Would you be surprised to know talent and athletic ability often are not the key factors in a player’s journey to Division 1 basketball?
Don’t get me wrong. If you are not an elite player, you most likely will not go D1. But just because you’re “sweet with the rock” doesn’t mean that you will reach the eyes of college coaches.
The majority of Division 1 players take very similar steps and it’s not a coincidence that they all grasp notable levels of success. Things such as your AAU team, high school, and graduating class can all determine if you will make it to the next level.
Arguably the most important step in this process is getting on the right AAU Team. This can be the most important step in your basketball career as it is what will lead you to other opportunities.
Making a good AAU team could land you at a preparatory school or an academy that will ultimately put you in the eyes of college coaches. Certain New England preparatory head coaches have shared that upwards of 100 college scouts have attended their fall-open gyms. This is in contrast with maybe a few scouts at your public school games – if you are lucky.
Athletes attending a prep school not only allows them to play better competition, but also have access to better facilities. The majority of preparatory schools have shooting machines, 24/7 access to the gym, and available trainers. Preparatory schools are meant to prepare you for college – hence the name.
The circuit that your AAU team plays on can also be crucial to your recruitment. Circuits are an organized season of weekend-long tournaments that determine if you will compete in the final tournament. AAU takes place in all of the seasons except winter, with spring and summer being the most competitive.
The majority of Division 1 players play on one of the four major shoe circuits. According to 247Sports rankings, 57 of the top 100 prospects compete on the Nike E.Y.B.L circuit, 22 play on Adidas’s 3SSB, 12 ball on the Under Armor Association, and 5 play on Puma’s Pro16 circuit. Other notable circuits include Hoop Group, Made Hoops, and The Circuit.
Shoe circuits also have a “Live Period” where colleges can approach and offer scholarships to players they normally would not be allowed to during restricted periods. This can be a good opportunity to build relationships with coaches and hopefully earn a scholarship.
While AAU can be very beneficial, prospects you need to be careful of the team you play for. Some programs demand too much from kids which can cause burnout, and injuries, which often leads to bad habits.
In a Grantland publication, 9-time NBA player/coach Steve Kerr quotes, “Teams play game after game after game, sometimes winning or losing four times in one day. Very rarely do teams ever hold a practice.”
Programs often want quick success and are not always thinking about the player’s long-term careers. NBA legend Kobe Bryant feels similar to Kerr. When interviewed about AAU Kobe responded, “ I hate it… it’s horrible” he reasoned that “…it doesn’t teach our players to play the right way.
Playing an excessive amount of games, without focused, structured practice time, disregards the need for fundamentals – especially for younger players. Bad shooting habits are formed and the concept of “team basketball” is thrown out the window for most.
AAU can be a useful tool when used properly but it is important to suit up for a team that has your best interests at heart. Rather than a team that wants instantaneous success.
After the AAU season is finished, if players are lucky enough, they could catch the eyes of a preparatory program. If the athletes choose to attend one of these schools they are highly encouraged to “reclass”.
Reclassing is when a player repeats a grade while they are changing schools. A very high number of elite players have reclassified at some point in their careers.
This can be a rewarding experience but also requires some sacrifice. The athletes gain another year in sports but must add another year of school and push their graduating class back a year. Reclassing also allows them to play “down” in AAU, meaning that if the athlete is 17 but is a sophomore they can play in the 17U age group even though this is designed for 16-year-olds.
You might be thinking, how does all of this relate? All of the information provided shows that these are the steps a Division One player must follow, but why? How do these unconventional steps make you a better player?
There is a simple answer: the competition.
The harder the competition the more you will improve. As Michael Hopf once said, “Hard times create strong men”. This is true though, no matter how hard you work eventually you are going to plateau if you are playing against weak competition.
After you have gone and played against the best of the best and you go back to play against an average player the game is going to feel much slower and less physical.
An example of someone who navigated this “game” correctly is Providence Friars center Oswin Erhunmwunse. He attended Putnam Science Academy, played for a 3ssb AAU team, and reclassified.
Erhunmwunse remembers when he first came over from Africa how much it was a struggle to adapt to the level of play and competition here in the States. He quotes that people always said he was “too skinny” “could only jump” and questioned if he could “play other big guys”.
Oswin did not quit though, he stuck with it and eventually adapted to be able to compete with the best. He didn’t stop there though, he kept building on this and eventually earned himself ESPN’s number 31 spot in high school hoops. Oswin is a prime example of someone who has worked hard, followed the steps of other Division 1 players, and was able to achieve the end goal.
It’s not a coincidence that we are seeing more and more players attend prep school or give up other sports so they can play on circuit teams. It is also not a coincidence that these are the athletes who play Division 1. More people who wish to play collegiate basketball are realizing the game has changed and it is often in their best interest to try to get on the “path” most Division 1 players take.
There are 2 games involved in basketball, one being on the court and the other involving precise planning and a significant sacrifice of your time.
If you wish to make it, you can’t just play one game.
WC: 1119
