May 24, 2021   |   Tagged Skills

Best Basketball Advice if You want to Play College Basketball

If you want to know how to become a college basketball player, here are some great recommendations.

Following through on these recommendations to play at the college level is a crucial quality of a great basketball player.

• Find a mentor—someone who has the objectivity and wisdom to help you navigate your future, someone who is not a family member. Family members can advise but you need someone who is objective.
  
• Be realistic. Be realistic about your skill and ability level. Most parents believe their child is better than he or she really is. By clearly assessing your talent and ability you can have a better game plan for improvement and begin to recognize what attracts coaches to your ability.
  
• Set goals and follow through. This motivation needs to come from you and not your parents or coach. You need to have the inner drive to push hard. The keys to greatness at skill development are Repetition and Heart: The RH Factor. Three thousand reps to make it yours and full of heart –intensity, focus, and excellence on every rep.
  
• Work ethic matters. Work out 3 hours alone every day on individual skill development during the summer. This does not include playing games. This means working specifically on your shooting, passing, defense, offensive moves. You need to do this for at least three summers.
  
• Increase your vertical. Three years of vertical training four times weekly. This doesn’t have to be a long program –15 to 20 minutes four times a week.
  
• Be strong. Improve your physical strength with a weight training regimen. Two years of weight training 4 times weekly.
  
• Be quick. Gain speed and quickness from two years of disciplined speed training.
  
• Have self-discipline. Go without sugar. Get to bed on time. Turn off your cell phone. Self-discipline is one of the most important skills to develop and this will not only help you get in better shape it will make you more mentally tough.
  
• No serious dating. Serious college-bound athletes do not have time for these types of time-consuming relationships.
  
• Coaches want great students. Get excellent grades at least a 3.4 or higher. Meet with your teachers and tell them your goals. Check-in weekly to make certain you are on target and not falling behind. Make every test count. Know when you have exams and be prepared.
  
• Get adequate rest. Ask your parents to help you balance your basketball and school goals. Get a tutor if you are struggling. Don’t wait, start getting help early when you are at the top not when you are digging out of a hole.
  
• Play at the highest level and find ways to be the strongest player on the court. Find the best players in your city and scrimmage with them. Play one on one with older players. Avoid getting into team situations where you are playing against consistently weaker competition or being on a team where you have limited time. Games are the worst way to elevate skills. Find a scenario where you can play against better players for long stretches of time. Also, find time to be the best player on the court. You need both experiences to excel.
  
• Be coachable. The qualities of an uncoachable player involve defensiveness, becoming too sensitive, and allowing comments to become personal rather than learning and becoming better. Coachable players are tough-minded. They use the directives of the coach to improve but don’t become discouraged or beaten down. They don’t take critique personally and think the coach doesn’t like them – they are objective, approachable, eager to learn, don’t take any flack, and are emotionally stable.
  
• Be mentally tough. Don't get in your head on mistakes. Don't make excuses or blame others. Be the hardest worker on the floor. Don't focus on trying to impress the coach. Mentally tough players don't think anything is in their way of success.
  
• Find someone to buy into your dream. This commitment will require help from your parents both financially to pay for training, camps, tutors as well as time to improve skills. This dream eliminates time for many other activities.
  
• Have faith. You need to see it before you can achieve it. Pray, believe in your dreams, love God and others. Faith is a conduit for momentous change.

About NBC Basketball Camp
NBC Basketball is one of the largest overnight basketball programs in the world. Since 1971, NBC Basketball has created a powerful training program to help athletes succeed on and off the court. NBC Basketball's College Basketball Prep Camp is a serious camp for the top regional and national players.

Please check out the NBC College Basketball Prep Camp for a serious camp experience designed to help you work to achieve your basketball and life goals. www.nbccamps.com/cic