Today marks the end of the summer basketball for me. Like every year we will end the summer with the Ball Handling and Shooting Camp. It’s always shocks me when kids skip this summer ending camp. The camp is a week of working on the two most important skill sets dribbling and shooting. But like so many things we couldn’t understand this spring and summer, we just moved on and did our best.
It’s August and kids are still playing games. This is the summer that won’t end. Some teams started early, despite the corona scare. Some started later and have not stop playing since. In the end everyone is playing and playing a lot. How much you ask. Well try since April and many teams plan to do so until October. Bring back the good ole days. Except no coaches will be watching. You say they will watch video right? Well the AAU team with the most recruited players had 16 coaches watch there last tournament. You ask how can this happen? It’s simple, coaches are rarely watching. Somehow people believe coaches are watching tons of video. The fact of the matter is unless it’s a special event like a NBS CAMP. Coaches as one coach said are ”watching kids we’ve offered that’s it for now“ or as a ACC coach put it “these games are horrible and the competition is bad”. It been a different time. It been a time of Extremes. It just may catch up to everyone come the fall.
While many kids should focus on development and skill work in the fall. We may find kids, even grammar school kids playing more than ever. Getting better doesn’t appear to be the focus for too many kids right now. The reason is because kids and parents are panicking. They are worried about things they can’t control…like RECRUITING. Not helping there child get better, so when the recruiting does open back up …there child can shine. Maybe be another Georgia Heine for example. You know a kid who just worked hard and saw the big picture. But these are different times. I told one parent and player this regarding recruitment. “Nothing will change, they want to see you play live, not on tape”. But once a week there they are, asking what can they do. Here is what I told them “focus on getting better” go to camp, shoot after camp. Do what nobody else is doing. Well that is not as much fun. That takes work.
So kids and parents will continue bragging about winning championships vs bad competition. They will continue to brag about there brand name AAU team. Kids will continue to brag on social media. These things matter to some kids and parents. What they haven’t figured out is this .. It doesn’t matter to those who matter most, the decision makers and college coaches. Parents will continue to worry about next week or next year… but not the now! We are living in different times. There are going to be some kids and families who see the big picture. These are the people who just may make their dreams come true… but my fear is too many people have forgot what matters most… UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS IMPORTANT; LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT!… Because development makes dreams come true.
STARTS TODAY… 9am… sign up at the door!