The NCAA has estimated that the probability of competing in athletics at the college level are not great. According to the NCAA, high school men's basketball has close to 500,000 players; 157,000 are seniors. There are approx. 4,500 freshman positions available. That means approx. slightly less than 3% of high school senior basketball players will play NCAA sponsored basketball. Don't let this discourage you from following your dream. A large percentage of high school graduates will not even attend college. These figures do not include NAIA, NCCAA, NJCAA colleges either. I will explain who these colleges are further into this blog. Your chances of receiving athletic scholarship offers will vary depending on the sport you play. Another big factor is the application of Title IX for women athletes.How good am I and at what level can compete? Honestly assess your talent level and be realistic with yourself. How do you stack up physically? Ask your coaches opinion. Make a list of the colleges that may want you to play sports for them and start to market yourself to those coaches. Remember, you are marketing your ability to be of use to a college sports program, so its to your benefit to have a clear idea of where you might fit in to that sports program.What are my chances of receiving an athletic scholarship? You can get assistance from your parents, coaches and recruiting services like COACHPOST 1 but ultimately you are the only one that can make your dream of playing college sport a realty. Make lists, ask questions, write letters surf the web for information and ask your coaches and academic advisors for tips and advice. If you know anyone who has been through the recruiting process talk to them and ask their advice. You must be relentless in the pursuit of your goal. Don't count on anyone else to help you accomplish your goal, except your parents who will move mountains if they could to help you get that athletic scholarship. COACHPOST 1 can help you with many of the above items mentioned because for some athletes and families the time it takes to market yourself can be overwhelming. You can decide whether or not you could use the help. If you do contact coachpost1@gmail.com. The bottom line here is - You must have the Talent, Character, Academic credentials, motivation, exposure, luck and good timing. Even if you have all of these and work your @@^% off, there is no guarantee that you will get an athletic scholarship. BUT, if you don't work hard, do not do your research and think that because you have some athletic ability that college coaches will be knocking at your door or calling you at all hours--then just forget it. Only "blue-chip" athletes will get pursued by colleges automatically. There is a real chance that the college coach in your own home town has no idea who you even are. (MANY RECRUITING SERVICES WOULD LIKE YOU TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SOME SECRET…HERE IT IS “YOU MUST LET THE COLLEGE COACHES KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU CAN OFFER THEIR SPORTS PROGRAM”. Remember your primary reason for going to college is to EARN A DEGREE FIRST!What about my grades? As soon as you get done reading this start…Time can be your friend or enemy. Use time to your advantage. Start your college research right now regardless of whether you plan to play college sports or not. Search for colleges that can offer you the academic, social and sports programs you are interested in. Last but not least learn about financing a college education. Most college websites have all of this information available by just clicking on their links. As for GRADES - Simply put-get good grades. Test scores and your class rank can mean scholarship money towards your college tuition - in addition to any athletic scholarship you might receive.Don't coast your senior year. You will need to meet and maintain scholastic minimums to even play college sports. So hit the books now and get into the habit. College finances can be a little unclear at first glance so now is the time to start your research on college finances. You want the best deal for yourself and PARENTS with the least amount of debt possible when you graduate. Text books cost upwards of $1,000 per year. Many athletic programs will not offer you a full-ride scholarship but rather a partial athletic scholarship which means you will have to come up with the additional funding. Some schools do not offer athletic scholarship funding, {E.G. NCAA Division 111}, but can have both excellent sport and academic programs. Go to http://www.fasfa.com/ which stands for {Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form}. All colleges require to process Federal Aid and in most cases state and other college aid. It is important to fill out the forms no matter if you need the money or not.What kind of athletic scholarships are available and from what colleges? NCAA Division 1, NCAA Division 2, NAIA , NJCAA Division 1, and NJCAA Division 2 can offer athletic scholarships. Also, you should be aware that individual colleges and conferences have their own athletic scholarship rules and policies.Can I play college sports without a athletic scholarship? Yes. NCAA Division 111, NCCAA Division 11, and NJCAA Division 111 junior colleges offer excellent opportunities to play sports at the college level and obtain a quality education without the benefits of a athletic scholarship. Athletes who excel at the junior college level often transfer with a scholarship to other colleges. if your heart is absolutely set on a particular school that does not seem interested in your athletic talents then consider "walking on "- It’s a long shot but remember, nothing ventured nothing gained. (GO RENT THE 1993 MOVIE RUDY “TONIGHT”).Timing is very important as is everything in life. The college you are really interested in might simply not have a need for your specific talent. This doesn't make things impossible just a little harder. If want to play at a particular school don't let anything stand in your way but always keep your options open.College Recruiting Regulations and Rules: Each college association has its own rules and regulations for recruiting and eligibility. Check out the web sites of associations such as the NCAA, NAIA, NCCAA, NJCAA. Its your responsibility to know the rules. Do not count on anyone else. Go to http://www.ncaa.com/ and click on their links especially the elgibility section. This is the NCAA CLEARINGHOUSE if you don’t register most likely your playing days for Division I, II colleges will be over. Each college may also have their own recruiting and eligibility rules. These rules and regulations can sometimes be more strict than those of major athletic associations Check with the school or conference to which the school belongs.Should I be concerned about Title IX and what actually is it: TITLE IX is a federal law that states "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." What about recruiting services?Just like everything else there are hundreds of them. Find out exactly what is offered. If a recruiting service guarantees you a scholarship and you are setting yourself…know one can guarantee you a scholarship but the college itself. They ultimately make the final decision. Does the recruiting service offer services that you can perform yourself and or could you use a little help. Some athletic recruiting services charge upwards of $3000 and some are free. COACHPOST 1 charges a very small fee of $125. If you would like more information contact coachpost1@gmail.com. The good recruiting services will explain to you exactly what they do and what to expect, they will tell you that there are no guarantees.What is the NCAA? The NCAA is the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA is the organization through which it's member schools administer athletics at a national level. There are (3) Divisions in the NCAA Division 1 and 2 colleges offer athletic scholarships, division 3 colleges cannot offer scholarships based on athletic ability but can and do offer other forms of financial aid.What is the NAIA? The NAIA is the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. It is an organization that promotes athletics as an integral part of education. NAIA member colleges award athletic scholarships.What is the NJCAA? The NJCAA is the National Junior College Athletic Association. Junior college is an excellent way to get both a quality education and play college sports at an affordable price. NJCAA member schools in Division1 and 2 offer athletic scholarships. NJCAA Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships.What is the NCCAA? The NCCAA is the National Christian College Athletic Association. Many NCCAA colleges are also NCAA or NAIA members. The NCCAA is divided into Division1 and 2 schools. Division 1 colleges offer athletic scholarships, division 2 colleges do not.This a lot of information - so you can see now is the time to start preparing yourself for your future college athletic and academic career. It's a lot to process but well worth the effort if you have the talent and heart to play college sports. So, GOOD LUCK....from COACH "G" (COACHPOST 1).
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