How To Secure A College Basketball Scholarship
What do we get asked most often as former college basketball players, scouts, and recruiters? You guessed it - everyone wants to know how to get a scholarship. Often we hear “how do I get a D1 scholarship?” and the truth is that the process is pretty much the same no matter where you might end up committing to. Also, from the point in time when players start thinking about the possibility of playing in college, to when they actually get offers...a lot can change. So, D1 or not, here are the steps to take so that you can get scholarship offers that are right for you.
Play a lot of basketball: this seems simple, but it needs to be said! Play as much basketball as you can - high school season, travel seasons, camps, work with trainers - it all adds up to improving your skills and getting you in front of different crowds. Hone your skill set and get more exposure for yourself by playing in a variety of leagues, playing with different teams, and increasing your chances of being seen by scouts and recruiters. And since you’re doing a lot of playing, make sure you have film available to share!
Listen to experts: college coaching staff, scouts, recruiters - these are the experts you want to absorb information from. Sure, maybe your friends got a scholarship last year and they have some good advice, but they’ve only been through the process once, from only one perspective. People that go through the offer and commitment cycle year after year - those are the professionals when it comes to securing a scholarship to play college basketball. Make sure you listen and learn, take feedback seriously, and ask questions from the people that understand this journey better than anyone.
Connect more: getting noticed by scouts and recruiters that can help you actually secure scholarship offers is key. Networking and connecting is everything and you’ve got to maximize your opportunities for interaction and expanding your network. It's great if people in your hometown know how good you are, but you want to stand out regionally - a lot of recruiting is done on a regional basis, which is why regional travel ball is so critical. What’s the best way to connect? Well, engaging with people wherever you play is a good start. Leave positive impressions, keep improving your game. And grow your network on The Players Circle app where it's simple to connect with scouts, recruiters, coaches, and other players.
No limits: we have seen players miss opportunities chasing the wrong things. For example, if a student athlete is obsessive about a D1 scholarship - great. That might be an attainable goal. But it doesn’t mean you skip chances that you think are not directly related to getting a D1 offer. The goal is to get scholarship offers. After you get offers, you are free to choose where you want to commit to. But until you get offers and are ready to commit, keep your options open! You never know what might happen, and staying open minded will ensure that you have choices when the time comes to make a decision about where to play basketball at the collegiate level.