Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the public schools around here are big enough to have decent teams. I honestly can't think of any terrible ones.

Falls Church HS?

Justice?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the public schools around here are big enough to have decent teams. I honestly can't think of any terrible ones.

Falls Church HS?

The upside is it is much easier to make the teams.

Anonymous wrote:Most of the public schools around here are big enough to have decent teams. I honestly can't think of any terrible ones.

Falls Church HS?

Most of the public schools around here are big enough to have decent teams. I honestly can't think of any terrible ones.

Anonymous wrote:I'm the parent of a 6th grader similarly zoned for a NoVA HS with a terrible basketball program. My son does play on a higher tier AAU team that plays in national tournaments but he's one of the smaller players so unlikely to be noticed or recruited by private school coaches despite his high skill level.

Parents of his teammates are already planning and scheming but they don't share info.

If he's in sixth grade, there's a chance that the program could improve by the time he gets to HS. What school is it?

I'm the parent of a 6th grader similarly zoned for a NoVA HS with a terrible basketball program. My son does play on a higher tier AAU team that plays in national tournaments but he's one of the smaller players so unlikely to be noticed or recruited by private school coaches despite his high skill level.

Parents of his teammates are already planning and scheming but they don't share info.

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this discussion. Parent of 8th grader here who is clueless about HS basketball for next year. We are zoned for a not-so-competitive public high school for next year. If no private HS coaches have contacted our 8th grader to date, is it too late to go private? Should we even bother trying to reach out ourselves at this point?

Too late for you but for others - this post and parent consideration/planning would have been more ideal a year prior - the DS was in 7th grade (or even earlier) - that when you need to start getting your ducks in a row and have a plan/path forward. At this point her DS is essentially 6 months from starting HS and the path is already set.

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this discussion. Parent of 8th grader here who is clueless about HS basketball for next year. We are zoned for a not-so-competitive public high school for next year. If no private HS coaches have contacted our 8th grader to date, is it too late to go private? Should we even bother trying to reach out ourselves at this point?

I’d reach out. DS met the varsity coach on his (highly competitive) HS in February of his 8th grade year. He was invited to a practice. That went well and he was invited to work out with them through the spring then play summer league. The school typically recruited players and DS wasn’t on coaches’ radar, so without having met the coach and gotten to work out with the team, I doubt he would have made the team since tryouts were pretty much a formality.

I am not really sure exactly what your end game is? If it is to make a basketball team at a private high school? Reach out to the coach or assistant or talk them if you ever see them at another school function. Generally coaches are very nice. If your kid has never played aau or playing on a high level team they need to dedicate this next year to basketball in the hopes of making the team. This can be accomplished by playing a ton to include at many overnight camps, private trainings and getting on an aau team. Also, you have to be truly honest with yourself how athletic your child is? If he comes out and dunks or doesn’t miss a shot in tryouts he will guaranteed get a hard look. Unfortunately, freshman year is when many kid’s dreams of playing come to end. Your child can always be the manager for the basketball team but parents and kids usually don’t want to that after they get cut.

It’s too late

Bumping this discussion. Parent of 8th grader here who is clueless about HS basketball for next year. We are zoned for a not-so-competitive public high school for next year. If no private HS coaches have contacted our 8th grader to date, is it too late to go private? Should we even bother trying to reach out ourselves at this point?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is currently playing on a travel team (8th grade) but I’m dreading him continuing on in high school. He attends a highly academically competitive high school. The practices and tournaments suck up a lot of time. Do boys have to play AAU all through high school to stay on their teams?

Depends on the school. If said school is Sidwell, which boasts two active NBA players, then yes. At some others, maybe not. But even at private schools, the only guys not playing travel basketball are typically very good multi-sport athletes.

Not if they’re good enough without playing all year. DS does multiple sports and therefore cannot dedicatee a full off-season to AAU. Did do some
AAU when it worked w other sport schedule. The problem here, obviously, is that when your kid is not playing, others are playing and are getting better. As far as balancing w academics, I think it is a good way to instill time management, as long as they are not overwhelmed.

Private schools recruit kids from top AAU teams starting in middle school. Not sure how many current private students "stay on their teams" as their coaches are networking with AAU team coaches to discover their new recruits.

-- parent of a middle school student on a tier 1 team

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is currently playing on a travel team (8th grade) but I’m dreading him continuing on in high school. He attends a highly academically competitive high school. The practices and tournaments suck up a lot of time. Do boys have to play AAU all through high school to stay on their teams?

Depends on the school. If said school is Sidwell, which boasts two active NBA players, then yes. At some others, maybe not. But even at private schools, the only guys not playing travel basketball are typically very good multi-sport athletes.

I would think that would depend on the school. Landon, Bullis, St. Johns, yes. Maybe less true at Maret, GDS, STA.

Anonymous wrote:My son is currently playing on a travel team (8th grade) but I’m dreading him continuing on in high school. He attends a highly academically competitive high school. The practices and tournaments suck up a lot of time. Do boys have to play AAU all through high school to stay on their teams?

Depends on the school. If said school is Sidwell, which boasts two active NBA players, then yes. At some others, maybe not. But even at private schools, the only guys not playing travel basketball are typically very good multi-sport athletes.