There simply is not the depth of game in high school to say that 4% are elite. The only claim I made was that most perceive 2%, even the second 2% as representing "elite" and that they are not. They are (for the most part, since you need peopel to continually acknowledge they are not talking absolutes, well except for you) regular human beings who put their minds to something. Only smalls could find insult in that.
Me disagreeing with you is not finding insult. However, you found insult where no insult was intended (at least initially) and no reasonable person would find. Name calling and bringing un-warranted BS into the conversation is where I found a clear intent at insult from you. I apologize for calling you little man I know how hurtful that can be.
You took the conversation away from where I started it while changing/inferring something that was not there. To use your logic since I made a statement before you made a statement you are not allowed to counter my original statement since......well I said so. Seems like a pretty useless way to debate a topic. For that matter I apologize to NLLBEST for not agreeing with the statement he made before me. Would hate for someone to have a differing opinion, experience or point of view.
I never even claimed 2% were elite. I only claimed that the bar to D2 was higher than being the 3rd, 4th or 5th best player on the floor most nights in the NLL, where very few players end up playing basketball on scholarship at the D1 or D2 level each year. (In a good year the NLL will have 2-3 D1/D2 scholarship basketball players). You then bent or slanted it to mean something different along with making some statements that were not even close to accurate about D2 basketball programs and athletes due to what I can only assume is a lack of an opportunity to watch D2 ball and compare it to the lower 1/3 to 1/2 of D1.
My original point was simple, being in the second 2% of the top of high school basketball recruits doesn't mean you are "elite."
Well that 2nd 2% does falls outside of D2. I knew I could wear you down.
High school seniors from the US are competing against international players, prost grad/prep school players, JUCO players and existing transfers for scholarships.
353 D1 Schools x 13 Full Rides = 4,589
313 D2 Schools x 10 Full Rides = 3,130
3,926 + 3,130 = 7,719 Full Rides (D1 and D2) - that sounds like a lot, but there are 4 classes + redshirts included in those numbers.
1. Subtract scholarships for D2 schools who do not fully fund all 10 scholarships
2. Subtract
663 for international players at the D1 level who competed with high school seniors for scholarships
Basketball is becoming more and more a global game and college hoops make no exception to this slow but constant evolution. Most of Division I Men’s Basketball programs have at least one international scholarship player on their roster (277 out of 353, that is the 78.5%), including 105 teams...
basketballncaa.com
.
3. Subtract for international players at the D2 level who competed against high school seniors
4. Subtract for JUCO transfers. There are
452 JUCO basketball teams all with guys competing with the high school seniors. According to the numbers below that means
~800 JUCO transfers or a little over
2 per D1 school.....plus hundreds who are borderline D1/D2 who competed against high school seniors for scholarships
How many NJCAA basketball schools are there? Our guide will walk you through JUCO basketball teams and NJCAA basketball rankings.
www.ncsasports.org
According to an NCAA study,
14.8 percent of all JUCO basketball players transferred from junior colleges with basketball programs to a four-year NCAA Division 1 college program in 2018—compared to 1 percent of high-school basketball players who went on to play D1 basketball immediately following their senior year.
5. Data on other professional opportunities in men’s basketball were collected in 2019 by NCAA staff with the assistance of Marek Wojtera from
eurobasket.com.
Tracking 2018-19 international opportunities for the 2018 draft cohort, it was determined that an additional 839 former NCAA student-athletes played internationally, in the G-League or in the NBA as undrafted players (606 from Division I, 194 from Division II and 39 from Division III).
Men's Basketball: Probability of competing beyond high school
www.ncaa.org
194 is a big number and it can be inferred that that all 4+ classes at the D2 level have +/- 194 x 4 = 776+ future professional basketball players or about 2 per D2 school.
I'll grant that the number of competitive D2 programs is growing, but there are only a small percentage that will compete regularly with even the bottom of D1. They for the most part are doing what they can to fill rosters with capable students. The bar is not that high. But for the most part, they are filled with average human beings that worked a little harder at a sport. There's no genetic superiority needed. They're not turning people away like the D1s. They are not pumping players into the overseas leagues. They're pumping players into the local rec leagues.
Any desire to re-address any of these comments or do you still consider them as accurate? I will not nit pick on what the bar not high or genetic superiority is defined as.
My experience - I have 1 D1, 2 D2 and 1 D3 athlete/former athletes under my roof, along with my brother having been a D2 athlete and a 1st cousin having been a D1 athlete. I was offered partial baseball scholarships from both BG and UT. I accepted scholarships for both baseball and basketball at the D2 level. Was a Physics major before realizing I had too much on my plate so I dropped the major and basketball. I led the league in ERA one year and was offered a professional contract in an independent league with a team out of Johnstown, PA for $1,800/month. I passed.
I have personally watched 100's of D2 sporting events, competed with and against 100's of D1 and D2 athletes - mainly at the mid major level and below. Played fed ball on a team with 5 former UT basketball players from the time I was 21 to 25. Only one was clearly any "different" than me from a measurables standpoint. I found little to no difference in quickness, jumping ability, strength or skill and I didn't even play basketball in college.