Category: Basketball Player Development

What Are the Odds of Competing in Men’s Professional Basketball?

~ coachwilliamelite ~ Leave a comment

When we survey NCAA student-athletes about their expectations of moving on to professional athletics careers, the results indicate surprising confidence in that possibility. The reality is that very few go pro.

On average only 1% of high school participants go on to play DI-DIII college basketball
 

 

Estimated probability of competing in men’s college basketball

High School Participants NCAA Participants Overall % HS to NCAA % HS to NCAA Division I % HS to NCAA Division II % HS to NCAA Division III
551,373 18,816 3.4% 1.0% 1.0% 1.4%

 

Sources: High school figures from the 2017-18 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations; data from club teams not included. College numbers from the NCAA 2017-18 Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report.

 

Estimated probability of competing in men’s professional basketball

NCAA Participants Approximate # Draft Eligible # Draft Picks # NCAA Drafted % NCAA to Major Pro % NCAA to Total Pro
18,816 4,181 60 52 1.2% 21.3%
  • NBA draft data from 2018.  There were 60 draft slots in that year and 52 went to NCAA players (seven others chosen were international players not attending U.S. colleges and one spent a season at a prep school).  Percentage NCAA to Major Pro calculated using the 52 NCAA selections. Since 2008, 11 international players have been drafted on average each year.

 

  • On 2018-19 opening day NBA rosters, former NCAA Division I players filled 83% of roster spots.  Two NBA players attended non-Division I colleges.  (Source: Jim Sukup, College Basketball News).

 

  • Data on other professional opportunities in men’s basketball were collected by NCAA staff with the assistance of Marek Wojtera from eurobasket.com.  Tracking 2018-19 international opportunities for the 2018 draft cohort, it was determined that an additional 839 former NCAA student-athletes played internationally, in the G-League or in the NBA as undrafted players (606 from Division I, 194 from Division II and 39 from Division III) after leaving college; this includes international players who attended NCAA institutions.  These numbers were combined with the NBA draftees to calculate an approximate NCAA to Total Professional opportunities figure (calculated as [52 + 839] / 4,181 = 21%).

 

  • We estimate that 4.2% of draft-eligible Division I players were chosen in the 2018 NBA draft (52 / 1,230).  However, in total, 53% of draft-eligible Division I players competed professionally (NBA, G-League or internationally) in their first year after leaving college (calculated as [52 + 606] / 1,230). Approximately 17% of draft-eligible players from the five Division I conferences with autonomous governance (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) were drafted by the NBA in 2018 (38 / 228), while 80% played professionally somewhere in their first year post-college (calculated as [38 + 144] / 228).

 

If you have the ambition to elevate your basketball career we can help.  EliteHoops located in Dallas, TX helps youth basketball players become the best they can be both on and off the court.

Why Young Basketball Players Should NOT Watch the NBA

~ William Jenkins ~ Leave a comment


 

Yesterday I read an interesting article by a man who says young players shouldn‘t watch the NBA.

And he backs this up with many solid points:

The NBA is chock-full of:

  • Poor sportsmanship
  • Yelling at referees
  • Technical fouls and ejections

And it’s not great for our young, impressionable youth to see these things on a nightly basis.

Especially when we’re doing our best to teach them the opposite…

  • Good sportsmanship
  • Controlling emotions
  • Respect for others

Repeating myself for emphasis:

It’s incredibly difficult to convince our youth players of the importance of these traits when the world’s best players — who are the idols and role models of the current generation — are doing the exact opposite of what we preach.

Watching them is undoubtedly going to have a negative influence.

He even points out how the commentators encourage these *dirty* acts during the game by saying things like:

“A good elbow to the midsection just sends a good message to your opponent.”

And while this may be accepted in the NBA where millions of dollars and world championships are on the line, it becomes a big problem when young players start to believe that it’s acceptable for their level.

Now, to be clear…

I’m not telling you to forbid your team from watching the best basketball players on the planet (NBA, of course). I watch a lot of it myself.

It’s just an interesting topic that I thought would interest you.

I’ll leave you to decide what to make of it.

 
*Originally shared via Coach Mac of the Championship Coaching Course May 2019

The One Skill Young Basketball Players Must Have to Become Elite

Featured ~ William Jenkins ~ Leave a comment

“Coachabilty describes someone who wants to be coached. This manifests itself as someone who likes being challenged, loves learning, strives for more and more and then works tirelessly at what they’re taught.” – Coach Geno Auriemma

Yeah, I get it. When it comes to basketball we all want our child to be the highest jumper, the quickest and best athlete on the floor. After all, if our kids are going to make their middle-school team, that AAU select team, or start on Varsity at the local high school- they gotta be the best…right?

Here’s a little secret- While all those physical attributes (quickness, agility, strength) are advantages to excelling in basketball- there’s one aspect of the game that young basketball players must embrace to become elite.

COACHABILITY

Being coachable and being teachable go hand in hand. Go ahead and let that sink in. Coaches are teachers and players are students- basketball is the subject. As a coach/teacher we want to feel that our player/students care about what we say.

Coach Jenkins Tip: Parents. Please let the coach ….’coach.’

How do You Know if Your Athlete is Coachable?

There are three main traits that a player needs to possess to be considered coachable:

  • HUMILITY A player that has humility accepts and admits that there are things they do not know, and cannot do, within the sport of basketball. Further, the player is willing to concede when they cannot accomplish a certain task alone and are willing to allow the coach to help
  • SENSE OF PURPOSE A player who is willing to state their goals and demonstrate their motivation will typically be easier to reach through coaching.
  • FAITH Improvement or non-improvement as a player can only be determined after the player has been through the experience with you as the coach. A player that puts faith in you is forgoing the benefit of hindsight, understanding that sometimes things need to get worse before they get better. At the same time that you are seeking or imparting these characteristics to your players, you should also encourage players and their parents to seek the same in a prospective coach.

What Can You Do to Make Sure You are Coachable?

Teaching your young basketball athlete/s to be coachable is not easy- it’s not impossible either. There are many things that we can do, say and teach as parents to help in this effort. But would be shocked to know that it starts with YOU?!

Set an Example and Stop Speaking Poorly of Coaches…

Way too often I hear parents speaking poorly of coaches in front of their children. The next time your young athlete comes to you with a complaint about his or her coach, think twice before you undermine that coach. It may be hard, but trust me- it will be worth it.

How about you? What are you doing to help your athlete be more coachable? Please share in the comments below.