Expert: Bret Temple - 3/21/2010

Question
Hi i am a high school senior. I played basketball 1st grade thru 6th grade but didnt play any in high school because i wanted to concentrate on my academics. I was wondering if it is possible to become a professional basketball player if you didnt play any in high school and are not having any luck finding leagues. All i do now is play around, shooting hoops. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer
HI Madison,

Whether or not you have the talent to play at the professional level has nothing to do with whether or not you have played High School or not. The advantage of playing high school ball is that if your good enough, you get scouted by colleges and maybe are offered a Scholarship. I would say you have probably made it more challenging to become a professional because you lack the experience of playing 4 years of organized High School ball, which teaches you so much, and gets you publicly noticed.  At this point you have a choice to try and walk on and try out at whatever college you plan on going to, and hope they have a good basketball program, and one that gets noticed. I would contact the head coach, tell him/her about yourself, and ask how you can try out for the team. If your skills are exceptional and you can prove you can compete at the college level, then you will probably red shirt for 1 year, and then get a chance to play your Soft more, Junior and senior year. Remember, Most Division 1 programs scout their players and normally have a full squad, so getting playing time will be difficult until you can prove it. I realize that you wanted to concentrate on academics in High School which I applaud you for, but you really should have tried to play and be a "Student Athlete" if you have such a passion for the game. I wish you a lot of luck, and let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.