AgreatMan:


Why r we even having this argument when he can actually try?

To Op, prepare a video, cc all the coaches in Duke, n send it. What are d coaches will be looking for?
1. They want to see actual games footage not the weekend 3v3.
2. Ball handling
3. Ball Distribution n vison
4. They want to see d follow through on your shots.
5. If u have steals.
6. Transition from defense to attack n vice versa.
7. How well do u protect the ball when bouncing?
It also has a lot to do with the fundamentals. Don't do the fancy.
8. Shooting accuracy especially under pressure.
9. Communication
10. Your ability to play right according to instructions is very important.

But If u r 7 feet, u don't really need any of the above listed 10 points. Your most important quality at that height is your passion n drive.

I have been down this route of trying to get noticed by coaches, I pulled out for reasons best known to me n my mother.

The way a coach sees a game is 100% different from d way a fan sees the same game. 100%. Bracelum clearly knows a lot about basketball but d only tiny bit of problem is that he is a fan of d game, n fans don't recruit players.

Good luck.

bracelum:


Hahahahahhahahahha, you sound so funny. Trust me, you don't know about more about college basketball than me.

First, your first sentence is off. Most people fail because they are scared of trying or are scared of taking risks. If you want to succeed, you should not be scared of failing. All you are trying to tell the poster here is that he is not good enough. You're trying to scare him away from achieving what he wants to achieve because you are scared he might not succeed. That is not wisdom, it is fear!


Best of luck to you - the ball is in your court. My advice to you is never be too scared to try your Plan A and never let anyone make you feel like you're not good enough.

Timottee:


I believe you seem to miss the point that "AgreatMan" is trying to make. He may have sounded a little pessimistic, but he's saying the truth/facts. As someone who's been down that road, I can attest to some of his points. The challenge in getting an athletic scholarship has never been about being (or not being) scared of failing or not being good enough. Rather, it's about getting the right platform to expose you to be seen by collegiate basketball scouts and coaches.

Applying to a programme alone would never give you an athletic scholarship. Let's put all the fancy stats and names aside for a moment. There's a reason student athletes are recruited. Look at it this way. Why will a coach want to give a competitive scholarship to a foreign player that he has little or no knowledge of except maybe from a demo clip, when he has thousands of very good kids in the US that his scouting team have monitored and followed their progress? The likelihood is almost non-existent. The only way a student athlete gets recruited is if he/she has been scouted and seen to be exceptional or if a recommendation was made to the college coach from someone he trusts.

The major challenge that most foreign student athletes face is that they do not have the platform to expose them to college scouts or coaches and hence, are never considered even if they apply and are exceptional. That's were "AgreatMan"'s suggestion that he registers for one of those summer camps that college basketball scouts are known to attend to improve his chances of (his exceptional skills) being seen or scouted.

During my time trying that route way back in 1998, only one of us (out of about 25 very good athletes) was recruited. And this was only because his uncle was a good friend of the college coach and recommended him. Thus he was invited for a trial which he passed because he was actually exceptional.

The summary of it all is to know how to go about it rather than shoot blindly and hope to get lucky.

LagosismyHome:
where is Twood ......... havent seen his comment in a while . Trust he is ok
Also Bigfrancis21 , warriboy21 , slimmy2005 , and some other names

Bracha:
Like! There was Glory there and he still said "bro". How does that even sound like a man's name? *cringes*

Godchangemylife:


Either m or f , Bro or sis , Sir or ma. The main aim here is success, I think we should ignore that jare

Gloryemo:
Irrespective of the username, you just don't infer or assume someone's gender.

Time2win:


Go and edit your profile to reflect that you are a female.

Gloryemo:

First of all, I'm Female. You people assume gender too much on here. Why do you people assume only men are trying to go for graduate studies tho...
I called the department chair, was told till May or so before the funding decisions will be sent.

CuteRedd:
Lagosismyhome that did that nko? So does that mean anyone that doesn’t have a gender sign is automatically a male?

Gloryemo:

First of all, I'm Female. You people assume gender too much on here. Why do you people assume only men are trying to go for graduate studies tho...
I called the department chair, was told till May or so before the funding decisions will be sent.

Godchangemylife:


Either m or f , Bro or sis , Sir or ma. The main aim here is success, I think we should ignore that jare

Gloryemo:
Irrespective of the username, you just don't infer or assume someone's gender.

shoyoyebiodun:
Am sorry for the gender assumption
I got addmited too but am hoping on the funding so that it can be included in my 1-20 that's the reason I have not submit my detail for the I-20 to be sent

Sosao:
Which school did you apply to?

