According to Brendan Winters from ProSkills Basketball, a high school basketball player’s chances of making it to the NCAA are slim to none.?The sad fact is only 3.4 percent of high school basketball players go on to play basketball in college. The NBA only takes 1.2 percent of college basketball players every year meaning the odds of you playing in the NCAA are extremely slim and almost like an unachievable dream. Overall, this indicates that only 0.03 percent of high school basketball players will ever make it to the NBA! Lets find out how to become a college basketball player with this checklist.
Due to various factors there are no guarantees that a player will play basketball in college, even after completing this checklist. It’s not an easy process, but reading the list can benefit both players and their parents with some insight.
Because the checklist is sequenced, players and parents should begin with the first thing, check that item off as they go, and move on to the next stage.
The reality is that if a player cannot check off an item on this list, they reduce their chances of getting into their dream college. We suggest, at the very least, try to complete the first five items.
Table of Contents
Love Basketball
Players frequently enjoy the attention they receive or the accolades they may receive, or they play to make their parents happy, or just because they are tall. Players who play for reasons other than the love of the game are unlikely to succeed in college. Why? Because college basketball is a demanding sport! It’s a full-time position. The majority of school breaks, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break, are often missed by college basketball players. In college basketball, there is also a lot more pressure.
Basketball players spend a lot of time practicing, playing, and watching the game. Of course, players will benefit from practicing and playing basketball whenever they can.
Work Ethic?
To advance to the college level, athletes must have a strong work ethic to capitalize on their essential talents.
To be prepared, you’ll have to make sacrifices. Skip parties, reduce the amount of fun time with friends and postpone vacations. Players with a genuine basketball work ethic will be unconcerned about any of this. They are only too willing to pay the price and insist on going to the gym every day!
Advanced Skills are a Must?
If a player is not on their varsity high school basketball team, there is no reason to be concerned about playing college basketball at this time. To take it a step further, the player should be one of, if not the best, on their varsity squad in high school.
How does one get on the high school varsity team? Simple: after years and years of practice and gaining the necessary basketball skills. Players must develop their talents to an advanced level to stand out on the varsity high school team, including training, clinics, camps, or playing AAU. They must develop their skills to an advanced degree to be a standout on the varsity high school squad and get noticed.
Physically Qualified
Nature is such that every player can’t build like LeBron James, Dwight Howard, or Anthony Davis. However, unless they have an extraordinary attribute in another area, players must have specific physical tools to play basketball in college (i.e., a short player with blazing speed). Either way, having excellent fitness is a must, but if you?re in good shape then below are some of the other physical tools you can utilise:
Height?
Basketball is well-known for being a sport that favors taller athletes. In most circumstances, the taller, the better. Again, a short player, such as Muggsy Bogues or Spudd Webb, can still play at the next level, but they must compensate for their lack of height in other ways, such as speed and agility.
Coordination?
Simply put, athletes must be able to pass and catch, dribble, shoot, and run, jump, and slide while doing so.
Athleticism
College players must be athletes. Players don’t need to be as athletic as Russell Westbrook, but they should be coordinated and able to jump, slide, and sprint frequently and in rapid succession.
Endurance?
No matter how brilliant a player is, out-of-shape, overweight players who can only run up and down a few times will never make it. Endurance in all things makes a huge difference. (ar15discounts.com)
Academic Athletes are Favored
Highlighting academics is number five on the list, but it is still one of the most crucial parts of college basketball. The better a player’s academics are, the more likely they are to play college basketball. The NCAA even sets a minimum grade point average that players must meet to participate.
Getting into college basketball is an impressive achievement and for a good reason. This five-point checklist will only get you through the first half. Players and their families should spend the rest of the game finding their dream college, joining an AAU (Amateur Athletic UnionTeam), and spending even more time in the gym.
