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How many ncaa basketball players go pro
Men's Basketball: Probability of competing beyond high school
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When we survey NCAA student-athletes about their expectations of moving on to professional athletics careers, the results indicate surprising confidence in that possibility. The reality is that very few go pro.
Estimated probability of competing in men's college basketball
High School Participants
NCAA Participants
Overall % HS to NCAA
% HS to NCAA Division I
% HS to NCAA Division II
% HS to NCAA Division III
540,769
18,816
3. 5%
1.0%
1.0%
1.4%
Sources: High school figures come from the 2018-19 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations. College numbers are from the NCAA’s 2018-19 Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report. These college numbers account for participation in college athletics at NCAA-member schools only.
Estimated probability of competing in men's professional basketball
NCAA Participants
Approximate # Draft Eligible
# Draft Picks
# NCAA Drafted
% NCAA to Major Pro
% NCAA to Total Pro
18,816
4,181
60
52
1.2%
21%
NBA draft data from 2019. There were 60 draft slots in that year and 52 went to NCAA players (seven others chosen were international players not attending U.S. colleges and one spent a season at a prep school). Percentage NCAA to Major Pro calculated using the 52 NCAA selections (calculated as [52 / 4,181 = 1.2%). Since 2009, 11 international players have been drafted on average each year.
We estimate that 4.2% of draft-eligible Division I players were chosen in the 2019 NBA draft (52 / 1,224). Additionally, approximately 18% of draft-eligible players from the five Division I conferences with autonomous governance (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) were drafted by the NBA in 2019 (41 / 228).
On 2019-20 opening day NBA rosters, former NCAA Division I players filled 85% of roster spots. One NBA player attended a non-Division I college. (Source: Jim Sukup, College Basketball News).
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) after leaving college; this includes international players who attended NCAA institutions. These numbers were combined with the 2018 NBA draftees to calculate an approximate NCAA to Total Professional opportunities figure (calculated as [52 + 839] / 4,181 = 21%).
We estimate that 53% of the 2018 Division I draft cohort competed professionally (NBA, G-League or internationally) in their first year after leaving college (calculated as [52 + 606] / 1,230). Approximately 80% of the 2018 draft cohort from the five Division I conferences with autonomous governance (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) played professionally somewhere in their first year post-college (calculated as [38 + 144] / 228).
Last Updated: April 20, 2020
#Men's Basketball
The Equity Debate in College Sports Goes Beyond Financial Compensation
For years there has been near-constant debate surrounding student-athlete exploitation within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), which generates more than $1 billion in revenue annually. While this dispute often centers on the issue of financial compensation for amateur athletes, a number of experts point out that one of the NCAA’s greatest obligations to players, especially those who come from communities of color and low-income households, should be ensuring they are prepared for a future that may not include a lucrative professional sports career.
Fewer than 2 percent of all college athletes will go on to play professional sports, according to a 2020 NCAA report. For women’s basketball, the odds are less than 1 in 100, with only 0. 8 percent of players turning pro. Men’s basketball players fare slightly better, with 1.2 percent of college athletes moving up to the professional ranks. College football, in which 1.6 percent of players make it to the NFL, offers some of the best odds for achieving the dream of a post-college sports career.
Unfortunately, many student-athletes have aspirations that far from reflect this reality.
According to a 2019 NCAA survey of more than 22,000 student-athletes, a significant number of Division I (DI) players responded that they are at least “somewhat likely” to play professionally or compete in the Olympics. The largest disparity between reality and expectations existed among men’s basketball and hockey players, with three out of four reporting that they are at least somewhat likely to play professionally. Approximately seven in 10 players surveyed within the DI Football Bowl Subdivision responded that they are at least somewhat likely to go pro. Despite efforts by the NCAA and colleges to curb students’ expectations in recent years, this figure is actually 12 percent higher than the number of DI football players in a 2011 survey who said they were likely to go pro.
Aspirations of having a career in sports are largely shaped by the media and can be extremely detrimental to those who do not make it into professional leagues, according to a 2018 study by Shaun Harper, a leading scholar on diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
Media influence and pressure to play professionally are especially strong for Black men, who are vastly overrepresented in college sports, Harper writes in the study. Across 65 universities, this demographic totaled 55 percent of players on football teams and 56 percent of men’s basketball teams while representing only 2.4 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment.
“Perhaps nowhere in higher education is the disenfranchisement of Black male students more insidious than in college athletics,” Harper writes. While it may appear that athletics is offering this underserved demographic a much-needed path to college degrees, Black male athletes were actually less likely to graduate than Black men who did not play sports at 60 percent of the universities in Harper’s study. Overall, African American student-athletes graduated at a rate 5 percent lower than other Black students and 21 percent lower than all students.
“I advise Black male student-athletes and their families to resist the seductive lure of choosing a university because it appears to be a promising gateway to careers in professional sports. It can be for a very small number of student-athletes, but not for the overwhelming majority,” the study states.
A 2016 Gallup-Purdue Index Report commissioned by the NCAA, however, counters the notion that student-athletes are at a disadvantage when it comes to post-graduation prospects. A survey of 1,671 former college players who graduated between 1970 and 2014 found that 65 percent have full-time jobs compared with 63 percent of non-athletes who graduated from the same institutions. The report also found that former student-athletes were between 8 and 9 percent more likely to thrive in several areas of well-being, including social and physical wellness. They were 1 percent more likely to thrive in financial well-being compared with non-student-athletes. The report does not account for race or ethnicity.
Karen Weaver, EdD, is an adjunct associate professor in Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania and host of the Trustees and Presidents – Opportunities and Challenges in Intercollegiate Athletics podcast, which focuses on the oversight of college sports. In a recent article in Forbes magazine, she states that much of the NCAA’s assumptions about college graduates “are crafted through the lens of White privilege.”
“Living the American dream of earning a college degree is pitched to promising high school [B]lack athletes. First-generation players come to campus with the expectations that coaches and support staff would take care of them; in return, a degree all but guarantees them immediate employment in a stable workplace,” she writes.
