Subscribe to blog
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; The key to finding the perfect college fit is to work as hard as possible to create more options. The more options you have the great chance you will find the perfect college and earn an athletic scholarship. Hats off to Arizona’s Chase Budinger for finding the right fit and turning down millions in the pros to return to campus for his degree.
With College Basketball season on the horizon I wanted to take some time out and get the opinion of some people on the best college basketball rivalry. I understand that people’s opinions will differ based on where they are from, where they went to school as well as their favorite team. I am expecting some little known rivalries such as the Hope vs. Calvin matchup at the D3 level. Please take some time out to post your TOP 5 All Time College Basketball Rivalries.
Top 5 Rivalries
1. Duke vs. North Carolina (The Best 2 Teams in 1 State)
2. Kentucky vs. Louisville (The 2nd Best 2 Teams in 1 State)
3. Xavier vs. Cincinnati (Best Smaller School Rivalry and Close in Proximity)
4. Purdue vs. Indiana (Most Hated By One Another)
5. Syracuse vs. Georgetown (Best Historic Value)
Honorable Mentions:
1. Michigan vs. Michigan State
2. Tennessee vs. UCONN (Women’s Basketball)
3. Penn vs. Princeton
4. Southern Illinois vs. Creighton
5. Kansas vs. Missouri
Best Unknown Rival
1. Dedication to the Classroom.
College coaches understand that not all student-athletes perform the same on tests. 
They do, however, know the difference between trying hard and being lackadaisical. The harder a student-athlete works in school along with his attendance record is strongly considered by colleges prior to a scholarship being offered. Coaches do believe there is a correlation between effort in the classroom and effort on the athletic field of play. Dedication and reliability go hand-in-hand.
2. Communicate with the High School Coach.
It is important that the student-athlete let their high school coach know their intentions in relation to going on to the next level. A student-athlete can not be afraid to let the coach know what type of academic interests they have and what colleges they are interested in possibly attending. The student-athlete should ask the coach to be honest about his talents and potential.
3. Work to improve your physical skills.
Playing a sport at the college level demands great physical skills and discipline. Each level of competition is more demanding and the student-athlete needs to continually improve. In order to complete and to stay injury free, the student-athlete most stay in top physical condition. It is absolutely vital for the player to work on improving their strength, speed, flexibility, agility and individual position skills.
4. Make a positive impression on college coaches.
The way a student-athlete talks, dresses and carries themselves is important when talking with a college coach. The student-athlete that comes across as arrogant, selfish, foul mouthed or rude is someone who will quickly be eliminated by college staff. Colleges want team players who are a positive reflection of their program on and off the field.
5. Be honest with recruiters.
College coaches like student-athletes to be honest during the recruiting process. A student-athlete should not lead a school on if there is no genuine interest. The student-athlete and the high school they come from are viewed more positively by the colleges if they are up front and honest during the recruiting process. College coaching staffs do not have time to waste on an athlete that doesn’t have a genuine interest in their institution and program.
Bill Conley worked at Ohio State for 17 years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Can’t pay for college? Maybe Uncle Sam can help you. Getting accepted into a military academy or ROTC (Reserved 
Officer Training Corps) program may be the most rewarding experience a young man or woman can receive. In this blog entry I want to distinguish between the two elements of government academic training and possibly assist you in the benefits of applying and competing for a military academy or ROTC program.
The Academies
Acceptance: Military academies such as West Point and Annapolis have a prestigious history of fielding some of the best athletic teams our country has ever seen along with first-class education. One thing prospective student-athletes need to understand is that it is tuition free. That’s right it’s free! However, getting accepted into West Point, Annapolis, or Colorado Springs is not an easy task. The academies are very selective in the acceptance process and certain documentation needs to be in order before applying. These documents include letter of recommendations from your state congressman, outstanding GPA, test scores and proof that you are a leader in your community. If you are getting recruited by a coach from one of the academies, I highly recommend you communicate over what is needed to be accepted.
