A Scholarship is a Privilege and not a Right!

Now that the Summer AAU girls basketball season is over and one last tournament for
coaches to watch either seniors or up and coming players is during the first week
end in October. Most coaches at this time will have already had their first choice
players that are seniors to attend their respective campus on an official visits.
This is to insure that their commitment is firm when they sign on the early signing
period in November. Most schools wil have on average about three scholarships. Those
scholarships will be offered to the players that they have been following for a
period of time. If you are a top choice senior and have been offered a
scholarship there is a good chance that you will not be participating in this event.
However coaches do know that sometimes circumstances change with a player that they
really wanted and maybe another student athlete could be available. Many D2, D3 and
Juco coaches will be at these events because they tend to get senior players during the late signing period. Many schools will have midnight madness come October 15th as they prepare for the upcoming season which is usually two weeks or less away. Many student athletes that are legitimate prospects shou have had an influx of letters or calls that are permissible by the NCAA on September 1st and there after. Letters will come in several forms. Questionaires, Hand written and a Prospectus of the school.

Do not make the mistake of believing that because a certain high profile school or schools may have sent you a letter that it means that you are one of their top candidates. Coaches do not have the time during the season to come see a student athlete play like they do during the Spring and Summer months. It can simply mean that they may have heard of you and that they will continue to monitor your progress and development in the year or years to come; Coaches watch players from all over the country that are
just as fast and talented and in some cases far more productive. One of the biggest
and most common mistakes that student athletes and parents make is that they tend
to overlook schools that are not high profile in their minds because they have not
done their research. Or in some cases the student athlete is led to believe that
they are better than what they really are. That is one reason why the NCAA has had
over 400 student athletes that have transferred this past season. Below are some
guidelines that may assist a student athlete and parent to make a more informed
decision. Good luck during this period and good luck during the highschool
basketball season.

1. Make sure that you have cleared Clearinghouse
2. Make sure that either the SAT or ACT test have been taken and passed
3. Know the academic guidelines required along with the correct AP courses
4. Choose a school that fits you and not what everyone else thinks
5. Make sure your character is in tact: a scholarship is a privilege and not a right

5 thoughts on “A Scholarship is a Privilege and not a Right!

  1. Dont overlook “needs based tuition” schools either. Many of those dont have scholarships per se. But it is the bottom line that counts!

  2. I really like it when I see information like this that has substance and displys how this process really works. I agree that too often too many kids think they are better than what they really are and in up making poor choices.

  3. This information is fine but I wonder just how these coaches actually make their decisions between 1-5 players that they may see at one event or the other. I have seen a lot of “high level” players can out played at 1 tournament or the other but they continue to be the “high level” player while someone that may have out played them does not seem to move the needle. What creates the “high level” player status? Scoring 16 pts a game, 3 steals per game, 10 rebounds per game or all of the above. What moves the needle more for the average coach? 5’6″ or 6’2″ with a jump shot and good ball handle or what. Can anyone that is an actual (or former) college coach or major recruiter speak to these questions? I have seen a lot of players both boys/girls that seem better than many of the players at several high D1 schools but they did not get the recruiting of other. Maybe some of these kids did not have the grades or had bad attitudes in private. How much if any does your high school team and coach even matter in the process if they are recriuting you based on your AAU summer play?

  4. Where are the cautionary articles for the kids going to college on baseball, swimming, golf, cheerleading, etc scholarships? Every year, at the beginning and the end of the basketball season, there seems to be this need to counsel these DUMB, naiive players with the greedy parents who only care about their kids playing sports. The truth is, on a whole, kids who play ANY sport perform better in the classroom than kids who do not participate in extracirrucular activities. Girls who participate in sports are less likely to be abused or have unwanted children. In our county, thousand of kids play high schools sports and only a few go on to play on the college level. Even fewer receive some sort of scholarship or financial assistance to continue playing sports. So why not preach the “don’t get the big head”, “get great grades”, and “be a good person” when baseball and other (non-football/basketball) seasons start. Why do kids playing THESE sports need it and the others don’t?

  5. Yeah But

    I believe this pertains to all prospective student athletes from what I am reading eventhough it seems to center around Basketball. The words “Student Athlete” covers a wide range.

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