Middle school basketball teams

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you! My kid has been playing rec for many years. We tried ‘travel’ but it didn’t make sense logistically. We got annoyed by how the basketball leagues are run. You don’t know when and where the games are till like Wednesday or Thursday of that week. Can’t schedule anything etc. So didn’t want to live our lives around basketball schedule. So we stuck to rec. He has a lot of potential to improve though. Wish these basketball leagues were run more efficiently.

If your kid has some organized playing experience playing rec, I think they'd already be ahead of some other kids that show up at tryouts.

I think some kids go to tryouts just because they enjoy playing basketball with their friends at the playground or their neighborhood.

As mentioned, we see some low level aau teams where I think the families and players would've gotten more out of it and a better value doing rec instead.

And we do know of some players who claim to just play another sport at a higher level and not really basketball that make the teams. So some of it is that athlete/gamer mentality too.

Just make sure your player is mentally prepared for tryouts and possibly getting cut either in an early or later round. Especially if you live in a competitive area. Kind of like the other poster, you have to let your kid know that they'll likely be competing against yearround AAU players. And there may be small successes even if they don't make the team. It can be walking away with knowledge of what they need to improve and maybe they do want to get into higher level basketball and the rat race to improve their chances the next year (if you're willing).

But yeah I used to be a big fan of basketball, especially rooting for my kids in youth basketball. But am not a fan of how your schedule is held hostage until they release the game schedule a couple of days before the weekend. Plus the out of pocket costs for the spectator fees. So totally understand if that's not a life that you want to get into.

[Anonymous]

Well Ball is Life so support him with whatever he needs over the next 11 months. Then go from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well Ball is Life so support him with whatever he needs over the next 11 months. Then go from there.

Absolutely. It’s a nice night tonight so get out there and get up 100 shots. I don’t even know him and I’m rooting for the kid. Or any kid willing to go hard at their goal.

[Anonymous]

Last year at the middle school i worked at, they had almost 40 boys try out for 12 spots.

This year they had over 60 try out for JV basketball alone at Gaithersburg HS

[Anonymous]

It depends on the school, as it is for making all sports teams- W schools are more competitive. because the kids who play those teams have been professionally coached for years. Honestly, choose a sport that doesn't have cuts like XC - down-county schools have tons of kids try out for their soccer team, where my kid, who is an exceptional player barely got seen by the coach who did not know them personally,