According to Weaver, one of the greatest detriments to student-athlete success is the sheer amount of time that players are required to devote to their sport rather than academics or other extracurriculars. Dedicating most of their time and energy to athletics leaves few opportunities to connect with professors or potential mentors outside of athletics who can help them explore career paths and guide them toward success off the court or field, she recently told INSIGHT.
Furthermore, coaches have lobbied the NCAA for the right to greater demands on student-athletes’ time, which often leaves few windows available for jobs, service learning, and other real-world experiences that are increasingly important in competitive job markets.
“Unless there is a real understanding that it’s okay for an athlete to step away from their program for, let’s say, an entire semester to go work somewhere and miss out on all the training opportunities, then the athlete can experience something we call ‘role conflict,’ where they feel torn,” Weaver explains. “They think ‘What am I supposed to do here, miss my allegiance to my team or my future?’”
Due to overscheduling, student-athletes are less likely to pursue internships, especially paid internships, which are highly sought after by employers, explain Weaver.
Recent research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows that women student-athletes were 6 percent less likely and men student-athletes were 17 percent less likely to work as interns compared with college students overall. One in five student-athletes reported that their athletic obligations prevented them from pursuing such opportunities. Yet NACE data shows that individuals who complete paid internships are more than twice as likely to have accepted a job by graduation than those who had unpaid internships or no intern experience. Graduates who have this experience are also more likely to start at higher tiers in the workplace and have significantly larger starting salaries than their peers.
While college players are required to maintain certain GPAs in order to participate in their sport and, of course, to graduate, Weaver asserts that a degree is only part of the equation when it comes to ensuring post-graduation success and upward mobility.
Student-athletes in high intensity programs often commit nearly 35 hours per week to their sport for practice, weight training, and more, according to Collin Williams Jr., PhD, the senior director of curriculum at the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the athletics community to fight racial discrimination and promote social justice. Players, especially those with guaranteed scholarships, often face pressure to attend additional non-mandatory practices and events in order to prove they are committed to the team, he says.
Williams agrees with Weaver that these time constraints rob student-athletes of the opportunity to forge potential connections and develop “navigational skills” such as networking and drafting résumés, he says. When it comes to entering the job market, former players have expressed resentment when they realize they were underprepared for life outside of professional sports.
“I’ve had Black student-athletes tell me that there was deception and that they felt lied to, or they will turn it on themselves and say, ‘I wish I would have known,’ because now they don’t have those navigational tools,” Williams explains.
It is important for institutions to present student-athletes with pathways to careers without crushing their dreams of playing professionally, he says. Ultimately, the NCAA and universities must reinforce that academic performance is far more important than athletic performance for the vast majority of players. This guidance is in the students’ best interest financially and emotionally when it comes time to graduate.
“The end of a sports career can be a pretty traumatic experience,” Williams says. “You’re essentially losing a part of your identity, and it can cause anxiety, stress, and even depression. There is a lot of uncertainty and questions surrounding your own self-worth.”
College graduation can often result in an identity crisis for those student-athletes who have devoted much of their life to a sport, says Williams. This issue is significantly compounded for those who were banking on playing professionally and were hoping that sports could lift them out of poverty.
In his book The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports, Williams and co-author Kenneth Shropshire present a number of potential solutions to improve overall outcomes for college players. They suggest that the NCAA and colleges take steps to actually enforce limits on the amount of time that students can spend each week on team-related activities. Student-athletes should also receive adequate career guidance so that they can select a meaningful degree that interests them and will help them succeed. Colleges should consider, for example, that their sports teams offer a great opportunity to establish pipelines of diverse professionals who work in the sports industry in roles other than as an athlete.
Addressing the problem of student-athlete success head-on is necessary to fulfill the promise of providing these individuals with an equitable education, Williams says.
“We have to think more creatively,” he says, “and view this through a solutions-oriented lens. ”●
Erik Cliburn is a senior staff writer for INSIGHT Into Diversity.
This article was published in our June 2021 issue.
The best young basketball players in Russia are increasingly choosing the NCAA. We asked them why they don't see themselves in their homeland - Interception - Blogs
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In the new season, the NCAA will play a record number of representatives of the Russian Federation. Why do they not see themselves in their homeland?
Seven Russians will compete in the NCAA Division I this season - there have never been so many. Some have already spent a year or even several years in America, others are just getting ready to move.
What is that moment when you realize that going to play basketball in the USA is no longer a dream, but a reality?
Lachin: Since childhood, I wanted to go to the States, to get into the NBA. This is a childhood dream that I'm going to. True, of course, as a child, I did not dream of getting into the NCAA, but I heard about this league. I always knew that if you really want something, you do it and you get it. So for me this possibility always seemed real. Offers began to arrive after the U18 European Championship. When you receive offers from top universities, you feel satisfied, you understand that this is the result of your efforts. Very cool feeling!
Savrasov: Realized this when I received my exam results. I remember how I passed the required threshold at that time in the English test that I took in Russia, and realized that now it definitely won’t stop me from going to where I have been striving so much for almost all my life. The feelings were indescribable. I realized that one of my biggest dreams had come true. When I got my exam results, I didn't have a visa yet, and I couldn't wait to leave. It was hard to leave my family and friends, but I understood that it was for the sake of my future.
Dotsenko: I remember that moment well. I was 18 years old, I am the captain of CSKA-DUBL. I had to make a decision… It was possible to stay at CSKA and study at MGAFK or BGUFK, but that didn't really appeal to me; and could try to go to America - it seems to me, the only place in the world where you can combine education and professional basketball. I chose the second one.
Ruzhentsev: Yes, I remember the moment when we bought the ticket already. I had mixed feelings: on the one hand, I was very happy with this opportunity, it was always a dream to go there, on the other hand, the unknown was frightening. I didn't know much when I left.
How difficult is it to go to the US to study on a sports scholarship?
Goldin: Everything is easier if you have an offer from a university that is interested in you. Because if they send documents, then getting a student visa is much easier.
Vedishchev: This is not such a difficult process, it all depends on your game. If they are interested in you, see you, want you, then they will do everything for you to come to them. Of course, if you go to school, then few people know you at that age, and then it is much more difficult to get a sports scholarship. As for the university, everything is quite simple there, of course, provided that you play well.
