99 Ways to Earn a Basketball Scholarship

Learn How to Get a Basketball Scholarship

Written By Lamar Hull @ Google+

Let’s go…

1. 1. First and foremost, have your academics in order! Be an “A” student.
   2. Work harder than everyone else and spend as much time on a daily basis improving your basketball skills
   3. Create a list of targeted colleges you want to attend.
   4. Do not wait till your senior year to be noticed as other players will have those scholarships.
   5. Go to all of the schools’ website that you are interested in to collect all the men’s basketball contact information and understand what the sports program is about.
   6. Create a list of coaches’ email addresses and phone numbers.
   7. Prepare a detailed document with all your game statistics, accolades, and basketball schedule. See this example!
   8. Reach out to the coaches to inform them that you are interested in attending their school and you want to earn a basketball scholarship from their program.
   9. Do some research on the college so you can provide other reasons why you are interested.
   10. Pick a college that offers great educational programs. The odds of making it to the NBA is tough. The alternative is playing overseas basketball. If you don’t do either, there is still a future for you!

1. 1. 1. 11. Make a proper highlight video and focus on showing off your skills, fundamentals, teamwork, hustle, athleticism, passing, ball-handling, shooting, energy, effort, basketball IQ, and etc.
      2. 12. Create an online bio by including your resume, highlight video, and skill video online. You can use Tumblr! If you want to take it to the next level, buy a domain through Host Gator and use WordPress to create a cool website. I guarantee college coaches would be impressed! If you need some help, use Fiverr.com or Peopleperhour.com for cheap website design help.
      3. 13. Use social media and the internet to promote yourself but do it in a professional manner. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and etc.
      4. 14. Have someone record your games and upload your videos on YouTube. If your working out everyday, have someone record your workouts and upload those to YouTube as well. Superstars are made from YouTube! 
      5. 15. College coaches want team players and leaders, develop your on-field communication, leadership and team playing abilities. Speak up on the court and lead your team!
      6. 16. Get a letter of recommendation from your high school coach.
      7. 17. If you have a good relationship with your high school coach, ask him or her to contact the school of your choice on your behalf.
      8. 18. Evaluate yourself impartially and aim at getting a Division I or Division II basketball scholarship! Be honest with yourself! Are you a Division I player?
      9. 19. Focus on helping your team to win games and championships! You will definitely get noticed if you are a part of a team that wins state championships and are a key player!
      10. 20. College coaches are busy and often take time respond back, so don’t be impatient or call repeatedly for confirmation.
      11. 21. This should be at the top of the list…Love the game of basketball.
      12. 22. If a coach gets in touch with your parents make sure to follow-up to show your interest and show them your communication skills.
      13. 23. Respond to any reply you get from coaches professionally and quickly.
      14. 24. Build good rapport with the coaches who contact you.
      15. 25. Do not ignore calls or letters from colleges that you are not interested in, as you never know, they might end up being your only option.
      16. 26. Starts visiting prospective colleges early.
      17. 27. Concentrate on maintaining a high GPA in high school.
      18. 28. Take the SAT AND ACT test and if required, retests to get great scores.
      19. 29. Hire a basketball recruiting service to make sure you get maximum exposure.
      20. 30. Before hiring a particular recruiting service ask for customer references and check if the company is registered with BBB.
      21. 31. Maximize your skills by playing as many basketball games as you can, whether that is one-on-one, 5-on-5, pick-up, or etc. Make sure you are playing against other talented players!
      22. 32. Attend all the recruiting summer camps organized by AAU.

1. 1. 1. • 38. Interact with other players to understand what they are doing to earn a basketball scholarship.
         • 39. Attend any basketball camps that the school of your choice is hosting on campus.
         • 40. Send a full game film along with your highlight video. This will allow coaches to really see you in action.
         • 41. Attach your SAT, CAPT, ACT and other test scores along with the videos and letter.
         • 42. Concentrate on writing a personalized letter to each individual coach.
         • 43. Prepare yourself for being interviewed by coaches who are interested in recruiting you.
         • 44. If coaches send you a questionnaire, be prompt and submit all the paperwork required for evaluation. Here is an example of a college basketball questionnaire. You can also go to your basketball program’s website and find there basketball questionnaires online.
         • 45. Prepare a list of questions for all the coaches you contact to show that you are interested and know a lot about their sports program.
         • 46. Get familiar with NAIA and NCAA basketball recruiting guidelines.
         • 47. Understand the process of contacting coaches and how they are supposed to contact you according to the NAIA and NCAA guidelines.
         • 48. Understand which exams you need to take according to the NCAA and NAIA guidelines and the minimum scores you need to get a basketball scholarship.
         • 49. Register yourself at NCAA Clearinghouse and NAIA eligibility center.
         • 50. Get your scores evaluated at the NCAA and NAIA eligibility center to find out if you are eligible to play college level basketball.
         • 51. Keep yourself motivated even when you do not get a response from coaches.
         • 52. Push yourself at the gym and on the court but take measures to stay healthy and injury-free.
         • 53. Research online to familiarize yourself with the basketball recruitment process.
         • 54. Enjoy the intense competition in basketball. Don’t be the player that gets frustrated on the court and shows it. What if a college coach is in the stands? What will he think?

