I need help deciding which sport I should focus on so I can play in college. I play soccer and basketball all year-round and I love both equally, when the time comes, how am I going to know which one to pick to pursue? Is there a way to figure out for myself which one I am better at or like more? How will I know which one is right for me to continue playing?
What level are you? If you are D1 for basketball, that opens up a lot of opportunities for good scholarships at a wide variety of schools. For soccer are you playing for your hs or for a club?
I’m in high school right now, playing varsity for both and also club soccer.
Which sport are you better at? Are you truly at that elite level which would garner you a scholarship? If you are in high school has anyone showed any interest in you? By anyone I mean colleges? Do you attend “futures” camps where you can be “seen?” Are you invited to play on teams other than your high school for elite athletes?
For example my son has a friend who plays LAX. She is in the 10th grade and has been courted by colleges and universities for two years already. They can’t officially talk to her but they demonstrate interest in other ways. Most likely if you are at a D1 level, you are being invited to opportunities and “they” are finding you. We have another friend who has left home in 11th grade to play hockey at a “pre-juniors” type program that puts her in the right tournaments where she will be seen by college scouts. We have other friends who play their sport in a major city three hours away each Sunday with the top athletes in their sport where they either already have a D1 offer or are there to be recruited. These teams were invitations based on scouting.
If you feel you are skilled enough in one or both to play in college, I recommend attending some of the show case events that attract college coaches (preferably of the colleges you have an interest in). Two reasons, you’ll get a look from the coaches and you’ll see what college competition is like.
Go D3 and play both. There are many multi-sport athletes in D3 schools, which includes those who could have played D1.
Try to get an unbiased opinion from someone knowledgeable about your play and about college competition in your sport. I’m guessing at a minimum your club coach has experience sending players to the next level, and your HS coaches in both sports might as well. If you can get opinions from more than one source that’s better.
We got that for S, and I thought his club and HS coaches were crazy where they projected him but they were spot on. I found out after the fact that his club coach has been privately been telling people which college he expected S to go to a couple years before that college even showed a spark of interest. He was right about the exact program where S would fit in, and it is where he ended up.
That’s unusual, but if you talk to a few people with college coaching experience and they all say the same thing that’s probably your answer. If your answers are similar for both sports consider yourself blessed. Then follow your heart, or see which one generates the most coach interest and go that direction.
What year of HS are you? And what do you mean by “play in college”…club? D3? D2? D1?
FWIW, the kids I know who were recruited for team sports like the ones you mention were the kids whose names were always in the paper…even when they were freshman and sophomores. They were impact players…people who set school records for scoring, assists, etc. Faster, stronger, bigger, more skilled than their peers.
I’m not trying to say that it isn’t possible (especially at D3 level) for you to be recruited. But it is my opinion that if you were a likely prospect in those sports, you’d probably already know.
Most importantly, don’t neglect your studies. I’ve known a few top soccer players who were recruited, but due to poor high school grades and test scores they never played in college.
How will I know if I am good enough to play a sport in college, and at a very high level?
If you don’t know how on earth do you expect people on a blog who have never met you to know? You would have to be an absolutely outstanding player to be a recruited athlete in either sports.
“How will I know if I am good enough to play a sport in college, and at a very high level?”
Your question can be answered a few different ways, including…
- A college coach who sees tape/live game tells you (or tells your parent or your high school/club coach)
- A high school/club coach who has had experience with players getting recruited tells you.
- You outplay a known college recruit (or college player) in one-on-one play.
Going back to my post #7…I think if you were good enough, you’d probably already know by now. That might not be what you want to hear, but given what little you’ve shared, that is what I think is likely.
You have to understand that the level of play in college, generally speaking, is much higher than it is at the HS level. The players are bigger, faster, stronger, more skilled, more experienced, etc
If you’re the kid who everyone (Parents, coaches, opposing coaches) comes up to after a game and tells you how great you are and asks if you’re playing in college, you’d be on their radar. If not, probably not at the college level.
S was a good HS baseball player on a good team in a very competitive district in FL. Kid on his team was really good. All the coaches form opposing teams would congratulate that kid after every game. He made all district and plays in college. The rest of them, S included, were just good players. There are thousands of good players. Tough to get to the next level. But if you’re one of the better ones, go to the showcases and get noticed.
I would discuss this with both of your high school coaches and see if they can give you some advice. See if they also are planning on talking to coaches at schools for you to get possibly scholarships. If you get scholarships from one sport over the other that is definitely the way to go.