Savrasov: In order to get an athletic scholarship to an American university, you need universities to be interested in you and offer a scholarship so that you can play for them. If you are trying to leave Russia for America, you need to pass two tests for a certain number of points. They are called SAT and TOEFL. After that, the university sends you an invitation, and you follow this invitation to apply for a visa at the consulate. But, as far as I know, different guys who left here had everything in different ways. Someone passed one exam, someone two ... I had it the way I told.
Ruzhentsev: For me, the process was not very difficult. I then phoned the school via Skype, we discussed everything. They said that everything except the plane ticket would be provided, that is, accommodation - in a family or in an apartment - food, everything like that. But I think it’s still worth having some money of your own, too, because sometimes you want some more food.
Dotsenko: In fact, the process is not difficult if you know the structure of basketball in the USA, you know schools and people. But that only happens when you're there. Personally, I left through the Pro Futuro Sports agency, their representative in Russia is Alexander Skryagin. Now I really dislike these people, they deceived me and my family. I know that there are many people who were sent to no one knows where and took a lot of money from them, in fact not helping in any way. Although they also have positive examples - Samson Ruzhentsev, Danya Kasatkin - but these are few compared to how many people have passed through this agency. I do not advise anyone.
I'm trying to help people myself now because I've been through it and I know how it works. I recently helped my friend get into the 2nd division of the NCAA, he literally signed all the documents yesterday. In general, the main thing in this business is to have a good video. Many guys at the age of 15-16 do not think about it, but it is very important to show yourself beautifully on the video.
At what age should Russian basketball players leave? And is it better at all?
Dotsenko: My personal opinion is that it is better to leave. The fact is that not every athlete will be able to break into the professionals, but the American education system opens up many more roads than the Russian one. In addition to a basketball career, you can become a professionally successful person, succeed in life after graduation. Because they give you an education there, which is then appreciated everywhere. Do you know how it is in America? You are first of all a student, and then only an athlete.
Lachin: I don't have a definite answer whether it's better to leave or not. No one knows what awaits you there and what awaits you here. Time will tell. As for me, as I said, I have a childhood dream - to play in the NBA. Now this is my goal, and it seems to me that in this way I am approaching it.
Goldin: It's hard to answer, because it seems to me that it's all very individual. It is impossible for anyone to decide whether to leave or not, just as difficult to say exactly when to leave. Personally, I thought that it would be better for me, and left. As for age, you need to move when you are able to understand that you will be alone, away from home, and you can withstand it.
Ruzhentsev: I think 15-16 years old is optimal, this is the ideal age. Then you will have two years to play in an American school. In general, of course, you should leave only when you are confident in your abilities and know that there is a future - for example, you know which university you want to play at.
Savrasov: I think it depends on the player himself, on what he wants and what his goals are. It was very important for me to come here and improve on an individual basis. And, of course, the NBA is the main goal of any player, I think. If you leave, you need to leave for the last two years of schooling. To better adapt to life here, school, language, basketball. And it seems to me that if you did well at the school level in the USA, then you will have more interest from different universities than if you play for the national team at the World Championships or Europe. If I had the opportunity again, I would probably do so.
This year, seven guys from Russia will play in the first division of the NCAA - this is a record. With what it can be connected?
Dotsenko: "I think it's due to the fact that many guys are not satisfied with the state of affairs in Russian basketball, and therefore they want to leave. Because the American system is better and stronger, and this attracts players. In general, America is a basketball Mecca, and every basketball player always strives to play here.
Vedishchev: I think this is due to the fact that the VTB United League is very strong, probably the strongest in Europe along with the Spanish league. There are very few Russian clubs in it, but they have a lot of money and serious tasks, because they have sponsors. Therefore, clubs do not have time to develop their own young players. It seems to me that many people want to go to America because of this.
Ruzhentsev: More and more young players from Russia believe that they have a chance to get into the NBA. It seems to me. After all, everyone knows that NBA scouts follow the NCAA more than European basketball.
Savrasov: I think this is due to the fact that everyone is trying to become better. Challenge yourself by going to another country, with a different mentality and language, and try yourself at the highest level of competition. It seems to me that this is only a plus for our young players, who will be more prepared in the future, representing the Russian national team. Each of them will already have a lot of experience playing against the most talented young players in the world, this will be a huge plus.
True, the number of talented young players leaving Russia is not a good sign - it only says that something is wrong with us in this regard.
Where is it easier to get into the NBA - from the NCAA or from Europe?
Dotsenko: I think that it is much easier to get into the NBA from Europe than from the NCAA, because the NCAA is a completely different kind of basketball. Here, physics is on a different level, here is fast basketball, it is difficult for Europeans without adaptation to come to the NCAA and immediately show a good level. Because Europe has a different game, even the NBA has a different game. So it seems to me that if you have a goal to get into the NBA, then it will be easier to do it from Europe.
Vedishchev: Hard to say. I think that if you are really ready for the NBA, then you will get into this league from anywhere - from Europe or an American university. It seems to me that from Europe it is even a little easier. Although speaking in terms of preparation for the NBA, it is easier to prepare at the university.
Savrasov: I would say that there is less competition, of course, in Europe. And it's easier for young people in Europe to get into the NBA than it is for young people in the US. Again, I'm not saying it's easy, but I think it's a little easier than here. The level of preparation here is stronger: in terms of speed, athleticism and individual skill, breaking into the NBA is much harder here than in Europe. I would say that European basketball is distinguished by decision-making, in this regard, there is more “smart” basketball than in America, but in general, preparation for a professional level is at a higher level here - this applies to both basketball itself and the accompanying conditions.
How long did it take to adjust to the US? (a question only for those who played in America before this summer)
Vedishchev: Before that, I had already studied in America for two years at the Montverde Academy. It was a great experience, I really liked it there. There were no problems with adaptation. To be honest, I was not going to stay in Russia for so long. For example, last year I was unable to return to the US due to problems with documents, but this year everything worked out, and I'm glad that I can try to prove myself there.
