4 Recruiting Tips For Players To Get College Scholarships

By Jacob Tutor

First of all, when even trying to be considered an athletic prospect for any college for any sport, players need to remember that they are indeed STUDENT-athletes. Grades should be the number one priority even when trying to obtain an athletic scholarship. A lot of times the first thing that recruiters ask for is either transcripts or a player's GPA. Players do not want to disappoint a recruiter because of grades. Also, players need to remember that grades should be a main priority because unless a player is playing in the NBA, then they're going to need something to fall back on-ideally an education.

I just wanted to get that across before I tell players about the fine lines of recruiting. I want to reinforce to players that getting your name in the NCAA clearing house is simply not enough. Putting good numbers up in your junior or senior year in hopes that a college scout will come watch is simply not enough. Recruiting takes initiative.

It takes more than putting your name on a website; it takes more than just being the best in your school or town; it takes more than what student-athletes think it does. Which is why I have provided steps for helping players on their path of recruiting:

  1. Contact coaches, schools, and athletic programs directly.

    As I mentioned previously, just putting your name in the clearinghouse is not enough. I know players are dishing in money and not even coming close to contacting a college about playing ball. Players have to contact coaches directly, and if they can't contact the coach then contact the assistant, or the athletic director, or the school. Be sure you take initiative and find out who you need to contact and be sure to contact them.

  2. Start early.

    The earlier the better. Especially, players who are playing AAU and/or varsity level basketball early. Come into contact with a coach as soon as possible. If a sophomore in high school can contact and keep in touch with coaches until that player is a senior, then they'll see that they have many different options to choose from. Remember, there are rules that coaches are not allowed to reach out to players at certain times. Keep this rule in mind and keep contacting coaches.

  3. Market yourself.

    Whether you're planning on playing for a program that's DI, DII, etc. you have to be able and willing to market yourself. This is where stats and game film can really come into play. Find something about you on the court that coach will be drawn to. For instance, if you have excellent court vision be sure the camera is running so you can display that. If you have excellent leaping ability you can keep track of your vertical and have videos of you dunking. Even if you're an excellent 3-point shooter you can have videos of you shooting three's and keep track of your 3-point percentage. Another good way to meet coaches and recruiters is to attend camps or tournaments where many times this is the beginning to a player being recruited. Marketing yourself is one of the biggest, maybe the biggest part of recruiting.

  4. Never Quit

    The road of recruitment can be tough, but never give up. Just because you don't necessarily get offers from places you want to go, doesn't mean there aren't other options. Even if you're not receiving emails or phone calls doesn't mean you should stop trying. Remember, it all comes down to performing well on the court so if you continue to play well and you continue to put your name out there, market yourself, and maybe something will fall through.



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Mike R says:
7/1/2015 at 9:22:45 AM

I will add that students must keep their grades in order. At the most basic, having bad grades is a really avoidable reason to be excluded from consideration. It can also be a key difference between you and your competition for a spot if you have very high grades (say 3.0 or higher) as that generally is a signal to the coach that you know how to take care of business...players with good grades also help the coach look good to his bosses at the colleges.

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lech says:
7/1/2015 at 9:12:46 AM

pls I'm Nigerian and in a polytechnic (which gets me a national diploma after my secondary school (high school) I'm wondering what kind of program I could work on getting.
I'm an 18yr old whose 6ft tall.

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Ron Crawford says:
6/23/2015 at 8:55:20 PM

In the past I would have categorically disagreed with your suggestion that Prospective Recruits send personal video to College Coaches.

At this time I have more College Assistant Coache friends willing to look at Complete Game film, they are not excited about High Light Videos, it is also helpful if the High School or Travel Team Coach calls prior to sending the Video.
Can you imagine what would happen if even 59 recruits take your advice to heart and send Video
To Coach K, Cal, Self, Williams, etc.

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