OK, I think this is a topic that has been long overdue.... I think it's time that these kids get some insight on picking a school for them and staying there to get their degree....
Far too many times, kids have too many people in their ear... I call these people "Street handlers"... They say that their helping kids choose the right school for the kids best interest but in reality it's in the Handlers best interest....
As an ex Division 1 basketball player, I have seen many players choose a school based on the name of the school..... I've even seen kids choose a school because it's a D1 school when they could have picked a D2 school that would have fit them better....
Heck, I made the same mistake myself, so to speak... My senior year in HS, I was one of the better players in NYC but I really lacked exposure.... I had almost all of the D2 schools in the Tri State area on me but my mind was stuck on D1 ball.... At the time, Sacret Heart in Conn was a strong D2 school and they wanted me badly.... I didn't have any D1 offers and it was April of my senior year so I gave SHU a verbal commitment.... I just wanted to make sure I had a school to attend in the Fall.... After watching some of my close friends choose schools in the Big East and ACC, I ended up backing out of my committment with nothing to fall back on....
Of course the coaching staff was highly upset and had some choice words for me but at the time all I wanted to do was play D1 ball and I knew I was a D1 player.... So graduation came and I still didn't know where I was going to school... I recieved a call from my aau coach and he invited me to an All Star Showcase at Manhatten College... Once I got there, I was teamed up with Stephon Marbury.... He told me to just get open and he would get me the ball.... I did just that, and he did what he said he would.... I was on fire plus the Lord was on my side.... Lots of schools such as Witchta State, Murry State, Marist, Akron and others began to call my phone but they all wanted me to attend prep school for a year and they would have a scholarship for me the next year.... My family didn't have the money to afford Prep school so that didn't work for me... My next step was to attend Anderson JC in Anderson, SC because the coach said he could get me into Clemson after one year.... So as I sat in my living room and began to fill out my application, I received a phone call from Delaware State University... Coach Dubose (RIP) told me they had a few scholarships available and heard about me at the College Showcase..... I asked a few questions, they asked a few questions, then I committed to them....
Now, everything wasn't what I was told but I made the best out of the situation and became a 4 year starter... My career was inconsistant due to multiple knee surgeries and I was never happy with the basketball decision I made.... I stayed because of the friends I made and the education was right on point.... I always wondered how much happier I might have been if I really took my time and took more visits, asked more questions or just went Division 2 and won more games.... In my 4 years, we never had a winning season at all and I wasn't used to losing that much.... It was different and I really had to adjust my attitude.... I played for 3 different coaches in 4 years so we never had consistantcy with a set offense or defense... Not a good situation.....
So what should a kid do so they can better their chances of picking the best College for them????
#1 - research, research, research - Far too many times kids are searching for the big name schools or the D1 schools.... The truth of the matter is, these schools might not be the best school for you... It's important to see if the school has an educational program that really catches your eye.... 9 times out of 10, that's going to be the route a kid will have to take once school is over.... Very few people make it to the pros.... I have a cousin named Daryll "Showtime" Hill who was a 1,000 point scorer at St. Johns, which is my favorite college team, and I thought he should have chosen Hoftra instead of St. Johns.... Hoftra at that time was hot, coming off of back to back NCAA appearances with Coach Jay Wright and Speedy Claxton so the path was paved for Daryll.... He chose to go to St. Johns partly because he would be playing at "The Garden" on a regular basis and playing in the Big East... I can't fault a kid for wanting to do that but he never experienced a winning season at St. Johns so it did nothing for his chances to be an NBA player.... Trust me, this kid had incredible talent, ask Dwight Brewerton ESPN Top Play ...... If you are a very good player with good players around you, that's the type of school you should be looking at.... If you just want to get a chance to play early but winning doesn't matter to you, find the school that fits you.....
#2 - Take your visits - This is a very important piece in the choosing process and that's why the NCAA gives a kid 5 official visits to use and an unlimited amount of unofficial visits to use.... Kids have to understand that they will spend the next 4 to 5 years of their lives in this city so it's important that they enjoy the area, people and teammates... Central PA had players such as Alyssa and Devin Thomas who chose to go to Maryland and Wake Forest respectively but this wasn't an overnight process... They took plenty of time and asked plenty of questions... They did their research and figured that these schools were best for them.... Granted they had parents with experience to help them out but maybe if more HS Coaches and aau coaches knew what it took to help kids, they could do the same.... Sometimes a HS Coach may have to step in and take the kid to a College for a visit.... All kids just don't have the parental support so it takes a village to raise these kids....
#3 - Ask lots of questions and build a relationship with Coaches - No question is a dumb question to ask these coaches.... Questions like "Are there any programs in place to help me graduate on time?" is a very legit question to ask... Athletes spend so much time on the road, it's easy to fall behind in there studies... If a school will supply a tutor for the athletes, it can help keep them on track with their studies.... The more questions a kid can ask, the more a coach will begin to see how focused the kid is on being successful in life and sports....
Hey look, there's a lot more things I could say but the bottom line is there was 4,106 transfers from 2002 to 2013 from Division 1 to Division 1 or Division 2.... take a look at his article (Click right here for Transfer info) because the amount of transfers every year is alarming.....
If a kid is allowed to run every time times get hard, they won't learn how to handle adversity in life because all they know is how to run.... In some cases, it's good for a kid to transfer, Check Mike Rice at Rutgers..... but sometimes these kids are just in a situation where they didn't make the right decision the first time.... Let's help fix that problem and get focused on what's really important, EDUCATION!!!!!!
