Question: What % of all men’s basketball players who enter Division I directly out of high school depart their initial school by the end of their sophomore year?
Answer: 40%
Here’s the link to the complete article on the NCAA website.
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/tracking-transfer-division-i-men-s-basketball
The Top 9 mistakes made by parents:
I feel like everybody makes a few mistakes in life and I learned a huge lesson in recruiting and a huge lesson in life.
One of the top golfing recruits in the country talking about not knowing how to handle his recruitment. He transferred from one college to another just one month into his freshman year.
While this will certainly be funny to many, it’s just one example of mistakes commonly made by families trying to navigate the recruiting process. So enjoy the laugh, but don’t think others aren’t laughing at similar things you’ve done.
Devin is a talented basketball player. He and his mother recently told me and others he was being recruited by a good mid-level D1 school. Skeptical, I asked them to define the recruitment. They showed me an email inviting them to a reception for prospective students to be held at an upcoming basketball game at that university. What they didn’t understand, as they interpreted this invitation from their subjective point of view, was that the invitation was a mass mailing sent to many prospective students by that university in a general marketing attempt to increase applications and enrollment. It had nothing at all to do with his basketball talent or any basketball recruiting. The reception just happened to be at a basketball game because it was that time of year and basketball is the high profile sport at this particular university. They didn’t know that. They thought it meant he was being recruited for basketball. Most would have instantly seen that this was a mass emailing. In Devin’s defense, he is talented enough to get some D1 basketball interest. This just goes to show recruiting is a tough thing for most families to interpret. So remember, don’t laugh too hard. This might already be you, and you just don’t know it.
We all compare ourselves to others. It’s human nature. Most of us also want to play at the highest possible level, whether it’s adults in the workplace (“I can do a better job than that guy”) or athletes competing for recruitment and scholarships.
The phrase “I can play at that level” or “my kid can play at that level” is regularly invoked by players, coaches, and parents as a way of promoting a player in an effort to be recruited at a level higher than they currently are. We’ve all got a bias. Consequently, this is usually not an accurate statement. Even when it is accurate, it’s the answer to the wrong question. The question isn’t can you play at that level, it’s can you get recruited at that level. Some kids are good enough to be on the field, the rink or on the court with players of a higher caliber and not look out of place. That doesn’t mean they have the same level of talent. There’s a big difference between being playing at that level and being good enough to be recruited at that level. To be recruited at that level a coach must generally believe you will make the team better. Understanding this difference is an important part of understanding recruiting. This is a hard thing for parents, athletes and coaches. Those who get it and are able to be realistic with themselves will avoid setting themselves up to fail, and the confusion and disappointment that goes with it.