<p>Does anyone know the best way to find a college that will let a boy try out for their team? I don't know where to look, who to call, or what to say. Any suggestions? It was pretty easy with my two older sons and daughter, who all got scholarships. They attended public school. However, this son is homeschooled and plays on a homeschool team that competes in regional and state tournaments as well as the nationals with 250 teams. They have a 30-game schedule and play a few Oklahoma public schools and some private.</p>
<p>How big is your son? If he is really really tall, say 6'-9" tall, and fairly bi, say over 200 pounds, you can contact coaches and ask them if they are interested. Or you could simply send them his size stats and a video of him playing a game. Div II and Div II eams have a hard time recruiting big bodies.</p>
<p>If he is not that tall but really really good--as in could keep up with the best urban bball players in the country--another way is to go to Five Star Basketball camps and work the connecitons from there. Very reasonable.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.five-starbasketball.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.five-starbasketball.com/</a></p>
<p>I'd guess that if your son was as big or as competitive as cheers is proposing, the recruiters would have already found him. Assuming he's average size and good but not great ability, he might want to look at Division III programs. I'd e-mail the coach at each school with questions and follow up with phone calls.</p>
<p>He can always walk on at most schools. They will evaluate him and decide if he can help the program.</p>
<p>I have one friend who's son plays basketball at a d-3 school. They put together a dvd and sent it out to coaches in the league that their son wanted to play in. Their son is about 6', not nearly big enough for d-1 but wanted to play in college. Although not a great student he was a great HS basketball player and was offered "merit" money at four d-3 schools. I know there are some parents of athletes around here that really do know something about this.</p>
<p>Whatever happened to ACADEMICS being the way to get into college? Sure your boy can "hit the paint" but can he "hit the books?" COLLLEGE is about LEARNING not some stupid GAME</p>
<p>^^ ummm, if a person wants to play a sport in college that doesn't automatically imply that they don't want to learn.</p>
<p>Plus, there was no mention of using basketball as a way to get INTO colleges, the question was about what basketball programs he could be a part of. ("try out")</p>
<p>Nice contribution to the thread, gradatgrad. Did you read any posts before posting?</p>
<p>I have noticed on some websites of smaller private schools that if you click on athletics and then select a specific sport, there will be a link that says something like "contact a coach" and some small form to email about size, position played, etc.</p>
<p>The best time to begin contacting coaches is at the end of sophomore year or early in the junior year. This allows coaches to 'follow' an athlete for a period of time. Almost all teams have a 'Prospective Student' profile forms that can be filled out on line. The forms ask for contact information, academic information and athletic information. Additionally, emails can be sent to coaches as well as letters via 'snail mail'. If sending an email or letter, include the information that is asked for on the 'prospective student' form. Include contact information for his current coach. Also, as mentioned by other posters, include a video. He can then follow-up by calling the coach.</p>
<p>You need to talk to the parents and coaches of the programs where your son is playing now. That way you can get some idea of what level of play your son can achieve in college. Though most top Div1 players are on the radar screens of scouts, there have been surprises, and if your son is in the backwoods with extraordinary talents, it needs to be brought in the spotlight. As you go down the sport hierarchy, it becomes more on the parent and child to be proactive, as many programs do not scout, or do so only in certain venues. If your son is not playing highschool ball, that can be to his disadvantage, as those programs are often watched. But if he is on national or regional all star type teams, the coaches and program directors can tell in what range he falls. You can also check out camps that are sponsored by various colleges. I know around here all the kids who play football make sure they go to something that Williams College sponsors, as it does attract some of the elite Div 3 college coaches and gets your kid on their recruit list. I am not familiar with basketball, but I would think there would be things like that as well. That's why talking to other parents in these programs is helpful. I know in our area, several parents who are involved in our small rec program lacrosse have kids in college lacrosse and are a treasure trove of knowlege for anyone who may harbor such possibilities for their kids. </p>
<p>You can also "shoot in the dark", and contact a local college coach and pick his brains about what a parent in your situation with a kid at that ability level and circumstance should do. </p>
