I bet you didn't know that
Steve Nash was not even highly recruited from his High School in Canada.
He marketed himself furiously by sending out tons of letters and video tapes
to prospective Colleges and Universities. His High School coach helped him a
lot with this.
Ask your coach if he (or she)
can help you too. Even after all that work he still did not get tons of
offers. The U.S, schools, I guess felt that a 6'3" kid from Canada can't be
any good. Sound familiar?
Steve Nash had a dream and he
believed in himself. He sold himself and that is what you have to do. He
worked his butt off to continue to get better while in College. He didn't have
all the College Basketball recruiting information that is available today on
the internet. No chance. By the way, if you don't know his story, he finally
go a scholarship from Santa Clara University. The rest as they say, is
history. What a success story.
Sell yourself and believe in
yourself! We're here to help. How do you sell yourself? One way is to put
together a Great quality Video Hi-Lite presentation.
We can put a very reasonably
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Hi-Lite Package together for you.
The other thing you have to do
is to narrow down your choice of schools. Even if you are a very good player
you might not get noticed so be proactive and decide where you want to play.
Be realistic though. If you rarely get off the bench it might be tough to play
for North Carolina.
Athletic Scholarships
Don’t Just Happen
A Parent Rarely Knows…
how to get their son or daughter an athletic scholarship to
help pay for college. In fact, very few high school coaches even know enough
to help a great college-bound athlete get recruited – beyond pointing them
out to a few college coaches they personally know. Athletes who should have
been recruited graduate … unrecruited.
You Can Be An Exception...
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recruiting service or consultant.
#1) Play in games where coaches will
see you
I can tell you that today just playing in your local high school may not be
enough. AAU tournaments are everywhere and all summer long. You have to put
yourself out there. Talk with your coaches about it. Do research online and
find out how you can get involved. I always looked at my practicing as a bit
of a job. I knew that if I practiced enough I would get good enough to get my
education paid for. That's pretty special when you think about it and if you
want it bad enough you'll do the research.
#2) Play with good competition
I had the pleasure of playing with and against some very highly recruited
players. In an AAU tournament a few years back I played against a kid named
Jason Kidd. Maybe you've heard of him. But that day I saw every coach I ever
knew in the bleachers watching. That was special. Since you're probably
thinking it I will admit that he stole the ball from me the first two times I
had it for dunks. He is simply an amazing player. You just can't be afraid to
put yourself out there.
#3) Practice game situations at game
speeds
If you think sitting on your butt playing Madden or NBA live is making you a
better player you are wrong. Get out and play so that when the time comes you
are ready to show what you can do. My senior year of high school I remember
practicing one day while Roy Williams watched us. I practiced very hard at
basketball, but that day I wish and knew that I could've done more.
#4) No Victim
One thing that drives me crazy is when I ask people if they played high school
sports and they blame it on something else. "Coach hated my family". "I had
the wrong last name." "I could've played but I decided to focus on track."
Whatever the line is I have heard it over and over again. Don't be a victim.
The best players play. Don't give the coach second thoughts. If you're
prepared you'll play, that's the bottom line.
#5) Sell yourself
I had someone make a highlight reel of myself to send to coaches. Now it can
be done easily and digitally. I was doing VHS garbage and that was no fun at
all. With what is available now don't be afraid to sell yourself. These
coaches want to see these tapes. They want to find a kid that nobody has seen
before. Many times coaches will send those to other coaches or to junior
colleges to have a player be seen. Sell yourself.
#6) Do your research
Many websites promote players. Find them and don't be afraid to promote
yourself. I have a feeling your parents will support you because they want you
to get a scholarship as opposed to you paying for school. When I was playing
we didn't have the Internet so I'm not up to date on the websites, but I
follow college recruiting today and I can see a kid's highlight tape on
youtube if I wanted to. Don't be afraid to do the same.
I would hope that everyone who reads this
realizes that not only are there division I schools, but all sorts of colleges
and universities that give basketball scholarships. A good education goes a
long way and it is a great goal to get that paid for.
