How many ncaa division one basketball teams are there

How Many Division 1 Basketball Teams Are There in the NCAA?

The NCAA basketball season is fast approaching. In fact, teams already began practice on September 28th and the season tips off on November 6th! As a huge hoops fan, I for one cannot wait for the year to begin. While the beginning of the year is always a great chance to see your favorite team finally back in action, it also gives you a chance to see some of the year’s top contenders for a coveted spot in the Final Four.

Obviously, not every team can make the Final Four, let alone the NCAA Tournament. With only 68 slots reserved for the tournament, there will be a lot of upset teams ending their seasons on a low note. The simple fact of the matter is that Division 1 basketball consists of several hundreds of teams all looking for success on different levels. For some, it may be trying to end the season with a winning record, for others the Final Four is there only measure on whether or not they had a productive season.

But exactly how many Division 1 college basketball teams are there? The number is pretty staggering and even I, as a self-proclaimed die-hard fan, was surprised at the total.

Yes, you read that right, 353!

These 353 teams are broken up in 32 total conferences with an average of 11 teams per conference playing to both win their conference regular season championship – an honor given to the team with the best in-conference record at the end of the year – and to try and win their conference tournament championship for a trip to the “Big Dance”, the NCAA Tournament. NCAA basketball has come a long way from their first season in 1924, when there were only 8 conferences total!

Let’s take a brief trip down memory lane, shall we? I want to take a look at the number of conferences at the beginning of each decade to show you the rapid growth of the sport over the years. Keep in mind, the first year of NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball was 1924:

• 1930: 9 conferences
• 1940: 11 conferences
• 1950: 17 conferences
• 1960: 18 conferences
• 1970: 19 conferences
• 1980: 29 conferences
• 1990: 34 conferences
• 2000: 32 conferences
• 2010: 33 conferences
• 2019: 32 conferences

One of the most attractive aspects NCAA Division 1 Basketball that draws in so many fans is that each of the 351 teams has a chance at making the NCAA Tournament at the beginning of each year. Yeah, they may not win it all but how many other college sports give their teams the right to play, and sometimes beat, some of the best teams in the country for a chance to win it all.

NCAA Division 1 Football gives what they call the Power Conferences (5 conferences total) the opportunity to play for a national title.

While it would be next to impossible to list all 351 schools, I still wanted to give you, the reader, a chance to do some research on this topic. So below is a link to each conference homepage, with a list of all of the conference champions from last season, so you can see all 351 of the teams somewhere in there and each respective conference champion.

• Conference: 2018-19 Conference Tournament Champion
• America East – Vermont Catamounts
• American – Cincinnati Bearcats
• Atlantic 10 – Saint Louis Billikens
• ACC – Duke Blue Devils
• Atlantic Sun – Liberty Flames
• Big South – Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs
• Big 12 – Iowa State Cyclones
• Big East – Villanova Wildcats
• Big Sky – Montana Grizzlies
• Big 10 – Michigan State Spartans
• Big West – UC Irvine Anteaters
• Colonial – Northeastern Huskies
• Conference USA – Old Dominion Monarchs
• Horizon League – Northern Kentucky Norse
• Ivy League – Yale Bulldogs
• MAAC – Iona Gaels
• Mid-American – Buffalo Bulls
• MEAC – North Carolina Central Eagles
• Missouri Valley – Bradley Braves
• Mountain West – Utah State Aggies
• Northeast – Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
• Ohio Valley – Murray State Racers
• Pac 12 – Oregon Ducks
• Patriot League – Colgate Raiders
• SEC – Auburn Tigers
• Southern – Wofford Terriers
• Southland – Abilene Christian Wildcats
• Southwestern – Prairie View A&M Panthers
• Summit League – North Dakota State Bison
• Sun Belt – Georgia State Panthers
• West Coast – Saint Mary’s Gaels
• WAC – New Mexico State Aggies

As we mentioned at the beginning of the piece, the only way for a lot of these teams to make it to the NCAA Tournament is to win their conference tournaments. So while a team like Duke could technically lose their conference tournament, if they still have a good enough year otherwise, the tournament voters can reward them with what is called an “at-large bid” or a spot in the tournament based on the rest of their season resume. This can include different measurable aspects like strength of schedule, key wins, overall wins, etc.

