Rules and Regulations
Please be aware that college isn't just playing basketball; you must be academically qualified by passing certain classes (core requirements) and have a certain score on your ACT/SAT in order to be allowed to play. But first, in order to qualify to be recruited you must be registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse. For more information, go to the NCAA site (link fixed) and review all of the information they have there. If there is a particular school in which you're interested, check their official site to see if they have any additional rules or regulations that might apply to you. To find the school you're interested in see the women's college basketball sites index. |
- Play on an AAU (Amataur Athletic Union) team.
The greatest benefit of AAU ball is that you can sharpen your skills against the best players in your area. There are travel teams that play AAU teams in state, regional and national tournaments, so you could have a chance to play against some of tomorrow's college stars. In addition, many AAU coaches know college coaches and may pass on the names of girls who would be a good fit with a college team. For more information on AAU and where to find teams near you, go to the AAU girls home page. Also, do check your local newspapers' sports sections. Many times notices of tryouts with contacts names and numbers will be listed there.
- Consider a summer camp at a college in which you're interested.
Many colleges have summer basketball camps run by the college's head coach or one of his/her assistants. This will give you a chance to be seen by college level coaches an given an honest assessment of how you measure up against girls your own age. Several colleges, such as Tennessee, offer an elite camp where close contact with the head coach is made possible. Contact the school or check the college's official web site (link fixed) to find out more information on the camps.
- Apply to a high profile camp.
Some camps are well-known to college coaches and recruiting services as a possible source of high school talent. Take a look at some of the high profile camps that are also watched by the coaches. Some of these are:
Future Stars
Blue Chip Camps
Big Time Shootouts
Blue Star Camp
- Contact the school directly.
You, or your high school or AAU coach, could try contacting colleges directly. Most colleges have e-mail address or official web sites where you can get names, address and phone numbers. The more visible schools, such as Connecticut, Tennessee, Stanford, Duke, etc. may get flooded with names this way, so this suggestion might be more useful for a mid-major or lower level school.
When contacting a school, include a letter stating why you are interested in that particular school and stating that you are registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse and project as a full qualifier (if applicable). Also, include an athletic/academic resume listing athletic accomplishments such as honors (all-conference, all-state, etc.), statistics, name & contact information for high school and club team coaches, GPA and preliminary scores from PSAT, SAT, ACT. It is also useful to provide a videotape of a game - not just a highlight tape but an entire game or at least a half. College coaches want to see how you play throughout the game, not just on a couple of plays.
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