Basketball and the starting 5

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whats the difference between a bencher and a second-string player?

A bencher only plays if you need someone to go out there and foul a good player who can't shoot free throws.

“Bencher” is not a word basketball people use. Also, “second string” isn’t a thing. “Second unit”, “bench player” or “reserve” are basketball terms.

Ha. I’m not a basketball person at all. But my kid plays. So I know that there are kids who sit the bench for most, if not all the game. And I know there are kids that don’t start, but who are in the game for just a little under half the minutes. Call them whatever you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whats the difference between a bencher and a second-string player?

A bencher only plays if you need someone to go out there and foul a good player who can't shoot free throws.

“Bencher” is not a word basketball people use. Also, “second string” isn’t a thing. “Second unit”, “bench player” or “reserve” are basketball terms.

I’ve never heard bencher, but I’ve heard second string far more than second unit both playing and with his who play

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whats the difference between a bencher and a second-string player?

A bencher only plays if you need someone to go out there and foul a good player who can't shoot free throws.

“Bencher” is not a word basketball people use. Also, “second string” isn’t a thing. “Second unit”, “bench player” or “reserve” are basketball terms.

Ha. I’m not a basketball person at all. But my kid plays. So I know that there are kids who sit the bench for most, if not all the game. And I know there are kids that don’t start, but who are in the game for just a little under half the minutes. Call them whatever you want.

Isn’t half the minutes pretty good? To play all the minutes the team would need to be very small and most rosters are approximately 12 kids. So half in, half out. And a few benchers. I don’t know of any teams that plays 5 kids all game long. Am I missing something or do we have decent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whats the difference between a bencher and a second-string player?

A bencher only plays if you need someone to go out there and foul a good player who can't shoot free throws.

“Bencher” is not a word basketball people use. Also, “second string” isn’t a thing. “Second unit”, “bench player” or “reserve” are basketball terms.

I’ve never heard bencher, but I’ve heard second string far more than second unit both playing and with his who play

Yeah, when I was a kid that was more common. Now, especially in reference to NBA teams, you hear second unit.

High school teams refer to players as “reserve” or “backup” in my experience b/c I think second string is kinda pejorative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whats the difference between a bencher and a second-string player?

A bencher only plays if you need someone to go out there and foul a good player who can't shoot free throws.

“Bencher” is not a word basketball people use. Also, “second string” isn’t a thing. “Second unit”, “bench player” or “reserve” are basketball terms.

Ha. I’m not a basketball person at all. But my kid plays. So I know that there are kids who sit the bench for most, if not all the game. And I know there are kids that don’t start, but who are in the game for just a little under half the minutes. Call them whatever you want.

Isn’t half the minutes pretty good? To play all the minutes the team would need to be very small and most rosters are approximately 12 kids. So half in, half out. And a few benchers. I don’t know of any teams that plays 5 kids all game long. Am I missing something or do we have decent?

Half the game isn’t bad, but most teams don’t sub 5 at a time. Many play with a rotation of only about 8 kids who get significant time. It really depends on how deep the team is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whats the difference between a bencher and a second-string player?

A bencher only plays if you need someone to go out there and foul a good player who can't shoot free throws.

“Bencher” is not a word basketball people use. Also, “second string” isn’t a thing. “Second unit”, “bench player” or “reserve” are basketball terms.

Ha. I’m not a basketball person at all. But my kid plays. So I know that there are kids who sit the bench for most, if not all the game. And I know there are kids that don’t start, but who are in the game for just a little under half the minutes. Call them whatever you want.

Isn’t half the minutes pretty good? To play all the minutes the team would need to be very small and most rosters are approximately 12 kids. So half in, half out. And a few benchers. I don’t know of any teams that plays 5 kids all game long. Am I missing something or do we have decent?

A good AAU coach is going to play whos hot and who’s effective.

[Anonymous]

Another AAU game day with DD not getting to start. She gets to play but she wants to be recognized as a starter. How do I change her thinking that it doesn’t matter? Who is making her think she’s less than?? Do I speak to the coach on this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another AAU game day with DD not getting to start. She gets to play but she wants to be recognized as a starter. How do I change her thinking that it doesn’t matter? Who is making her think she’s less than?? Do I speak to the coach on this?

She’ll start when the coach thinks she is better than the other girl who currently starts in her position. There is nothing you can do about that, and there is nothing to change about your daughter’s dislike of it - everyone wants to be the best! She can ask her coach what she needs to do to improve enough to be a starter. She isn’t “less than” as a human being, and I sure hope she doesn’t think she is! But someone else plays her position better than she does (or so the coach thinks). She can let it motivate her, or she can decide she’d be happier on another team. Both perfectly fine!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another AAU game day with DD not getting to start. She gets to play but she wants to be recognized as a starter. How do I change her thinking that it doesn’t matter? Who is making her think she’s less than?? Do I speak to the coach on this?

She’ll start when the coach thinks she is better than the other girl who currently starts in her position. There is nothing you can do about that, and there is nothing to change about your daughter’s dislike of it - everyone wants to be the best! She can ask her coach what she needs to do to improve enough to be a starter. She isn’t “less than” as a human being, and I sure hope she doesn’t think she is! But someone else plays her position better than she does (or so the coach thinks). She can let it motivate her, or she can decide she’d be happier on another team. Both perfectly fine!

