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MANSFIELD - The number of Division I basketball scholarships being passed out by NCAA member institutions are few - compared to the number of boys who play high school basketball.

"There are a lot of Division II and III colleges out there, coaches who don't have big recruiting budgets who now use us a tool," related former Williams College hoopster Casey Gibbons, who began "Nextplay.Com," a Web site to serve as sort of a clearinghouse for prospective players.

Gibbons was relaying the message for nearly 100 youth basketball players, ranging in age from 13-18 Tuesday at the Mansfield Sportsplex during a session of the Complete Player Basketball School.

Gibbons informed the youth hoopsters to shoot for the stars, but more importantly to get their names out there on the recruiting lists - other than through AAU club teams or select basketball camps.

Gibbons cited the example of Tyler Patch, the recent Seekonk High graduate, who came out of a lowly Division III league in Eastern Massachusetts, the South Coast Conference. In addition to playing at camps and in tournaments up and down the East Coast, Patch had to spread his name beyond the 02771 area code. "He was one of the first kids that we signed up a few years ago and now we have about 2,000 kids, mostly from the Northeast," said Gibbons. Nextplay.Com has over 400 collegiate coaches, from Division I-III as subscribers.

"We're a medium, an opportunity for kids to market themselves," added Gibbons, a native of Weston, who attended Cornell University for a year, but then opted out of the Ivy League to attend Williams, an NCAA Division III powerhouse. A 2006 graduate from Williams, Gibbons was a member of the Ephs' 2004 national runner-up team.

When Gibbons' collegiate career had ended, he wasn't sure what path he wanted to take, but he still liked to hear the bounce of a basketball. Back home one day, he met Derek Vogel shooting around on a playground court. Vogel was in the midst of an eight-year European leagues career and the idea was hatched for showcasing undiscovered basketball talent.

"I was not sure what I wanted to do after college," said Gibbons, who began thinking of the Web site during his junior year at Williams. "The idea came up, we knew that the technology was there, that somehow we could make the recruiting process easier.

"Instead of me taking the traditional route of finding a job, I kind of felt that there was a definite correlation between the competitiveness of sports and starting a business."

Unless a high school player gets invited to participate at the Hoop Mountain Camp, the Eastern Invitational or becomes a member of a well-known AAU program, chances are slim that he will get recognized by a collegiate coach.

"That's one of the messages that we told the kids," said Rick Patch, the Seekonk High boys' coach and a guest clinician. "All of the kids who were the MVP's of the Hockomock League, the SCC, the TVL and so on are all playing at the Division III level.

"What Nextplay.Com and Gibbons are saying is that there is a boatload of talent out there. If coaches aren't calling you, then they don't know who you are.

"That's why we invited Gibbons to give a talk. So many camps are just that, camps, you roll out the ball. We're trying to bring the camp experience to a new level."

Youth basketball players can submit their resumes, pictures and game film and create their own "facebook" on Gibbons' Web site. "That's the message for these kids, that if you aren't a Division I player, you have to market yourself. So far, the feedback that we have from coaches has been really positive."