Freshman Basketball - advice needed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm a couple years behind you, but also new to sports as I'm a first gen American who didn't play growing up.

My middle school son has been really into baskeball the last couple years. Just enjoying it and wanting to get better. I now see there are SO many young kids who train a lot and play at really exceptional levels.

My son is decent, but is he ever going to play college ball? no. Is he ever going to be in the NBA? of course not.

The competitiveness of playing for even HS teams around here is just ridiculous. And guess what - none of those kids are going to play for the NBA either.

I have an older kid in high school and have learned that some sports are "walk on." This means anyone can play. We are now steering him away from the competitive rat race of basketball (though will encourage him to keep playing rec) and towards a sport he can definitely play in high school just for the fun of it.

Please don't get overstressed about competitive sports around here. They are truly pointless and can be soul crushing.

Guess what? Some, very likely, will. So before you share your valuable opinion about the sport you clearly know nothing about, you might want to brush up on local basketball scene.

60 players are drafted into the NBA every year. In 2024, 20 of them were international players. So 40 slots for US players vs. about 30,000 college basketball players.

So when you say some of these local HS athletes have a shot at it, what exactly are you talking about? That's less that 1 player for each of the 50 states.

NP

This is excellent perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm a couple years behind you, but also new to sports as I'm a first gen American who didn't play growing up.

My middle school son has been really into baskeball the last couple years. Just enjoying it and wanting to get better. I now see there are SO many young kids who train a lot and play at really exceptional levels.

My son is decent, but is he ever going to play college ball? no. Is he ever going to be in the NBA? of course not.

The competitiveness of playing for even HS teams around here is just ridiculous. And guess what - none of those kids are going to play for the NBA either.

I have an older kid in high school and have learned that some sports are "walk on." This means anyone can play. We are now steering him away from the competitive rat race of basketball (though will encourage him to keep playing rec) and towards a sport he can definitely play in high school just for the fun of it.

Please don't get overstressed about competitive sports around here. They are truly pointless and can be soul crushing.

Guess what? Some, very likely, will. So before you share your valuable opinion about the sport you clearly know nothing about, you might want to brush up on local basketball scene.

60 players are drafted into the NBA every year. In 2024, 20 of them were international players. So 40 slots for US players vs. about 30,000 college basketball players.

So when you say some of these local HS athletes have a shot at it, what exactly are you talking about? That's less that 1 player for each of the 50 states.

Where on earth did you get the idea that there are 30,000 college players? There are 352 D1 programs, and they roster 15 players.

Also, the DMV sends a disproportionate number of kids to the NBA. The 2023 draft included Jordan Hawkins from DeMatha, Cam Whitmore from Archbishop Spaulding, and Jordan Miller from London. Luka Garza Was drafted in 21 and attended Maret. Jamorko Pickett Was born in DC and played for DC Premier. There are more I’m not thinking of. It’s not unheard of in this area like it would be in some other places.

[Anonymous]

*Loudon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm a couple years behind you, but also new to sports as I'm a first gen American who didn't play growing up.

My middle school son has been really into baskeball the last couple years. Just enjoying it and wanting to get better. I now see there are SO many young kids who train a lot and play at really exceptional levels.

My son is decent, but is he ever going to play college ball? no. Is he ever going to be in the NBA? of course not.

The competitiveness of playing for even HS teams around here is just ridiculous. And guess what - none of those kids are going to play for the NBA either.

I have an older kid in high school and have learned that some sports are "walk on." This means anyone can play. We are now steering him away from the competitive rat race of basketball (though will encourage him to keep playing rec) and towards a sport he can definitely play in high school just for the fun of it.

Please don't get overstressed about competitive sports around here. They are truly pointless and can be soul crushing.

Guess what? Some, very likely, will. So before you share your valuable opinion about the sport you clearly know nothing about, you might want to brush up on local basketball scene.

60 players are drafted into the NBA every year. In 2024, 20 of them were international players. So 40 slots for US players vs. about 30,000 college basketball players.

So when you say some of these local HS athletes have a shot at it, what exactly are you talking about? That's less that 1 player for each of the 50 states.

Where on earth did you get the idea that there are 30,000 college players? There are 352 D1 programs, and they roster 15 players.

Also, the DMV sends a disproportionate number of kids to the NBA. The 2023 draft included Jordan Hawkins from DeMatha, Cam Whitmore from Archbishop Spaulding, and Jordan Miller from London. Luka Garza Was drafted in 21 and attended Maret. Jamorko Pickett Was born in DC and played for DC Premier. There are more I’m not thinking of. It’s not unheard of in this area like it would be in some other places.

So… you’re saying you can literally count on one hand the number of kids from the DMV who have been drafted into the NBA recently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm a couple years behind you, but also new to sports as I'm a first gen American who didn't play growing up.

