AAU is killing quality of Baskettball
No this isn't another dig at the underbelly of AAU agents and handlers, something already spotlighted by Gary Williams and covered multiple times by the Washington Post, ESPN, etc.
This post is about the actual quality of players produced by the AAU system. After sitting through countless AAU games and local high school summer league games, it is more apparent than ever to me and those whose opinion I respect that the predominant style of play in AAU games (run-n-gun, open court, helter skelter, one-on-one moves, very little team play) has created a generation of kids who are skilled individual players but poor team players. Becase everyone thinks they are the next Michael, Kobe, Lebron, etc. they want to dominate the ball, and make a move every time they get the ball, and even though they can get away with it on AAU teams, once they return to their high school teams it doesn't work because their high school coaches realize that there is only one ball and it needs to be shared. Not to mention the fact that when the run-n-gun style of summer goes away and is replaced by the slower paced games of high school, possession becomes more important and the ragged play encouraged in AAU simply doesn't work as well in real league games against good completiton that is acutally trying on defense.
So my point is that AAU has helped kids' one-on-one skills, but hurt team play. And I would argue that even though the individual one-on-one skills of players has progressed to a higher level in todays game (thanks in large part to cross-overs and stop-and-go moves that were illegal back in the day, and really still are if refs actually called palming the basketball), the truth is that the game itself has suffered because of the one-on-one style of all the players.
Pass first point guards? Very rare. Everyone wants to drive to the basket, or shoot the 3, and if it works on their AAU team it only reinforces bad habits. My kid plays in the WCAC, so I watch some high level summer games. And I am simply sick of seeing me-first players forcing shots after penetrating into the lane. Show some respect for the posession of the basketball. Just because you get into the lane doesn't mean you need to force up a shot. Play as a team and share the baskeball.
Signed,
Old School Basketball Guy
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Teams dependent on one-on-way play rarely win anything important on the summer league circuit. The best summer league teams share the ball and run offense. TTO's success is just one example.
I believe the most important thing a summer league coach needs to do is explain to kids what college recruiters want to see. Few, if any, are looking for someone who routinely goes 1-on-4. But everyone takes note of the kid who routinely makes a pass that leads to a bucket (Kendall Marshall).
Summer league isn't killing the game. Ignorance of good basketball kills the game. And those who don't know are ruining their chances and maybe the chances of others of getting to the next level.
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It depends on the AAU program, Old School. And it depends on the kid.
Team play with a set system takes time to implement and for many age-group teams in AAU, time isn't what they have a lot of.
Lots of teams through different developmental levels. Lots of players. But not a lot of time.
Let's say you had an AAU program. You mean to teach the kids well. What system will you install? Offensively and defensively? Look at what JT3 or Tony Bennett do at G'town or UVa, respectively with the Princeton Offense or the Blocker-Mover.
How long would it take you to install those systems for an AAU program? You don't have the luxury of being a HS coach where you know what kids you've got in frosh, JV and varsity. The AD and varsity coach hire JV and frosh coaches and tell them what they'll be teaching so that the kids all are trained the same way, step-by-step up through the system. So by the time they get to varsity? They know all the drills you run. The basic principles and sets. The basic variations.
It's a lot more difficult than just saying that AAU basketball is bad. A lot more complicated. Also, the other team's got players and a coach, too. Give them credit. It's not a lay-up drill out there, necessarily.
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Agree even though I am far from a basketball expert. I believe all youth sports are suffering. Perhaps not for the same reasons as basketball but football, and baseball are both not what they used to be. As popular as track and field is for youth in this area I believe it is next to suffer because of track meets lasting until 9 and 10pm. All the benefits of youth sports are suffering. It's all about "the next level" when in fact only a small number will ever play at "the next level". Youth sports should be about "this level" and "now".
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Id like to throw out the following thought and appreciate any and all feedback: It isnt the AAU, its the AAU coaches that are killing the quality of basketball, if, in fact, AAU hoops is hurting overall talent. I watch a number of AAU games a year in NYC and DC and am entertained but not overly impressed. The kids do seem more interested in putting up points than making stops. But, in my mind, the AAU provides an opportunity for DI quality kids to play with and against opponents who are on par with them and against the same type of player. The problem is, many qualified HS coaches, due to league restrictions etc... cannot coach said kids, so they are getting subpar coaching. This leads to a myriad of problems. The two that stand out most are: 1. The kids are getting crap coaching for a period of time sometimes longer than their actiual HS season with decent coaches and 2. The power of the AAU coach is becoming far more important than that of the HS coach because they have more unfettered access to their player as well as to the college coaches. I always disliked the WCAC policy reagarding coaches interactions with players in the offseason in terms of club/AAU coaching, but I thought it made sense. Now I disagree. Let them coach their kids all year. It will eliminate the shady AAU coach getting the job at Memphis just to get one of his top players to go there and it will ensure that the players get at least decent coaching year round.