Savrasov: It took me half a year to adapt. In terms of the language, it turned out that I was preparing with a tutor in Russia for a very long time and improved my English. But it's still different when you come here, everyone around speaks English, all the information is in English, so no matter how ready you are in terms of English in Russia and no matter how long you study it, the difficulties, I think, in the States at first it will be either way. And in terms of life, I managed to adapt here even faster, because I knew approximately how it would be, what kind of country it was. Also, the guys in the team, the coaches helped me with everything at first, for which I am very grateful to them.
Goldin: It took a month and a half to adapt in terms of basketball - I had to get used to the game, to the contact that is there. As for everyday life, even now you are still surprised at something when you first come across the fact that things work differently in Russia.
What are your expectations for playing in the NCAA Division I?
Savrasov: My expectations are the same - next year to take first place in our conference, win the tournament and get into the March Madness. And if you take it in terms of some individual goals, then it's easy to start playing and get stable playing time. Obviously I have to earn it, but after a year at Texas Tech, all I want to do is play. Since I know what kind of player I am, what my strengths and weaknesses are, and how I can help my team, all I need is game time. And then, I am sure, everything will come by itself with my work and my attitude to business.
Here are all the conditions for getting better. I know that many have already heard this phrase, but the way it is. Here you have access to the basketball and gym 24/7, which we do not have in most schools and clubs in Russia. Also, a lot of emphasis here is on individual training, in the off-season no one dismisses the players for the whole summer, on the contrary, they work with them on the necessary aspects of the game in which they should improve. Even during the season there is a gym almost every day, as well as individual basketball training.
Vedishchev: Only the best expectations. If I am not mistaken, then I have an 11,000-seat arena at my university, and this is even more than the Basket Hall in Krasnodar. They say it will be full, and these are unforgettable emotions. I want to play there soon!
Dotsenko: Maximum expectations. I am very glad that I had the chance to play against the strongest young basketball players in the world. We will meet the strongest teams, travel all over the US West Coast. I know that it will be an incredible job, that it will not be easy, but I am still confident that I will succeed and I will be able to play at this level.
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My friend also keeps a blog about Russian-speaking basketball players in America - it's also very interesting there.
This season, 8 Russians play in the NCAA. How are they? - The Interception - Blogs
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Before the start of last season, I wrote this text. Then I talked to almost all the Russians who were preparing to compete in the NCAA - there were 11 of them at that time - and tried to understand why Russian youth began to leave more massively for American universities. There have never been such a number of Russians in the NCAA.
A year and a half has passed since then, and half of the guys have left: Konstantin Dotsenko is now playing in the Loko farm club, Zakhar Vedischev is the basis of Krasnodar, Mark Tikhonenko signed a contract with Astana, Andre Toure recently played in Maykop in the second Super League, and Samson Ruzhentsev moved to the Serbian "Mega".
But some stayed in America. They were joined by a few more guys who either just left Russia or got into the NCAA from American schools or the NJCAA. In this text, I will talk about all the Russians who play in the first division of the main student league in the world. If last season I wanted to explain why exactly they are leaving, now I have focused on their career.
If you like reading more, then below is a large text with comments from the players themselves; but this time you have the opportunity not only to read, but also to watch a video about all of our in the NCAA. Inside is my story and a video interview with the guys.
If you watch a video on YouTube, don't forget to give it a thumbs up and leave a comment. This will help promote the channel. Subscribe if you love Russian basketball and want to know more about it.
And now - the promised text about our guys in America.
What is NCAA
The NCAA is the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States and Canada. It includes almost 1300 schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions. The teams of these universities are represented not only in basketball - the NCAA also has competitions in American football, wrestling, fencing, bowling, softball, gymnastics, tennis and God knows what else.
But basketball is a very popular sport in the association. Both guys and girls have three divisions, which are ranked by strength. This text is only about those Russians who compete in the first, strongest, division.
The NCAA has a playoff called March Madness. When knockout games start, the whole country switches from professionals to students. Although during the season, the teams also have enough attention from fans: the clubs play in large and good arenas, many people come to the matches, the games are shown on television, and sometimes on national television. There are even universities whose fans spend the night in front of the arena in the hope of having time to buy a ticket.
So the NCAA is a really serious tournament, albeit a student one.
How many Russians are there
I spent an hour and a half of my life checking the composition of all the colleges that are represented in the first division. There are 358 of them. I broke my eyes, learned about the existence of several countries and even about the presence of basketball in these countries, but still I counted all the Russians.
I got eight people, and now we will get to know them better. The sequence on my list doesn't mean anything, it's just that way because I talked to the guys in that order.
I hope I haven't missed anyone. Please write in the comments if you know someone whom I have overlooked.
Evdokimov is the newest member of the NCAA Division I. He joined the Charleston Cougars - the name of the team of the University of Charleston from South Carolina - in early December last year.
This university belongs to mid-major. In the American system, there is a gradation of universities by strength - from low-major to high-major. Mid-major is the middle level. Most Russian guys perform at universities that fall into this category.
Before moving to the USA, Nikita played for the youth team of Lokomotiv-Kuban and for the national team. Last summer, the defender represented Russia under 20 at the Euro Challenger, even though he was only 18.
Evdokimov has an interesting story about how he fell in love with basketball. In fact, it is strange that he did not go to handball, because his dad is the famous Russian handball player Yegor Evdokimov. Six-time champion of Russia, champion of Spain, champion of Belarus, champion of Ukraine, participant of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. At the dawn of his career, Yegor Viktorovich played in his homeland, in the Chelyabinsk region, the city of Snezhinsk. Nikita was born there.
- I fell in love with basketball when I was 9 or 10 years old. My cousin and grandmother and I went on vacation to the Crimea. There was a playground where I constantly ran and played. Grandma suggested trying to sign up for basketball. And before that, I didn’t consider basketball as a sport at all ... But I went to a training session and instantly fell in love. Didn't miss it at all. Then Lokomotiv saw me at the Russian Championship. Together with a team from my city, from Chekhov, we took fourth place, and everyone was very surprised. I was seen by coach Petar Marinkovic, who called me to Loko, ”recalls Evdokimov.