My middle school son has been really into baskeball the last couple years. Just enjoying it and wanting to get better. I now see there are SO many young kids who train a lot and play at really exceptional levels.

My son is decent, but is he ever going to play college ball? no. Is he ever going to be in the NBA? of course not.

The competitiveness of playing for even HS teams around here is just ridiculous. And guess what - none of those kids are going to play for the NBA either.

I have an older kid in high school and have learned that some sports are "walk on." This means anyone can play. We are now steering him away from the competitive rat race of basketball (though will encourage him to keep playing rec) and towards a sport he can definitely play in high school just for the fun of it.

Please don't get overstressed about competitive sports around here. They are truly pointless and can be soul crushing.

Guess what? Some, very likely, will. So before you share your valuable opinion about the sport you clearly know nothing about, you might want to brush up on local basketball scene.

60 players are drafted into the NBA every year. In 2024, 20 of them were international players. So 40 slots for US players vs. about 30,000 college basketball players.

So when you say some of these local HS athletes have a shot at it, what exactly are you talking about? That's less that 1 player for each of the 50 states.

Where on earth did you get the idea that there are 30,000 college players? There are 352 D1 programs, and they roster 15 players.

Also, the DMV sends a disproportionate number of kids to the NBA. The 2023 draft included Jordan Hawkins from DeMatha, Cam Whitmore from Archbishop Spaulding, and Jordan Miller from London. Luka Garza Was drafted in 21 and attended Maret. Jamorko Pickett Was born in DC and played for DC Premier. There are more I’m not thinking of. It’s not unheard of in this area like it would be in some other places.

So… you’re saying you can literally count on one hand the number of kids from the DMV who have been drafted into the NBA recently?

Exactly. Which is not “none.”

More to the point, people who aren’t familiar with this world think kids getting a scholarship or making the NBA is random and evenly distributed - like a unicorn that no one can predict. That’s not how it works.

Kids who are good make teams where they are coached by ex pros, NBA players watch their games, they play with teammates who will mostly all play D1, and they go to camps with NBA prospects. So the notion that parents of these kids are somehow out of touch and crazy for taking the sport seriously is off base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm a couple years behind you, but also new to sports as I'm a first gen American who didn't play growing up.

My middle school son has been really into baskeball the last couple years. Just enjoying it and wanting to get better. I now see there are SO many young kids who train a lot and play at really exceptional levels.

My son is decent, but is he ever going to play college ball? no. Is he ever going to be in the NBA? of course not.

The competitiveness of playing for even HS teams around here is just ridiculous. And guess what - none of those kids are going to play for the NBA either.

I have an older kid in high school and have learned that some sports are "walk on." This means anyone can play. We are now steering him away from the competitive rat race of basketball (though will encourage him to keep playing rec) and towards a sport he can definitely play in high school just for the fun of it.

Please don't get overstressed about competitive sports around here. They are truly pointless and can be soul crushing.

Guess what? Some, very likely, will. So before you share your valuable opinion about the sport you clearly know nothing about, you might want to brush up on local basketball scene.

60 players are drafted into the NBA every year. In 2024, 20 of them were international players. So 40 slots for US players vs. about 30,000 college basketball players.

So when you say some of these local HS athletes have a shot at it, what exactly are you talking about? That's less that 1 player for each of the 50 states.

Where on earth did you get the idea that there are 30,000 college players? There are 352 D1 programs, and they roster 15 players.

Also, the DMV sends a disproportionate number of kids to the NBA. The 2023 draft included Jordan Hawkins from DeMatha, Cam Whitmore from Archbishop Spaulding, and Jordan Miller from London. Luka Garza Was drafted in 21 and attended Maret. Jamorko Pickett Was born in DC and played for DC Premier. There are more I’m not thinking of. It’s not unheard of in this area like it would be in some other places.

So… you’re saying you can literally count on one hand the number of kids from the DMV who have been drafted into the NBA recently?

Exactly. Which is not “none.”

More to the point, people who aren’t familiar with this world think kids getting a scholarship or making the NBA is random and evenly distributed - like a unicorn that no one can predict. That’s not how it works.

Kids who are good make teams where they are coached by ex pros, NBA players watch their games, they play with teammates who will mostly all play D1, and they go to camps with NBA prospects. So the notion that parents of these kids are somehow out of touch and crazy for taking the sport seriously is off base.

I think those parents, like you, just don’t understand math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm a couple years behind you, but also new to sports as I'm a first gen American who didn't play growing up.

My middle school son has been really into baskeball the last couple years. Just enjoying it and wanting to get better. I now see there are SO many young kids who train a lot and play at really exceptional levels.

My son is decent, but is he ever going to play college ball? no. Is he ever going to be in the NBA? of course not.

The competitiveness of playing for even HS teams around here is just ridiculous. And guess what - none of those kids are going to play for the NBA either.

