The best time to start contacting college coaches is as soon as you have identified the college as a prospective place to continue your academic and athletic journey. Student-athletes and their families typically should start reaching out to college coaches via email, call, or by filling out prospective recruiting questionnaires as early as the 8th grade or their freshman year in high school.

The NCAA allows a recruit to make only five visits to Division I schools, limited to one per school. Official visits to DII and DIII schools are also limited to one per school, but there is no limit on total amount of visits.

This is possibly the most difficult question for student-athletes and their families to ask themselves. It is important for student-athletes to be efficient with their time and energy during the recruiting process. Pursuing colleges that are not the right fit is a big reason why some student-athletes don't find a college. Here's what you can do: -Ask your basketball coach or your recruiting coach for an honest evaluation on you, athletically. -Academically, you can talk to a high school guidance counselor to see which school would be the right fit for you.