| If you're Micheal Jordan serious about playing at | | | | after seeing me play in an area all-star summer |
| the next level, it's time to put a game plan in | | | | camp, before my senior year. It was a Division 2 |
| action. | | | | NAIA school a couple hours away. I was excited |
| - Academics: GPA and Testing Scores | | | | to have a college coach sending me letters every |
| - Athletics: Setting goals and improving constantly! | | | | week, but at the same time, I wanted to play for |
| - Mental Attitude: Must have a focused positive | | | | a bigger program. I had set my sights high and |
| mentality to make the leap to the next level! | | | | had confidence I could make it. |
| - Funding: Something 95% of high school athletes | | | | To make a long story short, I was not informed |
| need to think about. | | | | on how to market myself and didn't take the |
| - Marketing: Take it from me, someone who has | | | | necessary steps. The big schools didn't come |
| been there and knows how it works. If you're a | | | | knocking, and I eventually signed a letter of intent |
| step slow marketing yourself, you'll be riding the | | | | to play for this NAIA school. When I got to |
| pine so to speak. | | | | campus I tried to give it my all, but my heart just |
| My senior year I averaged 26.1 points per game | | | | wasn't in it. I had to make an incredibly tough |
| with a high game of 41 twice. I assumed my level | | | | decision to leave the program and prepare for |
| of play would be enough to get mid level to big | | | | my next plan of action. |
| schools knocking down my door. Unfortunately I | | | | While training in a scrimmage game, I took an |
| didn't understand how difficult the task at hand | | | | unusual fall and badly dislocated my shoulder. I |
| really was. My high school coach sent out highlight | | | | continued to have problems with the shoulder for |
| tapes, but only to a handful of schools late in my | | | | the following three years, all but ending my hopes |
| senior season. Remember, your high school coach | | | | of getting on to the right program. |
| will do what he can to help you get recruited, but | | | | Two things you need to take from this: |
| high school coaches main objective is to win | | | | 1. You need to know how to market yourself. |
| games! | | | | 2. It is essential to have multiple opportunities |
| I had one school very serious about recruiting me, | | | | (more choices means more power in your hands). |