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[quote=Anonymous][quote=jayashrees5524]
My freshman son didnt make the final cut for his freshman basketball team. He made it till the final selection day (second cut), but on the first training day, inexplicably, the coach cut two players (my son was one of them). My teen has played rec and competitively for the past 5 years, and basketball is his life - he puts in the work every single day, and being cut from the HS team has devastated him. As an immigrant parent who doesnt really understand the sports scene here as much, I wanted advice as to how to guide him. He is keen to keep playing so we are exploring travel teams again (our past AAU experience was not that good - we had issues with the coach). How can he keep playing basketball competitively outside of the school team in HS. Do colleges consider players not playing in their school team? I would like realistic advice please. Thank you.
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Just putting in the work is not enough. You have to have a high quality coaching.  My son played with a travel team for 3 years. We changed teams last year, and his level of play has skyrocketed. The coaches on his new team are just that much better. I’m pissed because I now see he stagnated for three years when he could have been getting better.

Finding a good team is really hard and somewhat luck of the draw. You have to be plugged in. We were asked to try out for the new team because the coach saw my son playing with one of his team members who is a friend of my son’s. The team does not hold open tryouts.

Basketball parents are close hold with information because it’s a super-competitive sport. Only 5 players on the court at once. Many teams max out at about 12-13 players total.

Your best bet? Find a good trainer and make sure he’s developing skills at a high level. It’s best to train in small groups and 1 on 1. I’ve seen kids work with trainers forever who can’t play worth sh*t when defended. You have to practice shooting and maneuvering through defense.

Also make sure he has good shooting technique. He should be able to make close to 100% of free throws. What percentage of layups can he make while defended?  Midrange shots? Three-pointers?

Can he move and dribble on a court when faced with defenders?  Speed and agility matters. If you don’t have a basketball trainer who covers this well, get a separate trainer. As they get into high school strength and bulk also matters, because there’s a lot more aggressive and physical play. Is he weightlifting?

If you have a good trainer he should be plugged into the basketball community and can give you some tips on what teams your son might be able to try for that’ll help him grow as a player.

There are a lot of kids in this area who have been training at a high level for years.  My son started playing at age 6, and he’s been doing individual training, group training, and elite camps for years. Yes, he made his school’s JV team, but he’s not the best player. He’s probably the 3rd best player and that’s despite a phenomenal amount of work and commitment on his part. Be realistic that there are many kids out there who love basketball and have put the work in too, some of whom got an earlier start and who have probably had better quality training.

Colleges will of course consider kids who don’t play for their high school teams. Those kids tend to be top level AAU players who play the EYBL and Adidas circuits.  Kids can make huge jumps in skills so I don’t want to downplay your son’s chances. Suffice it to say he has to have some natural talent combined with hard work to get to that level in a few years.

That said, Kevin Durant did not take basketball seriously until he was 15. Once he started training seriously, he became KD.

Michael Jordan was infamously cut from his freshman team.

Dennis Rodman was 5’6” as a freshman player and benched. Didn’t restart basketball until he was 18 when he grew to 6’7. [/quote]

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