I get requests from people all the time wanting to know what they can do to get recruited by basketball coaches. While they may have been asking for my personal help, well, I can only write so many emails so I figured a quick, tutorial on what to do would be even easier. Let’s get to it.

STEP 1: Get yourself ready.

This is the most important thing of all if you plan on playing college basketball. Let’s says you’re a great listener and you follow all the steps below and end up getting the opportunity to play college basketball, what are you going to do if you were so set on getting there you forgot to prepare yourself for being there?

So, just make sure that you are “good enough” to play there; be truthful with yourself. And if you’re not ready for it quite yet, then get to fixing that. You have a wealth of information on this website, you have my personal email and there is a lot of other “almost as good :-)” information all over the internet. Take advantage of these incredible opportunities you have and do something about it!

STEP 2: GET SIGNED UP ON BERECRUITED.COM

There are a few different recruiting websites online, but this one is tops. There is nothing that will make it as easy for you to connect with college coaches, and on the flip-side, let college coaches connect with you. You create your own “basketball recruiting profile” and then you can add pictures, stats, videos and a ton of other cool stuff to it to add to your “persona”.

Don’t even argue with this one, just do it. It takes 60 seconds and the possibilities that can come from it are so BIG, you would have to NOT want to play college basketball if you don’t get signed up over there. Go here to get signed up:

BeRecruited -College Basketball Recruiting

STEP 3: DO IT THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY

Do you want to know what I did to separate myself from other potential recruits, something I think made a huge difference in my recruiting story? I USED SNAIL-MAIL!

Yeah, it might take a little more time, and (gasp!) you may even have to spend a few dollars on manilla envelopes, but if a $$$$$ return in scholarship money is what’s coming, then it doesn’t take a Wharton grad to tell you that’s a good investment.

Here’s what I did: I put together a highlight tape of me, took it to my friend’s house who had some editing software (you probably have a friend who has this too, or if not, your high school should..just get one of the “video” kids to do it for you), we burned it to a bunch of DVD’s, and then I wrote hand-written notes to 10 or 15 of my most coveted schools.

In the letters, I wrote about myself, my story, my goals and how much I thought I could help that school. I personalized each one. Then, I put the letter and the DVD in the manilla envelope and sent them out to the top assistant head coach at each school (it’s the top assistant that is usually in charge of recruiting).

If you are serious, you will do this too. How many other basketball players are taking the intiative and mailing hand-written notes and DVD’s together to college coaches?

4. FOLLOW-UP

After you’ve gotten your profile over on BeRecruited and sent out your hand-written notes with highlight tape, you should follow up with the basketball coaches you have tried to connect with. You can do this by emailing them or you can also call them (they have restrictions on when they can call you; you, on the other hand, have no restrictions on when you can call them, take advatnage of this).

When you follow up, just make sure they got the first contact and then chat them up. Tell them about yourself, your game, show them you’re a good kid who they would enjoy having in their locker room.

5. GET READY

Now, if you followed all of these steps, you’d have better be ready becasue chances are, you are about to be playing COLLEGE BASKETBALL.

Let’s recap, in case you missed anything:

1. Get a profile on BeRecruited.com

2. Mail the top assistant coach at all of your top schools a hand-written note and a DVD of you playing

3. Follow up with email or phone

4. Keep working on your profile on BeRecruited and being proactive over there, keep following up if you don’t hear back at first and, of course, keep working on your game.