<p>Size is a big deal in basketball, but there are too many exceptions I see to this to worry about it if the kid loves the sport and is good. There are many levels of play in college. If he is not college NCAA play material but the sport is a favorite activity, make sure you carefully examine the intramural and club possibilities at each school, as they can vary in quality, especially in play time. facilities and organization. At some schools such "programs" are no more than pick up games that kids have to scrape up, whereas some are so structured that they play other colleges and teams, just in an unofficial league rather than NCAA. It can narrow your kid's college list by having such a factor since you want to start out with a school list that fulfills things other than the basketball, but if this is something he enjoys, it should certainly be a consideration for the school to stay in the running.</p>
<p>"Whatever happened to ACADEMICS being the way to get into college? Sure your boy can "hit the paint" but can he "hit the books?" COLLLEGE is about LEARNING not some stupid GAME"</p>
<p>Yea, alot can do both. </p>
<p>Back to the poster..</p>
<p>Are you asking how to contact or are you looking for scholarship money for basketball? As I said most schools will let you walk on, contact the coach. If your looking for scholarship money for sport, it's much different. Please briefly explain what you really want from this?</p>
<p>gradatgrad,</p>
<p>Some people want to do both, and yes, there are kids that use their sports ability to help boost their college choices. What's wrong with that? Most of those kids have worked very hard at their sport and it shows dedication and talent to their sport. My theory is that kids who don't have that option are sometimes jealous of those who do.</p>
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[QUOTE/ Whatever happened to ACADEMICS being the way to get into college? Sure your boy can "hit the paint" but can he "hit the books?" COLLLEGE is about LEARNING not some stupid GAME /QUOTE]
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<p>College IS about learning and the number one priority should be picking a school that is a good academic match. However, athletics can and does play an important role in the learning process. Research indicates that athletes have a higher graduation rate than the general student population. Athletes also tend to acquire better time management skills. </p>
<p>Students with strong academics who are not recruiting material can use their athletics as an</p>
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Whatever happened to ACADEMICS being the way to get into college? Sure your boy can "hit the paint" but can he "hit the books?" COLLLEGE is about LEARNING not some stupid GAME
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<p>College IS about learning and the student’s first priority should be finding a school that is an academic match. However, athletics also plays a role in the learning process. Students who participate in athletics tend to have better time management skills and achieve a higher graduation rate than the general student population. </p>
<p>Students with strong academics who are not recruiting material can use their athletics as an ‘EC passion’ which could give them an added boost in the admissions process. This type of student may be able to use his/her prior athletic experience and commitment to increase the chances of gaining admission to choice school(s).. He/she can many times walk onto a team. There are many cases where student walk-ons have gained first string positions. Also, colleges and universities have club and intramural athletics in which the student can participate. Athletics, whether varsity, club, or intramural, can be a healthy part of the college experience.</p>
<p>There are a lot of opportunities for students who can combine high end academics with high end athletic ability. They are the epitome of the student-athlete. They can, in some cases, 'pick' their school. This type of student also can gain many opportunities after graduation. Some employers specifically seek out high achieving student-athletes because they are naturally competitive, accustomed to working in a team environment and have exceptional time management skills. </p>
<p>For a young adult who has spent most of his/her life participating in a given sport, it is difficult to just walk away when they enter college. The sport has become part of them...it is part of who they are...and who they will become.</p>
<p>I mentioned the hefty 6'-9" player because I happen to know one who did play bball at a well-known East Coast high school program but mysteriously did not get a great follow up from their coaching/GC staff. He set out to find a hefty scholarship on his own--and got three offers in six weeks--in May of senior year.</p>
<p>Freshman year, he played in a Div III school that he loved until the coach refused to allow him to continue with his demanding major--even though the professors in the major granted concessions.</p>
<p>He transferred to another school--Div II this time__and is playing and completing demanding major.</p>
<p>Now, these schools were not schools that normally get a mention on CC--but he did get substantial scholarships and he is playing college ball--and getting a great education.</p>