Ahead of the Game
High school basketball players will benefit greatly by attending a prep school. These benefits include playing against better competition, working with high level coaches, receiving greater exposure to colleges, etc.
Below are some of the most common questions I am asked by students who are considering attending prep school in furtherance of their basketball careers.
Is prep school the same as high school?
Are prep schools worth the money?
Can international basketball players go to prep schools?
How much does it cost for an international player to go to a prep school?
How will basketball families pay for prep school?
How will prep school improve a player’s college recruiting?
Do I need to build a college recruiting website?
What
Prep school provides players an extra year to mature physically, emotionally, and academically. It also allows time to improve standardized test scores, get academically qualified, learn English, or earn college credits.
Why
Prep school provides a more competitive athletic environment, plus an additional summer period of AAU providing more exposure to college coaches. It also can create lifelong connections with other prep school students.
How
We assist players by determining which prep school may be the best fit for the individual. We then begin the process of helping the player with introductions to coaches, the admissions process, etc . Contact us today.
Is prep school the same as high school?
A prep school is a high school. The main difference is that it has dormitories that students live in, similar to a college. Another name for a prep school is boarding school. These prep schools offer many of the same classes as a regular private or public school. Another difference is that the student body will consist of kids from around the US and globe, as well as a smaller student to teacher ratio. The athletics can be more competitive and there will be additional extra-curricular activities available to experience. Prep schools also charge tuition to attend, but with this comes a long history of good academics and placement into colleges around the United States. Prep schools can be either single sex or co-ed.
Are prep schools worth the money?
That depends on your family’s financial situation. If a family can pay for tuition or qualify for financial aid and their child can gain acceptance into a prep school, there is a solid chance that they will grow immensely from their experience. The benefits emotionally, physically, academically, and athletically will all help a young person grow into a well-rounded young adult. I completed a post-grad year at a prep school which led to a D1 scholarship. This year of development on the court and in the classroom saved me from having to pay for college tuition. This is a choice, families will need to consider. Do they spend the money for prep school tuition in hopes that it will produce a college scholarship? There are numerous success stories from members of the PREP Athletics family where this happened. Feel free to reach out for references of those whose lives have been changed forever due to their time at a prep school.
Can international basketball players go to prep schools?
Absolutely! Prep schools love to fill their student bodies with students from all over the world.
International players love coming to the states to learn the US style of basketball, improve their English, graduate from a US based school, and immerse themselves into the culture. Almost every prep school team has an international player on the roster. As of this writing I have placed players from over twenty-five different countries into prep schools.
How much does it cost for an international player to go to a prep school?
This depends on a lot of factors. International families will complete a financial aid form to see how much financial aid they can qualify for. This is hard for US schools to verify due to foreigners not filing US tax returns. Some schools give international players aid if they bring a lot of attributes to the school. These could include speaking multiple languages, having good grades/test scores, being a good athlete or from a country that is not represented at the prep school. This is not a one sized fit all option. The better a player’s academics and playing ability, the more merit money they will be able to access at schools that offer it. A qualified applicant can expect to pay between $5,000 to $75,000. Feel free to reach out to see if this option makes sense for you.
How will basketball families pay for prep school?
There are multiple ways to pay for prep school. If a family has the means they can pay a school’s entire tuition amount. As of 2024, prep schools offer full tuition from $39,000 to $85,000. As each year passes these rates will continue to increase. There are other fees to budget for on top of tuition: insurance, special courses, supplies, textbooks, athletic fees, travel costs, spending money, etc. A family will want to make sure they know the total cost of tuition which includes these fees.
Most schools require half of the tuition to be paid in the summer before school starts with the balance due in December before the second semester starts. Most schools offer a tuition payment plan that can break this up over nine months.
Families can also qualify for financial aid. Filling out a Personal Financial Statement online will help determine the tuition amount that each family can afford. This number takes into account recent tax returns, assets, and other siblings attending colleges. This number will then be forwarded to all the schools selected by the family on the PFS website. Schools will take this amount into consideration as well as see how much money is available in their financial aid pool. Each school has their own philosophies towards awarding aid. Certain schools give full financial aid to families that make less than $75,000 a year. Be sure to check with each school you are talking to about how they award financial aid.