I have an older kid in high school and have learned that some sports are "walk on." This means anyone can play. We are now steering him away from the competitive rat race of basketball (though will encourage him to keep playing rec) and towards a sport he can definitely play in high school just for the fun of it.

Please don't get overstressed about competitive sports around here. They are truly pointless and can be soul crushing.

Guess what? Some, very likely, will. So before you share your valuable opinion about the sport you clearly know nothing about, you might want to brush up on local basketball scene.

60 players are drafted into the NBA every year. In 2024, 20 of them were international players. So 40 slots for US players vs. about 30,000 college basketball players.

So when you say some of these local HS athletes have a shot at it, what exactly are you talking about? That's less that 1 player for each of the 50 states.

Where on earth did you get the idea that there are 30,000 college players? There are 352 D1 programs, and they roster 15 players.

Also, the DMV sends a disproportionate number of kids to the NBA. The 2023 draft included Jordan Hawkins from DeMatha, Cam Whitmore from Archbishop Spaulding, and Jordan Miller from London. Luka Garza Was drafted in 21 and attended Maret. Jamorko Pickett Was born in DC and played for DC Premier. There are more I’m not thinking of. It’s not unheard of in this area like it would be in some other places.

So… you’re saying you can literally count on one hand the number of kids from the DMV who have been drafted into the NBA recently?

Exactly. Which is not “none.”

More to the point, people who aren’t familiar with this world think kids getting a scholarship or making the NBA is random and evenly distributed - like a unicorn that no one can predict. That’s not how it works.

Kids who are good make teams where they are coached by ex pros, NBA players watch their games, they play with teammates who will mostly all play D1, and they go to camps with NBA prospects. So the notion that parents of these kids are somehow out of touch and crazy for taking the sport seriously is off base.

I think those parents, like you, just don’t understand math.

My kid and every other starter on his team got D1 offers, and two are playing professionally internationally, but OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I'm a couple years behind you, but also new to sports as I'm a first gen American who didn't play growing up.

My middle school son has been really into baskeball the last couple years. Just enjoying it and wanting to get better. I now see there are SO many young kids who train a lot and play at really exceptional levels.

My son is decent, but is he ever going to play college ball? no. Is he ever going to be in the NBA? of course not.

The competitiveness of playing for even HS teams around here is just ridiculous. And guess what - none of those kids are going to play for the NBA either.

I have an older kid in high school and have learned that some sports are "walk on." This means anyone can play. We are now steering him away from the competitive rat race of basketball (though will encourage him to keep playing rec) and towards a sport he can definitely play in high school just for the fun of it.

Please don't get overstressed about competitive sports around here. They are truly pointless and can be soul crushing.

Guess what? Some, very likely, will. So before you share your valuable opinion about the sport you clearly know nothing about, you might want to brush up on local basketball scene.

60 players are drafted into the NBA every year. In 2024, 20 of them were international players. So 40 slots for US players vs. about 30,000 college basketball players.

So when you say some of these local HS athletes have a shot at it, what exactly are you talking about? That's less that 1 player for each of the 50 states.

Where on earth did you get the idea that there are 30,000 college players? There are 352 D1 programs, and they roster 15 players.

Also, the DMV sends a disproportionate number of kids to the NBA. The 2023 draft included Jordan Hawkins from DeMatha, Cam Whitmore from Archbishop Spaulding, and Jordan Miller from London. Luka Garza Was drafted in 21 and attended Maret. Jamorko Pickett Was born in DC and played for DC Premier. There are more I’m not thinking of. It’s not unheard of in this area like it would be in some other places.

So… you’re saying you can literally count on one hand the number of kids from the DMV who have been drafted into the NBA recently?

Exactly. Which is not “none.”

More to the point, people who aren’t familiar with this world think kids getting a scholarship or making the NBA is random and evenly distributed - like a unicorn that no one can predict. That’s not how it works.

Kids who are good make teams where they are coached by ex pros, NBA players watch their games, they play with teammates who will mostly all play D1, and they go to camps with NBA prospects. So the notion that parents of these kids are somehow out of touch and crazy for taking the sport seriously is off base.

I think those parents, like you, just don’t understand math.

My kid and every other starter on his team got D1 offers, and two are playing professionally internationally, but OK.

And none of those things equals being drafted into the NBA, which was the specific topic under discussion. But OK.

[Anonymous]

Also - just to be blunt and state the obvious to all the Bethesda and McLean wannabes - the NBA is 80% black.

So if there are 40 Americans drafted in into the NBA every year, 32 of them will be black. That means 8 non-black Americans will be drafted into the NBA in a given year.

8

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also - just to be blunt and state the obvious to all the Bethesda and McLean wannabes - the NBA is 80% black.

So if there are 40 Americans drafted in into the NBA every year, 32 of them will be black. That means 8 non-black Americans will be drafted into the NBA in a given year.

8

That’s funny. Of the five players the angry PP listed, four are black. The math holds up!