A few months back, my PSB Co-founder, Logan Kosmalski, wrote a blog titled, “The Truth About D3 Basketball“, which was really eye-opening for parents and players, so now I’d like to attempt to do the same thing with D2 college basketball.
There are so many incorrect assumptions and uninformed opinions out there that need to be corrected so that parents and players can make better decisions when choosing a college or university at which to play basketball, especially if Division 2 schools are an option.
As I’ve said before in past blogs, I hear and see kids and parents turn their noses up all the time at anything that’s not D1. And that’s a shame because:
A) D2 and D3 have a lot of great things to offer.
B) Often times those kids aren’t necessarily even good enough to play at the D2 or D3 level.
The problem is they just don’t know the truth about Division 2 basketball, so in this article I’ve listed 5 things that parents and players MUST know about D2 college basketball.
#1 High-Quality Basketball
The quality of basketball at the D2 level is very HIGH. Sometimes, it’s even better than D1 basketball depending on the program and game.
In fact, D2 schools beat D1 schools in pre-season games every year. Once again, I’ll highlight Queens University here in Charlotte, NC. They beat D1 VCU earlier this season in a preseason game!
VCU is a dang good D1 team, so what does that say about Queens?
Moreover, the scoring is actually higher than at Division 1 schools and the shooting is a little better too.
There were 0 teams in Division 1 that averaged over 90 points in 2015-16, yet there were 3 in the South Atlantic Conference alone (Lincoln Memorial, Lenoir Rhyne and Newberry).
#2 Scholarships Are Available
A big misperception of D2 is that there’s no scholarships available.
While there are less available than Division 1, there are still 10 total full scholarships per D2 team compared to 13 for Division 1.
#3 Not Everyone Can Play D2 Basketball
Just because a player isn’t getting recruited by D1 schools doesn’t automatically mean that they can then go play D2.
Some players think or say, “If I don’t go D1, I’ll just go play D2.” Well that’s not necessarily the way it works.
You have to be good enough to play D2! Don’t believe me?
Go see a high-level Division 2 game like Queens, Lincoln Memorial, Augusta University or USC-Aiken and honestly examine if and where you would fit in those games (if at all)!
#4 You Can Still Go Pro
You can go pro out of Division 2 schools, whether that is the NBA, D-League or Overseas.
In fact, players such as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Ben Wallace played at D2 schools.
One of my favorite teammates of all-time overseas was a point guard named Zach Whiting who played D2 at Chaminade in Hawaii. (Shout out to Zach!)
Back to Queens, they had 3 players last year sign pro deals and have had 7 in the last three years!
In many overseas leagues Division 2 players have long fruitful careers because they are used to the high shot volume, carrying the scoring loads, and being relied on in pressure moments just as they were in college.
#5 Hundreds of D1 Players Transfer to D2 Every Year
Division 2 schools don’t take ALL transfers, but there are a ton of D1 basketball players that transfer to D2 programs every year.
Most Division 2 schools have a blend of high school, D1 and Juco transfers to suit their roster needs, but every single year there are 700-800 Division 1 transfers.
This is because most D1 teams have 13 scholarship players and only play somewhere between 7-9 guys, which leaves many players unhappy.
Instead of transferring to another D1 school and having to sit out an entire year, they transfer to a D2 school and typically don’t have to sit out much time, if any at all.
Ultimately, this goes back to the high quality of basketball at the D2 level…with so many D1 transfers, including high-major D1 players, the brand of basketball at the Division 2 level is really good!
Conclusion
High school players and parents need to do their research and go check out some Division 2 games before making any sort of rash judgments or decisions.
D2 basketball is a great option for many players, but not for everyone. D3 is also a great option for many players too as we discussed in a previous article.
At the end of the day, however, playing basketball in college is not easy at any of the 3 levels.
It demands high-level skills, athleticism, basketball IQ, and most of all, dedication and hard work.
If a player is lucky enough to have the opportunity to play Division 2 basketball, they should count their blessings and think long and hard before dismissing it as not being good enough because, as we just talked about, the majority of the time, they’re wrong!
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