Male or female? What level do you play in each sport (level of AAU for basketball, NPL, Academy, etc. for soccer)?
What position do you play in each sport? How tall are you?
Note, there are far fewer colleges with men’s soccer teams than women’s soccer teams, so if you’re a male, then the probability of playing college decrease.
Not playing a club season is kind of a tell that BB is going to be a tough nut to crack. Unless you are physically gifted (tall, blindingly quick) then the level and depth of competition you’ve faced might not be enough to know you can play at the next level. And even playing club soccer might not be indicative of your chances if the level is not high enough. Go talk to your coaches and ask how they see your chances.
But do this too: start to figure out what you want in a college. If you love sports in general and decide you want a big school experience with an Auburn football, UNC basketball thing on campus then you should know you’re likely choosing a life of intramural participation. And honestly that can actually be a pretty high level of play at some schools. Look into it, as it can fill that competitive spot in your life without limiting the rest of your options. In the end, picking your school based on a team is risky: coaches always change, knees blow out, interest wanes, playing time may not develop, some freshman can pop up and ruin your plans, and there you are. Be ready for that.
Assuming your question is about being a recruited athlete for a college varsity team, in addition to feedback from your HS and club coaches, I’d suggest finding a camp/showcase that will have college coaches in attendance from schools that fit you athletically and academically. You will see pretty quickly how you stack up against other athletes. If you stand out, college coaches will come to you. In the meantime, honestly ask yourself a few questions:
What competitive level are your HS and club teams? Are the teams perennial state, regional, district powerhouses? The lower the competitive level, the more you have to stand out on your team.
Do you know, have played against, any person who is/has been recruited to play in college and how do you stack up?
For each of the teams you are on, if your coach were to hold a scrimmage and let 2 players pick teams, would you be one of the first ones picked?
Have you received any state, regional, district or even team recognition?
Go to the roster pages of some schools you are interested in. There is usually a short bio, including stats on height and weight. How do you stack up against them in terms of accolades and physicality?
^ very good advice. There are athletes and there are athletes. Some are using the sport to get a college education, turn pro, etc. Others simply want to keep the competitive juices flowing. Lots of ways to do that at most schools.
D3 is interesting because lots of VERY GOOD HS athletes can play at that level. It’s still a major time commitment but not as intense as D1 (which essentially is a full time job with little time for much else - very different college experience for those kids - although that’s fun for them).
I know others will disagree with this, but I would view it from the perspective of college first, athletics second. Meaning, find great schools that truly interest you and see where you fit in the sports spectrum. There’s intramural. There’s Club (could be at a very high level - some play national tournaments and are full of athletes that didn’t want the time commitment of college sports or were just a level below). And there’s Intercollegiate.
We know several kids playing ball for D3 schools and having a blast. Just make sure you love the school. We also know MANY who started out playing ball and later were cut, quit, injured, etc. No longer playing but still attending the school. If selection was based primarily on athletics, that can be a problem and require transferring, etc.
Watching my D3 kid, he played several team sports very well when he was younger but always loved soccer the most, that was the sport he practiced long after everyone else was gone, the one he stuck around after his own matches to talk his way into pick up games with older, bigger players. Putting in the hours – in the weight room, on the treadmill, on the field – takes a big commitment and if someone doesn’t love what they are doing, it would be tough to find the motivation. So if I just looked at my kid’s experience, I’d say, the choice should be based on what the athlete loves to do.
Agree with both @BKSquared and @rickle1 – look for realistic assessments of your competitiveness, whether from high school and club coaches or through recruiting camps. Identify what the goals are – simply continue to compete, use sport to get admitted to specific schools, or use recruiting for scholarship opportunities. If scholarship opportunities, those are far less common than many people think, and if a student were already in 10th grade, they’d likely be getting interest already if they were going to be seriously recruited by D1 programs. There are exceptions of course. If the goal is to continue to play, then there are many D3 schools where getting a roster spot is not ruthlessly competitive, so there are likely to more choices if that is the goal. If the idea is to use the sport to get into a highly selective school, then that usually means being a highly sought after recruit.
For D3, my kid was advised, imagine you have a career ending injury the first day of pre-season – are you still happy to be at that school, despite the disappointment about your sport? If you can’t picture yourself there once sport is not part of the equation, it is going to be a long 4 years or a quick transfer.