Unfortunately, a team like North Dakota State from the Summit League just isn’t going to have enough opportunity to earn their spot in the tournament through any other way but to win their conference and earn an “automatic bid” which is given to each conference tournament winner prior to the tournament. A lot of teams live by the motto, “win and you’re in”, literally.

If you have a favorite team, what is their likelihood of making it to the NCAA Tournament each year? Are you a part of a tortured college basketball fanbase? Drop a comment below!

List of Division 1 Basketball Colleges

Men’s basketball recruits looking to compete at the highest collegiate level—and have the physical measurables and athletic skills to back it up—should highly consider NCAA Division 1 basketball colleges during their recruiting process. Student-athletes who compete at D1 basketball schools not only meet highly competitive recruiting guidelines set by these elite schools but are also among the best student-athletes in the nation. Unfortunately, while being a top basketball player on your high school or club team may help you stand out in a crowd, potential recruits should be prepared for the highest level of competition among not only high school athletes, but also current student-athletes competing at junior colleges with basketball programs, as these players are often recruited by four-year D1 basketball schools too. Check out our Nike basketball camp article.

Related Articles

• Check out this article on Duke basketball recruiting.
• How does Illinois basketball recruiting work?
• What are  the NCAA Transfer Rules?
• How are NCAA basketball teams organized?

There is an extremely high caliber set for student-athletes who land roster spots on D1 basketball teams. Getting to the D1 level—and staying there—requires an extremely high level of dedication, passion for the sport and hard work. However, the payoffs of competing at Division 1 basketball colleges is well worth the effort. Top D1 basketball schools are among the most popular in the nation, and many student-athletes—and their non-athletic peers alike—recognize and root for powerhouse Division 1 basketball programs like University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill and Duke University. Athletes who have the talent, physical measurables, drive and academics will be rewarded with well-funded athletic facilities, experienced coaches to take their game to the next level and even a chance at a partial or fully funded athletic scholarship offer. Likewise, players at top D1 basketball colleges will have a chance to enjoy national recognition and respect from dedicated fans. Learn more about the basketball recruiting rankings process. 

How many colleges are in Division 1 men’s basketball?

Student-athletes looking to compete at the highest collegiate level have plenty of options. But just how many colleges are in Division 1 men’s basketball? There are currently more than 350 Division 1 basketball colleges in the nation—these 351 NCAA D1 basketball colleges are comprised of the most elite basketball players, and potential recruits should be prepared to work hard on and off the court to land a roster spot at one of these Division 1 basketball programs.

When narrowing down your target list, it’s important to consider several factors. First and foremost, student-athletes who have their sights set on attending one of these D1 basketball schools should explore a complete list of D1 basketball colleges, be prepared to meet or exceed competitive recruiting guidelines, and stay up to date on D1 basketball rankings. For a complete list of Division 1 basketball colleges, including their location and corresponding athletic conference, look at our catalog of Division 1 basketball rankings and D1 basketball schools list below. Is there an AAU boys basketball team near me?

Men’s D1 basketball rankings

Several organizations offer NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball rankings, including the NCAA, USA Today Sports and the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. Here are the top D1 basketball schools, according to the NCSA Power Rankings:  

1. Stanford University
2. University of Florida
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
4. University of California – Los Angeles – UCLA
5. University of Michigan
6. Princeton University
7. University of California – Berkeley
8. Georgia Tech
9. Harvard University
10. Florida State University

While the NCSA Power Rankings offer a good overview of top D1 basketball schools, student-athletes who hope to compete at one of the 350+ Division 1 basketball colleges shouldn’t limit their search to only the most elite Division 1 basketball programs. Instead, they should consider several factors when researching D1 basketball teams, including athletic and academic caliber, school size, location, and cost, as well as their own personal preferences.

