Coach outreach

Emailing college basketball coaches

Coaches open emails that are short and specific: who you are, your grad year, position, height, high school and club team, a clickable highlight link, your schedule and one real reason you want that program.

When to email

You can email coaches at any grade. D1 coaches can read your emails and watch your film before they're allowed to reply.
D1 men's coaches can reply starting June 15 after sophomore year, and D1 women's coaches starting June 1 after sophomore year. D2 coaches can reply starting June 15 before junior year. D3, NAIA and JUCO coaches can reply sooner. See the timeline.
Calling is different: in D1 you can call a coach anytime, and if they answer, you can talk.

Subject line formula

Grad year, position, height, high school or club team, GPA if strong, and "(Film)".

Subject: [Grad Year] 6'3 PG | [High School], [ST] | [Club Team] | [GPA] GPA (Film)
Subject: [Grad Year] 6'1 G/W | [Club Team] [age group] | [Event] schedule inside (Film)

Sample coach email

Keep the body under about 150 words. Link your film (YouTube or Hudl). Never attach video.

Coach [Last Name],

My name is [Full Name]. I am a [Grad Year] [position] at [High School] in [City, State], and I play club basketball for [Club Team]. I am reaching out because I am interested in [University] basketball, specifically [one real reason].

Player snapshot:
- [Height] | [Position(s)] | [Dominant hand]
- Varsity stats: [PPG / RPG / APG], [season]
- Club team and circuit: [ ]
- GPA: [unweighted] / [weighted]
- Academic interest: [ ]
- Full-game film: [link]
- Highlight film: [link]
- Upcoming schedule: [link or events, dates, court numbers]

I have completed [University]'s basketball recruiting questionnaire.

Coach references:
- HS coach: [Name, cell, email]
- Club coach: [Name, cell, email]

Thank you for your time.

[Full Name]
Class of [Grad Year] | [Position]
[Cell] | [Email] | [NCAA ID if any]

Send it from the player's own email address, one school per email, to the coach listed on the school's staff page. Many basketball coaches want a full, unedited game as well as a highlight reel, so include both if you can.

Follow-ups

Follow up every 2–4 weeks with something new: a new game film, stats, a tournament schedule, an award or a grade update.
Before a live period, send your schedule with team name, jersey number and court times so coaches can find you.
Keep a tracker: school, coach, date sent, questionnaire done, reply, next follow-up.

Basketball Recruiting Playbook · Coming soon

A basketball playbook is in the works

Everything on this page is free. A step-by-step basketball playbook is coming later.