How to get a basketball scholarship in Australia

In Australian colleges, one in eighty students is on a sports scholarship. Although, the odds are challenging, it could be possible for an athlete who has thrived on the excellence of the sport. Some coaches in Australia have been privileged to train foreign students and they have noted that those students had some true potential in them. These colleges don’t select just anybody so you need to be able to show your talents to them and create the buzz around yourself.

The students that enter Australian colleges on a basketball scholarship tend to achieve a lot through regular training and practice. So if you’re willing to take a step towards your future in Australian basketball, you should consider these few tips –

1. Application form – Before sending out your application form, make sure that your application for college looks impressive. You could take help of experts in the field to make it look presentable and jot down your achievements and strengths so that they are easy to point out. Just because you’ve participated in many of your school matches, doesn’t mean you’re going to have an easy round for yourself to get selected. The application form is going to be the first ever idea of your talents and skills in the game in front of the college.

2. Sell yourself – For young players, it is their dream to play in the NBA or NBL. You must be going around in your mind about how to get through these colleges and how to get your contacts through, but make sure you make this decision with patience. If you’re planning to send in your applications to colleges or coaches, remember that they get nearly 50 applications in a day.

Try to do something different like sending in video clips or YouTube links of your matches along with the applications. If you’ve had a strong 2-3 minutes in your game, send that instead of the entire video clip of the game. If the coach sees what you’re selling, they’ll contact you for the entire clip. If you’ve spent your summers with some Australian teams or leagues, mention those as well because that might help raise your talent. You may have talent, but if you don’t sell yourself correctly, it will get difficult for you to get by.

3. Summer basketball – The scene about recruiting new students on an Australian basketball scholarship has changed drastically in the past 10 years. You could say that your summer camp participation matters more than your senior year’s participation in the sport. While filling out your application, give more importance to the little leagues that you have participated in rather than the number of matches you competed in during your senior year at school.

High-profile recruiting camps are set-up in almost every university and they can help you get into the intricate circle of basketball. You’d be able to make your contacts plus let other people know about your talents. It could help you get way ahead as compared to school games.

4. Don’t ignore your school work – Believe it or not, colleges want to pick good athletes, but they also need someone who doesn’t ignore academics. Take your grades seriously and if you have some improving to do, pay attention on the negative areas to make it better. Your talent in the game will definitely give colleges a nudge to pick you, but eventually they will have to take a look at your reports and grades that you have scored in your examinations.

5. Selection – Now that you have sent in your applications and you have heard back from a few colleges, it isn’t easy to pick the college for you. Remember that choosing the college just for your basketball needs isn’t going to be the right choice. You need to research upon the academics, the environment, the basketball teams, coaches, affiliations and practice sessions as well. If you play well, you will be noticed but make sure you form a correct decision first. When you enter a college, your talents in the game will matter along with the connection you have with the other players and the coach as well.

In a game like basketball, you need to work as a team and not individually. So while deciding for yourself, consider all these factors first. If you wish to contact some players from the team of the college you’re finalizing, go ahead. You’d get a very good idea about the basketball zone of a college after speaking to a current player in their team.

6. Be pro-active – If you’ve been selected, you’d be called for an interview or possibly for a phone-call interview. Here’s your big chance to impress the folks out there in your dream college to believe that you mean business. You’d probably be notified through email that you’d be called for an interview so make sure you do your preparations before-hand. Do your research on this college and everything it has to offer.

Sports and academics related information should be on the tip of your fingers so they’d know that you’re taking the college seriously. Keep track of their game schedules which includes inter-collegiate games and even intra-collegiate. Give them a chance to believe that you’re the candidate they’d want to select and that you would prove to be asset for their college.

Australian colleges are looking for skill and talents, just like any other college. If you think that Australia is your destination, you shouldn’t wait and watch until you get contacted. Take charge of your own college admissions and if you’re ready to give it your all to the game, go ahead with contacting your dream colleges. Don’t let them believe that you’re slacking away by not reaching out to them or not making enough attempts in your application form because that would make you lose your chances. 

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