Are you looking for the best D2 basketball schools to kick-start your basketball career? Then, it would be best if you read this article. Basketball is a game loved by many. Watching a game could send thrills down your spine.
It is played at different levels. College basketball is fun and exciting and gives young prospects a chance to be picked (in basketball terms, drafted) by various scouts of top basketball clubs across the country.
D2 schools for basketball not just help you get selected by top clubs, but they also help you gain experience as you compete with other schools, grow, and mature to the quality a basketball player is expected to have.
What Are The Best D2 Schools I Can Begin My Basketball Career?
To be a professional basketball player, you must attend one of the best basketball schools. Luckily for you, the United States has a lot of excellent D2 schools that get you started on your journey to becoming a pro basketball player. If you hope to get picked by one of the many scouts in different programs, you should try one of the best 15 D2 schools for basketball; if you are looking for something different, other schools will still accept you.
Below are some schools you should check out if you want to become a pro basketball player.
1. Bentley University
Located at 175 Forest St, Waltham, MA 02452, United States, Bentley University is active in about 20 sports in NCAA Division 2. Its hockey team is in Division 1. These teams are not just active but very competitive, as Bentley has ranked number one on four occasions. Also, it is one of the five teams in Division 2 to reach the NCAA Sweet 16 five times since 2007 and a record six times in the last 16 seasons. The team’s nickname is Falcons, and the colors are white, blue, and black.
Before going to Evansville for the Elite Eight, the Falcons won the Northeast-10 Division title, the Northeast-10 championship, and the NCAA Division II East Region Championship.
The team led by Coach Jay Lawson had the program’s 25th winning season in the previous 26 years.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches will present the Falcons with a Team Academic Excellence Award for the eighth time in nine years. The NABC Honors Court has named six athletes: Adria Amabilino Perez, Kellan Bochenek, Andrew DeSantis, Jordan Mello-Klein, Mason Webb, and Danny Yardemian.
Website: www.bentley.edu
Year Founded: 1917
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 4,740(full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $51,830
Tuition Out of State: $51,830
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $38,986
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 57
Conference: Atlantic Hockey Association (Division I, men’s ice hockey only), Northeast-10 Conference (Division II)
2. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
The school is located at 3801 W Temple Ave, Pomona, California 91768, United States. The school’s nickname is Broncos, and its colors are green and white. The Broncos are active in soccer (male & female), track & field (male & female), basketball (male & female), cross country (male & female), baseball (male) and volleyball (female).
The Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team qualified for the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament for the fourth consecutive year and eight times in the last nine.
CPP has qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in program history and the 14th time under head coach Greg Kamansky’s 22-year tenure.
The Broncos have a 13-9 overall record and will be the No. 7 seed in the West Region, thanks to their at-large bid.
Phoenix Shackelford, a senior at Cal Poly Pomona who scored an average of 16.4 points per game, was recently named to the All-West Region Second Team of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for the 2021–22 season.
Website: www.cpp.edu
Year Founded: 1938
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 21,668(full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $7,396
Tuition Out of State: $19,276
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $12,734
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 333
Conference: California Collegiate Athletic Conference (Division II)
3. Truman State University
Located at 100 E Normal Ave, Kirksville, MO 63501, United States, Truman State University is active in Varsity sports. The active sports include Baseball, basketball, cross country, football, soccer, swimming, and track & field for males. They have basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and track & field for females.
The team’s nickname is bulldogs, and its colours are white and purple.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches announced their 16 All-Americans for this season this week. Cade McKnight, who completed the year averaging 19.2 points per game, gave his Bulldog career another award by making a list for the second consecutive year.
The Truman Bulldogs finished 3rd in the GLVC Conference this past season and were quarter-finalists in the GLVC championship tournament.
The name of the head coach is Jeff Horner.
Website: http://www.truman.edu/
Year Founded: 1867
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 4,390(full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $8,120
Tuition Out of State: $15,314
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $12,462
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 213
Conference: Great Lakes Valley Conference
4. Colorado School of Mines
The school is at 1500 Illinois St, Golden, CO 80401, United States.
The school’s nickname is Orediggers, and its colours are blue and white. This season was colourful, with awards for its students.
At the university’s ceremonies to usher in spring held at Lockridge Arena, student-athletes received 85 degrees.
Ben Boone, Trent Dykema, and Brendan Sullivan from the men’s basketball team at Colorado School of Mines were named to the Honors Court of the National Association of Basketball Coaches for their academic achievements in 2021–2023.
Brendan Sullivan, a senior, was chosen for the NABC All-District Second Team for his performance in 2021–22 for the second year in a row. In the postseason, he was named to the CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-America, was recognized as the RMAC Academic Player of the Year, and received his third consecutive First-Team All-RMAC selection. Boone, meanwhile, received the accolade for the second year in a row as Honorable Mention All-RMAC. Since Michael Glen in 2017–18, Krasovec became Mines’ first RMAC Freshman of the Year.
Website: http://www.mines.edu/
Year Founded: 1874
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 4,584(full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $19,062
Tuition Out of State: $39,762
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $26,750
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 114
Conference: North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division II), Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (Division II)
5. Christian Brothers University
Christian Brothers University is a private Roman Catholic university in Memphis, Tennessee. The De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Catholic teaching order, founded it in 1871.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court officially named Christian Brothers University student-athletes Opong Bramble, Nick Diefel, Slate Garmany, Aiden Ruthsatz, and Dominic Tomich.
