Youth basketball
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Anonymous
For my kid, it was being instructed by his coach to take a fake job over the summer that paid him to sleep and train. |
Anonymous
Every tournament is a championship or invitational or 37th annual even if three teams comprised of rec players show up |
Anonymous
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If a team seems to be struggling to get regular gym practice space, its a bad sign.
Also, the usual set up is you pay by the month for the team. So if people don't like the situation/coaching/their kids playtime, they bail for another team. So there is a constant churn of players in and out. |
Anonymous
Yeah, the tournaments are a total money grab. Lot of similarities to travel baseball, which my kids have also done, though basketball may be more of a rip-off? Anyway, I view it as an opportunity to get better in the off season. If you have a good local league or just access to competitive open gyms or neighborhood basketball, you wouldn't need it. I'm not operating under the delusion that my DS will get "noticed" or "recruited" at one of these "showcases." The reality is that if they're on the verge of not making the team and play other sports, those who are playing year round may lap them bc they're doing this stuff in the off season. I'm talking about the HS level here. Like most other youth sports, everything has become organized, structured, and costly. |
Anonymous
| Of the travel/club sports our DS has participated in, basketball was the worst in terms of organization, communication, team make up etc and felt like a total money grab. We’ve had experience with a few different organizations. Gym space in constant flux, Refs not showing up, coaches not showing up, kids bailing/being added to the team over the course of the season, extra fees to watch the games, schedules for the weekend coming out Thursday night (if we’re lucky) and then either far away or spread out across the day (early Saturday morning for first game, second game not until late afternoon) etc. |
Anonymous
DARREN HARRIS PLAYED FCYBL. |
Anonymous
He’s overrated. He is an excellent shooter, but that’s it. His defense is weak and everything else about his game is mediocre. He has done well and I hope he has plenty of success. |
Anonymous
And Darren Harris played with Takeover at the same time he played FCYBL. |
Anonymous
Can you please share what league this was or where it was? |
Anonymous
That's the thing about basketball, there aren't really centralized travel "leagues" like other sports have. All the teams just operate independently and pick and choose what tournaments to play in. |
Anonymous
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CLUB COACH HIERARCHY
THE SALARY-ONLY CLUB COACH (money-maker) Motive: This is a job, pure and simple — no kids, no volunteerism, just a paycheck. Behavior: Minimal investment beyond what gets paid; churn-and-burn approach. Warning: If you want loyalty or mentorship, shop elsewhere. Not necessarily evil — just transactional. Quip: "Professional clock-puncher with a whistle." THE POWER-PLAYER CLUB PARENT (kid not very good, controls starters) Motive: Social status and lineup control, not player development. Behavior: Plays favorites, manipulates playing time, excuses poor performance. Warning: Morale killer; expect quiet resentment and fewer tryouts for fairness. Quip: "Runs the team like a monarchy, crowns their kid anyway." THE REDEMPTION-SEEKING CLUB PARENT (fixes their own regrets) Motive: Re-living and correcting their teenage athletic failures, likely never played HS or College sports. Behavior: Pushes too hard, over-coaches, emotionally invested in outcomes. Warning: Kids often end up with burnout or confused confidence. Quip: "Living their highlight reel — on their kid's time." THE TOP-PLAYER CLUB PARENT (kid is a star; likely former pro/college athlete) Motive: Make the team better and show their kid leadership and sacrifice. Behavior: High standards, invests time/money, generally team-first messaging Warning: Can put personal needs behind team needs, but usually constructive. Quip: "Tough love with a recruiting profile." THE GRANDPARENT CLUB COACH (misses coaching; donates time/money) Motive: Coaching their Grandchildren and joy of mentoring and staying involved in the game they love. Behavior: Generous with time, money and network. Warning: Might rely on old-school methods; generally harmless and beloved. Quip: "Wisdom, treats, and occasional philosophical speeches about life lessons in sports. THE LEGACY DEVELOPER (coached their kid to college, helped 20+ players, donates time/money) — Top of the heap Motive: Player development and team success; looking for outcomes in character development Behavior: Invested, selfless, creates pathways to college/next level, financially generous. Warning: High standards — but earned. Quip: "Part coach, part talent machine, part unpaid guidance counselor." |
Anonymous
Nailed it. There are many teams, the teams are all over the map. Skill levels. Some kids starting earlier later. As in all sports there is a certain socioeconomic function, but in basketball the this is much broader than say swimming as the game is accessible to everyone. They stratify here also, but they just go about it a little differently. It's mostly about finding a group of kids that yours like to play with. Try to stay away from the quick and dirty tournaments in the bad gyms where they don't call fouls or stop the clock. |
Anonymous
[mastodon]
True |
Anonymous
| I saw someone mentioned CYO a while back. Would you still say it's a step above rec? We have a kid who likes basketball, but does not spend a lot of time on it due to other sports. Made a select/county team last year, but did not make the cut this year with the org fielding one less team than before. Has been invited to join a CYO team and trying to decide if that would be a better experience than the town rec league. |