Getting recruited by a college to play basketball, especially by an NCAA-sanctioned school, is one of the biggest honors a high school basketball  player can receive. However, there are only a limited amount of scholarships available each year and getting noticed is becoming more and more competitive. To be one of the lucky few to gain a college scholarship in basketball, follow these steps.

Compile a List.  Create a list of schools that interest you both athletically and academically.  This can be done prior to your junior year.

Be Open Minded. Your list doesn’t have to be all NCAA Division I schools. Several professional players played in lower division schools and still got noticed.

Learn About Your Potential Coaches. Visit the websites of each of these schools to get the name and addresses for each coach.

Create a Video.  Create a highlight film of all of your greatest plays. Also, cut articles from newspapers and magazines and keep track of all your high school accolades.

Send the Tape.  Send your recruiting tape to the prospective coaches along with a letter asking the coach to look at your film and consider you for a potential scholarship. Make sure your high school coach also sends a letter of endorsement for you. Be sure to not only include your contact information, but also the contact information for your high school coach.

Market Yourself.  Attend state and national summer basketball camps as well as camps of the schools where you're interested in playing. Call the coaches beforehand to make sure they know you're coming and make sure to introduce yourself while at camp.

Be Prompt. Return any requests for information from prospective college coaches immediately, and ask your high school coach to do the same.

Register with the NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse. When you are a senior to make sure you are eligible to participate in NCAA athletics. You cannot receive a scholarship without this certification. NAIA and NJCAA have separate requirements.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are a talented, well-known athlete, you probably won't have to go through these steps because college coaches will come to you. Still, there might be a schools on the other side of the country that aren’t familiar with you. Follow these steps to get their attention.
• Familiarize yourself with the rules of NCAA recruiting either on the NCAA website or NCAA Recruiting Timeline. There are certain things you cannot do with respect to recruiting. Familiarizing yourself with these rules will keep you eligible for a scholarship.
• Take all of your official visits. You are allotted five from the NCAA. Sometimes the school you think might be a fit might not work out once you step on campus.
• You can commit to playing for a school at any time, but that commitment is not binding until you sign your national Letter of Intent, which happens on the first Wednesday of February in your senior year.