PARK HILLS, Ky. — The love of basketball runs deep for Athens McGillis, a senior point guard at Covington Catholic High School who averages nearly 24 points per game.
His father, Rich McGillis, is a coach, and said Athens is one of six brothers who played basketball, so it was natural for him to start playing very early.
"We put a ball in his hand, he was old enough where he could walk and dribble so I would say 1 year old, probably," Rich said.
For thousands of high school athletes, the dream is the same: To earn a scholarship and play at the next level. But the odds are much tougher than what most families realize.
WATCH: How attainable it is for local student athletes to get college scholarships?
Rich said it wasn't easy communicating with colleges during the recruitment process.
"We spend a lot of time, eighth grade, ninth grade, 10th grade and we thought 'hey you need to do highlight videos, you need to start looking,'" Rich said.
Athens' junior year was a critical period during the recruitment process.
"So if we sent out 300 emails, we were only getting five responses," Rich said.
Two days after an unofficial visit to Nova Southeastern, the university offered Athens a scholarship.
"He ended up getting about 90% of his college tuition paid for through athletic so he ended up getting the other 10 or more from academic, which means he still can apply for other scholarships or grants," Rich said.
But the chances of earning an athletic scholarship are slim.
According to the NCAA, 3.6% of men playing high school basketball will play in college, while 4.5% of women high school players will play in college. Most of them won't play Division I, and many scholarships only cover part of the cost.
"It's definitely commitment, it definitely is a grind," Rich said.
Jake Thelen, head basketball coach at Covington Catholic High School said it's all about an athlete's fit and performance.
"I think it really kind of depends on the institution they are going to and the amount of money they put in the athletic program," Thelen said.
Rich said it's a partnership between players, parents and coaches when looking to be recruited at the collegiate level.