Full list of D1 basketball colleges

Alcorn State University

Alcorn State, Mississippi

Mid South

Southwestern Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

American University

Washington, District Of Columbia

North East

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Auburn University

Auburn, Alabama

South East

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Bellarmine University

Louisville, Kentucky

Mid East

Great Lakes Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee

Mid East

Ohio Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

New England

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

New England

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Great Lakes

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island

New England

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Bryant University

Smithfield, Rhode Island

New England

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

North East

Collegiate Water Polo Association

NCAA D1

Butler University

Indianapolis, Indiana

Great Lakes

Pioneer Football League

NCAA D1

Campbell University

Buies Creek, North Carolina

Mid East

Pioneer Football League

NCAA D1

Canisius College

Buffalo, New York

North East

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Clemson University

Clemson, South Carolina

South East

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

College of Charleston

Charleston, South Carolina

South East

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Davidson College

Davidson, North Carolina

Mid East

Pioneer Football League

NCAA D1

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

Great Lakes

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Mid West

Pioneer Football League

NCAA D1

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

North East

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

Mid East

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

North East

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Elon University

Elon, North Carolina

Mid East

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Fairfield University

Fairfield, Connecticut

New England

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Florida A&M University

Tallahassee, Florida

South East

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Furman University

Greenville, South Carolina

South East

Southern Conference

NCAA D1

Georgetown University

Washington, District Of Columbia

North East

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Georgia Tech

Atlanta, Georgia

South East

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington

West Coast

West Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Hofstra University

Hempstead, New York

North East

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Howard University

Washington, District Of Columbia

North East

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana

Great Lakes

Missouri Valley Football Conference

NCAA D1

Indiana University

Bloomington, Indiana

Great Lakes

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Iona College

New Rochelle, New York

North East

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

La Salle University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

North East

Atlantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania

North East

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Lamar University

Beaumont, Texas

Mid South

Southland Conference

NCAA D1

Lehigh University

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

North East

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

Mid East

Atlantic Sun Conference

NCAA D1

Lipscomb University

Nashville, Tennessee

Mid East

Atlantic Sun Conference

NCAA D1

Manhattan College

Riverdale, New York

North East

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Marist College

Poughkeepsie, New York

North East

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Merrimack College

North Andover, Massachusetts

New England

Northeast-10 Conference

NCAA D1

Miami University

Oxford, Ohio

Great Lakes

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Monmouth University

West Long Branch, New Jersey

North East

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Niagara University

Niagara University, New York

North East

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Ohio University

Athens, Ohio

Great Lakes

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Penn State

University Park, Pennsylvania

North East

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California

West Coast

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

NCAA D1

Presbyterian College

Clinton, South Carolina

South East

Big South Conference

NCAA D1

Providence College

Providence, Rhode Island

New England

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

Purdue University

West Lafayette, Indiana

Great Lakes

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Quinnipiac University

Hamden, Connecticut

New England

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Rider University

Lawrenceville, New Jersey

North East

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Rutgers University

Piscataway, New Jersey

North East

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Saint Peter's University

Jersey City, New Jersey

North East

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Samford University

Birmingham, Alabama

South East

Southern Conference

NCAA D1

Siena College

Loudonville, New York

North East

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

St. Francis College

Brooklyn Heights, New York

North East

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

West Coast

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Stetson University

DeLand, Florida

South East

Atlantic Sun Conference

NCAA D1

Stonehill College

Easton, Massachusetts

New England

Norteast Conference (NEC)

NCAA D1

Syracuse University

Syracuse, New York

North East

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

North East

American Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Texas A&M University

College Station, Texas

Mid South

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

The Citadel

Charleston, South Carolina

South East

Southern Conference

NCAA D1

Towson University

Towson, Maryland

North East

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Troy University

Troy, Alabama

South East

Sun Belt Conference

NCAA D1

Tulane University

New Orleans, Louisiana

Mid South

American Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

United States Military Academy

West Point, New York

North East

Atlantic Hockey Association (Division I for men's ice hockey)

NCAA D1

United States Naval Academy

Annapolis, Maryland

North East

Collegiate Water Polo Association (Division I)

NCAA D1

University of Miami

Coral Gables, Florida

South East

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

South West

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, Indiana

Great Lakes

Missouri Valley Conference, Pioneer Football League

NCAA D1

Villanova University

Villanova, Pennsylvania

North East

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Mid East

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Wagner College

Staten Island, New York

North East

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Mid East

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

Mid East

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Winthrop University

Rock Hill, South Carolina

South East

Big South Conference

NCAA D1

Wofford College

Spartanburg, South Carolina

South East

Southern Conference

NCAA D1

Xavier University

Cincinnati, Ohio

Great Lakes

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

New England

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Division I (NCAA) - frwiki.