He says that he could have been in the red-green system even earlier. He was invited to the Yug-Basket camp - this is a camp organized by the club and within which it looks for players in its youth system - but then Evdokimov was with relatives in the United States and could not come.
He ended up in the Loko system in 2017. True, Evdokimov says that, even while playing for Krasnodar, he often thought that he actually wanted to try his hand at American basketball. He has relatives living in the USA, he has been there more than once, and when the chance to move to the university appeared, he did not hesitate for a long time.
Evdokimov learned about the university's interest in him in advance, so he spent the summer with benefit: he trained individually with personal trainers in Moscow and Cyprus, where his father plays handball. There, the defender, at the request of the university coach, worked hard on three-pointers and performed at least 500 long-range shots a day.
Evdokimov will be coached at the College of Charleston by Pat Kelsey, a strong specialist who is widely known in college basketball. He once worked with Jeff Teague and Chris Paul.
Alex is not short for Alexander, but his passport name. He was not born in Russia, but in Canada, his parents went there to give birth to Alex. In this country, he lived the first year of his life, after which he left for Moscow. In memory of Canada, Alex has citizenship (he has a double one).
But he started playing basketball in Russia.
— I started playing basketball at Gloria when I was 10-11 years old. People came to my school - and I studied at an ordinary secondary school - who were looking for young guys who were ready to play basketball. They came into my class, saw that I was tall, did a couple of tests, asked me different questions and invited me to practice. I studied at Gloria for a long time, then I got into the MBA Junior Junior League, from there I was taken to the Super League. I played there for literally a year, and after graduating from high school I decided that it would be wise to go to the United States. I contacted Skryagin (Alexander Skryagin, ProFuturo Sports, - note "Interception"), because he was the only person who knows more about moving to the USA than me. We talked to him, I dropped my highlights to him, and he helped me find a school, - says Kotov.
Alex arrived in the US in 2017 and entered the Montverde Academy. This is a very famous program that prepares players for the NCAA. Kotov spent a year in Montverde and won the championship with this team, the result for the season is 35-0. Alex's partners then included, for example, RJ Barrett, who now plays for the New York Knicks in the NBA, and Turkish Efes center Philip Petrushev.
Alex left Montverde not immediately for the NCAA, but for the NJCAA. It is an association of junior colleges and is also often referred to as Juko. A common story for those who feel like they're not ready for the NCAA yet, but want to play hard and improve. Kotov spent two years in this association, after which he moved to the NCAA, to the Illinois State Redbirds team. This is also a representative university of the mid-major category.
Alex has six months left to study at the university, but he can play in the team for another two and a half years. This happened because the players have the right to use the redshirt option. In fact, this is the right of the player to extend his career at the university, even if he has already graduated from the university. Plus, there's also the "cancellation" of the season due to the coronavirus (this happened last year), which also doesn't count, as well as the "cancellation" of the season due to injury (this happened to Alex in his second year in the NJCAA).
In general, these rules are very complicated.
- Due to an injury in my second year at the NJCAA, I opted to save the year. That's plus one season. In addition, this year I had a lot of misunderstandings with the coach, it all started last year. I thought that it would be possible to influence it somehow, to establish relations with him in the summer, but it turned out to be much more difficult than I thought. Therefore, after a huge number of meetings, we came to the conclusion that this year it would be easier for me to also take the option to save the year. So this year I'm graduating from university, getting an education, but I still have, roughly speaking, two seasons to play in the NCAA, - says Kotov.
Lakhin is the only Russian who represents a high-major university. This means that the university where Vitya plays often goes to the "March Madness" and has a tangible chance of winning the NCAA.
And the story of Lakhin began in Anapa. The parents wanted to send their sons - Vitya and his brother Vasya - to some kind of team sport so that they would play together. And chose volleyball. But because of the coach, they did not last long in the volleyball section and eventually went to basketball.
Lahin started in fourth grade but quickly rose to the city team. And in the Krasnodar Territory, if you play for the city team, then you are in full view of the Lokomotiv scouts. Vitya did not play Loko on a permanent basis, but by the 7-8th grade he was regularly on the team to participate in the Russian championships. The Railroaders took him as a reinforcement player - this is a common practice in children's competitions.
Further - a matter of chance. Loko juniors played in the final stage of the Russian championship and met CSKA twice - in the group stage and in the semi-finals. Lakhin gave two good games and ... received an invitation from the "soldiers".
At first he did not think of moving anywhere and stayed to finish the season in the south. But summer came, and he still went to see it. He was offered to stay after the first practice. Vitya talked to his parents and a month later he arrived at CSKA.
- The first season was probably the most emotional, full of some moments, memories. Because my brother and I arrived for the first time in a big city. On the one hand, this is a great freedom, because there are no parents nearby, but, on the other hand, this is also a great responsibility. Because you have never done the things that your parents did for you before, like laundry, cleaning, all sorts of small things. Even a waste of money: you never thought about it before, you were given - you spent it. And here you have money, and you know that if you spend everything, then at the end of the month you won’t have any left, ”recalls Vitya.
Lakhin reached the final stage of the youth Euroleague with CSKA and spent a pretty good season overall. Alexey Zhukov, the head coach of the “army” CYBL, left to work as an assistant in Nizhny Novgorod, and Maxim Sharafan came to CSKA from Lokomotiv. He worked with Vitya for three years, and during this time Lakhin managed to understand that he wants to play in Russia only at the highest level - in CSKA - and if it doesn’t work out, then it’s better to leave.
- I realized that it would be very difficult for me to get into the base. This is a top club with the highest goals, and as a young player I need to be not even the same as everyone else, but better, because I have no experience. It was necessary here and now to show some level and bring results. Let's be realistic, there were no players who can immediately enter the CSKA system and show something like that for a long time. Probably the Swede was the last one. I realized that I can’t do that, and since my dream is to be in the NBA, I decided to move closer to this league, this Wednesday, to America. That's why I'm here, - says Vitya.
