Dream vs. Reality

There is nothing wrong with having a dream. Many players consider themselves to be better than they are. Years ago I sat with a junior college coach at a sections championship game and asked if any of these players would be playing for him in the following season. He said at this moment the boys on the floor feel they are all D-1 caliber. We'll get the ones that face reality. Of course that takes some time.
Having goals are good to have and I encourage them. Being a student athlete is a huge responsibility. Some students are ready for the full load, some are not. You are no longer pushed by your parents to do homework or study. The player is basically treated as an adult and doing assignments, arriveing to classes and practices on time is crucial for success. If the player needed to be pushed to do homework in class or on the court a junior college may be a preferable choice.
The workload for some can be overwhelming especially if the high school councellor helped miss manage the goals needed to pursue the next level. I'm not saying that councellors are bad, just once in a while I've witnessed some poor advice. Parents should be involved with the suggestions to help meet the goals of the high school student athlete.
Some colleges have mandatory study halls for student athletes. That's a good choice for the player that on occasion had trouble making a grade, term paper or finals. Workload and solid work ethic go hand in hand.
What about the players that could not perform certain critiera demanded by college ball. Hustle in college is a whole other animal. Players considered to play need to dribble with both hands, shoot with two hands, pass well and perform triple threat skills. I've seen players who have played only zone defense. Post players who can only play around the block, some have no pivot. Regardless of skill level, there is a campus for everyone.
What I'm getting at is there is nothing wrong with going to a Junior College. Those who don't respect that, I've noticed are the ones who haven't attended any college at all.
Worst agenda I've found for disaster was a student did not want to go to a particular school because..."That town sucks!" I've heard this a few times. My answer was are you going to attend a college to learn or party. It turned out those particular students have quit teams or classes, not finishing semesters.
My thoughts are...Get a solid education.