Commitment: Understand that this decision is a commitment. The next four years of your life will be dedicated to earning a degree of your choice and learning the principles of leading our country. After graduation you will be considered a commissioned officer and have a six year enlistment to your branch. The Naval Academy is the only academy where Midshipmen have the option of either serving in the United States Navy or the United States Marine Corps. To learn more about the academies click on these links below:
United States Military Academy
United States Air Force Academy
Reserved Officer Training Corp 
Acceptance: The ROTC program is also another great program offered by our military which gives prospective students the opportunity to select the college of their choice while the government picks up the tuition bill. The ROTC program is not as selective with prospective students as the academies, but it is highly recommended that an applicant have outstanding academics and athletic performance. During your four year college commitment students in the program will be enrolled in a series of military science courses and be required to attend military sanctioned events over the first two summers while attending OCS (Officer Candidate School) their third summer and TBS (The Basic School) in their fourth summer.
Commitment: Your commitment after you earn your degree is similar to that of a midshipmen or cadet. You will embark on a 6 year enlistment. If at any point you decide that the military is not for you, you will owe the government the money that was paid for your degree. To learn more about the Reserved Officer Training Corps Click below.
Your role as an athlete 
Athletics play a huge role in the image of the military academies. Every year the Army versus Navy game is one of the biggest rivalries in our country. As an athlete, not only do you have your responsibilities preparing week to week against opponents, you also have a series of inspections, assignments, and studies. Organization, time management, and being squared away will separate you from the pack.
Merchant Marine Academy, New Mexico Military Institute, The Citadel, & the Coast Guard
The Merchant Marine Academy, New Mexico Military Institue, United States Coast Guard Academy, and The Citadel are also fine insitutions that offer first class education. After speaking with representatives from each institution this is the information we found.
Merchant Marine Academy: The Merchant Academy encourages their student’s to serve as civilians after graduation in the Maritime Industry. These positions include deck officers, engineers, security, and logistics. Students are required to serve an 8 year reservist enlistment which is broken down to 2 weeks per year. 75% of the Merchant Marine Students will be placed in this job industry while making lucrative salaries. 75% enlist in the Naval and Marine Reserve compononent, while 25% enlist into one of the four military branches. The Merchant Marine Academy has 23 varsity sports. Rugby is nationally ranked, and 85% of the student body participates in sports. To learn more about the Merchant Marine Academy click here
New Mexico Military Institute: All students who attend New Mexico Military Institute do not have a military commitment after graduation. They do encourage students to attend military academies after graduation and compete at the junior college level. NMMI offers an ROTC program where students voluntarily sign up and are required to serve a 4 year enlistment in the branch of their choice. To learn more about the New Mexico Military Institute click here
The Citadel: The Citadel is located in Charleston, SC and competes at the Division 1-AA level. There is no mandatory enlistment after graduation. They also offer an ROTC program that does not have a binding contract to serve after your schooling is complete. They do encourage students to serve in one of the four military branches. To learn more about The Citadel click here
The United States Coast Guard Academy
The United States Coast Guard Academy is tuition free. However, there is a $3,000 initial fee which includes a laptop and uniforms. There is a 5 year enlistment that is involved after graduation. Students will receive their military occupation specialty after their second year in the academy. Teams who compete for the academy compete at the Division 3 level. 65% of their students graduate from the academy. If at any point a student has a change of heart the situation is handled case by case and certain money will be owed back to the institution. To learn more about the United States Coast Guard Academy click here
Serving our country was one of the best career decisions I have ever made. During my enlistment as a young Marine I learned discipline, leadership, and achieved goals I never would have done on my own. These tools helped me become the person I am today and set me up for a wonderful job. To learn more about military life or questions please comment on this blog below and an NCSA Recruiting Coach will be in touch with you.
You don’t want to wait until senior year to learn about the recruiting process. You can start taking serious recrtuiintg steps as a freshman. National Collegiate Scouting 
Association president Chris Krause’s simple timeline that everyone can follow:
”You can’t expect coaches to keep the process moving all the time, because the average coach [is] very limited in time by the NCAA and by recruiting budgets,” Krause says. “It’s up to you to keep the process moving.”
