Finding the Right Fit
Find the right fit in colleges is one of the most important aspects of your college recruiting process. Keep reading below to learn more.
Find the Right College Fit
For the vast majority of high school student-athletes their playing careers will end when they graduate from high school. Regardless of your sport only about 7% will go on to play in college. And from there, the chances of playing professionally are, well, miniscule. I want to be clear on this. If playing your sport professionally is your dream, then don’t let anyone stop you. Keep knocking on doors until you run out of doors to knock on.
However, for most kids, they realize that playing in the pros isn’t going to be part of their future. They play because they love the game and because they have a chance to get some, or all, of their college paid for. I can’t tell you how many kids I’ve talked with (girl basketball players) that say they want to play for UConn or South Carolina or, etc. And then after a while they come to understand that those are not realistic goals. Then they back it off a bit to say a Major D1 that isn’t as high profile. Then, when that doesn’t pan out they say they just want to play D1. Then it goes on from there.
For some reason, there’s an allure to playing “D1.” But the reality is, there’s a lot of D2 schools that would smoke a lot of D1 schools. And likewise, there’s a lot of NAIA schools that would smoke a lot of D2 schools (and maybe even a few D1’s). You can find high-level basketball at all levels. Period.
But there should be a lot more that goes into your college selection decision. A lot more.
So if you’re probably not going to be playing professionally. And if you can find really good basketball at all the different levels. Why not consider other factors?
Keep reading . . .
Finding the Right Fit Includes:
Spirituality, Faith and Religion – does the Coach, program and school fit within your spiritual, religious, moral code or overall value system? This is important, especially for someone who’s coming from a religious or faith-based home. If you’re constantly around people who don’t fit your values then you will struggle to fit in and be happy.
Academically – does the school offer the major(s) you’re interested in pursuing? And does the school have a strong reputation among employers in your field? Do you get the feeling that the Coach pushes academics? What’s the team gpa? Anything below a 3.0 is probably a red flag.
Socially – do you “jive” with the other girls on the team? Do you “connect” with the Coaching staff? College athletics is nearly a full-time job. And for better or worse you’ll be spending a lot of time with the Coaches and especially the girls on your time. At a minimum, you better be able to sit in the same room with them for a couple of hours.
Geographically – how far away from home are you comfortable going? That first year away is tough. Don’t discount how important distance is being away from your family. Some kids do great being 7+ hours away. Others need to be able to get home within 5 hours or so. And then there are other that want to be able to get home in about 2-3 hours. Give this sincere, honest thought before making any decisions.
Athletically – unless you’re a major D1 player with real aspirations of playing professionally, the type of offense or defense a team runs should really be the least important factor when selecting a school. And if it happens to be the case that UCONN is offering you as a Sophomore, then you’re really set anyway. This factor should be at the bottom of your list of importance. *Here’s a side note: if it’s really important to you that a team plays a certain way (for example, like pushing the ball at all times) then that’s probably an indicator that you’re not a well-rounded player and have some stuff to be working on.