(2 Minute Read)

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the USA Basketball Mini-Camp in Colorado Springs and observe the top high school boys’ basketball players from around the country;  potentially 80 future NBA players in the making.  As I was taking notes of basketball plays, drills, and interactions between players and coaches, I thought back to my own high school basketball program.  I asked myself, “What can I get from this weekend to help my team?”

Photo Credit: Tyler Mode

Around the country, sport specialization is a growing trend among student-athletes because the reward at the end of the tunnel could be a Division I scholarship or possibly a professional contract.  Even though student-athletes are trying to pursue this goal, the data is not that encouraging.  Only 3.4% of high school student-athletes will play college basketball and only 1% will play Division I basketball.  Of those playing Division I, only 1.2% will make it to the professional level (NCAA, 2019).  The numbers are similar across all other sports.