College Prep
College Scholarships
Everyday players are reaching for the next level. As players in elementary school, they start looking up to middle school players for the next level of competition. Entering high school and aiming to make the varsity team will be the next big goal and in the sights of most players as they progress. With time, practice and dedication a good number of these young players will make it to the next level.
As a high school player, the possibility of playing at University on a scholarship would be a "high five" accomplishment and have parents walking on air. The following numbers will give you inspiration that this vision can come true.
As of 2007, there are over 380,000 students in America's Colleges that combine education and athletics. There are 327 Division I and 277 Division II colleges that offer Men’s basketball scholarships. There are 324 Division I and 245 Division II colleges that offer scholarships for women. The NCAA allows each Division I men’s basketball program 13 scholarships and 10 each in Division II schools. The NCAA allows each Division I women’s program 15 scholarships and 10 each in Division II.
The Division I and II men’s basketball scholarships available total 6,982 in the NCAA alone. The total for Division I and II women’s scholarships that are available is 7,310.
The most talented players in the nation get the visits from coaches or invitations to accept a scholarship. Don’t give up hope on players that are not being approached. High school players who may fly under the radar of recruiters, but have the desire, passion and talent to play college basketball still have the possibility of getting a partial or full-ride at University.
Being complacent and waiting until your senior year is nearly over will not make it happen. A proactive approach must be taken and the sooner the better. Here are the things you need to understand now to improve your chances and gain altitude.
As quoted by the NCAA president Myles Brand. “Good athletics is about winning at competition in games. Good academics combined with athletics is about winning in life.”
Division I eligibility rules require 16 core high school courses. Each high school has their own NCAA approved core courses. They can be found on the following web site: www.ncaaclearinghouse.net . Once on this page, select - High School Administration From here click on - List Of Approved Core Courses and follow directions from there.
Note: Every college-bound student-athlete attending an NCAA Division I or II school must be certified with the NCAA eligibility center.
Know the rules about contact with college coaches and recruiting. Check the following site for rules and eligibility: http://www.ncaa.org . Click on – Rules and Eligibility.