Freshman Year
Get the ball rolling early, because “college coaches are recruiting the world,” Krause says. “If [your] competition is being proactive and [you’re not], they’ll assume you’re not interested.” Understanding NCAA recruiting rules is crucial to the success of this first step. The rules and regs constantly change, and staying abreast will save you from breaking them-and the headaches and heartaches of being penalized.
Also know the measurables for your sport [e.g, Football: 40-yard dash, vertical jump; Volleyball: standing reach, touch jump; Softball: pop times, ray and jug guns]. “Those are the types of little things [to know], so you know where you stack up.”
Krause also recommends going to a D-I, -II and -III game or competition to learn the differences between the levels of play. You’ll benefit from this experience as you graduate to sophomore status.
Sophomore Year
Resume the recruiting process by starting your athletic résumé, noting the essentials. “[Coaches] want to know how tall, strong and fast you are [and] what you’re doing academically,” Krause says.
A paper evaluation isn’t the only analysis you need at this point. A scouting evaluation-from your high school coach or an independent third party-is also necessary to help you realistically determine where you stack up against higher competition.
By this time, look into compiling a skills tape, which you can send to a coach after writing a personal letter. “Don’t send videos unsolicited,” Krause warns. “Let the coach know you’re interested [in his program] and why.
“Recruiting is about relationships. The more chance you can help a coach build a relationship with you, the easier you make the process on him, and the more likely you’re going to be recruited.”
This year is also when you should be calling D-III coaches, who, unlike D-I or -II coaches, aren’t prohibited from calling you back. “[This] can really be a great tune-up for you, so by the time you get to your junior year, you’re really prepared for those phone calls.”
Junior Year
This stage is intense because as Krause explains, “what you do during your junior year really makes up a lot of minds.”
If you’re not receiving letters by now, better start putting ink to paper. “Writing a letter is critical,” Krause says. Be specific when addressing the coach [e.g., write “Dear Coach Smith,” not “Dear Coach”], and share what you like about his/her program and why you’re interested in playing for the team.
Open the [phone] lines of communication. For most sports, this is the year you can start receiving calls from D-I and -II coaches. Always return calls in a timely manner and be fully prepared for phone conversations by knowing about the school’s academic background, its athletic conference and the team’s style of play.
Krause recommends focusing on 10 to 20 schools you think could be a realistic fit, then proactively start talking to those coaches and scheduling unofficial visits.
Senior Year
“For bigger D-I programs, most scholarships are offered during the junior year,” Krause notes.
Didn’t get the offer you wanted? You can still take your game to college. “Keep the level of schools in your recruiting pool open at all times,” Krause advises. “For D-III, most of those coaches are waiting to see who signed D-I and who didn’t. And most of the time, tons of studentathletes weren’t recruited by D-I schools, and now they need to follow up with [coaches from other divisions].”
Limiting recruiting to within one state simply will not cut it with elite college programs these days. ESPN took a look at the new Marquette University Basketball Coach, Buzz Williams, recent recruiting class and one of his quotes really stood out from the rest:
“In the Big East, you can’t just recruit a specific area — and yes, we’ll recruit the state of Wisconsin, and yes, we’ll go to Texas on an annual basis, but Wisconsin and Texas won’t be enough to compete in the Big East,” Buzz Williams said. “But you always go where you have relationships.”
Potential recruits in search of an athletic scholarship should take a look at his quote and realize that he is 100% correct. Additionally, if a coach is open and willing to search nationwide, recruits need to do the same. If you aren’t willing to travel or step out of your comfort zone, you have essentially cut your chances of being recruited by more than half.
The second part of Coach Williams quote stress that above all else you have to go where you have relationships. Its why he was able to recruit several players from Texas to brave the cold all the way up in Milwaukee! Recruits need to understand that building trusting relationships is the key unlocking their scholarship potential.
How do you build these relationships? You build them in any way possible! Fill out questionnaires, send out tapes, talk to coaches on the phone, attend camps and more. The other main way to build relationships is to turn to a reliable source. A reliable source is someone a college coach trusts to identify talent. For some that source may be a high school coach. Others may get lucky and are spotted by scouts at a camp or in a game. For many that source is NCSA. NCSA has build thousands of relationships with coaches in all sports across the country and uses them to match with college coaches. If you want to see where you might fit with NCSA don’t wait!
