I think what gets lost here is...there isn't that many spots for kids at the next level. Someone did the math for me one time and I will butcher it. But you'll get the point. Let's say there are 300 schools recruiting bball players. Let's say each school needs 5 players each year. That's 1500 opportunities across the entire country. Now how many high school senior bball players are there across the country? Heck, there are probably 1500 in the state of KY alone. I think we have about 300 schools and using the 5 Srs per class, we would come to the 1500 spots alone. Now just go north one state and they have 700 schools! Now add 48 more states and international players. (don't quote my numbers, buy you get my point)

 

My point is...There is only room for the elite. It's a reward for kids to get their school paid for. It's not an entitlement. There are thousands of kids that "want it badly" or "work their tails off". But at the end of the day, there just aren't enough spots for everyone. There is going to be disappointment! Some make it and some don't. Some get scholarships that make not sense to anyone and some really good players get overlooked. It's not an exact science. Sometimes it's measurables or upside. Sometimes it's just that a coach really likes a player and is willing to take a chance. Sure, you have no-brainers, but those are the top 1% of a huge number across the country.

 

This is what I think is wrong with the country. People think if you do all the hard work and maybe even work a little harder than some others, that you're entitled to something. The facts are there are 1000s of kid doing the exact same thing for very little opportunity to play at the next level.

 

In MS there are 15 kids on your team from your class. As a freshman, that may dwindle down to 10. Then as a sophomore, you're lucky if they keep 5 per class. Well this stands true as you go to college. Even more kids get weeded out! It's not because they didn't work really hard. It's not because they are bad players. It's not because someone likes them or doesn't like them. It's because if you are not unique, you are just like everyone else. There are a lot of pretty girls in this world, but they aren't all models. Sure some aren't because they don't want to be. But I'm sure there are millions that would like to be walking the runways that never made it. Are they ugly? No, they just didn't stand out from the other millions.

 

If you want exposure, it's up to your family to do it. Find the way. Find the AAU team that will choose you to be on the top team. Have a conversation and ask to workout with the top kids. You own it. No one else.

 

A top org in any sport didn't get that way over night. There are reasons college coaches migrate to them. Because it's the college coach's way to start the weeding out process. They use the top orgs as a starting point, whether we like it or not. Then they will trickle down to other orgs and lower level teams in the same org. If you were a recruiter looking to see how many of the best you can see in a short period of time, you'd do the same thing. Then the lower level coaches wait for the D1's to go off the board and then they start. They's love to see D1 kids fall, but that doesn't happen too often unless it's the family's choice.

 

Let me give you one example that I know of the truth and helped me understand. It's in the sport of softball. There was a very high level D1 coach that lost a commitment late in the process. The commitment was a power hitting first baseman. This coach called one of the very high level summer softball orgs (in another state) and said, "I just lost my powerhitting firstbaseman. You have anyone on your top teams that could fill this spot?" The summer coach said yes and the very high level college signed her without ever seeing her play. (don't ask me why she was available, I don't know the answer to that). But my point is, these recruiters "trust" the evaluation of the orgs that have been doing this and putting kids in college. They understand that a kid playing for a particular orgs top team must have been through the weed out process and must be able to play. That's why the older you get, the more consolidated your choices become if you want to play at a competitive level.

 

As for "is it worth it". Many look back and say no way. My investment never paid off. That's noones fault. You were against tremendous odds before you even started the journey. That's what people don't realize at a young age. Only the elite really get anything worth the work they put in.

 

But in my opinion, every second and every penny is worth it. You are making life long memories with for your kids. You have created relationships you never would have had. And I'm sure your child has learned hundreds of life lessons along the way. How to be successful. How to handle controversy. How to fail. How to reach down when the odds were against you. How to become a leader. Why teamwork and collaboration is so important. Why setting goals and working towards them is valuable. The list goes on and on!

@RCC9 here is your help you needed.

 

How Many High School Athletes Get To Play NCAA Sports.

So you have a little over a 3% chance to play woman's college basketball.

I agree with RCC9 and like the example he used. Sometimes it is a position that needs to be filled. So an amazing guard may not get serious looks if a college is in need of forwards or vise versa. Hole in line up may be due to graduation, transfers, drop out, or life changes and that is what the coach is looking for in the short term.

 

Also agree that playing team sports is never a bad thing and the life lessons learned can be invaluable.

 

This is the one I had on my phone.

 

 

Estimated probability of competing in college athletics | NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA

I think what gets lost here is...there isn't that many spots for kids at the next level. Someone did the math for me one time and I will butcher it. But you'll get the point. Let's say there are 300 schools recruiting bball players. Let's say each school needs 5 players each year. That's 1500 opportunities across the entire country. Now how many high school senior bball players are there across the country? Heck, there are probably 1500 in the state of KY alone. I think we have about 300 schools and using the 5 Srs per class, we would come to the 1500 spots alone. Now just go north one state and they have 700 schools! Now add 48 more states and international players. (don't quote my numbers, buy you get my point)

 

My point is...There is only room for the elite. It's a reward for kids to get their school paid for. It's not an entitlement. There are thousands of kids that "want it badly" or "work their tails off". But at the end of the day, there just aren't enough spots for everyone. There is going to be disappointment! Some make it and some don't. Some get scholarships that make not sense to anyone and some really good players get overlooked. It's not an exact science. Sometimes it's measurables or upside. Sometimes it's just that a coach really likes a player and is willing to take a chance. Sure, you have no-brainers, but those are the top 1% of a huge number across the country.

