College Basketball Scholarships and Recruiting

College Basketball Scholarships and Recruiting

How do I Get a Basketball Scholarship?

College basketball players currently on scholarship got started in the process very early. Basketball players begin the recruiting process by the time they are in the 9th grade, and are continually checking-in with coaches throughout high school so that coaches can watch their development.
Learn more about the steps to take to get a basketball scholarship.

How do I Get a Basketball Scout to Watch Me?

At the highest levels, scouts begin watching players in middle school. All other coaches begin watching players by the time they are in the 9th grade. The key to getting a basketball scout to see you in person is to be sending out a great video and playing against the best competition.
Here are a few more things you can do.

Improve Your Chances of Getting a Basketball Scholarship

There are over 1 million men’s and women’s high school basketball players in the USA and thousands more internationally. On average, only 50,000 are able to receive basketball scholarships. Having a high quality skills and highlight videos is a prerequisite to having a coach interested in recruiting you.To expand your probability of attaining a scholarship, implement our detailed plan.

How do I Get Recruited to Play College Basketball?

Coaches recruit the top level basketball recruits by the time they are in the 8th grade. If you want to play college basketball but haven’t been contacted by coaches on or soon after September 1st of your junior year, you have fallen way behind.Learn how to contact coaches to be successful.

What are the Academic Requirements?

Depending on your talent, coaches may be more or less flexible with the academic requirements needed to attend their university.The academic requirements to participate for NCAA and NAIA athletics can be found here.

The Average Height of College Basketball Players

These are the general guidelines for size requirements coaches look for in a basketball player. If you fall outside of these marks it doesn’t mean you can’t play at that level only that it might be more difficult.

Men’s Basketball

NCAA D1 / NCAA D2 / NCAA D3/NAIA / NJCAA
Point Guard / 5’11+ / 5’10+ / 5’9+ / 5’9+
Shooting Guard / 6’1+ / 6’0+ / 5’11+ / 5’10+
Small Forward / 6’3+ / 6’2+ / 6’1+ / 6’1+
Power Forward / 6’7+ / 6’6+ / 6’5+ / 6’4+
Center / 6’9+ / 6’8+ / 6’7+ / 6’6+

Women’s Basketball

NCAA D1 / NCAA D2 / NCAA D3/NAIA / NJCAA
Point Guard / 5’8”+ / 5’7”+ / 5’5”+ / 5’6”+
Shooting Guard / 5’10”+ / 5’8”+ / 5’7”+ / 5’8”+
Small Forward / 5’11”+ / 5’10”+ / 5’8”+ / 5’9”+
Power Forward / 6’0+ / 5’11”+ / 5’9”+ / 5’10”+
Center / 6’2”+ / 6’0”+ / 5’11”+ / 5’11”+

There isn’t a specific requirement with statistics because everything depends on what type of competition an athlete is playing against. An athlete in a weak division that scores 25+ PPG can be less talented than another athlete who scores only 15 PPG but plays in a higher division.

How Many Scholarships for Each Team?

College basketball scholarships are offered at the NCAA Division 1, NCAA Division 2, NJCAA, and NAIA levels. NCAA Division 3 does not offer athletic scholarships but offers other forms of financial aid.The number of scholarships available is based on a fully funded program. Not all schools offer the maximum number of scholarships. Also, some schools have restrictions on scholarship use for out of state and international athletes.

Here is the total number of basketball programs at each division level.

Men’s Basketball

NCAA D1: 344
NCAA D2: 282
*NCAA D3: 403
NAIA: 255
NJCAA: 560
Total: 1,844

Women’s Basketball

NCAA D1: 342
NCAA D2: 281
*NCAA D3: 426
NAIA: 256
NJCAA: 519
Total: 1,824

*NCAA Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships, but do offer other forms of financial aid.

Not all colleges that are eligible to offer scholarships will choose to do so. For example, Ivy League schools choose not to offer athletic scholarships.

Basketball is a head count sport for both men and women in NCAA D1, which means all scholarships are full scholarships. In all other divisions, basketball is considered an equivalency sport, which means that coaches can divide the value of the total scholarships allotted to them between as many players as they see fit.

Men’s Basketball

NCAA D1: 13
NCAA D2: 10
NAIA: 17
NJCAA: 15

Women’s Basketball

NCAA D1: 13
NCAA D2: 9
NAIA: 12
NJCAA: 24

IMPORTANT: NAIA Rule Changes. You must now register with theNAIA Clearinghouse.

College Basketball Camps.

How women’s basketball started.

Basketball history

Duke University Athletics.

Most Common Questions

Our Athnet team takes pride in providing you and your family the most accurate information on college recruiting. Each section below contains popular topics helping you answer questions regarding college and the recruiting process. If your question doesn't appear in the highlighted section please use the keyword search tool or contact us directly using social media, email, or telephone.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

General Questions
Recruiting Terms
Scholarships
The NCAA
The Eligibility Center & Clearinghouse
The NAIA
Junior College
National Letter of Intent
Financial Aid
SAT/ACT/TOEFL

General Questions

Choosing a College

When can I visit a college?
Am I good enough to play college sports?
What should I look for in a potential college?
What level can I play in college?
What are my chances of playing college sports?
What are the recruiting regulations?

