CLUB SPORTS? WHY NOT By Jenna Romano

Statistics show us that less than 2% of all high school basketball players will play at a NCAA (D3, D2, or D1) level. 

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So, what is next? 

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Sure student-athletes can enroll at a NAIA, NJCAA, or even USSCA college but another option can be attending a “big” school & try out for the school’s CLUB team. Yup, a club team. 

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Check out my 3 reasons to play on a CLUB team.

1. Able to continue to play the sport you love at a competitive level.

At “The U” our club teams are made up of students who in high school dreamt of traveling to other schools throughout the country, but as a member of the club team we are in fact doing just that.  We, like our varsity teams, travel throughout the country to compete against other “club” teams who are comprised of students who fought tooth and nail for offers and “signing days”.

Thus far, teams have gone as far as California to compete in tournaments against schools for example, UCLA and I have been a part of the club basketball team now for three years and I have traveled to University of Florida, Nova Southeastern, University of Central Florida, NC State and University of NC at Chapel Hill.  We’ve played against over 15 different colleges / universities throughout my time and we are planning to travel and compete even more during the Spring season.

2. Building friendships (relationships).

Going through the “tryout” experience (again just like AAU basketball) provided me the opportunity to create a small group of friendships all of which that share a common passion. And obviously, as teammates our relationships grew stronger and actually has grown beyond basketball.  Luckily for me, I have been selected as the team’s vice president and this, alone has given me the chance to “rub shoulders” and build relationships with members of the school’s administration which can lead to something in the future. 🤷🏻‍♀️.

3. An escape mechanism + CARDIO

This honestly should be have been my first reason, but growing up like most players chasing a “college scholarship” all I did was play basketball. Whether, I was training, playing games or watching basketball it became my refuge. Parents, school, relationships could have all been in chaos, but basketball was always my escape.  This is still the case today! I use my club basketball experience as an escape from the stress of life - I guess you can call it my “mental health barometer”.  

Fortunately for me, playing club sports is not as stressful as participating on a varsity level which allows me to maintain my mental health by balancing to my school work and social life all the while still playing the sport I love in addition, it is a great way to maintain my physical fitness for practices & games can be demanding at times. 

In conclusion, I am well that playing “club sports” is not high on anyone’s dream list, but if you have dreams of playing at a D1 school, traveling the country, having fun, creating genuine friendships, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and staying in shape then perhaps “club sports” is an option.