 

This is what I think is wrong with the country. People think if you do all the hard work and maybe even work a little harder than some others, that you're entitled to something. The facts are there are 1000s of kid doing the exact same thing for very little opportunity to play at the next level.

 

In MS there are 15 kids on your team from your class. As a freshman, that may dwindle down to 10. Then as a sophomore, you're lucky if they keep 5 per class. Well this stands true as you go to college. Even more kids get weeded out! It's not because they didn't work really hard. It's not because they are bad players. It's not because someone likes them or doesn't like them. It's because if you are not unique, you are just like everyone else. There are a lot of pretty girls in this world, but they aren't all models. Sure some aren't because they don't want to be. But I'm sure there are millions that would like to be walking the runways that never made it. Are they ugly? No, they just didn't stand out from the other millions.

 

If you want exposure, it's up to your family to do it. Find the way. Find the AAU team that will choose you to be on the top team. Have a conversation and ask to workout with the top kids. You own it. No one else.

 

A top org in any sport didn't get that way over night. There are reasons college coaches migrate to them. Because it's the college coach's way to start the weeding out process. They use the top orgs as a starting point, whether we like it or not. Then they will trickle down to other orgs and lower level teams in the same org. If you were a recruiter looking to see how many of the best you can see in a short period of time, you'd do the same thing. Then the lower level coaches wait for the D1's to go off the board and then they start. They's love to see D1 kids fall, but that doesn't happen too often unless it's the family's choice.

 

Let me give you one example that I know of the truth and helped me understand. It's in the sport of softball. There was a very high level D1 coach that lost a commitment late in the process. The commitment was a power hitting first baseman. This coach called one of the very high level summer softball orgs (in another state) and said, "I just lost my powerhitting firstbaseman. You have anyone on your top teams that could fill this spot?" The summer coach said yes and the very high level college signed her without ever seeing her play. (don't ask me why she was available, I don't know the answer to that). But my point is, these recruiters "trust" the evaluation of the orgs that have been doing this and putting kids in college. They understand that a kid playing for a particular orgs top team must have been through the weed out process and must be able to play. That's why the older you get, the more consolidated your choices become if you want to play at a competitive level.

 

As for "is it worth it". Many look back and say no way. My investment never paid off. That's noones fault. You were against tremendous odds before you even started the journey. That's what people don't realize at a young age. Only the elite really get anything worth the work they put in.

 

But in my opinion, every second and every penny is worth it. You are making life long memories with for your kids. You have created relationships you never would have had. And I'm sure your child has learned hundreds of life lessons along the way. How to be successful. How to handle controversy. How to fail. How to reach down when the odds were against you. How to become a leader. Why teamwork and collaboration is so important. Why setting goals and working towards them is valuable. The list goes on and on!

 

This.:thumb:

So you have a little over a 3% chance to play woman's college basketball.

 

 

2.3% of those can get money from D1 or D2 the other 1.2% is D3 where they do not offer athletic money.

Don't forget there are funds out there from NAIA schools as well.

 

Grades are your best chance of getting college money. Many folks tend to forget that.

Actually, my daughter hasn't decided yet, but was recruited (and yes, D3 schools do recruit, and heavily, at least in WBB, though the pool of players with the academic credentials to be admitted is far smaller) by several of the Ivies and many of the UAA schools (a D3 "Ivy League-like" conference with a national travel schedule) and has taken official recruiting trips to Top Tier academic schools out West. Having said that, as of November 1, she has applied EA to ten schools, and will choose among them in early- to mid-December. To answer your question about the schools offering my daughter's intended major or some iteration of it and which also recruited her to play WBB, she applied EA to University of Chicago, Case Western Reserve University, Carnegie Mellon, Kenyon College, Grinnell College, Bard College, Vassar College, Colorado College, Sewanee University,and Stevens Institute of Technology.

 

Several of the schools on the list are nationally ranked "liberal arts" colleges, but either offer the biochemistry/neuroscience classes required of that major or allow students to tailor an individual major under the supervision of a tenured professor. I mention this because a lot of parents of today's kids do not realize the strong emphasis many liberal arts schools place on science and math today.

 

I would recommend your daughter get in touch with any of the D3 schools recruiting her to ask about an overnight recruiting visit in which she could sit in on some of the basic and upper division classes in her intended major (plus she will get a good feel for the campus food and what it's like to live in a school dorm there). Overnight recruiting visits helped my daughter immensely in paring down her list.

