Its not easy being a student athlete but, Scottsdale Community College basketball players are up for

Basketball players at Scottsdale Community College are striving for Slam Dunks on and off the court.

In comparison to traditional students, the players have a lot more on their plate. The young men typically practice four to five hours a day. Players spend roughly the same amount of time in the classroom.

In a 24 hour day, ten hour's of a player's day is exhausted. Not to mention a player still has to sleep at least six hours.

This consumption of time leaves very little room for social activities. To fit social activities into his schedule, Zach Auguste said, "Phone calls are a big thing, On days I can't see my family. My brothers and sisters will call me up."

For Austin Denham, fitting social activities into his schedule is all about prioritizing.

"Knowing that basketball is from nine to 12 every day then looking at my class schedule most of the free time I get is like Friday when I don't have class," said Denham.

For the Artichokes, communication is key before game night and on game night. To ensure he does not fall behind in his classes, Brandon Birden communicates with his professors.

"I always do it ahead of time. I know when my games are. I have my schedule so if I can, the week prior or just the class prior to my game I let them know I'll be gone," said Birden.

The Artichokes players are using the community college level as a stepping stone. For many of the players, this is the first piece of a larger puzzle.

Jessie Frost-Dixon is confident in himself and his abilities.

"I see myself going division one. So I want to push myself to that level. I know I have to hold myself to a standard that division one players do. I know it's not going to be an easy task to get there. So I'm basically just putting my best foot forward," said Frost-Dixon. See images of the Scottsdale Community College basketball below.