Factors or Criteria Used by Female Basketball Players in Selecting a College

This study was an attempt to identify the factors that female basketball players consider important in their selection of a college to attend. A questionnaire was sent to all scholarship-granting junior colleges and Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association universities in the State of Texas during the 1991 spring semester. Students from 11 junior colleges and 11 Division I universities replied to the survey. The findings of this study are based on data collected from the 244 subjects' responses to a four-page, paired-comparison questionnaire. According to the junior college basketball players, the availability of scholarships and the opportunity to play were the two most important factors in their sleection of a college. Six other factors that were considered important to the junior college players' selection of a college were parental influence, the head coach, degrees offered, high school coaches' influence, geographical location of the university, and the style of ball played. The availability of scholarships was the most important factor in Division I female basketball players' selection of a university. Five other factors considered to be significant by Division I female players were the opportunity to play, the geographical location of the university, the degrees offered, the university facilities, and the head coach. A high positive correlation was found between the rankings of the junior college and the Division I female basketball players