 

While I realize that the NCAA does not allow D 3 schools to offer athletic scholarships, you might ask the D3 coaches recruiting your daughter straight up about where she is on their recruiting board and gingerly ask them about how many "slots" or "tips" their team has been allotted by Admissions for the 2017-18 class and if the coach doesn't automatically set your daughter up with an official interview with the "Admissions Liaison" (-to the athletic department), I would recommend asking them if they would set one up for your daughter.

 

Aside from the omnipresent U.S. News and World Report rankings, there are several other sites than can help you find current information about D 3 or Top Tier academic schools and which ones offer the best majors in subjects your daughter wants to pursue: College Admissions, Search, and Financial Aid Help from College Confidential, Niche: Explore Schools and Neighborhoods and Do It Yourself College Rankings.

 

I hoped this information helped. If you have any more questions or need additional information, please DM me.

2.3% of those can get money from D1 or D2 the other 1.2% is D3 where they do not offer athletic money.

Don't forget there are funds out there from NAIA schools as well.

 

Grades are your best chance of getting college money. Many folks tend to forget that.

 

Grades are where it's at. Combine grades with some NAIA athletic offers and you can sometimes get close to the money D1 kids are getting. Trust me! I know!

Actually, my daughter hasn't decided yet, but was recruited (and yes, D3 schools do recruit, and heavily, at least in WBB, though the pool of players with the academic credentials to be admitted is far smaller) by several of the Ivies and many of the UAA schools (a D3 "Ivy League-like" conference with a national travel schedule) and has taken official recruiting trips to Top Tier academic schools out West. Having said that, as of November 1, she has applied EA to ten schools, and will choose among them in early- to mid-December. To answer your question about the schools offering my daughter's intended major or some iteration of it and which also recruited her to play WBB, she applied EA to University of Chicago, Case Western Reserve University, Carnegie Mellon, Kenyon College, Grinnell College, Bard College, Vassar College, Colorado College, Sewanee University,and Stevens Institute of Technology.

 

Several of the schools on the list are nationally ranked "liberal arts" colleges, but either offer the biochemistry/neuroscience classes required of that major or allow students to tailor an individual major under the supervision of a tenured professor. I mention this because a lot of parents of today's kids do not realize the strong emphasis many liberal arts schools place on science and math today.

 

I would recommend your daughter get in touch with any of the D3 schools recruiting her to ask about an overnight recruiting visit in which she could sit in on some of the basic and upper division classes in her intended major (plus she will get a good feel for the campus food and what it's like to live in a school dorm there). Overnight recruiting visits helped my daughter immensely in paring down her list.

 

While I realize that the NCAA does not allow D 3 schools to offer athletic scholarships, you might ask the D3 coaches recruiting your daughter straight up about where she is on their recruiting board and gingerly ask them about how many "slots" or "tips" their team has been allotted by Admissions for the 2017-18 class and if the coach doesn't automatically set your daughter up with an official interview with the "Admissions Liaison" (-to the athletic department), I would recommend asking them if they would set one up for your daughter.

 

Aside from the omnipresent U.S. News and World Report rankings, there are several other sites than can help you find current information about D 3 or Top Tier academic schools and which ones offer the best majors in subjects your daughter wants to pursue: College Admissions, Search, and Financial Aid Help from College Confidential, Niche: Explore Schools and Neighborhoods and Do It Yourself College Rankings.

 

I hoped this information helped. If you have any more questions or need additional information, please DM me.

 

Great advice and insight!

The above info is great. I think most of the time it's the parents that have the inflated expectations and translate that to their kids. I think that's a major part of the problem...They get their kids believing that they are more than what they are and they deserve to be recruited by the best.

 

My daughter has had some great girls to learn from here at Mason County and I truly appreciate the opportunities she's been given to go against some of the best players in the 10th region. But she and I both know that she has to continue to work hard and get good grades to get any sort of scholarship. Do I think she can do it? Yes, but we both know it won't be handed to her. But I'll try to give her all the opportunity to make that happen. I think that's all I as a parent can do.

I also want to add...the truth is...very few ladies (or guys) will ever make money playing basketball. So any scholarship that pays for their education should be the ultimate goal. And as others have stated, the best fit for your child may not be a D1 school. I think that's important to keep in mind.

You don't have to tell me who she is, but is she one of the seniors or an underclassman? You mentioned "learned from great players at Mason", so I took that as she's and underclassman. The reason I ask is there is a little underclassman guard that was there last year that I really liked. Just curious.

I also want to add...the truth is...very few ladies (or guys) will ever make money playing basketball. So any scholarship that pays for their education should be the ultimate goal. And as others have stated, the best fit for your child may not be a D1 school. I think that's important to keep in mind.

 

The ultimate goal could be just being part of a team, having fun making the friendships of a lifetime and playing a HS sport with your friends.

Just to add another thing to think about:

 

Even if they don't play in college, they can still play intermural basketball helping them meet new people with similar interests. Some colleges even have club teams that play other college club teams.

 

I have a daughter that might have been able to play for a college, but was burned out and didn't want to play in college. Now she's a sophomore and missed playing, so she tried out for the club team. She made the team and is having a blast playing for fun. She made many new friends in the process.

Edited November 4, 20169 yr by passtheball
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