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Basketball Scholarships and The Recruiting Process
Earning a basketball scholarship can be a very long and difficult process, but has a great deal of sports scholarship opportunities. The recruiting process can begin as early as middle school, with college coaches watching games. Communication is very important throughout the basketball recruiting process, because college coaches love to see a steady progression of skills. With over 1 million high school basketball player, it can be difficult to land a scholarship. Playing in the right tournaments where coaches are watching will give you a competitive advantage, as well as having a high quality video which displays your skills on the court. Having a third party service, like The Athletic Scholar help connect you with college coaches and sports scholarships, can greatly improve your chances at playing at the collegiate level. Join Now!
Basic Academic Guidelines to be Eligible
High school student athletes need to earn a 3.0 GPA, 24 ACT, and at least 1000 out of 1600 on the SAT in order to become eligible to compete at the collegiate level.
Below you can find basketball scholarship guidelines, number of programs, and the number of scholarships each school can offer by division.
Men’s Basketball Guidelines
| NCAA D1 | NCAA D2 | NAIA | NJCAA | |
| Point Guard | 5’10″+ | 5’10″+ | 5’9+ | 5’9″+ |
| Shooting Guard | 6’1″+ | 6’0″+ | 5’11+ | 5’10″+ |
| Small Forward | 6’3″+ | 6’3″+ | 6’2+ | 6’1″+ |
| Power Forward | 6’8″+ | 6’5″+ | 6’5+ | 6’4″+ |
| Center | 6’10″+ | 6’8″+ | 6’7+ | 6’6″+ |
NCAA D1:
- AAU top level competition for several years
- All-region, All-State, All-League. All-Area Honors
- ESPN Top 150
- 4 year varsity starter
NCAA D2:
- AAU experience
- All-Region, All-State, All-League
- 3+ year varsity starter
- Strong Basketball skill set
NAIA:
- 2+ years of successful AAU experience
- All-Region, All-State, All-League, All-Area Honors
- 2+ years varsity starter
NJCAA:
- 1+ year successful AAU experience
- All-State, All-League, All-Area Honors
- 1-4 years varsity starter
Women’s Basketball Guidelines
| NCAA D1 | NCAA D2 | NAIA | NJCAA | |
| Point Guard | 5’7”+ | 5’6”+ | 5’5”+ | 5’6”+ |
| Shooting Guard | 5’10”+ | 5’8”+ | 5’7”+ | 5’8”+ |
| Small Forward | 5’11”+ | 5’10”+ | 5’7”+ | 5’9”+ |
| Power Forward | 6’0+ | 5’11”+ | 5’9”+ | 5’10”+ |
| Center | 6’1”+ | 6’0”+ | 5’11”+ | 5’11”+ |
**These are simply a guideline and not exact numbers**
NCAA D1:
- Successful AAU top level competition
- All-region, All-State, All-League, All-Area Honors
- 4 year varsity starter
NCAA D2:
- Successful AAU experience
- All-Region, All-State, All-League, All-Area Honors
- 3+ year varsity starter
NAIA:
- 2+ years of successful AAU experience
- All-Region, All-State, All-League, All-Area Honors
- 2+ years varsity starter
NJCAA:
- 1+ year successful AAU experience
- All-State, All-League, All-Area Honors
- 1-4 years varsity starter
Men’s Basketball Programs
NCAA D1: 344
NCAA D2: 282
NAIA: 255
NJCAA: 560
Women’s Basketball Programs
NCAA D1: 342
NCAA D2: 281
NAIA: 256
NJCAA: 519
Number of Men’s Basketball Scholarships
NCAA D1: 13
NCAA D2: 10
NAIA: 17
NJCAA: 15
Number of Women’s Basketball Scholarships
NCAA D1: 13
NCAA D2: 9
NAIA: 12
NJCAA: 24