For articles of the same name, see Section 1.

Logo used by the NCAA for divisions I, II, and III.

Division I (DI) is the highest National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic-level university in the United States. The universities that are members are usually known for their athletes (many of the most prestigious universities in the academic field are part of it). They have the biggest budgets, the most modern amenities, and give out more sports scholarships, which are limited in number depending on the sport and gender. The levels below DI are Division II and Division III.

This high level was formerly called NCAA Academic Division ( Division NCAA University ) as opposed to the lower levels called Division College Division ( College Division ). In 1973, these names changed:

• University Division becomes Division 1 ;
• College division divided:
  • Scholarship universities are Division 2 ;
  • non-scholarship universities are Division 3 .

In 1978, Division 1 was split into Division 1-A (consisting of the major football teams) and Division I-AA . Schools that do not sponsor college football remain in Division I.

In 2006, the IA and I-AA divisions were redesignated as division NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl (or FBS) and Division NCAA Division 1 Football Championship (or FCS) respectively. FBS teams are authorized to provide financial aid in the form of 85 varsity scholarships awarded to 85 players, while FCS teams are limited to financial aid of 63 varsity scholarships that can be distributed to a maximum of 85 players. Therefore, FCS teams can provide partial scholarships, which is not allowed in FBS. FBS-owned teams are also required to have a minimum attendance at their home games, i.e. an average of 15,000 paid members per game, while FCS teams are not required to justify a minimum paid entry. The post of the regular season of these divisions also differs. From 1978 years FCS teams determine their national champion in the playoff system . FBS teams are invited to play bowl in according to the places obtained in various rankings, 2 teams are considered the strongest fighting for the national champion title during the BCS national championship game. However, since the 2014 season, a system has been introduced to determine the national champion play - offs with the participation of four teams: play - off college football. It consists of two semi-finals and a final. Despite this change, American Football Division 1 FBS currently remains the only NCAA sport that does not determine its champion as a result of the championship system.

In the 2014 season, Division 1 consisted of 345 teams out of 1,066 teams recognized by the NCAA. Of these 345 teams, 125 were in the FBS, 125 were in the FCS, 95 universities did not have an American football program, and 6 universities were in transition (teams wishing to move from Division 2 to Division 1). Since 2012, there has been a moratorium on any additional movement to Division 1. This moratorium implies that a team wishing to integrate Division 1 must, on the one hand, become a member of one of its conferences, and on the other hand, demonstrate to the NCAA that it has everything financial guarantees needed for development there.

All Division I universities must be represented in two team sports (2 women and 2 men) and must have athletes in at least:

• seven sports played by men plus seven sports played by women, or
• six sports played by men and eight sports played by women.

First Division Universities must provide minimum financial assistance for their athletic programs. Maximum amounts that cannot be exceeded are set for each sport. These amounts differ for universities operating in Division 2 and 3.

Teams of each gender must compete in different competitions each season. Each sport has a minimum number of matches and athletes, as well as scheduling criteria. With the exception of American football and basketball, Division 1 teams must face other Division 1 teams in 100% of the minimum scheduled matches. If other matches are organized, a minimum of 50% of them must be played against teams from Division 1. Men's and women's basketball teams can only play two matches against teams other than teams from Division 1. In addition, men's basketball teams must play. 1/3 home games.

In addition to schools with all sports programs in Division 1, the NCAA allows certain Division 2 and 3 schools to have one of their men's teams and one of their women's teams to participate in Division 1 sports (excluding football and basketball). provided those schools sponsored those sports prior to the 2011 rule change.

In addition, Division 2 schools are eligible to compete in Division 1 in sports that do not host national championships in Division 2, provided the schools comply with Division 1 rules regarding financial capacity and scholarship-related criteria.

