There are plenty of steps that you can take as a basketball recruit to make the process easier. NCSA can help make sure that you do every little thing that you can to separate yourself from other basketball recruits.
1. Develop your game plan and get evaluated by a third party.
Involving a third party like NCSA is an important first step as a basketball recruit. College basketball coaches are inundated with information from potential recruits, but they rely heavily on evaluations from a trusted source like NCSA. And because NCSA is a neutral third party, we provide honest answers about your skill level, which helps you set realistic goals about where you want to play college hoops.
2. Post your academic/athletic resume online.
Providing easy and organized access to your highlight videos, statistics, and academic information makes a coach’s job much easier. NCSA has the largest digital platform available to high school athletes, which makes it extremely easy to post profiles and videos and makes you immediately visible to hundreds of coaches. The exposure possible at events like sanctioned AAU tournaments is nice, but coaches need to know about you before they get to the tourney.
3. Create a winning highlight/skills video.
College basketball coaches watch hours of video from basketball recruits. A skills video is an essential tool in the basketball recruiting process. Make yours count. Don’t just include highlights of you burying three-pointers or dunking in traffic. Scoring is nice, but also show that you’re a well-rounded player by including clips that illustrate your varied shooting range, your ability to play defense, your knack for establishing position under the hoop. Let your video prove that you can handle pressure, pass well in transition, or guard players much bigger or smaller than you.
Don’t send coaches unsolicited DVDs or expect to be seen on YouTube. When a highlight video comes from a trusted recruiting expert at NCSA, that video will be seen by college coaches.
4. Contact 50 to 100 realistic basketball programs.
There are nearly 1,800 colleges with basketball programs, so when you’re a recruit for basketball you’ve got plenty to choose from. Starting with a large pool of schools can help ensure that the perfect fit rises to the top when the basketball recruiting process is over. Using NCSA’s digital space makes it extremely easy to get your information to dozens of prospective colleges. It’s important to know that the majority of college basketball teams aren’t in Division I, so set your expectations accordingly. More than 80% of collegiate hoops players compete at the Division II, Division III, NAIA or junior college level.
5. Realize that it’s not a four-year decision. It’s a 40-year decision.
Choosing a college is one of the most important decisions of your lifetime. Do your research and make an educated decision when you select a college, not only as a basketball recruit, but as a student athlete. Input from a neutral third party like NCSA can match you up with a school that’s an ideal fit for you during the four years that you are there.
Know your stuff?
You’ve got the top five things to do under your belt.
