Today I will pass on a little advice to parents and players as the 2020 season comes to a close. I would first like you to know that playing basketball is nothing more than a coffee break. It’s something that is discussed around the water cooler and coffee machine. In the big picture, it plays a very small role IN MOST FOLKS LIVES. I want every senior to know the memories they made either good or bad are theirs to keep. What you do with them is your choice. To the returning players I want you to know your dreams are alive and well. You will be given lots of advice over the next few months. Some good and some not. It will be your job to figure it out. To the 8th graders moving to high school your journey has just begun. Today I will try to pass along a little advice and experience… Do what you please with it.
Seniors, many of you have played or soon will play your last game of organization basketball. I hope your experience was a good one. I hope you learned enough life lessons to pass along to your children. I hope your good memories live forever. I HOPE if you had a bad or unfair experience, you do not pass it along to others? I hope you will use it as a teaching moment down the road. To the seniors moving on to play in college, I have one bit of advice…BE READY. I can promise you that college is much more demanding and competitive regardless of the level. I can tell you also, it’s much more time consuming. If you don’t love basketball you are in for a difficult time. I will tell you the #1 reason kids fail in college is due to lack of preparation in year one. If you take a few weeks off that’s good. But if you pick and choose when to work. You will find disappointment waiting for you at the next level. You will be wise to work hard and not let your ego get in the way. I urge you to do all the things that allowed you the opportunity to play in college along the way… you be wise NOT TAKE SHORTCUTS IN THE SPRING. You will most certainly regret it come your freshman year.
To the rising seniors, if you have not received a offer from a college. Do not panic, there is plenty of time. But the truth be told, there is pressure on you. How you handle that pressure may decide your faith. There is only one thing to do if you are in this spot…GET BETTER. There are many reasons why you may have yet to been discovered. First you may have a weakness in your game and nobody has been honest enough to tell you about. You may be in the wrong AAU environment or you lack name recognition. Whatever the reason is, here is my advice. Get in the gym against the best competition you can find. Work on you personal development as a player. Then spend as much time on college campuses as you can. Your road to your dreams has just started. You must be good enough before your dreams can come though.. politics and who you know will not pave the way for you. Your future success will come down to your God-given ability and work ethic.
To those rising seniors(current juniors) who have offers on the table. My first bit of advice to you is shut up. Do not tweet or use social media to discuss your recruiting. Keep your recruiting between you and your family. It may make you feel good to brag and broadcast your success in public, but it also opens the door to haters to sabotage all you have worked for..IT WILL NOT BRING MORE COACHES TO THE TABLE by you bragging. Do not allow your AAU coaches and organizations to speak for you. I urge to visit colleges as often as you can within reason. I urge to speak to everyday students and ex players. I urge you to learn what others feel about the head coach. Do they have a track record of honesty and caring for ALL PLAYERS? Please remember when you leave college, You do not take the buildings and nice facilities with you…all you take is your memories and a degree…THEY BETTER BE GOOD ONES.
To the rising juniors and underclassmen, I have the most advice for you. First you will be given tons of advice as to what to do over the next few months. Many will offer their guidance and support. This will include your AAU COACH, TRAINER, FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS. This I say to you…be very careful. While in most cases people mean well, often their advice is misguided. Where you play AAU and train is a decision you must make. When making this decision you must know the end game. Do you want to brag about playing on a certain team? Don’t be afraid to admit this. What is more important winning or getting better? What is more important exposure or a good experience. I am here to tell you, you cannot have it all. You must decide what matters most to you. The AAU folks will try to control where you play and where you train. You better be prepared and confident enough to do what is best for you, regardless of what they say. This spring and summer is the measuring stick for most rising juniors. You’re either on or off the map come August. I strongly urge you to due what is best for you….GOOD LUCK YOU WILL NEED IT
FINALLY to the 2024 class. I have some strong advice for you. Get in the gym as often as you can. YOUR CLASS IS BEING CHALLENGED… there is no more honest way to say it. No advice is better than what I just told you. I urge you to train as often as possible. I urge you to play less games and develop your skill sets. I urge you to shoot 7 days a week and know that the recruiting process has sped up. We are now in a time, where colleges often do not have scholarships available for senior classes anymore. Those in the 2024 class, you need to understand developing name recognition and improvement are the most important thing you can FOCUS on these days. Do not be part of a AAU team where winning is more important than showcasing you. Do not be part of anyone telling you where and when to train. Know AAU and training get more expensive everyday. So choose wisely. I hope know understand your high school career starts in 3 months…DON’T MISS A CHANCE TO GAIN AN EDGE…..