But not everything was so simple. Back in Russia, Lakhin managed to get injured. He fell in the game moment, and his knee hurt. The medical staff did not suspect anything, and Vitya continued to train. The state of health worsened, but then the pandemic came, everyone went into self-isolation, and the center just went home. The knee was still swollen, but the pain was slowly receding. Vitya did not train and therefore did not feel any signs of deterioration. He already knew that he was leaving for America, and just waited for all the permits.
The injury happened in February and the departure was due in September. In the summer, Lakhin himself did an MRI, which showed that he had ... a torn meniscus. He took the results of the examination to the surgeon who scheduled the operation. Vitya went for it and began to recover in Russia, and he came to the USA with an already operated knee.
Everything should have been fine, but when he started running, the pain returned. Lakhin did another MRI, and it showed that the same meniscus was completely torn. The doctors said that it would take six months to recover. Therefore, Vitya simply missed his first season in the NCAA.
— All this time I didn't train, but I was always with the team: in scouting, in the locker room, in training. All lessons were online, and we lived in an apartment with the team. So that year helped me a lot, because even though I didn’t play, I was in the system and I knew the guys. It was my year of adaptation - to a new culture, to people, to new faces, to food. I had the same feeling as when I came from a small town to Moscow. You leave Russia for any other country - even to America, even to Italy, even to Spain - and you go through the same thing, Lakhin believes.
He adds that the Cincinnati had a new head coach at the end of last season and it was a difficult moment. A new specialist was appointed the day before Lakhin's departure to Russia, when he did not yet understand whether he would remain in the team for the next season or not. Whether to leave it, decided the new head coach. But in the end, the center managed to meet with him before departure and find a common language. The coach wanted to protect the Russians in the composition.
During the summer Vitya worked in the USA on his body and improved his skills. The season began in October, and in December, Lahin was the best freshman of the week in his conference. By the way, he has a situation similar to Alex: academically, Lahin is a sophomore, but he is considered a rookie in the team.
Andrey Savrasov, Georgia Southern Eagles
2021/22 stats: 14 games, 23.7 minutes average
11.9 points (51.5% two-pointers, 30% three-pointers, 73.1% free throws), 6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 block shots, 0.9 steals, 1 loss Andrey's first coach is a well-known Russian specialist Oleg Aktsipetrov.
— I remember that at first I had very different hobbies: football, basketball, taekwondo… But after the first two or three years of training, I realized that basketball is really mine, that I want to do just that. Slowly, I began to play for the sports school of the Admiralteisky district, for the Zenit Junior Junior League, played for the Russian national team U16, U18. We went to different tournaments, and somewhere the scouts saw my game and invited me to the USA, says Savrasov.
Andrey moved to America three years ago - in January 2019of the year. Now he is finishing his third year at the university, in the American education system it is possible to start studying in the middle of the academic year and, accordingly, then graduate also in the middle of the academic year.
Savrasov managed to play for the Texas Tech team, where he spent a year and a half. The first six months he did not play, he spent in redshirt mode - he trained, worked on his body, was with the team, but did not play for it. But the next season already played in the status of a freshman, that is, a freshman.
Andrei didn't get much playing time, but he still wanted to stay at the university. It was a high-major, and Savrasov wanted to prove that he deserved another role.
But then I talked to the head coach, and together they decided that it would be better to change the university in order to continue their career. The coach even helped find a new team, and that's how Savrasov ended up in Georgia, in the Georgia Southern Eagles team. This is a mid-major university.
Now in his second year with the new team, he is in the starting five and generally has a good role on the court. In theory, Andrei can play for the university for another two years, although he graduates from the university in a year.
Vladislav Goldin, Florida Atlantic Owls
2021/22 stats: 14 games, 16.5 minutes average
5.7 points (47.9% 2-pointers, no 3-pointers, 52.2% free throws), 5.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.6 block shots, 0.4 interceptions, 1.3 losses He played with his 2001, but at some point the team just fell apart and disappeared.
Goldin was sent to play by the year 2000, and the coach of this team turned out to be familiar with the coach of CSKA-DYBL. Vlad and another guy were offered to the "soldiers" - just to look at them. But the screening went well, and after one of the training sessions, Vlad was offered to move to Moscow. New school, new surroundings, heavy loads, training twice a day - Vlad says that the first six months in the capital were the most difficult time in his life.
- At that time, I probably did not quite understand where I was moving and how much it changed. To be honest, I didn't even really know what DUBL was. Wasn't very knowledgeable. Youth League, Junior Team, Superleague… I knew the tournaments where we played: first the Southern Federal District, then the Russian Championship. When I found out that I was already in Moscow and had to go to the CYBL team for a tryout, I even got scared. But they left me, and I trained at CSKA for another four years. Then he played for the Russian national team U18 and U19, after which he received an offer to try himself in America. I decided to take a chance and moved there to the Prep school,” says Goldin.
Prep school is short for preparatory school. In essence, this is an opportunity to play basketball in the USA before going to university.
In October 2019, Vlad entered Patnam School in Connecticut. This is a small private school about an hour from Boston. Together with the team, Goldin became the champion of America in the championship among preparatory schools.
After that, Vlad was called to Texas, to the Texas Tech team - to the same team where Andrey Savrasov had played for a year and a half. Goldin saw that this was a big and serious high-major team, saw the conditions for training and accepted their invitation without hesitation.
— In Texas, things are a little different. The way we played there was not like the way I played before, so the first experience was difficult. And then the head coach left us, replacing TexasTech with Texas. Most of the coaching staff left with him, and our team did not quite understand what to do. Only the assistant coach remained with us. And in the end, I decided to move to another team, to Florida, - say Goldin.
Due to the coronavirus, Vlad has the same situation as most student athletes: academically he is a sophomore, but the last sports season did not count, so he is a freshman in the team. Goldin has three years left to study, and he can play four more.
He himself says that his current team plays more European basketball, so he feels great there.
Alexander Glushkov, Appalachian State Mountaineers
2021/22 stats: 7 games, 4.7 minutes average
2 points (60% 2-pointers, 0% 3-pointers, 33.3% free throws), 1 .1 rebounds, no assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.1 steals, no losses
Born in Vladivostok, Glushkov started playing basketball at the age of 13 when he went to summer camp. I came home and told my father: "I want to play basketball." Parents sent Sasha to the section.