The GSC Winter Academic Honor Roll included Opong Bramble, Charlie Champagne, Nick Deifel, Keeving Etienne, Slate Garmany, Luke Gdowski, Daniel Loos, and Aiden Ruthsatz.
The BUC scholar award went to Dominic Tomich, Opong Bramble, Daniel Loos, Nick Deifel, Slate Garmany, Aiden Ruthsatz, Luke Gdowski, and Gabe Charleston.
The athletes are known as Bucs, Lady Bucs for the female athletes.
Website: https://www.cbu.edu/
Year Founded: 1871
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 1,426(full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $33,840
Tuition Out of State: $33,840
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $33,840
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 540
Conference: Gulf South Conference (Division II)
6. Rollins College
Located at 1000 Holt Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789, Florida, United States, Rollins College is a private college that was established in November 1885. It offers many graduate programs in addition to approximately 30 undergraduate majors. It is the fourth-oldest postsecondary institution in Florida.
Rollins offers plenty of action if you’re a game lover. The school is pleased to announce that its athletic teams compete in Division II of the NCAA in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC). In sports, including sailing, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and even water skiing.
Conference: Sunshine State Conference (Division II), Deep South Conference (Division II), Blue Mountain Conference (Division II)
7. Le Moyne College
Le Moyne College’s athletics program offers student-athletes more than only the chance to succeed in competitions held within the Northeast-10 Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (NE-10).
Christian Davis, a rookie guard, was selected for the Northeast-10 Conference All-Rookie Team in men’s basketball.
The female Dolphins were co-winners of the Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division regular season, a title they shared with Pace University.
Emma Brinker & Erin Fouracre, both seniors, earned their first Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic Team honors. Emma was selected to the 2021-22 NE10 All-Conference Second Team, while Erin was selected to the 2021-22 NE10 All-Conference Third Team after they both led the Dolphins to the NE10 Southwest Division championship and earned a berth in the NCAA Championships.
Website: http://www.lemoyne.edu/
Year Founded: 1946
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 2,410 (full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $35,230
Tuition Out of State: $35,230
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $22,118
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 230
Conference: NCAA (Divisions I and II), Northeast-10 Conference, ECAC
8. Point Loma Nazarene College
The school’s nickname is Sea Lions, and its colours are green and yellow.
In recent weeks, Daulton Hommes (Baskonia – Spain), Marek Klassen (Fraser Valley Bandits – Canada), Darnell Robateau (Sunshine Coast Phoenix – Australia), and Yusuf Shehata (Al Ettehad – Egypt) all secured new professional contracts. Ben Okhotin, a recent graduate of PLNU, is now participating in the Basketball Tournament.
Kaden Anderson, a junior, has been selected for the D2CCA All-West Region Team’s First Team.
Women’s basketball player Cara Liggins made history at her school by being the first Sea Lion to get All-PacWest recognition in four different seasons.
This year, among all NCAA Division II women’s basketball teams, Charity Elliott’s team had the 12th-highest GPA (3.746), earning them a spot on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s 2021–22 Academic Top–25 Honor Roll.
Website: https://www.pointloma.edu/
Year Founded: 1902
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 2,571(full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $36,950
Tuition Out of State: $36,950
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $33,044
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 227
Conference: Pacific West Conference (PacWest)
9. California State University, Chico
The Chico State men’s basketball team, also known as Chico Wildcats, finished the year by making it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship Tournament for the third time in the past seven seasons. In the classroom, the Wildcats maintain the same high standards, as Joshua Curls, Malik Duffy, Colby Orr, and Kevin Warren, four different Wildcat players, were chosen to the NABC Honors Court for the 2021–22 Team Academic Excellence Award.
On Wednesday, six basketball players from Chico State were named to the CCAA Winter Academic Honor Roll: Haley Ison and Jordan Morris from the women’s team, Malik Duffy, Colby Orr, and Joshua Curls from the men’s team.
Website: http://www.csuchico.edu/
Year Founded: 1887
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 15,440(full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $19,686
Tuition Out of State: $19,686
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $15,017
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 385
Conference: California Collegiate Athletic Conference (Division II)
10. Florida Southern College
The Florida Southern men’s athletics teams have won the men’s division of the 2021–22 Sunshine State Conference Mayors’ Cup for the fifteenth time since 1986–87. The Florida Southern ladies finished sixth overall, barely one point behind Saint Leo and one point in front of Rollins.
The 2021–22 NABC Honors Court awarded four student-athletes from Florida Southern College for their achievements during the academic year in the classroom.
The Florida Southern women’s basketball team has earned a spot in the NCAA DII tournament for the last six years.
The Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) has nominated Whitney Jacob and Julia Jenike to its Women’s Basketball All-South Region Teams for 2023. Additionally, they were both selected for the second-team D2CCA All-Region.
Website: http://www.flsouthern.edu/
Year Founded: 1883
College Type: Private, Urban
Enrollment: 2,938(full-time undergrad)
Tuition In-State: $37,640
Tuition Out of State: $37,640
Tuition after aid (Avg. cost): $25,646
Division: NCAA II
Grad rank: 380
Conference: Sunshine State Conference (Division II)
The schools listed above are the best D2 colleges for basketball. These schools have a history of producing great basketball players and teams. If you want to be part of a winning program, these colleges are worth looking into.
