Your player can email college coaches today. Here's exactly what to send, and when.

Buy the Playbook – $29.99

20% of every purchase goes back to your high school's athletic program. Just enter your school and sport at checkout. Your school doesn't need to be signed up. We'll hold its share and reach out to the athletic department.

Men's and women's basketball run on different calendars.

In Division I, men's coaches can start calling, texting and messaging on June 15 after sophomore year. Women's coaches can start June 1 after sophomore year. Official visits, live periods and contact periods differ too. Before those dates, coaches can still read your emails and watch your film. D2 opens June 15 before junior year, and D3, NAIA and JUCO coaches can talk with you sooner.

This playbook shows you how to do it yourself, without paying for an expensive recruiting service.

What's inside

• A 30-day quick start. Four weeks of checklists: player email, film, a clean recruiting profile, a target list, NCAA certified-event registration and your first emails.
• A plan for each grade, freshman through senior, with a page per year and what changes for boys vs. girls.
• Men’s and women’s D1 rules side by side: contact start dates, unofficial and official visits, and the 2026-27 recruiting calendars with live-period dates.
• D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO rules: contact, visits and athletic aid, for men’s and women’s basketball.
• Roster limits after the House settlement (15 in D1 men’s and women’s) and the new age-based eligibility clock, with a worksheet for prep years and reclassifying.
• GPA & academics: core GPA worksheet, the 10/7 rule and D1/D2/D3/NAIA/JUCO basics.
• Target list builder and how to find the right men’s or women’s staff to email.
• Film guide: full-game film plus a highlight reel, and the information coaches ask for, with a verified-only rule.
• Live periods, AAU and camps: NCAA-certified events, June high school team events, circuits and the questions to ask any club before you pay.
• Social media setup and cleanup with a copy-ready bio.
• Instagram setup guide for recruits: handle, a copy-ready bio, pins and Story Highlights, privacy and DMs, and what to post.
• Facebook setup guide for recruits and parents, with a who-does-what chart for X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube/Hudl.
• The subject line formula, master coach email, 3 school-specific versions and 4 follow-ups.
• Visits, offers and signing periods, an offer comparison worksheet, the transfer portal, NIL, JUCO/prep/reclassifying, NBA and WNBA draft rules, scam red flags and parent etiquette.
• Printable player info checklist, recruiting budget and a parent glossary.

Plus: the Excel recruiting tracker

Eight tabs. Target Schools comes preloaded with all 2,311 men's and women's programs from our directory, each with its official staff page, so you can filter by gender, division and state. There are also Contacts, Emails Sent (next follow-up 21 days out), a Follow-ups queue that flags what's due, Camps & Live Periods (preloaded with 2026-27 D1 men's and women's live-period dates), Visits, Offers (net-cost math) and Player Profile.

Built on sources you can check

Rules are checked against official NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA material (last checked Oct 20, 2026), and anything we couldn't confirm on an official site is labeled. We don't make up statistics or "what D1 wants" charts, and we don't copy coach names or emails. Coaching staffs change, so the playbook sends you to each school's official staff page.

Who it's for

Parents of high school basketball players, boys and girls, freshman through senior year, from D1 hopefuls to players aiming for D2, D3, NAIA or JUCO.

How school giveback works

What is it? 20% of the $29.99 purchase price goes to the athletic program of the high school you enter at checkout.

Who gets it? The school's athletic department, with your sport noted on each payment and report so the school credits that team. A sport's booster club can receive it only if the head coach requests it in writing and the athletic director approves in writing. It's never paid to individuals, including coaches. Next Level Pathway pays it from its own revenue, so your purchase isn't a tax-deductible donation.

When is it paid? Payouts are made monthly once the school has claimed its share.

Does my school need to be signed up? No. Enter any high school. If it hasn't claimed its giveback yet, we hold its share for that sport and reach out to the athletic department. If it's still unclaimed 12 months after your purchase, that share goes to youth basketball, such as sponsoring youth teams, leagues, or youth basketball charities, chosen by Next Level Pathway each year, with receipts kept and a short public note on this site.

What do I need to do? Just type your high school and choose your sport at checkout. Please use the school's full name and city so we can match it.

FAQ

Is this a recruiting service? No. It's a do-it-yourself guide and tracker. You and your player stay in control and send every email yourselves.

Do you guarantee a roster spot or scholarship? No one honestly can. What this gives you is a clear plan and better emails.

What format is it? An instant-download PDF (print-friendly) and an .xlsx tracker that works in Excel or Google Sheets.

Refunds? Digital download. Email support@nextlevelpathway.com within 14 days if it isn't useful and we'll refund you.

Questions? Email support@nextlevelpathway.com and we'll get back to you.

Buy the Playbook – $29.99

20% of every purchase goes back to your high school's athletic program. Just enter your school and sport at checkout. Your school doesn't need to be signed up. We'll hold its share and reach out to the athletic department.

Next Level Pathway is independent and not affiliated with the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, NBA, WNBA or any club circuit. This playbook is general guidance. Confirm all rules with the NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA and with each school's compliance office.