Glushkov's first coach is Eduard Sushko. After a year of working with him, Sasha was invited to the Spartak-Primorye system. He played in the Junior Junior League for a year, after which the entire management of the team and almost the entire squad moved to the PSC Sakhalin. At the same time, the base of the club remained in Vladivostok. Glushkov spent a year in the new club, after which he received an invitation from Moscow, from the IBA. His coach Alexander Antipov invited him.
And then it was a matter of chance, and a year later Sasha was already flying to the USA to study at school.
— I came to Moscow and played there for a year. When we were preparing for the Summer Spartakiad in Krasnaya Pakhra at the Trinta base, a coach from the USA arrived there. He was familiar with Alexander Antipov, because before that our guy had already played at the same school. He came just to relax, but he also wanted to look at the players. He probably liked me, and he invited me to school. I took the chance and got into high school. I spent 11-12 classes there, received several offers and decided that I would play in Appalachian State, says Glushkov.
Now Sasha is in his second year, but as you know, last year doesn't count. So Glushkov is considered a “freshman” in the team and can play for the university for another three and a half years, while he has two and a half to study.
When Sasha arrived at the university, he weighed about 90 kg. But now he has noticeably added muscle mass. He began to grow muscles during the last season, but he did the main work in the summer. Due to problems with visas, he could not go home to Russia, and he went to a friend in Houston. There he lived for a month, ate a lot and rocked. As a result, he entered the new season in excellent physical shape. True, the coach still does not really trust him.
Glushkov University is a mid-major who, last year, entered March Madness for the first time in 20 years. Sasha was not released then, but he nevertheless felt the atmosphere of the main student event of the year. Here's what he says about it:
- It was ... unbelievable (unbelievable - approx. "Interception"). Very cool feeling. 64 top teams, all at the highest level. We had two or three hotels, each floor was dedicated to a specific team. I don’t know how much it could be called the same “March Madness”, because, of course, all the measures were taken anyway. We had a quarantine, we had to be tested every day. And so everything was at the highest level,” recalls Glushkov.
David Didenko, UT Martin Skyhawks
2021/22 stats: 11 games, 17 minutes average
6.2 points (37.3% two-pointers, 37.8% three-pointers, 33.3% free throws), 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.2 steals, 1.7 turnovers 90,003 90,002 David has probably the most atypical fate among all our guys who now play in the first division of the NCAA.
Didenko was born in the north, in the city of Yakutsk. He remembers his childhood quite vividly: he says that the city authorities allowed not to go to school at -45 degrees Celsius, and if the thermometer was only -43, you had to pull yourself together, stick yourselves into a thick down jacket and stomp to school.
— I had a healthy down jacket, maybe five centimeters. I walked around like a big bubble. When I was 8 or 9 years old, we had -57 degrees in winter. Very cold. I didn’t leave the house for two days,” Didenko recalls.
In 2010, David ended up in the USA even before he started playing basketball. He was 10. His older sister was leaving for New York to study English, and David just went with her for a month.
While still in Russia, they found something for him to do in the USA. On the classifieds website, the family looked at a message from a Russian coach who lived there, his name was Boris Karebin. The coach was needed so that David would not just mess around in the States.
But the boy got so caught up in basketball that he eventually wanted to stay. Parents allowed, and he went to an American school. Karebin trained him in Brighton Beach, this is a Russian-speaking area, so immersion in American culture was gradual.
- I first lived in New York, where I arrived, and then I traveled. Lived in Florida, then studied in Georgia, in Tennessee. I travel a lot around the country - sometimes I live there, sometimes there. Somehow I quickly learned English, apparently because I was still young. Literally in a year. In Russia, I studied English for three classes, but could not learn it. Here I first lived with my sister, she pushed me to talk to people, and somehow everything turned out by itself, - says Didenko.
David spent his first year after school in Juko. Remember the story of Alex Kotov? This is the same league that prepares players who have not yet grown up to the NCAA. But already in the second year, Didenko ended up in the first division, at the University of Georgia.
He is currently a UT Martin Skyhawks player, where UT is the University of Tennessee. Accordingly, David now lives and studies in this state. He has a year and a half left at the university, and he can still play the same amount at the university level.
At the same time, he is 21 years old and automatically enters the NBA draft next year. In mocks - that is, expert predictions - he is not drafted, but he still has to play the whole season, so everything is in his hands.
Last on the list - not by value, but simply because he is the only Russian I could not contact - Pavel Zakharov from California Baptist Lancers.
Zakharov was born in Sør-Varanger, Norway. In Russia, Pasha played for the Zenit youth team and helped CSKA play in the youth Euroleague, and in 2018, after playing for the Russian U18 team at the European Championship, he left for the Montverde Academy. We talked about it a little earlier.
He was considered a four-star recruit. In American sports, when they want to talk about the prospects of a particular player, they talk about him in terms of stars, and four stars is very good. Such an assessment helped him get into the Gonzaga College in the NCAA - this is one of the top programs, which, for example, reached the NCAA finals last season, having suffered its first loss of the season in this very final. Pasha then did not go to the parquet. A year before, the team did not get into the "March Madness" only because the championship was stopped due to a pandemic.
Zakharov spent two seasons at this university and moved to the California Baptist Lancers in the summer of 2021. Most likely due to playing time, because, obviously, it was much more difficult to get it in Gonzaga. But even at the new university, he still has an average of 10 minutes on the floor and one and a half rebounds. By the way, about playing on the shields: the height of the Russian center is 213 centimeters, in America these guys are called seven-footers.
There were 60 draft slots in that year and 52 went to NCAA players (seven others chosen were international players not attending U.S. colleges and one spent a season at a prep school). Percentage NCAA to Major Pro calculated using the 52 NCAA selections (calculated as [52 / 4,181 = 1.2%). Since 2009, 11 international players have been drafted on average each year.
