Basketball, at the D-I level, is a head-count sport. This means that the basketball program has thirteen full scholarships available to fill its 13 roster spots. So, every player on the team will receive a full scholarship (source). Yay.

At the lower levels, however, basketball is an equivalency sport, which means the program has a certain amount of money to divide between the players. So, some people can get full scholarships while others get squat (source). Life can be unfair, even since Title IX. Better to learn that lesson sooner rather than later, Shmoopers.

Just try telling this girl that life's unfair. (Source)

You might wonder: how do you get one of these elusive scholarships? We recommend that you visit the colleges you like no later than your junior year. Write letters to coaches and start building relationships. Send them highlight reels. Send them a cake. Send them a highlight reel baked into the middle of a cake. (Make it chocolate. We—er, coaches—love chocolate.)

It's also possible to walk on to a team. NBA head coach Jeff Hornacek first made a name for himself as a walk-on at Iowa State University. Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen started out his Hall of Fame career as a lowly equipment manager at the University of Central Arkansas, a tiny NAIA program. 

Now, that's a good story.