Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has to be one of the most racist threads I have ever read on this site, which is saying a lot.

It's racist to say that some black communities have strong basketball skills and high expectations and can pass those along to up & coming players?? If that's racist, then yeah - DC area basketball is racist. It might be harder for a white kid to break into a black travel team with a black coach & all black players. So what? That's life. Have you ever looked at a hockey or baseball team?

My white son has frequently played for teams where he's been one only or one of a couple of white kids. His experience has never been that it's tougher to break in. He has never gotten a break that I know of, but no one has ever made it tougher on him.

We were at tryouts last year at a rec center in PG county and realized that we were the only white people in the building. No one said or did anything that in any way made us uncomfortable.

I’m a coach. Coaches want kids who can play, who can play as a team, and who can be taught to play better. That’s paramount! But being the off race, or outsized kid will make you stand out- whether at a tryout or in a game. Thing about standing out is that good or bad get noticed more quickly and clearly. So a great white baller in DC gets noticed, just like a great black speed skater in Korea.

*the only

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has to be one of the most racist threads I have ever read on this site, which is saying a lot.

It's racist to say that some black communities have strong basketball skills and high expectations and can pass those along to up & coming players?? If that's racist, then yeah - DC area basketball is racist. It might be harder for a white kid to break into a black travel team with a black coach & all black players. So what? That's life. Have you ever looked at a hockey or baseball team?

My white son has frequently played for teams where he's been one only or one of a couple of white kids. His experience has never been that it's tougher to break in. He has never gotten a break that I know of, but no one has ever made it tougher on him.

We were at tryouts last year at a rec center in PG county and realized that we were the only white people in the building. No one said or did anything that in any way made us uncomfortable.

Anonymous wrote:This has to be one of the most racist threads I have ever read on this site, which is saying a lot.

It's racist to say that some black communities have strong basketball skills and high expectations and can pass those along to up & coming players?? If that's racist, then yeah - DC area basketball is racist. It might be harder for a white kid to break into a black travel team with a black coach & all black players. So what? That's life. Have you ever looked at a hockey or baseball team?

This has to be one of the most racist threads I have ever read on this site, which is saying a lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talent, not race is the question. If your kid can play, then he will play. Reach out to the coaches at the schools your kid might be interested in attending.

You are kidding yourself if you say race does not matter.

The NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players. At the start of the 2014 season, NFL surveys revealed that the league was approximately 68% African-American and about 28% white, with the remaining 4% comprising Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanics, and those preferring a Mixed Race category.

going by that, if I am Asians, I should seriously consider not playing basketball or football because of my extremely low chance of making the team, unless I live in either Mclean/Langley/Great Falls area.

Thanks for the dumbest post I've ever read PP. Race does not dictate potential to play high school basketball or football. Now your size and athleticism might, but not your race.

NP, but I'd note that culture, unlike race, absolutely does matter, contrary to what a poster upthread mentioned. You can have the size, athleticism, and love for the game, but if you don't have anyone in your family or community to support you in all the extra practice time and team play you need to be great, you won't make it. not saying you need parents who offer a lot of financial support for the sport, but you need to be in a situation where you are free to play for hours every day.

When I lived in a country where soccer was huge, I was shocked by how how many people (little kids, old guys with a beer and a cigarette, etc.) could do things with a soccer ball that seemed like magic tricks to me. Basketball is the same way -- when you grow up seeing guys breaking ankles with crazy handles, pressure defense taking the ball away from weak ball handlers, and guys doing flashy dunks, it seems more normal and kids work to get those abilities. Also, when you are from a basketball culture, many kids have a dad or mom who can teach them how to play efficient defense or drills to learn handles or shooting form.

If you are not around people with those skills (which seems to be the case in a lot of rural areas), then you can practice hour after hour but not get better because there's no one with the skills to pass on to you from early childhood. In fact, people who practice a ton on their own in places like that often end up just cementing bad habits.

So really what you are saying is that early heavy exposure to other skilled players matters for skill development. Ok that is likely true in any sport that values specific skills developed though repetition, but that has nothing to do with the specific race(s) of those other skilled players. It seems that earlier posters are confusing correlation with causation.

This is 14:35. Yes, exactly. Not about race, but rather about exposure to high level play from an early age.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talent, not race is the question. If your kid can play, then he will play. Reach out to the coaches at the schools your kid might be interested in attending.

You are kidding yourself if you say race does not matter.

The NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players. At the start of the 2014 season, NFL surveys revealed that the league was approximately 68% African-American and about 28% white, with the remaining 4% comprising Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanics, and those preferring a Mixed Race category.

going by that, if I am Asians, I should seriously consider not playing basketball or football because of my extremely low chance of making the team, unless I live in either Mclean/Langley/Great Falls area.

Thanks for the dumbest post I've ever read PP. Race does not dictate potential to play high school basketball or football. Now your size and athleticism might, but not your race.

