Leaving it All on the Court will Help You Achieve Your Basketball Dreams
There’s 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter and you’ve played practically, if not every minute of the game up to this point. You’re exhausted and drained from your efforts, but it’s such a close game that to let up now might mean that your team doesn’t get the win.
So, what will you do? Do you begin to play half speed, slacking on defense and giving up easy points to the other team? Or, do you light a fire within and begin pouring every bit of yourself into the game playing obviously harder and smarter than anyone else out on the court?
What you choose to do in the game of basketball during these moments, despite the score and whether it looks like your team is going to come out on top, determines your level of heart that you possess for the game.
To play with heart means to give so much of yourself physically and mentally during the basketball game that by the time that buzzer goes off and the last shot has been taken, you can confidently go within yourself as you walk back to the locker room and be proud of your efforts regardless of a win or loss.
This is what true leaders possess, that inner fire inside their gut that ignites right at those moments when diving for a loose ball or boxing out to get another rebound seems physically impossible, yet they somehow seem to always find the strength to give 150% every time that they set foot on the basketball court – refusing to let anyone else out hustle or show more heart than them.
As you enter into or already are in your high school basketball years, college prospecting becomes a big part of your summer camps and seasons. It’s important to understand that sometimes, college coaches and recruiters aren’t always looking for the most talented players, but rather the ones that they see play with heart, are coachable and can be sculpted into more skilled players once recruited.
So, rather than just focusing on your skills, although this is obviously vital, don’t forget to work on your inner character and lead by example to rally your team during those tough moments when things might seem impossible.
A good place to start showing more heart is in practice. There are certainly those practice days that the team seems a little off and there’s a low, sluggish energy amongst the team – this is when the players with heart will step up and make a big play to get the team energized, focused and playing better overall.
As you begin to focus on giving your all every time you lace up your basketball shoes, you will notice that this level of commitment is contagious; pour it all out and watch as your teammates respond and begin to do the same right alongside you.
Strive to be the inspiration, the motivation, the leader, and the one that gives their all every workout, practice and game by playing with so much heart that it spreads like a wildfire!
When you become this player, your dreams of playing at a higher level of basketball will become more vivid and real since having this quality is very impressive and noticed by everyone.
In an effort to gain more exposure prospects will often attend showcase events run by a variety of different organizations in the summer, fall and spring. Showcase events also occur during the high school season when organizers look to schedule multiple games pitting non-conference opponents against each other in a day-long, weekend or a holiday setting drawing recruiters while they look to cash in on sponsors, fans, concessions and merchandise. Showcases are very often attended by college, prep and junior college coaches from all levels and give kids a chance to really make a great impression. However, prospects can also often leave these events overwhelmed, intimidated and under the radar with such an influx of talent all at one location in a condensed time setting. Various factors including politicking by high school and all-star coaches as well as parents and even the showcase promoters cause a high percentage of quality prospects to miss out. These events have become platforms for grassroots organizers to promote their product while putting on a great show which showcases individualized play. 
New York City is known as a breeding ground for point guards. Nate Archibald (Bronx), Mark Jackson (Brooklyn), Earl “The Pearl” Washington (Brooklyn), Bob Cousy (Cambria Heights), Sebastian Telfair (Brooklyn) and Kenny Anderson (Queens) to name just a few have given the world of basketball some of the best pure point guards ever seen.[2] On the flip side of the city life, there are the Larry Bird-prospects that rise to the NBA from rural small towns in underpopulated remote areas. The 
The NCAA also require SAT or ACT minimum “sliding scale” scores for admissions. The sliding scale is in place to give students flexibility in regards to their low GPA or test scores.[10] To qualify to play intercollegiate athletics at the NAIA level, students must meet two out of the following three requirements; a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SAT (Critical Reading and Match only), earn an overall high school GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and/or graduate in the top 50% of their graduating class.[11] The NAIA offers the two out of three instead of the NCAA sliding scale test score method but both have the same purpose, give lower academic students some flexibility to become eligible. Passing through NCAA and/or NAIA Eligibility Center does not guarantee admission into a given school. The final decision for acceptance to a school and the completion of The Process lies in the hands of the admissions department at each respective institution.
A typical admissions checklist for a college or university will include an application ($40 fee), official high school transcripts, letter of recommendation and a brief essay. Admissions departments will also encourage a campus visit and once they have the prospective student touring their grounds, they will conduct an interview. More and more schools have moved to the on-line approach of recruiting which enables them to attract and filter through large numbers of recruits without physically having them on-campus. While college coaches are targeting student-athletes for their teams as early as middle schools, the admissions process typically begins junior year in high school when students, guidance counselors along with parents and or guardians will target schools and map out some possible campus visits. Some highly regarded academic high schools have students begin this process their sophomore year but generally some prep work and “feeling out” is done junior year and The Process really takes flight senior year. Students will prepare essays (1-2 pages), gather letters of recommendation (usually 1 or 2 from a teach, guidance counselor or other school official) and official transcripts (complete with grades, class rank and test scores) while deciding which colleges they would like to apply to and figure out if they want to go for early or general admissions to the chosen institution(s).[12] Once application files are complete, schools make a decision and put the ball in the court of the recruit.
Financial planning and financial aid are often a deal breaker in the recruits’ decision to where they go to school. While the hope is that students will be able to afford college with a full-ride athletic scholarship (Part 1) or some sort of family trust, nest egg or a big dip into savings, the reality is that two thirds[13] of all students take advantage of academic merit scholarships, athletic scholarships and/or FAFSA as discussed in Part 2 (link or even excerpt here). Students can apply for FAFSA beginning on January 1 of their senior year in high school. Early application is encouraged as much of the funds are awarded first come, first serve once the need is determined to be equal. The Process for the ‘average’ 
Put quite simply, the more a coach wants a player, the more attention he or she is going to get during The Process. However, recruits should never stop trying to prove themselves and should not settle for a team because it is local, or their sibling or friend is there or because they are being pushed there by a community, parents, high school coach or some other outside influence. If you are looking to get a start in narrowing down college choices that might be a fit for you, then I recommend you use a tool developed by a company I am involved with. The Sport Source has a tool that is free for 24 hours use that permits you to input some of your criteria and also qualifications and then helps create a personalized database of which schools could be a fit for you. Click here to learn more about MATCHFIT.