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) after leaving college; this includes international players who attended NCAA institutions. These numbers were combined with the 2018 NBA draftees to calculate an approximate NCAA to Total Professional opportunities figure (calculated as [52 + 839] / 4,181 = 21%).
8 percent of players turning pro. Men’s basketball players fare slightly better, with 1.2 percent of college athletes moving up to the professional ranks. College football, in which 1.6 percent of players make it to the NFL, offers some of the best odds for achieving the dream of a post-college sports career. 
Overall, African American student-athletes graduated at a rate 5 percent lower than other Black students and 21 percent lower than all students.
They were 1 percent more likely to thrive in financial well-being compared with non-student-athletes. The report does not account for race or ethnicity.
Dedicating most of their time and energy to athletics leaves few opportunities to connect with professors or potential mentors outside of athletics who can help them explore career paths and guide them toward success off the court or field, she recently told INSIGHT.
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This is a childhood dream that I'm going to. True, of course, as a child, I did not dream of getting into the NCAA, but I heard about this league. I always knew that if you really want something, you do it and you get it. So for me this possibility always seemed real. Offers began to arrive after the U18 European Championship. When you receive offers from top universities, you feel satisfied, you understand that this is the result of your efforts. Very cool feeling! 
Someone passed one exam, someone two ... I had it the way I told. 
I do not advise anyone. 
In general, America is a basketball Mecca, and every basketball player always strives to play here. 
It seems to me that this is only a plus for our young players, who will be more prepared in the future, representing the Russian national team. Each of them will already have a lot of experience playing against the most talented young players in the world, this will be a huge plus. 
And in terms of life, I managed to adapt here even faster, because I knew approximately how it would be, what kind of country it was. Also, the guys in the team, the coaches helped me with everything at first, for which I am very grateful to them. 
And then, I am sure, everything will come by itself with my work and my attitude to business. 
I am very glad that I had the chance to play against the strongest young basketball players in the world. We will meet the strongest teams, travel all over the US West Coast. I know that it will be an incredible job, that it will not be easy, but I am still confident that I will succeed and I will be able to play at this level. 
Then I talked to almost all the Russians who were preparing to compete in the NCAA - there were 11 of them at that time - and tried to understand why Russian youth began to leave more massively for American universities. There have never been such a number of Russians in the NCAA. 
Last summer, the defender represented Russia under 20 at the Euro Challenger, even though he was only 18. 
Together with a team from my city, from Chekhov, we took fourth place, and everyone was very surprised. I was seen by coach Petar Marinkovic, who called me to Loko, ”recalls Evdokimov. 
There, the defender, at the request of the university coach, worked hard on three-pointers and performed at least 500 long-range shots a day. 
People came to my school - and I studied at an ordinary secondary school - who were looking for young guys who were ready to play basketball. They came into my class, saw that I was tall, did a couple of tests, asked me different questions and invited me to practice. I studied at Gloria for a long time, then I got into the MBA Junior Junior League, from there I was taken to the Super League. I played there for literally a year, and after graduating from high school I decided that it would be wise to go to the United States. I contacted Skryagin (Alexander Skryagin, ProFuturo Sports, - note "Interception"), because he was the only person who knows more about moving to the USA than me. We talked to him, I dropped my highlights to him, and he helped me find a school, - says Kotov. 
Alex's partners then included, for example, RJ Barrett, who now plays for the New York Knicks in the NBA, and Turkish Efes center Philip Petrushev. 
This means that the university where Vitya plays often goes to the "March Madness" and has a tangible chance of winning the NCAA. 
Lakhin gave two good games and ... received an invitation from the "soldiers". 
Alexey Zhukov, the head coach of the “army” CYBL, left to work as an assistant in Nizhny Novgorod, and Maxim Sharafan came to CSKA from Lokomotiv. He worked with Vitya for three years, and during this time Lakhin managed to understand that he wants to play in Russia only at the highest level - in CSKA - and if it doesn’t work out, then it’s better to leave. 
Lakhin did another MRI, and it showed that the same meniscus was completely torn. The doctors said that it would take six months to recover. Therefore, Vitya simply missed his first season in the NCAA. 
Whether to leave it, decided the new head coach. But in the end, the center managed to meet with him before departure and find a common language. The coach wanted to protect the Russians in the composition. 
Slowly, I began to play for the sports school of the Admiralteisky district, for the Zenit Junior Junior League, played for the Russian national team U16, U18. We went to different tournaments, and somewhere the scouts saw my game and invited me to the USA, says Savrasov. 
Vlad and another guy were offered to the "soldiers" - just to look at them. But the screening went well, and after one of the training sessions, Vlad was offered to move to Moscow. New school, new surroundings, heavy loads, training twice a day - Vlad says that the first six months in the capital were the most difficult time in his life. 
And in the end, I decided to move to another team, to Florida, - say Goldin. 
He played in the Junior Junior League for a year, after which the entire management of the team and almost the entire squad moved to the PSC Sakhalin. At the same time, the base of the club remained in Vladivostok. Glushkov spent a year in the new club, after which he received an invitation from Moscow, from the IBA. His coach Alexander Antipov invited him. 
"Interception"). Very cool feeling. 64 top teams, all at the highest level. We had two or three hotels, each floor was dedicated to a specific team. I don’t know how much it could be called the same “March Madness”, because, of course, all the measures were taken anyway. We had a quarantine, we had to be tested every day. And so everything was at the highest level,” recalls Glushkov. 
Lived in Florida, then studied in Georgia, in Tennessee. I travel a lot around the country - sometimes I live there, sometimes there. Somehow I quickly learned English, apparently because I was still young. Literally in a year. In Russia, I studied English for three classes, but could not learn it. Here I first lived with my sister, she pushed me to talk to people, and somehow everything turned out by itself, - says Didenko. 
In mocks - that is, expert predictions - he is not drafted, but he still has to play the whole season, so everything is in his hands. 
Such an assessment helped him get into the Gonzaga College in the NCAA - this is one of the top programs, which, for example, reached the NCAA finals last season, having suffered its first loss of the season in this very final. Pasha then did not go to the parquet. A year before, the team did not get into the "March Madness" only because the championship was stopped due to a pandemic.