Far too many times, kids have too many people in their ear... I call these people "Street handlers"... They say that their helping kids choose the right school for the kids best interest but in reality it's in the Handlers best interest....
As an ex Division 1 basketball player, I have seen many players choose a school based on the name of the school..... I've even seen kids choose a school because it's a D1 school when they could have picked a D2 school that would have fit them better....
Heck, I made the same mistake myself, so to speak... My senior year in HS, I was one of the better players in NYC but I really lacked exposure.... I had almost all of the D2 schools in the Tri State area on me but my mind was stuck on D1 ball.... At the time, Sacret Heart in Conn was a strong D2 school and they wanted me badly.... I didn't have any D1 offers and it was April of my senior year so I gave SHU a verbal commitment.... I just wanted to make sure I had a school to attend in the Fall.... After watching some of my close friends choose schools in the Big East and ACC, I ended up backing out of my committment with nothing to fall back on....
Of course the coaching staff was highly upset and had some choice words for me but at the time all I wanted to do was play D1 ball and I knew I was a D1 player.... So graduation came and I still didn't know where I was going to school... I recieved a call from my aau coach and he invited me to an All Star Showcase at Manhatten College... Once I got there, I was teamed up with Stephon Marbury.... He told me to just get open and he would get me the ball.... I did just that, and he did what he said he would.... I was on fire plus the Lord was on my side.... Lots of schools such as Witchta State, Murry State, Marist, Akron and others began to call my phone but they all wanted me to attend prep school for a year and they would have a scholarship for me the next year.... My family didn't have the money to afford Prep school so that didn't work for me... My next step was to attend Anderson JC in Anderson, SC because the coach said he could get me into Clemson after one year.... So as I sat in my living room and began to fill out my application, I received a phone call from Delaware State University... Coach Dubose (RIP) told me they had a few scholarships available and heard about me at the College Showcase..... I asked a few questions, they asked a few questions, then I committed to them....
Now, everything wasn't what I was told but I made the best out of the situation and became a 4 year starter... My career was inconsistant due to multiple knee surgeries and I was never happy with the basketball decision I made.... I stayed because of the friends I made and the education was right on point.... I always wondered how much happier I might have been if I really took my time and took more visits, asked more questions or just went Division 2 and won more games.... In my 4 years, we never had a winning season at all and I wasn't used to losing that much.... It was different and I really had to adjust my attitude.... I played for 3 different coaches in 4 years so we never had consistantcy with a set offense or defense... Not a good situation.....
So what should a kid do so they can better their chances of picking the best College for them????
#1 - research, research, research - Far too many times kids are searching for the big name schools or the D1 schools.... The truth of the matter is, these schools might not be the best school for you... It's important to see if the school has an educational program that really catches your eye.... 9 times out of 10, that's going to be the route a kid will have to take once school is over.... Very few people make it to the pros.... I have a cousin named Daryll "Showtime" Hill who was a 1,000 point scorer at St. Johns, which is my favorite college team, and I thought he should have chosen Hoftra instead of St. Johns.... Hoftra at that time was hot, coming off of back to back NCAA appearances with Coach Jay Wright and Speedy Claxton so the path was paved for Daryll.... He chose to go to St. Johns partly because he would be playing at "The Garden" on a regular basis and playing in the Big East... I can't fault a kid for wanting to do that but he never experienced a winning season at St. Johns so it did nothing for his chances to be an NBA player.... Trust me, this kid had incredible talent, ask Dwight Brewerton ESPN Top Play ...... If you are a very good player with good players around you, that's the type of school you should be looking at.... If you just want to get a chance to play early but winning doesn't matter to you, find the school that fits you.....
#2 - Take your visits - This is a very important piece in the choosing process and that's why the NCAA gives a kid 5 official visits to use and an unlimited amount of unofficial visits to use.... Kids have to understand that they will spend the next 4 to 5 years of their lives in this city so it's important that they enjoy the area, people and teammates... Central PA had players such as Alyssa and Devin Thomas who chose to go to Maryland and Wake Forest respectively but this wasn't an overnight process... They took plenty of time and asked plenty of questions... They did their research and figured that these schools were best for them.... Granted they had parents with experience to help them out but maybe if more HS Coaches and aau coaches knew what it took to help kids, they could do the same.... Sometimes a HS Coach may have to step in and take the kid to a College for a visit.... All kids just don't have the parental support so it takes a village to raise these kids....
#3 - Ask lots of questions and build a relationship with Coaches - No question is a dumb question to ask these coaches.... Questions like "Are there any programs in place to help me graduate on time?" is a very legit question to ask... Athletes spend so much time on the road, it's easy to fall behind in there studies... If a school will supply a tutor for the athletes, it can help keep them on track with their studies.... The more questions a kid can ask, the more a coach will begin to see how focused the kid is on being successful in life and sports....
Hey look, there's a lot more things I could say but the bottom line is there was 4,106 transfers from 2002 to 2013 from Division 1 to Division 1 or Division 2.... take a look at his article (Click right here for Transfer info) because the amount of transfers every year is alarming.....
If a kid is allowed to run every time times get hard, they won't learn how to handle adversity in life because all they know is how to run.... In some cases, it's good for a kid to transfer, Check Mike Rice at Rutgers..... but sometimes these kids are just in a situation where they didn't make the right decision the first time.... Let's help fix that problem and get focused on what's really important, EDUCATION!!!!!!
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