NP, but I'd note that culture, unlike race, absolutely does matter, contrary to what a poster upthread mentioned. You can have the size, athleticism, and love for the game, but if you don't have anyone in your family or community to support you in all the extra practice time and team play you need to be great, you won't make it. not saying you need parents who offer a lot of financial support for the sport, but you need to be in a situation where you are free to play for hours every day.

When I lived in a country where soccer was huge, I was shocked by how how many people (little kids, old guys with a beer and a cigarette, etc.) could do things with a soccer ball that seemed like magic tricks to me. Basketball is the same way -- when you grow up seeing guys breaking ankles with crazy handles, pressure defense taking the ball away from weak ball handlers, and guys doing flashy dunks, it seems more normal and kids work to get those abilities. Also, when you are from a basketball culture, many kids have a dad or mom who can teach them how to play efficient defense or drills to learn handles or shooting form.

If you are not around people with those skills (which seems to be the case in a lot of rural areas), then you can practice hour after hour but not get better because there's no one with the skills to pass on to you from early childhood. In fact, people who practice a ton on their own in places like that often end up just cementing bad habits.

So really what you are saying is that early heavy exposure to other skilled players matters for skill development. Ok that is likely true in any sport that values specific skills developed though repetition, but that has nothing to do with the specific race(s) of those other skilled players. It seems that earlier posters are confusing correlation with causation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talent, not race is the question. If your kid can play, then he will play. Reach out to the coaches at the schools your kid might be interested in attending.

You are kidding yourself if you say race does not matter.

The NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players. At the start of the 2014 season, NFL surveys revealed that the league was approximately 68% African-American and about 28% white, with the remaining 4% comprising Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanics, and those preferring a Mixed Race category.

going by that, if I am Asians, I should seriously consider not playing basketball or football because of my extremely low chance of making the team, unless I live in either Mclean/Langley/Great Falls area.

Thanks for the dumbest post I've ever read PP. Race does not dictate potential to play high school basketball or football. Now your size and athleticism might, but not your race.

NP, but I'd note that culture, unlike race, absolutely does matter, contrary to what a poster upthread mentioned. You can have the size, athleticism, and love for the game, but if you don't have anyone in your family or community to support you in all the extra practice time and team play you need to be great, you won't make it. not saying you need parents who offer a lot of financial support for the sport, but you need to be in a situation where you are free to play for hours every day.

When I lived in a country where soccer was huge, I was shocked by how how many people (little kids, old guys with a beer and a cigarette, etc.) could do things with a soccer ball that seemed like magic tricks to me. Basketball is the same way -- when you grow up seeing guys breaking ankles with crazy handles, pressure defense taking the ball away from weak ball handlers, and guys doing flashy dunks, it seems more normal and kids work to get those abilities. Also, when you are from a basketball culture, many kids have a dad or mom who can teach them how to play efficient defense or drills to learn handles or shooting form.

If you are not around people with those skills (which seems to be the case in a lot of rural areas), then you can practice hour after hour but not get better because there's no one with the skills to pass on to you from early childhood. In fact, people who practice a ton on their own in places like that often end up just cementing bad habits.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talent, not race is the question. If your kid can play, then he will play. Reach out to the coaches at the schools your kid might be interested in attending.

You are kidding yourself if you say race does not matter.

The NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players. At the start of the 2014 season, NFL surveys revealed that the league was approximately 68% African-American and about 28% white, with the remaining 4% comprising Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanics, and those preferring a Mixed Race category.

going by that, if I am Asians, I should seriously consider not playing basketball or football because of my extremely low chance of making the team, unless I live in either Mclean/Langley/Great Falls area.

Thanks for the dumbest post I've ever read PP. Race does not dictate potential to play high school basketball or football. Now your size and athleticism might, but not your race.

NP, but I'd note that culture, unlike race, absolutely does matter, contrary to what a poster upthread mentioned. You can have the size, athleticism, and love for the game, but if you don't have anyone in your family or community to support you in all the extra practice time and team play you need to be great, you won't make it. not saying you need parents who offer a lot of financial support for the sport, but you need to be in a situation where you are free to play for hours every day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talent, not race is the question. If your kid can play, then he will play. Reach out to the coaches at the schools your kid might be interested in attending.

You are kidding yourself if you say race does not matter.

The NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players. At the start of the 2014 season, NFL surveys revealed that the league was approximately 68% African-American and about 28% white, with the remaining 4% comprising Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanics, and those preferring a Mixed Race category.

going by that, if I am Asians, I should seriously consider not playing basketball or football because of my extremely low chance of making the team, unless I live in either Mclean/Langley/Great Falls area.

Thanks for the dumbest post I've ever read PP. Race does not dictate potential to play high school basketball or football. Now your size and athleticism might, but not your race.

Anonymous wrote:Talent, not race is the question. If your kid can play, then he will play. Reach out to the coaches at the schools your kid might be interested in attending.

You are kidding yourself if you say race does not matter.

The NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players. At the start of the 2014 season, NFL surveys revealed that the league was approximately 68% African-American and about 28% white, with the remaining 4% comprising Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanics, and those preferring a Mixed Race category.

going by that, if I am Asians, I should seriously consider not playing basketball or football because of my extremely low chance of making the team, unless I live in either Mclean/Langley/Great Falls area.

Talent, not race is the question. If your kid can play, then he will play. Reach out to the coaches at the schools your kid might be interested in attending.

I think other sports do give you a better chance than basketball because of the size of the team. A good basketball team can function with an 6-8 player rotation. So recruiting and find you off the team or on the bench entirely. It depends on the school obviously. My DS just started MS and has played travel basketball since 2nd grade. I'm encouraging his budding interest in soccer. It's clearly less competitive at our school, with a few excellent HS players but a larger "supporting cast." Our MS program requires participating in multiple sports, so we are embracing this broadening of his experience and will see where it leads. From what I see around here. . . I think yes baskeball is worse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think what the poster is getting at is does a white kid stand a chance--- not because of race, but maybe inferior athletic ability/less basketball focused culture?

I'm a little nervous for my own kid, who loves this sport. Out in the VA burbs (as mentioned above) he can compete but I have no idea how any of these kids would stack up against say, a city team. The kids look to be mostly AA and extremely athletic and tall.

Seriously if you are asking these question you already know the answer. It’s going to be very competitive. I am white, grew up around here and played. How old is your kid? The cut starts to happen somewhere between 6th and 8th grade. This is when the boys grow and develop. I never really worried about if I was playing against a black or white guy. It just did not matter. It just matters if you can play. In a large public high school there can be 2,000 to 4,000 kids. There are a lot of kids coming out for a few spots. You have to be good. Even if you stayed out in the Burbs, you have to be good to make the team. Now the private schools are a lot different, some recruit, others do not.

Well, the recruiting is the thing, isn’t it? If you’ve been playing basketball your whole life and are athletic, work hard, and a good player, you’re going to make the private school team. Unless they recruit players from elsewhere. Playing basketball was such an important part of my high school experience (several years ago), and I want my kids to have the same opportunity. But if all the private schools are recruiting from all over the metro, then they may not have that chance since they’ll also play other sports and their primary focus will be on their studies. As a result, I wonder if I should encourage more of a focus on a different sport. Unless the privates recruit all their athletes. Is any real team sport (soccer, basketball, etc) more immune from the recruiting problem?

So not all privates recruit only some do. If you go to a school that does not recruit he would still have to win a spot on the team, but it’s a lot easier. So lets say GSD(as an example) has a freshman basketball team. They have about 130 in a classs, 1/2 are girls- 65 boys. Maybe you get 15-18 boys trying out for the team. He should be able to make the cut, right?

You should encourage him to play as many sports as you can. It’s better for his overall development. You never know which one(if any) he will like and show some promise in. So there is travel soccer, basketball, baseball and lacrosse. The kids who are on these travel teams get professional coaching and a lot more practice time vs rec teams. Travel teams cost money but so does private school. Many of the kids at private school play on travel teams. When they tryout, the travel kid will look better(and have more confidence) vs a kid who has never tried out for a team, does not know the drills, lingo, etc. It is sad to say but if you want your kid to play in high school, he should be on a travel team. So is your kid playing travel basketball or just playing rec?

You should make a new post, give your kid’s rough age and gender. Say I would like him to be able to play sports in high school(private or public). What are his chances of making a team without a travel background and what advice do you give me. Drop the part about the the AA players.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think what the poster is getting at is does a white kid stand a chance--- not because of race, but maybe inferior athletic ability/less basketball focused culture?

I'm a little nervous for my own kid, who loves this sport. Out in the VA burbs (as mentioned above) he can compete but I have no idea how any of these kids would stack up against say, a city team. The kids look to be mostly AA and extremely athletic and tall.

Seriously if you are asking these question you already know the answer. It’s going to be very competitive. I am white, grew up around here and played. How old is your kid? The cut starts to happen somewhere between 6th and 8th grade. This is when the boys grow and develop. I never really worried about if I was playing against a black or white guy. It just did not matter. It just matters if you can play. In a large public high school there can be 2,000 to 4,000 kids. There are a lot of kids coming out for a few spots. You have to be good. Even if you stayed out in the Burbs, you have to be good to make the team. Now the private schools are a lot different, some recruit, others do not.

Well, the recruiting is the thing, isn’t it? If you’ve been playing basketball your whole life and are athletic, work hard, and a good player, you’re going to make the private school team. Unless they recruit players from elsewhere. Playing basketball was such an important part of my high school experience (several years ago), and I want my kids to have the same opportunity. But if all the private schools are recruiting from all over the metro, then they may not have that chance since they’ll also play other sports and their primary focus will be on their studies. As a result, I wonder if I should encourage more of a focus on a different sport. Unless the privates recruit all their athletes. Is any real team sport (soccer, basketball, etc) more immune from the recruiting problem?

Sports focused privates seem to recruit for all sports. I know a kid who was offered a full ride to a CAC school for track.