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NCAA News Release
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NCAA First Team Program Helps Prep Student-Athletes With Navigating The Collegiate Recruiting Process And Education Goals
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For Immediate Release
Monday, November 29, 2004
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Contact(s)
Gail Dent
Associate Director of Public and Media Relations
317/917-6117
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INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA has developed a program to help prospective basketball student-athletes navigate the collegiate recruiting process with more ease, while also helping them focus on the benefits of pursuing an education.
The NCAA First Team program focuses on elite-level male basketball prospects who are entering the ninth grade, and provides them with resources to help them navigate through the collegiate recruiting process, understand the role athletics plays in the educational process, and ultimately, encourage them to become better students and critical thinkers equipped to make informed choices.
First Team is the result of a recommendation from the subcommittee of the NCAA Division I Basketball Issues committee that was formed in 1998 to address concerns in collegiate basketball. One of the committee recommendations specified that educational initiatives be developed, including a year-round education and mentoring program. The NCAA partners with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the National Federation of State High School Associations on the First Team program.
Communication is the essence of the program, and First Team staff maintains regular contact with First Team student-athletes through telephone calls, written correspondence and newsletters and visits. The goal of the ongoing communication is to provide support in areas where the student-athlete may need positive reinforcement to keep his focus on completing high school and being academically eligible to play Division I college basketball. Communication centers on recruiting, education, life skills and health and physical fitness.
"The First Team program can be very important for the highly sought-after prospective student-athlete as he transitions from high school to college," said Anne Little, director of the NCAA First Team program.
"Leading up to the recruiting process, a prospective student-athlete has to understand what is required to go to college and be knowledgeable of the dos and don�ts regarding eligibility and extra benefits. The First Team program assists by providing information to student-athletes, encouraging them to think critically and make good decisions for the future," Little said.
There are currently 158 prep student-athletes in the First Team program, from Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Each summer, the First Team staff adds a new class of prospects to the already established group of participants who will stay in the program through their senior year. The First Team program will grow to Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont in 2005. Plans include reaching all 50 states by 2007.
Each year, the NCAA hosts a First Team summer conference for the student-athletes. The three-day summer conference focuses on recruiting information, education, life skills, health and physical fitness. Session topics include setting and achieving goals; developing good study habits; navigating NCAA recruiting process; preparation for college; time management; proper etiquette in social situations; and good nutrition and health tips for growing bodies. Among the speakers who have participated in summer conferences are John Thompson, former Georgetown University head coach; Clark Kellogg, television network broadcaster and former college and professional basketball player; Reggie Minton, NABC deputy executive director; John Lucas, former NBA player and coach; and Dirk Minniefield, former college standout and NBA player. The First Team conference participants also have the opportunity to interact with former and current NCAA men�s basketball student-athletes. Past conferences were held in Charlotte, North Carolina (2004) Tampa, Florida (2003) and Indianapolis (2002).
One of the criteria for participation in the First Team program is parental approval. Parents of the First Team student-athletes are invited to the closing session of the summer conference, and throughout the year, they are provided with relevant information to assist with questions about the recruiting process. Additional criteria for being involved in the program includes maintaining a 2.0 grade point average, participation in the summer conference and being a member of the high school basketball team.
Little, a former athletics director at Winston-Salem State University, is joined on staff by three former collegiate basketball student-athletes: Greg Turner, who played at Auburn University; Greg Graham, who played at Indiana University, Bloomington; and Duke Pryor, who played at Marian College (Indiana). The staff receives assistance from First Team "captains," local volunteers who reinforce the messages from the summer conference and act as an extension of the NCAA First Team staff.
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