In regards to the collegiate sports thing...
Like Jesse said, it's definitely not for everyone. If you play a sport in college, at any level, you will be forced to dedicate a SIGNIFICANT amount of time to said sport. Think of it like a job, except you don't get paid for it. Obviously it's not exactly like a job because it's something (I'm assuming) you've always enjoyed doing. That being said, when you play college sports, the level of skill increases and abundance of that skill increases... You may have been "king shit" in high school but guess what, in college sports everyone on that field or court was "king shit" in High School. The level of competitiveness is far beyond that of the high school days. It then becomes ALL about winning, and having fun becomes secondary.
I'm not trying to scare you away from it... I just want you to be aware of some things while you think it over... These are things that most young athletes don't realize until they've already gone into it. It takes a shit load of effort to (successfully) juggle academics and sports in college. Some can do it, some can't. During season, you can expect to travel and miss 2 or 3 days of classes in a week's time. The only problem with that is, the professors don't give a damn and you're still expected to perform in the classroom just like everyone else.
I played baseball at a D3 private school and to be quite honest it was an experience that I would never trade, for anything... and I only played two years. I got to travel to places I'd never been, saw things I'd never seen, and met people that I'd otherwise never met. I was in the best shape of my life and it felt amazing. The guys on my team were like brothers to me. But here's the kicker... Over the course of two full seasons, my GPA decreased every single semester. The further I went in school, the harder my courses became, and the less I could afford to "play catch-up." Knowing that I would never in a million years play Pro ball, I decided my baseball career had to end... Hardest thing I've ever done, by far. Giving up something I had done since I could walk did not sit well with me. But it was just reality.
Here's something to help you visualize just how much college sports affect academics. I was an Environmental Biology major. The last semester before giving up baseball, my GPA was down to 2.96. After I quit, my remaining semester GPA's were 4.0, 3.7, 3.9, 4.0.... and believe me, my last two years of courses were much tougher than the first two.
Like I said, I'm not trying to scare you buddy. Just be aware that if you want to play basketball in college AND be successful in the classroom, you'll have to work at least 3 times harder than anyone else. I can guarantee you, though, that it would be something you'd never regret doing.