1. 1. 1. 1. 55. Be aware of schools that have scholarship restrictions for out-of-state students before applying.
         2. 56. Keep your options open whether you are a big time player or just an average player looking for an opportunity to play at the next level. Have college options, so that you are not limiting yourself.
         3. 57. Respect other players, parents, coaches, and etc. on and off the field to create a positive self-image. This is important because if others are saying bad things about you, coaches are not going to recruit you.
         4. 58. They are costly, but attend as many basketball summer camps as you can as they attract a lot of college coaches looking for a recruit.
         5. 59. Show confidence when interacting with coaches but don’t be over confident or arrogant about your skills. Firm hand shakes and look them in the eyes!
         6. 60. Show that you are ready to learn and work hard as a team player.
         7. 61. In the game, show off your skills and fundamentals to maximize your chances of getting recruited.
         8. 62. Having an understanding of the total number of fully funded scholarships available in all the divisions of NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA is helpful.
         9. 63. Take a trip to visit all the schools you are interested in and meet the coaches in person.
         10. 64. Get your skills evaluated by National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) to understand which division you should shoot for.
         11. 65. Continuously seek guidance from your high school and AAU coaches to understand what you need to do get yourself recruited and to improve your game.
         12. 66. Educate your parents about the entire recruitment process and your plans to earn a basketball scholarship.
         13. 67. Prepare your parents to interact with college coaches.
         14. 68. Keep yourself from being de-motivated by rejection and stick to your game plan.
         15. 69. Stick to what you are good at when coaches are watching you play.
         16. 70. Upload game videos to other video platforms, such as this one.
         17. 71. Play hard in every single game and show that your convicted to help your team win every time you are on the court. Your behavior on the bench is just as important!
         18. 72. Focus on helping your team win games rather than stacking up points for yourself.
         19. 73. Read as many books and material you can find about basketball scholarships to keep yourself motivated and informed. Here is a good one…
         20. 74. Be flexible and prepare to shift cities to attend a school that offers you a basketball scholarship.
         21. 75. Understand your odds of success and prepare yourself for both success and failure. There is more to life than just basketball, what’s your plan B?
         22. 76. Understand how much money you get for a basketball scholarship to make an informed decision. This is your future!
         23. 77. Maintain a proper schedule and be self aware of your athletics and academic performance.
         24. 78. Go to the gym every day to maintain great athleticism. Stretch as much as possible. Work on your agility, speed, quickness, and footwork!
         25. 79. Stay in shape at all times!
         26. 80. Display that you can handle high-pressure situations during games.
         27. 81. Show great sportsmanship before and after every game.
         28. 82. Show restraint when bad fouls are called or their is misconduct by other players and maintain a great attitude on and off the court.
         29. 83. Be ready to listen more and talk less whenever interacting with coaches, managers, and senior players showing that you are highly coachable and eager to learn.
         30. 84. When interacting with managers and coaches don’t every blame others; instead take 100% responsibility.
         31. 85. Maintain a perfectly clean police record.
         32. 86. Learn how to juggle multiple prospective colleges simultaneously to increase your chances.
         33. 87. When at the camp make sure that you interact with the coaches!
         34. 88. Instead of creating one long list of colleges create 3 lists, one for your top choices, secondary choices, and your fallback options.
         35. 89. Understand that no recruiting partner can guarantee success and thus be wary of such claims made by anyone.
         36. 90. Do not solely rely on a recruiting service to do the work for you; instead use it to supplement your efforts.
         37. 91. Find a mentor who can guide you through the process. I wish I had this growing up!
         38. 92. Set clear goals to contact colleges and coaches within a stipulated time (best is during offseason) and work hard to achieve them.
         39. 93. Get a tutor if needed to help you with your studies in order to keep your grades up.
         40. 94. Seek out players in the city who have made it to Division I and ask for an opportunity to play with them to improve your game.
         41. 95. Prepare a daily schedule for training, games, studies, and contacting colleges.
         42. 96. Get adequate rest to keep yourself healthy and strong throughout each season.
         43. 97. Be approachable and friendly whenever you are in a basketball camp, tournament, or other events.
         44. 98. If you have to go to a basketball academy first before going to college, by all means, look in to it. I know a lot of players who got big time basketball scholarships by going to a basketball academy.
         45. 99. Have full faith in your abilities and pray for the best results!

Conclusion

Wow! What a list. There is a lot here so soak it all in. I expect you to spend several hours on this page taking notes if you are serious about getting a basketball scholarship! A lot of young players say they want to earn a basketball scholarship, but will you go the extra mile to get it? The world is in your hands!

I’m looking forward to hearing comments on how players earned a basketball scholarship. There is definitely more than 99 tips!