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Love the post Feartheturgeon. You know the game and have been blessed with a basketball mind. You would probably enjoy the international game alot more than the american game. There are still some great players out there though who have a high IQ, their rare, but there's still some out there. If you can remember this, check out a guy by the name of Kwamain Mitchell of St. Louis University, plays for Rick Majerus, try and see them play this upcoming season. Easily the best point guard in the nation this past season. Fans wouldn't notice a guy like him, only a purist can truly appreciate his intelligence which can be a beauty sometimes. DCjon u have the right idea as well. Outstanding to the both of you's.
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Sorry to ramble on here, but following up to my original post I have a few other things to say:
If I was going to comment on AAU coaches it wouldn't be in regards to the influence they seem to have on recruiting --- my thoughts are more about the actual quality of the game itself, and in this case the strategy of the coaches. My observation is that most of the coaches see themselves as the 2nd coming of John Thompson (the original, not JT3), and his 1980s/90s style of full court pressure with the goal of forcing turnovers in the backcourt and getting easy layups. The AAU coaches see it as the best style to WIN TODAY'S GAME, without realizing that it is not helping the kids improve in a way that will help them win the games that really matter in the real season. So if one team's guards are much quicker than the other team's guards, the result is a ragged game that gets out of hand quickly as the press produces easy points. This may work in AAU games, but there is only one BIG PROBLEM with this........ it doesn't work anymore in REAL BASKETBALL. Ask yourself how many college teams (or even high level high school teams) successfully use a full court press? They don't. Why? Well, good teams have learned how to beat the press and get easy layups on the other end. When JT started playing that way it caught teams off guard, but after a few generation of kids have grown up learning how to beat the press, it doesn't work when coaches prepare their kids to face it. Thats why for example Gary Williams had to stop using the press at Maryland. The risk/reward just isn't worth it. But in the summer, when teams are playing a ragged, undisciplined run-n-gun style that I like to call "scramble basketball", the press can actually work because there isn't a disciplined approach to facing it. So in my opinion the result is actually HURTING the development of the kids in the game. The team with slow guards has such a hard time getting past half court that they lose big and never really get into the flow of the game. The team successfully pressing gets a false sense of how good they are because the spend all game making 3-on-1 layups and dunks, which only feeds their bad habit of always trying to get to the rim. Then when the game gets out of hand they start throwing up crazy 3s because the game is over anyway. In the end, neither team really got to work on playing together in a half court set, the losing team got run out of the gym, and the winning team hasn't worked on what they need to be better once the real games start. Welcome to AAU basketball.
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Parents are a huge problem in the AAU circles, even at the lower levels! Every parent thinks their son is "the next, up & coming" superstar. I've a number of year's coaching high school level boys....now I'm coaching a 10U level AAU team and the parents are nuts. As a coach, you make an effort to really teach kids "how to play" and you get a parent or two who is so consumed with "his" kid being the star or attempting to tell the coach "how to coach." And, every parent seems to expect every child to get equal playing time like rec ball or boys club ball. They don't understand the kids have a role on AAU-level teams.
If the parents would understand that the lower levels of AAU basketball are about teaching kids to execute the fundamentals of the game and learning how to play. I teach my group how to move the ball and move without it until the defense shifts or a defender puts himself in a vulnerable position to attack him or gaps in the defense. Parents and/or 'wannabe coaching dads' complain that the kids are 'passing the ball too much' or 'being made to think too much!' Some of the most ridiculous comments I've ever heard as a player or coach (LMAO)! Some parents just want to see the kids run & gun instead of learning how to value possessions and make good basketball plays.
A 10U team that I coach recently had a very good chance to win a big, national tournament. We undefeated in pool play (4-0) and won our first bracket-play game (5-0). The father of my point guard was unhappy because he felt like I wasn't allowing his son to 'look at the rim' our offense. The kid was playing very well making all the right plays, whether it was dropping passes off to open teammates or driving for good shot attempts! The dad obviously told his son to shoot the ball more in our next playoff game. We lost the game, but the dad was happy....even though his son was taking terrible shots (that didn't go in). We lost the game and the dad was happy because he felt like his son was being more aggressive offensively.....BUT, AGAIN, WE LOST BUT THE DAD WAS HAPPY! These are the types of scenarios in which kids get ruined and AAU gets a worse rap than it deserves.
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