This season my son was recruited to a new AAU team. It’s one of the top teams in the area and he doesn’t start. Now he’s the best player on his team and he knows it. I tell him to just play well when he gets in and don’t worry about starting. I am kind of happy that he isn’t starting because he now has more incentive to work on his game and increase his basketball IQ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another AAU game day with DD not getting to start. She gets to play but she wants to be recognized as a starter. How do I change her thinking that it doesn’t matter? Who is making her think she’s less than?? Do I speak to the coach on this?

Why do you feel the need to speak to the coach, when you say it doesn't matter?
I think you are endorsing her opinions rather than correcting them.

[Anonymous]

OP, be supportive but don’t let your DD wallow in self-pity and doubt. rather than endorse her need to be a starter, just acknowledge her frustration but encourage her to channel that energy to work harder and hustle at practice not just during games. Enroll her in some group training if you think that will help and definitely encourage her to shoot hoops and perform ball handling drills on her own. Coach and others will notice her improvements.

Good thing about some AAU teams is turnover. Your DD’s rival(s) may decide to leave the team which may create a good opportunity for DD if she is prepared to start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another AAU game day with DD not getting to start. She gets to play but she wants to be recognized as a starter. How do I change her thinking that it doesn’t matter? Who is making her think she’s less than?? Do I speak to the coach on this?

She’ll start when the coach thinks she is better than the other girl who currently starts in her position. There is nothing you can do about that, and there is nothing to change about your daughter’s dislike of it - everyone wants to be the best! She can ask her coach what she needs to do to improve enough to be a starter. She isn’t “less than” as a human being, and I sure hope she doesn’t think she is! But someone else plays her position better than she does (or so the coach thinks). She can let it motivate her, or she can decide she’d be happier on another team. Both perfectly fine!

This season my son was recruited to a new AAU team. It’s one of the top teams in the area and he doesn’t start. Now he’s the best player on his team and he knows it. I tell him to just play well when he gets in and don’t worry about starting. I am kind of happy that he isn’t starting because he now has more incentive to work on his game and increase his basketball IQ.

It may be political you just have to observe. My son is the kid in the example above. He isn’t a starter, but I’m his dad and without having any bias’, I know he’s the best player on his team.
Saturday he had a game against a team they previously lost to by 30 and he came off the bench with 23 points scored more points than anyone else on either team and we lost by 1 point. Other teams have been interested in him and I think he’s the best player on his team. The coach just doesn’t seem to know it or there may be some kind of politics. I like the team, but there are some other things about it I don’t like and if things don’t get better, we are gone after this summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whats the difference between a bencher and a second-string player?

A bencher only plays if you need someone to go out there and foul a good player who can't shoot free throws.

“Bencher” is not a word basketball people use. Also, “second string” isn’t a thing. “Second unit”, “bench player” or “reserve” are basketball terms.

Ha. I’m not a basketball person at all. But my kid plays. So I know that there are kids who sit the bench for most, if not all the game. And I know there are kids that don’t start, but who are in the game for just a little under half the minutes. Call them whatever you want.

Isn’t half the minutes pretty good? To play all the minutes the team would need to be very small and most rosters are approximately 12 kids. So half in, half out. And a few benchers. I don’t know of any teams that plays 5 kids all game long. Am I missing something or do we have decent?

Yes - that was the point. The kids who are playing a little less than half the minutes are pretty good but are not the starters.

[Anonymous]

For basketball, I can see having strong players coming off the bench and having more of a role player starting over this stronger player. The example would be if there are other strong players/scorers among the starters. When you need to rotate kids out to give them a break or, gasp, do the developmentally appropriate thing and at young ages make sure everyone plays, having a strong player/scorer coming off the bench may ensure the team can still score or be competitive during the game regardless of what units are on the floor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another AAU game day with DD not getting to start. She gets to play but she wants to be recognized as a starter. How do I change her thinking that it doesn’t matter? Who is making her think she’s less than?? Do I speak to the coach on this?

She’ll start when the coach thinks she is better than the other girl who currently starts in her position. There is nothing you can do about that, and there is nothing to change about your daughter’s dislike of it - everyone wants to be the best! She can ask her coach what she needs to do to improve enough to be a starter. She isn’t “less than” as a human being, and I sure hope she doesn’t think she is! But someone else plays her position better than she does (or so the coach thinks). She can let it motivate her, or she can decide she’d be happier on another team. Both perfectly fine!

This season my son was recruited to a new AAU team. It’s one of the top teams in the area and he doesn’t start. Now he’s the best player on his team and he knows it. I tell him to just play well when he gets in and don’t worry about starting. I am kind of happy that he isn’t starting because he now has more incentive to work on his game and increase his basketball IQ.

It may be political you just have to observe. My son is the kid in the example above. He isn’t a starter, but I’m his dad and without having any bias’, I know he’s the best player on his team.
Saturday he had a game against a team they previously lost to by 30 and he came off the bench with 23 points scored more points than anyone else on either team and we lost by 1 point. Other teams have been interested in him and I think he’s the best player on his team. The coach just doesn’t seem to know it or there may be some kind of politics. I like the team, but there are some other things about it I don’t like and if things don’t get better, we are gone after this summer.

So is the issue that he doesn't start? Is that it or is he not getting enough playing time? That's the thing--teams should have excellent players regardless of whether they start or not. But I am no expert in the matter.