US Sports Teams Walk Ons

b_r_um
Mon, 30 May 2011 13:21:17 +0000

It depends on the team. You may not be able to spontaneously join a Div I team, but if you don’t want to make basketball the focus of your college career, you may not want to play on a big Div I team anyway. If you do want to play at that level, I suggest you contact the coaches ahead of time (preferably > 1 year ahead of time, while they are still recruiting).

Less competitive teams are easier to join. My own college plays Div III and our coaches don’t even recruit - everybody is a walk-on. Our sport teams are mainly recreational: they practice ~10 hours a week, have a match once a week, and don’t care much about their sport for the rest of the time. (In contrast, Div I basketball players are said to devote an average of 40 hours per week to their sport!)

P.S. Div I schools often have competitive “clubs” besides the official teams that play at a more recreational level. Maybe that would be an option for you?