Anonymous wrote:PPA varies significantly coach to coach and between boys and girls.

It's pretty much this.

I've heard similar complaints about practically every program.

And for programs where our family have had a horrible experience in, we know other families who are happy with it.

It really does vary depending on the coach and team you get.

Anonymous wrote:Most travel/club basketball teams are a scam. Heck the entire youth sports industry is a scam.

Basketball is pretty egregious followed only by baseball.

Most travel/club basketball teams are a scam. Heck the entire youth sports industry is a scam.

PPA varies significantly coach to coach and between boys and girls.

I’m sorry to hear someone who is so disappointed. That is not the experience we’ve had.

Our DS is on a second team in the early middle school grades, and we think he’s improved a lot this year. He has a good coach that did play HS basketball, but, no, he wasn’t a college bball star. We don’t need him to be. He knows a lot about basketball and runs a good practice. The kids seem to like and respect him. He doesn’t lose his cool on the sideline like half the other AAU coaches we see.

Our son’s team is very dedicated, and we have a great team parent that is very organized. I have found the PPA Premier organization as good or better than other travel sports orgs my kids have played for.

We don’t love everything about the program, but we are happy we found it and plan to continue next year. Since it’s a full year program at this age, it’s expensive and a huge commitment. It also claims to be a DC and MoCo team, but most practices are in MoCo, which is tough when they send you to Rockville/Germantown/Silver Spring at rush hour.

Avoid at all costs.

They recruit top players and claim to "develop" but there is no development if your kid is mediocre, even if they show potential.

They only care about wins, not your child.

Most of their coaches are uncertified and many have never even played high school basketball. Most have not played college or professional.

So much inconsistency among coaching techniques, team collaboration, team expectations, development drills, etc. There is zero focus on foundational basketball skills development at early ages. Players develop bad habits as they grow older that are hard to fix.

It's a cash grab - save your money and go to one of any of the other clubs/programs in the area that are way better.