CV

• 1 Breakdown of sports grants by sport
• 2 divisions in American football
  • 2.1 Football Bowl Division (FBS)
  • 2.2 Football Championship Division (FCS)
• 3 Division I (non American football championship)
• 4 Division I Hockey
• 5 Notes and references

Distribution of sports grants by sports

Non-exhaustive list of sports scholarships

Sport	Teams	Conferences	Scholarships for men in sports	Women's Sports Scholarships
Rowing	22	-	-	20
Baseball	298	31 years old	11.7	-
Basketball	351 (M) 348 (W)	32 (men and women)	13	15
beach volleyball	48	6	-	6
Bowling	33	4	-	5
Offroad	31 (M) 31 (W)		12. 6	18
Warehouse	68 (M) 103 (W)	10 (M) 13 (W)	12.6	12
Fencing	21 (M) 25 (W)	3	4.5	5
Football	252	24	85 (FBS) 63 (FTS)	no championship
Football)	203 (M) 327 (W)	23 (M) 32 (W)	9.9	14
Golf	36 (M) 25 (W)	-	4.5	6
Gymnastic	21 (M) 25 (W)	-4 (H) -(F)	6.3	12
Hockey	59	5	18	18
Field hockey	78 (w)	11(F)	-	12
fight	72 (B)	-	9. 9	-
Softball	291	32	-	12
Skis	13	4	6.3	7
Tennis	64	-	4.5	8
Shoot	16 (m) 23 (w)	4	3.6	-
Volleyball	22 (M) 332 (W)	3 (M) 32 (W)	4.5	12
Water polo	42	3	4.5	8

American football divisions

Football Bowl Division (FBS)

Updated 1 - July 2021

Football Championship Division (FCS)

Updated 1 - ^th July 2021

Division I (non American football championship)

Updated 1 - July 2021

Division I Ice Hockey

Updated 1 - July 2021

1. ↑ Founded in 1971 and dissolved in 2013. Reformed in 2020 and the game will debut in 2021.

Notes and links

1. ↑ (EN-US) Joseph N. Crowley, " In The Arena: NASS First Century, " at ncaapublications.com, 2006 , pp. 42
2. ↑ (en-US) " Big Schools Win Battle 9 (En-US) " NCAA Membership Composition and Athletic Sponsorship ", NCAA (accessed July 4, 2015)
3. ↑ (en-US) " Multidivision and Reclassifying for 2014-15 ", NCAA (accessed July 4, 2015)
4. ↑ ^{a and b} (en-US) " NCAA official website", at NCAA. org (accessed January 4, 2012)
5. ↑ (en-US) « Differences between divisions and classification history of several divisions | NCAA.org - Official site of NCAA ", at NCAA.org (accessed July 9, 2015)
6. ↑ (en-US) " In the News: June 7, ", on Ncaa.org, June 7, 2011 (accessed August 17, 2013)
7. ↑ (en-US) 2015–16 NCAA Division I Handbook, " Bylaw 20. 8.2: Division II Options When a Division II Championship Is Not Held " [PDF] , NCAA (accessed September 28, 2015) , pp. 346

This season, 8 Russians play in the NCAA. How are they? - The Interception - Blogs

Editor's Note: You are reading the user blog "The Interception", which talks about European basketball. Don't forget that pluses are still the best way to thank the author.

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 the 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 have 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.

Nikita Evdokimov, Charleston Cougars

2021/22 stats: 2 games, 10.5 minutes avg. .5 assists, 1 loss

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 Kotov, Illinois State Redbirds

2021/22 stats: 12 games, 8 minutes avg. .9 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0. 2 steals, 0.8 losses

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.

Victor Lakhin, Cincinnati Bearcats

2021/22 stats: 14 games, 14.1 minutes avg

6.2 points (56.9% 2-pointers, 0% 3-pointers), 4.9 rebounds , 0.4 assists, 0.5 blocks, 0.7 steals, 1.2 losses

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 squad.

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 avg. 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.

Pavel Zakharov, California Baptist Lancers

2021/22 stats: 4 games, 10 minutes average

1.3 points (14.3% 2-pointers, 0% 3-pointers, 60% free throws), 1 .5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1 block shot, 0.3 steals, 1 turnover

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.

This is almost all I know about Pavel Zakharov.

It seems that the Russians in the first division of the NCAA are over. If you know someone else that I forgot, please write in the comments.

Thank you for your attention! I will be glad if you share the text or video with your friends who are interested in young Russian players. Well, thumbs up, comments, subscriptions to YouTube - everything is traditional.

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