529 plans can also be used for prep school tuition. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law in December 2017, allows families to use 529 plans to pay for up to $10,000/year in tuition expenses at private or parochial schools. (I am not a certified accountant and am not giving tax advice. Please talk to your tax professional about your eligibility.)
While some schools only offer aid based on financial need, some award scholarships based on merit. This merit aid could be given based on athletic ability, high GPA, standardized test scoring, nationality, extra-curricular activities, being multilingual, and more. The more well-rounded a prep school candidate is the more likely a merit-based prep school will be motivated to give aid. Knowing which schools are merit versus need based will save you a lot of time in deciding which schools to apply to.
Which basketball players should or should not attend prep school?
Players should go to prep schools if they want to improve their chances of playing in college. The coaching, practice/game competition, and exposure to college coaches are superior to your average public/private high school in the US. If a player has potential, the prep school route is designed to give them opportunities to make it to the next level. You have to want to better yourself in the classroom and on the court if you are willing to leave your family and school to reach your dream.
You should not go to prep school if you think just being there is your ticket to college. While the school and team might have good reputations, each player will have to fully commit to putting in hard work academically and athletically in order to succeed. And even then, these players are vying for roster spots at colleges that applicants around the world want as well. In some cases, it makes sense for a player to finish his high school career at his or her current high school and then develop during a post-grad year. You have to really want to achieve your goal to leave your family and friends to go off to a prep school. It is not a decision to make lightly.
How will prep school improve a player’s college recruiting?
Prep schools are set up to help their players get exposure to college coaches. All of these prep school basketball programs have had success in placing their players at the next level. College coaches visit prep schools each year during the Fall and Spring open gym periods to recruit players. For prep schools that are located close to one another, they work in conjunction to schedule their open gyms so college coaches can attend multiple workouts each day. One school may start the day with an early morning workout. Another school, twenty miles away, will have one at 3:30 and another school close by will have theirs at 7:00. College coaches can cross New England in a week and get their money’s worth seeing players at these open gyms.
Prep school coaches are constantly reaching out to college coaches to get their players placed. A good prep school coach will talk to each player on his team about their recruiting goals and come up with a plan. This plan will determine what level the coach thinks the player will succeed at in college both athletically and academically. Getting seen by a college coach is all you can ask for as a player. The more exposure a player gets during the summer, open gym, and the season will only increase their chance of playing at the next level. Prep school does not provide guarantees of playing in college, but it will provide more exposure than a player would get in a normal high school. This is a chance that a majority of high school players do not receive.
Coaches at prep schools know their main job is to get their players better and get them to the next level. A normal high school coach might be doing his job just for the stipend, or has never placed a player in college before. College coaches might not return his calls. You want to go with a coach who knows what he is doing and has done it before. Prep school coaches are advocates and this is especially important post-covid where the transfer portal is now dominating college recruiting.
There are also recruiters in the prep school world who write up reports on players and teams. These get sent to college coaches across the US. The key word in all of this is EXPOSURE!
How does prep school help basketball players with their academics?
Prep schools offer academic advantages. Classroom size will be smaller which allows each student more interaction with their teachers and fellow students. Learning is increased in this environment versus classrooms filled with thirty-five students. Students at prep schools are living away from home and have made a choice to do so. It is less likely that these students will cause trouble or not take this opportunity seriously. Being away from home already makes each kid more mature mentally and emotionally. Students will learn study skills that will enable them to complete their academics without their parents looking over their shoulder. The quality of the classes taught will better prepare the students for the eventual case load in college. Most teachers also live on campus and are more readily available for academic help than a non-prep school.
What should basketball players expect at a prep school?
Once a student arrives at a prep school they will go through orientation to get familiar with the campus, the student body and where everything is located. Schools start the year with ice breakers to ensure students make new friends early. Students will be assigned a room with a roommate as well. At some point during this phase in, new students might experience homesickness. This is normal and part of leaving home for the first time. These schools see this happen every Fall and are prepared for helping each student get through it.
