ARE YOU KIDDING ME… RANT

So yesterday I ran into a senior who is hoping to play in college one day at the high school fall league. I said to her make sure you get to CORE SKILLS tomorrow. Her response “I HAVE AAU PRACTICE”  not try-outs folks, she had practice and with that response folks…It’s becomes more clear everyday why college coaches and high school coaches are feed up with what’s going on in some AAU programs…notice I didn’t say all.

Now I understand that some kids want to play AAU games in the fall. I get that playing over a 100 games between April and September is not enough. Because we all know kids need court time to get better and 100 games is not enough.  I get playing and practicing with the SAME group of girls for 6 months is not enough. Because competing against the same faces for 6 months makes you sooo much better.  But AAU PRACTICE TO GET READY FOR a meaningless fall game….yes, I said meaningless AAU GAME…. IS NUTS even for the folks living in the AAU world. I know kids love to play and playing once a week with their high school team in the fall is just not enough of a fix…but practicing with your AAU TEAM BEFORE A FALL GAME..I MEAN REALLY.  So let me get this right, just showing up and playing is not enough. The team needs to practice? After playing together for 6 months, they need to practice! oh let me guest winning fall AAU is just so important.

I had another parent say to me ” My daughter has been practicing all fall with her AAU team, you would love her coach, he does skill work” folks you can’t make this craziness  up.  Now not every high school coach is Bob Hurley and just squashes all this nonsense in the fall.  But high school coaches are now taking a stand. Maybe it’s why one of the best high school coaches in the shore recently told his team, “you miss anything with this team and its affecting your playing “. Maybe it’s why high school coaches have no choice but to start their own AAU teams now.

I had a D1 coach say this to me on Tuesday “no way is it good for girls training and playing together for 6 months”  Here is something else he said “I don’t know if I want to recruit those kind of kids”  ..REALLY, somebody has to tell a kid or parent this! Here is what a another AAU COACH said to me ” I have to practice in the fall or people will steal my kids” What a great reason for  conducting high school level AAU practices in the fall. The team will be ready to go 8 months from now, when AAU really matters. I had another D1 coach tell me a parent called and asked him if  it would hurt their daughter to stay with a certain AAU TEAM..He laughed and said “do what makes your daughter happy”…guess what? the kid still left her AAU TEAM…OUT OF FEAR…FOLKS THIS HAS TO STOP and there is only one group to blame. NOT THE CONTROLING AAU COACHES….BLAME THE PARENTS

PARENTS are so caught up in playing the political game,  they won’t EVEN stand up for there kids or in some cases don’t know any better. Why are kids not putting all there energy into improving their skill sets or working with their high school teammates and focusing only on the up coming season? Because some AAU coach wants to keep control of all his players, even if means not doing what is best for a kid…Let me give you an example. One of the best incoming freshman in the state quit her AAU TEAM recently, why? The coach did not want her training with other people. Including yours truly who happens to know her before she could walk or talk….. TALK ABOUT CONTROL, but this young lady’s parents are very  confident in their child’s ability, they know they don’t need anyone controlling when and who their daughter trains and plays with…their smart enough to know it takes a family of coaches to develop a player ..so they said see YA.

The mother of this SENIOR last night said I want her to play AAU TO BE SEEN…I said coaches are not interested in AAU games after Spooky Nook, focus on getting her ready for the high school season. I said get her in the gym training with the best coaches and players. I told her for example get to NBS AND CORE SKILLS,  because she will train with top competition and she build confidence and more importantly prepare for her season. I told her to focus on the high school season because that is where  her ticket is right now.

It’s shocking to me how some don’t understand the key to getting recruited comes down to one thing…GETTING BETTER. I am very confident I can get most college coaches to do me a favor and go watch a player play…but nobody is getting recruited because somebody has a so called connections.  You must be good enough and develop name recognition.  I have parents and coaches all the time telling me how good a player is and the first thing I say is “I want to see their skill sets and can they adjust on the fly”…REAL NEXT LEVEL STUFF.

 Crouch was politic free…

I have no better example than Kelly Crouch of SJV, her parents said Damm to politics and focused on their daughter getting better every year. They were not interesting in buddying up to coaches or people who have so called connections…they knew the real power and control came with development. The great scout and maybe the most respected high school evaluator of all time TOM KONCHOSKI once said until you see a player in a high school setting… you really don’t know what your getting. This is why I NEVER take anyone’s word on a kid until I SEE THEM MYSELF.

Parents I can tell you this, if you don’t stand up for your kids.. NOBODY WILL. If everything you do is motivated though politics and just to benefit your child, don’t be surprise if it doesn’t work out in the end. I say do the right thing… DAMM THE POLITICS. You will find  if your child  can get out of their comfort zone, survive and grow they will benefit greatly. Because when that child GETS BETTER and learns to do the right thing ..YOU WILL FIND YOU HAVE ALL THE POWER AND THAT CHILD WILL CONTROL THEIR OWN FUTURE….NOT ANYONE ELSE!

BUY THE WAY IF YOU DON’T HAVE AAU PRACTICE TONIGHT…CORE SKILLS IS 6PM….