Choosing between school and athletics should never really be a decision, but as I sit down for a water break during my nightly workout, I cannot help but think about about the millions of athletes who are at a crossroads.

Now is the time when high school athletes have to come to terms with the fact they probably are not going to UConn or Notre Dame and will never be the number one player in the country.

We have to ask ourselves if the sport we play is important enough to give up the big name schools in order to continue competing. We need to also find a place that suites us academically and will prepare us for our futures.

A big part of college athletics is being realistic. Players who are not tall or strong and do not have the most athletic characteristics have to work at every part of their game to find a specialty and excel at that strength.

Two percent of high school athletes go on to play at the NCAA Division I level, according to Scholarship Stats. If a player cannot imagine her life without a sport and have the opportunity to play at any level in college, she should be grateful and not worry about playing Division I or being “DI bound.” 

Some of the greatest athletes in the world, like Hall of Fame basketball player Scottie Pippen, were not highly recruited out of high school and worked their way from Division III to NBA. If someone wants to do something for the rest of her life, she will work as hard as she can and make it happen, no matter where she started.

Every decision comes with balance and of course education is always the main priority. Players should never jeopardize or downgrade their futures for titles or to please others.

Thinking over all the hard work I have put in and playing games across the country, it would be hard to not continue basketball in college. Finding a destination that gives me the best of both worlds is what I am shooting for.