Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

How to play college sports from a small town

22 May 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:19

In this YouTube video, the speaker recounts growing up in a tiny Idaho town and achieving his dream of playing Division II basketball, while his original goal had been Division I. Reflecting on his experience and conversations with Division I athletes, coaches, and strength staff, he offers concrete advice for a 15‑year‑old aspiring athlete. He stresses the importance of training with intention: first, using the weight room under a structured, remotely‑delivered strength‑and‑conditioning program that includes plyometrics, speed, and strength work, rather than lifting arbitrarily. Second, approaching shooting practice with a clear, time‑boxed plan—spending about 45 minutes on game‑like, goal‑oriented drills instead of aimlessly shooting for hours. The overarching message is that intentionality and a solid plan are the primary drivers of athletic progress, especially for athletes from small towns with limited local resources.

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My whole life I had always dreamed of playing Division 1 basketball. I was from a very small town in Idaho, and I ended up playing Division 2 basketball, which was huge. It was awesome. It was, it was a dream come true. And at the time, I was a little bummed because Division 1 was the goal. Now, after working with a bunch of Division 1 athletes, talking to a bunch of Division 1 coaches and strength coaches, here's what I would go back and tell that 15-year-old small-town girl who was just working towards a dream. The first thing I would say is get in the weight room, but do it with intention. And what I mean by that is small towns usually have limited resources. You don't have access to an amazing strength and conditioning program with a coach that's constantly doing research and keeping up to date on things. So I tell her to go online and find a coach who does it remotely, who gives you a program, who's going to tell you what to do for plyometrics and speed and strength, so that you're not just going into the gym and lifting whatever random weights, but you're doing it with intention and you have a plan that's going to help you become a better athlete. The second thing I would tell that girl is instead of just going and shooting around at the gym, also do that with intention. Show up with a plan, show up with a piece of paper with your workout on it, get in the gym, spend 45 minutes in there and get out. Don't just spend 2 to 3 hours shooting around in the gym without game-like situations because that's really not going to make you a better athlete. The biggest thing that I've seen that Division 1 athletes do is train with intention. Intention and a plan is the biggest thing that's going to help your progress.