Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. Don't want to expose the team. That's what I thought but just wanted confirmation. Should we be doing anything else to develop quickly?

Its a skill sport. He's not going to catch up in a few months.

If a kid is talented athlete, they are usually good at multiple sports. The kid should work on ballhandling and shooting. If they love basketball and are willing to practice on their own all the time, I'd also hire a private coach.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Cyclones

This team is the biggest scam on the planet. They held tryouts - and only their own sons and son’s friends somehow made the first cut despite there being far more qualified athletes who aren’t from rich Arlington social circles.

Form your own team, find coaches, practice space, enter leagues/tournaments, communicate with parents. We had a great experience on a team that used my son's future HS coach as one of its coaches. Who cares if the organizing parent's kid gets to play? That kid could hang with everyone skills-wise.

The reality is basketball is really competitive for boys in this area. You can have a talented kid that isn't a "star" or is just average tall (not basketball tall). My talented kid got passed over a couple times for the more competitive MS-aged teams because he hadn't hit 6 foot yet. They'd rather develop the right kid who is going to be basketball tall than take shorter kids who have been playing for years. Sooner you are realistic about your kid's talent and genetics the better.

^^Try Capital City Thunder. They had some
arlington kids I recognized when my son played them so I assume they practice in that area and they have multiple teams per age group.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Cyclones

This team is the biggest scam on the planet. They held tryouts - and only their own sons and son’s friends somehow made the first cut despite there being far more qualified athletes who aren’t from rich Arlington social circles.

My kids have done AAU for years and I have never heard of them so they must be godawful. Dodged a bullet.

Something like that happened to my DS when he first stepped up to AAU ball, and we nearly gave up because of it. Fortunately, there are a lot of other teams out there and he was able to catch on with one that was more interested in taking the best players (and had much better coaching and instruction, too).

Don’t give up if one team turns you down, there’s a place for pretty much everyone. Whether some of the teams are worth the time and money is another question, your kiddo won’t learn anything positive from losing 70-5 every week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Cyclones

This team is the biggest scam on the planet. They held tryouts - and only their own sons and son’s friends somehow made the first cut despite there being far more qualified athletes who aren’t from rich Arlington social circles.

Welcome to the world of Arlington Travel (FCYBL) Basketball and UMC daddy-ball!

My son attended the open gym with his friends. Coaches were interested in my son and one of his friends, both experienced AAU players (and obviously better than many of the others). My son (already on a team) just went to open gym to hang with his friends. One coach followed us all out afterwards to encourage us to return for tryouts. Son’s AAU friends attended tryouts and didn’t make the cut including the big man. Coaches took the easy way out and just selected the current Arlington “A” team.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Family over Fame
Team Breakdown
Nova 94
Nova Cavs
Fairfax Stars
CTS Elite
CYA AAU
Willie Diggs
D1SA
LBA Team Attack
Capital City Thunder

Op here. Thank you so much. I will look up the tryout schedule.

Thank you! We’ve had a terrible experience with the Cyclones basketball tryout. Seriously unless you’re a social friend of theirs, don’t bother.

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Cyclones

This team is the biggest scam on the planet. They held tryouts - and only their own sons and son’s friends somehow made the first cut despite there being far more qualified athletes who aren’t from rich Arlington social circles.

Thanks! Good advice!

*swish method

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. Don't want to expose the team. That's what I thought but just wanted confirmation. Should we be doing anything else to develop quickly?

Your son should work with a trainer to learn to finish through contact. He should also be doing ball handling — like pounding two balls (together, alternating, “walking back and forth”) and doing full court drills (like dribble, through the legs, crossover, behind the back). I’d also have him focus on learning to shoot properly. Have him google the “swoosh method” —- basically working on shooting one handed from like one step out, then two steps, then three. Basically, he should shoot hundreds of shots one handed in the paint. Also, if he misses, two in a row, he needs to move in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. Our DS is a 15 tall/big freshman team player who we want to develop since he just "immigrated" from another sport. But, we know our time is limited so we want to do this strategically and fast. His HS JV coach invited him to his AAU team. Small team 10 kids. Do we do this, don't know much about the coach other than he'll play for his next year likely, or try other teams? We are doing a bunch of clinics/camps/personal trainer work too in the off-season. Thanks!

What team?

It could be Dogpoop Elite and if the JV coach asks an unskilled 9th grader to play, the answer is an automatic yes.

This is the correct advice

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. Our DS is a 15 tall/big freshman team player who we want to develop since he just "immigrated" from another sport. But, we know our time is limited so we want to do this strategically and fast. His HS JV coach invited him to his AAU team. Small team 10 kids. Do we do this, don't know much about the coach other than he'll play for his next year likely, or try other teams? We are doing a bunch of clinics/camps/personal trainer work too in the off-season. Thanks!

What team?

It could be Dogpoop Elite and if the JV coach asks an unskilled 9th grader to play, the answer is an automatic yes.

Honestly, this site gives the best advice.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. Don't want to expose the team. That's what I thought but just wanted confirmation. Should we be doing anything else to develop quickly?

Its a skill sport. He's not going to catch up in a few months.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello. Our DS is a 15 tall/big freshman team player who we want to develop since he just "immigrated" from another sport. But, we know our time is limited so we want to do this strategically and fast. His HS JV coach invited him to his AAU team. Small team 10 kids. Do we do this, don't know much about the coach other than he'll play for his next year likely, or try other teams? We are doing a bunch of clinics/camps/personal trainer work too in the off-season. Thanks!

What team?

It could be Dogpoop Elite and if the JV coach asks an unskilled 9th grader to play, the answer is an automatic yes.