Posted by Jon Fugler on Tue, Apr 14, 2009 @ 07:23 AM
Jeremy Lay took a different route to Hawaii. He just gave his verbal commitment to play for the University of Hawaii basketball team, but did by way of a Junior College.
Jeremy, a sophomore point guard at Northern Oklahoma-Enid College, was a sought-after athlete. He selected Hawaii over three other Division I schools who offered him a scholarship -- Western Athletic Conference rival Fresno State, Missouri State and South Alabama.
Junior colleges are a hot recruiting ground for four-year schools. If you are not able to qualify for a four-year school because of your academic record, or you need to improve your athletic talent, the JC route is a viable way to go. One or two years at a JC may help land you the scholarship you are looking for.
By the way, scholarships are available at junior colleges, too. To find out more about JCs, visit the NJCAA website.
Posted by Ron Johnston on Mon, Feb 02, 2009 @ 05:17 AM
When the topic of athletic scholarships comes up, most people only think of the 4-year NCAA or NAIA colleges. But did you know that many 2-year Community/Junior colleges offer sports scholarships too? There are more than 500 member institutions in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) that offer athletic scholarships.
What sports are sponsored by the NJCAA? Try Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey, Indoor & Outdoor Track and Field, Lacrosse, Softball, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Volleyball and Wrestling. Some sports are offered in both Fall and Spring.
NJCAA scholarships. Their athletic scholarships are called "Athletic Grants-In-Aid," and are awarded using the NJCAA Letter of Intent, by which an individual commits to play for a specific institution for one year. An NJCAA athlete is allowed 2 seasons of competition in any sport at an NJCAA college, if they have not participated at any intercollegiate level during 2 seasons previously.
Why would an athlete consider NJCAA? If their high school academics disqualified them from eligibility for an NCAA or NAIA school, an athlete might consider a year at an NJCAA college, where they can continue to hone their athletic skills while rebuilding their GPA at the college level. Eligibility requirements are so much easier: just be a high school graduate or possess a GED.
We include in-depth information about NJCAA - as well as NCAA and NAIA - with all of our Recruit-Me Athletic Scholarship System tools.