Do you play basketball with the intent to play at the next level? If so, and that level is college basketball, study recruiting. If you're not sure, consider this story:
A 17 year-old player asked me if I thought he had a chance to go pro in Europe. I told him that my opinion is not expert in the slightest, but If I had to guess, he's a D3 caliber player. He replied that if he can't go pro he might drop it. He received a lot from the game, but he acknowledged that he might be reaching his limitations. He has other interests--he may want to be politician--and he thought he may want to develop skills related to them . I'm not sure what decision he made, but this assessing and reasoning shows his maturity as well as represents the decision many of us must make when reaching our limitations.
I didn't think I could play basketball at a quality academic university. No one recruited me and I went to a High school where playing college basketball was a rarity. Only two years later, when I played at IMG, and realized I was just as good as some of the players playing D3, did I realize that I could have played at that next level if I had done my homework. That's not just me. I've played with dozens of players on the playground who are better than some Division 1 walk-ons. College players aren't necessarily the best; they've just done the right things to get to where they are (unless they know someone, which is a different story).
Your homework: Play at showcases. Solicit advice from people who know about recruiting, learn how it works and then attack it with a game plan. IMG Basketball Academy has a whole recruiting service. In fact, there Post-Graduate team has sent most, if not all, their players to the college level.
The Takeaway Point: You and your family have to be the active members in your recruitment process. Do not expect to be recruited and realize that if colleges don't show initial interest in you, it does not mean that you cannot play there.
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