If a student is an athlete then they will begin working out with their teams. Basketball will immediately start with conditioning and weightlifting. Open gyms will follow shortly thereafter. In November the season will officially start and games will be played until February or early March. Schools have Fall, Winter and Spring Breaks. Most schools require that their players go home at these times.
The training, coaching and competition will be tougher than most non-prep schools. A majority of coaches in the prep school world either played or coached in college. They have all sent players to college and demand more from their players. Being on a prep school campus offers more opportunities to get in a gym and weight room. It can be a short walk from one’s dorm room.
Academically school will be challenging. Some of the best high schools in the world are prep schools. Depending on which one a player chooses will determine how challenging it is. Balancing this new workload, plus basketball, and not having any parents around to ensure you are taking care of business can be a challenge. But this is how life will be playing a sport in college and every player that goes to prep school goes for this ultimate goal.
How will basketball families pay for prep school?
There are multiple ways to pay for prep school. If a family has the means they can pay a school’s entire tuition amount. As of 2023, the full tuition for a prep school can range from $39,000 to $82,000. As each year passes these rates slightly increase. There are other fees to budget for on top of tuition: health insurance (depends on student’s current coverage,) fees for special courses, supplies, textbooks, athletic fees, travel costs, etc. A family will want to make sure they know the total cost of tuition, including fees.
Schools have multiple options for payment. It can all be paid in one installment before school starts. Sometimes a school will offer a small discount if a family chooses this option. Half can be paid before school starts and the other half is due before the start of the second semester. And if a family works it out with the prep school they can pay over a nine month period.
Families can also qualify for financial aid. By submitting financial information to a third-party company, prep schools will learn from this website what a family’s estimated financial contribution will be. This number takes into account recent tax returns and a personal financial statement. This third-party company will then forward this number to all schools selected by the family. Schools will take this amount into consideration as well as see how much money is available in their financial aid pool. Each school has their own philosophies towards awarding it. Certain schools give full financial aid to families that make less than $75,000 a year. Be sure to check with each school you are talking to about how they award financial aid.
While some schools only offer money based on financial need, some award scholarships based on merit. This merit could be given based on athletic ability, high GPAs, standardized test scoring, nationality, extra-curricular activities, and more. The more well-rounded a prep school candidate is the more likely a merit-based prep school will be motivated to give aid. Knowing which schools are merit versus need based will save you a lot of time in deciding which schools to apply to.
How can athletes choose the right prep school?
Choosing the right prep school is similar to choosing the right college. First you want to find the best fit athletically and academically. What is the team’s style of play? Where has the coach placed players in the past? What classes will you be taking? What are the options for college classes? If a student has a learning disability can they accommodate that? Where do graduates end up going to college?
From there you want to visit to ‘feel’ the energy of each campus. If you are going to prep school for more than just a post-grad year it is imperative to visit the school first. You can learn a lot from talking to coaches and viewing all of the videos on a school’s website. But visiting is the best way to find the right fitting school.
The final aspect to consider is financial. The school a player likes might cost ten thousand more per year than his second choice. Each family will need to determine their budget and see if the schools they like fall within that range. I can help families negotiate with schools and get the best rates possible. Ideally a family has multiple options for which school to choose. Find more information on choosing the right prep school here.
Why basketball players need a recruiting website
Building a recruiting website is one of the best actions a player can take for his recruitment. The website can be very basic and even be built for free on sites such as Wix. All it needs to include is information that coaches would want to know about the player. Height, weight, position, date of birth, social media profiles, contact information, official transcript, highlights and full game footage.
Here is the beauty about having your own site. You can reach out to any college program in the US and send coaches your profile directly. In this day and age you don’t need a middleman. It might be tough to get a coach to respond, but you now have the power to be active in your own recruitment. While this will be used for college coaches, I require my clients to put one of these sites together for sending out to prep school coaches. The days of sending a word document are over.
Whenever your GPA or standardized test scores improve, you can instantaneously update that on your website. The same is true for when you have a good game. You can upload it immediately then send off to the colleges you want to recruit you.