I’m interested in playing basketball in college and I was wondering about the differences between the school team and a club team under the school. I know club teams require less time commitment and potentially travel less, but what else?
No money, and in fact you usually pay for Club teams yourself. It depends on the school, the strength of the varsity team, the NCAA level of the team. Some club teams can be very very competitive and do travel, practice almost as much as a D-1 team, and expect the same level of commitment.
If the school you are going to has a varsity level team, some use the club team as a feeder, some do not.
Another difference may be the teams you play. A D-1 school will almost always play only D1 school but a club team will usually play teams closest in distance. My daughter’s club team plays non-college teams too, women’s league teams from the area.
Each school is different. In general
CLUB SPORTS- You try out for the team after you have committed to the school, often after school is in session. You pay to participate; uniforms, travel, administration fees are usually included in the fee. For regular season play, teams often play fairly locally so not a lot of time missed from school. For tournaments or any type of play-offs, travel may be farther. You may not be required to travel with the team and opt out without any consequences. It is often very competitive, with possibly players who could be playing at a NCAA level but have chosen not to for various reasons- academics are the priority, NCAA too competitive and not fun, less stressful practices, etc. Practices are less demanding sometimes. Club teams are often coached by students.
VARSITY SPORTS- You can be a recruited athlete or a walk-on. You may or may not get scholarship money (no athletic scholarships in D3), but you do not have to pay anything to play. You must go through an approval process for NCAA sports. Depending on the division and the conference, the sport may be pretty all-consuming and academics may come as somewhat secondary. D3 is generally less time consuming and allows for other activities. You may get extra percs as an athlete- at my S’s D2 school, athletes get priority registration, laundry done for free, and some other extras. You may be required to participate in set study sessions. Coaches are paid to win and as a result tend to require a lot more from their athletes- long practices. You may end up sitting on the bench with little to no play time. there can be a lot of pressure to perform.
Keep in mind these are VERY general guidelines. So much depends on the school, conference, level, etc. D1 programs are usually a lot more rigid than D3 or NAIA.