Basketball

By Al Woods

Division two college athletics may not always be the most appealing to high school student athletes because of their lack of exposure but the opportunities are enormous.

There are a huge number of division two college athletic programs all across the country, all playing a competitive brand of sports.

The problem with division two college athletics is that many of these schools are not household names and don’t play on TV so that’s the only disadvantage division two programs have over the major college programs at the division one level.

Everyone who plays a sport in high school is not going to end up at the division one level. When it comes to recruiting, you should not overlook division two programs just because you have never heard of that school in my opinion, it would be a huge mistake.

The bottom line for any student athlete should be the opportunity to get an all expense paid education and the opportunity to play their sport. The education you earn from a college or university will last you a lifetime but the experiences you gain from actually playing in college will have a longer lasting and greater experience on your life’s journey.

No one wants to sit the bench; everyone wants an opportunity to compete and to be the best that they can be. Division two athletics offer all of those opportunities and then some.

Student athletes should add little known college programs to their campus visits during the recruiting season; you may be pleasantly surprised at what you see.

I think small college programs are sometimes misunderstood by high school student athletes, thinking they’d be playing in some small town in the middle of nowhere that no one has ever heard of. Some division two college programs have college campuses that are bigger than some division one programs.

High school student athletes should ask themselves serious questions like, ‘What exactly are you looking for when it comes to a college program? What would you like to get out of a college program?’

If you’re looking for an opportunity to play your sport in college and get an education then why not look at the division two programs? If you’re looking for a professional athletic career after college then there are many pro athletes who have played at the division two level.

Division two athletics is not for everyone and the same can be said for the division one athletics. In recruiting, you should always keep your options open because you never know where a scholarship will come from.

Al Woods is the president of Woods Recruiting and writes a blog about the college recruiting process; offering tips and information for high school student athletes and parents. http://WoodsRecruiting.com