Communicating with College Coaches

When can I contact a college coach?
How do I get the contact information for a college coaches?
What does contact with a coach mean?

Recruiting Advice

Am I too old to play college sports?
What questions can I ask when calling a coach for the first time?
How do I transfer from a 4-year university?
How do I get recruited?
Does my coach get me recruited?
Am I allowed to transfer?
What if I play multiple sports?
How long does the recruiting process take?
What is a prospective student athlete?
What is my coach’s role in recruiting?
If I receive a letter from a coach does that mean I am being recruited?
What if I don’t play for a big school or a top travel team?
How do I know if I am being recruited?
How will a coach find me?
Do I need a recruiting highlight video?
How do coaches evaluate potential student athletes?
How do I get recruited by a college coach?
What happens during the recruiting process?

Schooling Questions

What is my GPA?
What if I took the GED?
What if I am home-schooled?

International Student-Athletes

What if I am an international student athlete?

Recruiting Terms

What is a redshirt freshman?
What is a walk-on?
When is the signing period?
What is grey shirting?
What is a Redshirt?
What is a quiet period?
What is an evaluation period?
What is an evaluation?
What is a dead period?
What is a contact period?
What is an unofficial visit?
What is an Official Visit?
What is a signing date?
What is a verbal commitment?

Scholarships Questions

What is the minimum GPA to get a scholarship?
What is a verbal scholarship offer?
What schools offer scholarships in my sport?
What other scholarships are available?
What are the athletic scholarship requirements?
Can I combine my athletic and academic scholarship?
Can a coach take away my scholarship without telling me?
Can I get a full-ride scholarship?

Athletic Scholarships

Do all universities offer athletic scholarships?
Can I get an athletic scholarship in multiple sports?
How long does my athletic scholarship last?
What is an athletic scholarship?
How good do I need to be to get an athletic scholarship?
How do I get an athletic scholarship?

Academic Scholarships

The NCAA

Do I have to register with the NCAA or NAIA?
What if I have a learning disability?
What is a DII Partial Qualifier?
What is NCAA Division III?
What is NCAA Division II?
What is NCAA Division I?
What is the NCAA Guide for the College Athlete?
What is the NCAA?

The Eligibility Center & Clearinghouse

Can I get a refund for my Eligibility Center fee?
How are students prioritized by the Eligibility Center?
What is the NCAA Eligibility Center?
What are the NAIA Academic Requirements?

Eligibility Center Registration

Do I still have my amateurism status?
Do I need to be on an IRL (Institutional Request List)?
What is the Amateurism Certificate?
What is considered Organized Competition?
What are considered necessary expenses?
What are the amateurism requirements?
What happens if I am not cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center?
How do I submit my documents to the NCAA Eligibility Center?
How do I get cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center?
How do I register with the NCAA Eligibility Center?

Eligibility Center Requirements

What happens if I don’t meet the core course requirements?
How can I find what classes count for my core courses?
What are the NCAA core course requirements?
What happens if I am one core course short?
What are the NCAA Eligibility Center requirements?
What are the NCAA academic requirements?

Clearinghouse

When do I need to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse?
Does registering with the NCAA Clearinghouse get me recruited?
What if I am not cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse?
What is the NCAA Clearinghouse?

The NAIA

How do I get my NAIA amateur status back?
Do I have to register with the NCAA or NAIA?
How long does it take to get cleared by the NCAA or NAIA?
What is the NAIA?
How do I calculate my class rank?
What is my class rank?
When will I know if I am Eligible with the NAIA?
What are the NAIA requirements?
How do I submit my SAT and/or ACT scores to the NAIA Eligibility Center?
How do I contact the NAIA Eligibility Center?
How do I submit my documents to the NAIA Eligibility Center?
How do I get cleared by the NAIA Eligibility Center?
How do I register with the NAIA Eligibility Center?
What is the NAIA Eligibility Center?

Junior College Questions

What are the Junior College eligibility requirements?
What is the NJCAA?
What are the NJCAA academic requirements?

National Letter of Intent Questions

What happens if I change my mind on an NLI?
If I sign an NLI can I still play for a non-NLI school?
How do I submit my NLI?
Do I need an NLI if I am walking on?
Do I have to sign an NLI if I have made a verbal commitment?
Do I have to sign a NLI?
Am I guaranteed playing time with an NLI?
How do I fulfill the NLI?
What is a National Letter of Intent?
When can I sign a National Letter of Intent?

Financial Aid Questions

What are State Grants?
What are Federal Loans?
What is the FAFSA?
Where can I get financial aid?
What is Financial Aid?

SAT/ACT/TOEFL Questions

What is the TOEFL?
What is the minimum ACT to be eligible?
What is the minimum SAT to be eligible?
How do I take the ACT?
What is the ACT?
How do I take the SAT?
What is the SAT?
What tests do I need to take to be eligible?