Decisions made by high school and college basketball athletes are becoming increasingly complex as sport has evolved into a true industry. The decisions made during the formative years have a tremendous impact upon the individual as well as the institution that the athlete chooses to attend. Most of the studies about athletes and their institution of choice have been primarily descriptive. A better approach is based upon how and why the decisions are made in terms of the formation process. This study was undertaken in two phases; a meta-analysis of the previous studies and the use of word association methodology and a nonlinear program to establish relationships among decision paths. Results indicate that this type of approach helps understand how and why decisions are made to help the individual and the institution achieve a more productive fit.