video via email have a well thought out introductory paragraph for the coach to read. Introduce yourself, tell the coach where you are from, your height/weight/position(s), include a brief summary of your experience & achievements, tell the coach you have checked out the schools basketball and school websites, give some basic academic information to show that you are a qualified player and that you would really like to be a part of their program.

NOTE: It is very likely that you will have to re-contact coaches more than once. Make sure you give them a reasonable amount of time to get back to your email. Do not spam. Tailor your emails specifically to the school you want to attend. Remember, Coaches are very experienced at this.

Tips to Help With College Basketball Recruitment

We just looked at a basic strategy formation that you can tailor to help you get yourself recruited to college. Below are a few more tips which you could try to help with in your recruitment process:

Fill out recruit basketball questionnaires – most college basketball programs have these on there athletics page. You might have to do a bit of searching around the website but it is usually located on the men’s basketball section.

Create an online profile – there are many different sites in which you can create a player profile. Some players like to do this because it opens up the possibility that a coach may come across their profile if they are actively recruiting a player at your position/height/age etc. It is also a good way to have all your basketball info in one spot, this way you can send the link out to coaches and they can see your picture and all your profile information in one convenient location.

Get on the phone – sometimes it is good to call the coach and show them that you are serious. Only do this after you have first initiated contact via email and send them all your information. This way, when you call the can open your email (if they haven’t taken a look already!) and you can have a conversation with them and answer any specific questions they or you may have.

Keep adding to you list – Even if you are talking to some college coaches, it is still advisable to keep looking at schools and extending your list. Until you have secure a final offer and signed with a school always be prepared for the worse and have other schools as back up until you are fully commited and have been accepted into a school.

What Are College Coaches Looking for in Recruits?

As a student athlete looking to play college basketball it is important to understand what college coaches are looking for. This way, you can prepare and present yourself in a way that is more favorable to college coaches. This will increase your chances of getting picked up. Let’s take a look at what college coaches are looking for in their potential recruits:

Interest. College coaches are looking to determine your interest in their program. They might send you a questionnaire to fill out or send you and email with some forms to complete. They typically send them out to a large number of players to see who is really interest in the program. It is advisable to respond ASAP!

In-depth evaluations. College coaches put a focus on ranking their prospective recruit and narrowing down their list. Student athletes who have made it to the list are the ones who have passed their initial evaluation and shown sincere interest in the school. This means they have really liked what they have seen in your video, on the phone or in person and you have ticked all the right boxes for them so far.

NOTE: Highlight video, camps and tournaments are the most common ways coaches evaluate prospective basketball recruits. For internationals, your video is super important!

Verbal offers. After College Coaches have concluded their list of recruits, and they know who they want, the next step for them is to make offers. Usually they will extend offers and want to lock down a verbal commitment. This is also the time where recruits will join the coach in official/unofficial visits during players junior and senior years.

CONCLUSION:

If you follow this guide it will help you with your recruitment process. Being organized and ahead is what will help you succeed. In the end, the bottom line is, if you are good enough you will get recruited.