Gloryemo:

Yea it's a good idea you wait for the funding so it shows on the i-20. I'm waiting also....

shoyoyebiodun:
Thanks for the response I will like to know if they've gotten back to you

tactmayor:


Bro, I have sent Dr Datta a mail and a reminder. No reply yet since then. Can I send a PM

AgreatMan:


It is because of our failure to manage expectations, that's why there r lots of frustrated youths in Nigeria.

Let's examine d words in your reply

Luck,
this is what our traditional institution n religion sell to our people everyday. Nobody wants to work again. Everyone is expecting to get lucky n pick a bag of money on d road like Success.

if you get rejected
If u were so sure about his profile, u wouldn't even mention rejection. I was sure of what he is walking into.

plan B [/b]or [b]retry again.
Plan B is not always a fall back plan. Sometimes, it runs simultaneously with plan A. I have told him to ace his SAT n apply to multiple colleges, but u r indirectly telling him to be prepared to waste some years of his life on "try again later."

If u r 7feet, n u can't even bounce a ball, I guarantee you, u hv a very very good shot at an athletic scholarship. If u r just at the same height with most other kids in America, hmmmm.

U can teach a poor 7feet basketballer how to play, u cannot teach a 6feet 2inch basketballer how to be tall. There r always high demand for heights.

Dude's moniker is "PointGuard", I can guess how tall he is.

To d OP, if your guts tell u to apply, then apply. but u deserve to know what u r up against. Duke's Point-Guards r NBA players "masking" as college students. U will need to train hard cos d kids u trying to beat hv been training hard since age 5 or 6. U will also need a coach, because if all u play is just 3v3, u haven't learned d game. Besides, I personally know a guy who got into a Tennessee University from 200level in a Nigerian University based on basketball ALONE, dude was a freak. That's another possibility. Loads of other guys r also drafted to go play highschool basketball, n then switch to college basketball. U can also try the basketball camps like Ejike's camp, u can get exposure to foreign coaches. Between me n bracelum, u can deduce d person who knows what he is saying. This is not some phantom motivational quote.

You can always play professional basketball, but don't hang so tight onto this Duke's ticket.

bracelum:


I don't want to go down the route of making an unnecessary argument here because of this issue. The fact that you tried and didn't make it does not mean another person cannot try and make it too. And while I acknowledge most of the comments you stated, it is very wrong to claim that every international athlete that comes to the US achieved their goal through connections. While this may be true in some cases, it is very wrong to make generalizations. There are some people that worked extremely hard + smart and did things you either did not do or things you probably would not like to mention.

Again, I said in my last comment that I'm involved more than just a fan, and through this capacity, I have met lots of international college athletes who did not get in through referrals. Even if a referral is the only way to get to the US, there is nothing stopping the poster to seek those referrals by networking with those people that might give him the referral. The fact you didn't do it doesn't mean another person cannot do it. Success is more about the effort and hustle you put into what you do. I have seen athletes that have traveled far distances on their expenses to attend trials with no guarantee of getting recruited. Your success depends on the hustle you put into it. There are numerous examples I can mention... It all depends on how badly you want the success, how much you want to hustle and how much risk you want to take.

Trying and failing for one or two years, before quitting, doesn't suggest that you really wanted it badly or you were ready to make big calls (take huge risks) to achieve your goal. A lot of people try to become athletes and when they fail after a few trials, they revert back to school or take other safer options. From my experience, most successful athletes never really had a plan B. It was sports or nothing else and while a lot of them fail and become unproductive in the society, some of them end up becoming successful. So, the fact you took the safe route shouldn't make you discourage someone that wants to take a riskier route cos you never can tell if the person can be successful.

Stop putting fear into the mind of the guy. If he really wants to achieve his goal, he can do it! The fact Mr. A or Mr. B failed in achieving the goal doesn't mean he will fail. It all depends on the hustle you put into it.

No be human being dey write the referral? Mtchew

Gloryemo:
More than one school but the one we were talking about is Austin Peay state university...

omomayelakesi:
Please is it normal for an institution to ask an international student to submit affidavit of support or financial documents as part of documents needed for application to be reviewed despite the fact that the program am applied for (PhD) is guaratees full funding for all admitted students.

Pefuele:

Which university is that?

omomayelakesi:
Please is it normal for an institution to ask an international student to submit affidavit of support or financial documents as part of documents needed for application to be reviewed despite the fact that the program am applied for (PhD) is guaratees full funding for all admitted students.

Time2win:


Meaning you want to immigrate and not just for visit. There is a visiting thread, i advise you look out for it. But this your intention prohibit the kind of visa you are applying for.

Time2win:


Yes it's normal. Put the school as sponsor when filling the form and that is if you have gotten the assistantship position or scholarship already.

Investmentfreak:



What kinda visa should I apply for?
I don’t mind staying few weeks