This a funny (and a little depressing) article is written by Willits JV girls’ basketball coach George Atwood and is titled “10-step plan to devastate a high school basketball program.” It essentially chronicles some of the things that high school coaches have to endure on a reoccurring (and often continuous) basis. Basically, it non-chalantly shows that just as parents can get frustrated with coaches, coaches can get frustrated with parents. It’s a two-way street.
Coaches are people, just like you and me. In the same way parents want the best for their kids, most coaches feel the same way for their players and their team.
Here’s the thing. Your coaches can’t make everyone happy, but from personal experience, you can rest assured that if they could, they would. Kudos to Coach Atwood for writing this piece. It’s unfair to demand so much more from someone who, chances are, already is doing more than he or she can already handle.
Yesterday, I watched the award-winning documentary, “Second Chance Season,” which chronicled the trials and tribulations of then high-school phenom Nick Young. Watch the trailer below.
This documentary inspired me in a couple of ways. First of all, I have to commend Nick for making the most out of his second chance. But that leads me to the second way this documentary opened my eyes – be forewarned about the idea of “a second chance.” Normally, it doesn’t work that way — most people won’t get a second chance to graduate, most people won’t get a second chance to earn a scholarship.
Don’t count of having a second chance season. Young was this close to missing out on a full-ride to USC and millions of dollars in the NBA. Needless to say, do your best the first time around.
When I read Ross’ post “Success is felt at every level” I recalled one of my favorite poems (it is really an article, but to me it reads like a poem).
“Why We Play D-III Athletics” was written by Sean Sornsin, a baseball player at Cornell College.
“It’s not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making SportsCenter. It’s a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, to play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat. We do it all for our teammates and for the student in our calculus class that we don’t even know.
We don’t practice with a future major league first baseman; we practice with a future sports agent. We don’t lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor. We don’t run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO. It’s a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand. Sometimes we play for 2,000 fans; sometimes 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us. You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are students first. We don’t sign autographs. But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions. When we miss a kick or strike out, we don’t let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans.
But the hurt is still the same. We train hard, lift, throw, run, kick, tackle, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. And in that class we are nothing more than students. It’s about pride in ourselves, in our school. It’s about our love and passion for the game. And when it’s over, when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves. We will forever be what few can claim…college athletes.”
When I was in 7th Grade, my basketball team was terrible. I mean, we were horrendous – if one of us ever made a shot from outside the paint, it was like “Jordan over Ehlo”. Needless to say, we were win-less until the last game of the season.
Yes, we actually won a game. And I tell you, it was glorious. We were all jumping up and down, shouting at the top of our lungs as if we had just won the NBA title.
This wasn’t professional basketball, and we weren’t the best team in the world – it was 7th grade, and we just won one game.
But boy, did it feel good.
Lately, I’ve been talking to a slew of kids who are dead-set on one thing — playing at the Div. I level. For some of them, it might happen. For others, probably not. Very few student athletes get the opportunity to play at the top collegiate level — for basketball, only 0.9% of high schools players will get the chance to play Div. I.
But let’s look at my 7th grade basketball team. I harp that sports improve your health, confidence, self-esteem, teamwork, etc. But let’s face it — winning feels good. And guess what — winning feels good at any level!
For example, take these community college athletes in various Iowa community colleges. From the article in the Des Moines Register:
Eight of the 14 schools in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference have a team or teams that are ranked nationally.That’s not surprising. Iowa Central won the 2007 women’s cross country championship and was second in men’s cross country. Iowa Western finished second each of the last two seasons in women’s soccer and won the volleyball national title in 2006.
Now, when the Iowa Central women’s cross country team won the championship last year, do you think they sulked that it wasn’t a “higher” or “better” championship? Don’t be ludicrous! They were like my 7th grade basketball team — screaming, jumping around like madmen.
It’s not just Div. I that gets to take the spoils. Div. II, Div. III, NAIA, NJCAA and NCCAA schools all have the ability to experience the thrill of victory, too.