"The flaws of the A.A.U. system are adult-driven."

This is 100% true. I've said it before but there are a lot of really good coaches and programs out there in the AAU landscape. But there's also the other side. Too many coaches and parents are more worried about collecting hardware than they are producing basketball players. And there is nothing wrong with winning trophies as long as you are doing it the right way. At least in the DC area there are a million AAU organizations. Typically they don't have much shelf life but there are some enduring organizations that produce a ton of talent. Even then the rosters change so often you don't know what team you are going to be going up against from season to season. My son's team is an aberration with 8 kids playing their fourth season together and one his third.

My son is going to one of the Hoop Group camps in late July, early August. I'll have to let him know to keep his head on a swivel and watch for the ball flying at his head.

Looks like team camp is overnight.

http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/04071...

AAU doesn't have leagues around us, just tournaments. Most teams that call themselves AAU teams are just travel teams that play AAU events. They also play USBA, YBOA, NTBA or other similar organizations tournaments. There are also a number of leagues that these teams play in and I think that's what you are talking about. Some of the teams involved are glorified rec teams that have outstepped their bounds and it turns out to be bad for everybody.

My son's team has had games where the second half the coach has told them they could only shoot layups with their offhand and only after everyone on the court had a touch. Those games are hard to watch. I'll be honest as a parent I would prefer to be on the receiving end of those games than the team that is winning. At least those kids can get something out of it if their spirit isn't crushed. But particularly at the younger ages there are very few close games one way or the other.

I agree with your point about tuning it down a notch to a point. Pressing while up 30 is ridiculous but it's also the only way some of these teams know how to play. Our coach used to go overboard the other way and I thought it was worse. He would tell the kids "No shots" once we got up 30 and the last ten minutes of the game would end up being keep away. That was way worse IMO. I'd much prefer to just turn off the press but still play basketball.

By the way, we were on the receiving end of one of those beat-downs last weekend. My son's team played in a big national tournament (70 6th grade teams) and played the Toledo Wildcats. They had 5 kids 6' or taller and one kid 5'10". Our starting center (5'8") strained his hip the night before and didn't play but it wouldn't have mattered. They had this kid, Emani Bates, who is being called one of the best 6th graders in the country. He's a 6'4" SF and hit three or four threes including one from 27'. They could have named the score. Never mind that Bates is just over three months too old to be playing 7th grade much less 6th grade. Most of the teams in the tournament were the right age but there were about 10 that we stacked with age exceptions. But we played hard and got the score down to 50-31 with just over a minute to go when Toledo's coach put their starting 5 back in and turned the press on full bore against our bench. They were playing by the rules of this particular tournament with the ages so while I didn't respect what they were doing I was okay with it. But after they turned the press back on I was hoping they would get knocked out and they did in the quarterfinals against one of the other teams that fielded older kids.

My son, still a little naïve to the big world around him, made several 3-point shots yesterday, then stated he has to be one of the best 9-year-old basketball players in Ohio.

Yeah, and he's telling our neighbor that he has to pay for the fence we're going to put up where our yard borders his yard.

That somebody is clocking six graders shows how out of control the whole thing is,IMO.

I'm both amused and disappointed.

+1

Some of these synonyms, courtesy of the Oxford Dictionary, are appropriate as well: alarm, unnerve, unsettle, throw off balance, discompose, disturb, upset, distress, rattle and faze.

I think "alarm" and "distress" fit my reaction most closely.

Wow, that's quite the collection of names. As sleazy as the AAU scene can be you get to see (and go against) some serious talent. It's been a very rewarding and beneficial experience for my son. I'm sure it's not a positive experience for everyone though.

http://www.bobcatattack.com/messageboard/topic.asp?FromPa...

We just made an offer to a kid from the class of 2019. This underscores the fact that colleges are looking at kids very early on.

I wouldn't say that Damon Bailey didn't pan out. He just didn't hit the heights that a lot of people were predicting. But he did get time in the NBA. I think you are probably correct about the kids that didn't pan out though. I'm sure there are some that would have been on the top 50 lists that didn't even play D1 or college at all. But I'm guessing they are the exception. But the fact that borna remembers these kids from Nationals should tell you something.

I just threw out the names of the guys who were garnering attention at Va Beach in 6th grade and Memphis in 7th. By 8th grade the Final Four teams had Mayo, Walker, Love, Singler, Brandon Jennings, Jeff Teague along with Tommy and a those guys on FF teams with no names. They had already gone through the Hurleys as well as John Stockton, Micheal Jordan and Horace Grants kids and nephews to get there. By 8th grade the lists of Top 100 were pretty well set and the top 1000 for that class were fairly well scrutinized. Guys like Jujuan Johnson and Gary McGhee were latecomers who were the exception rather than the rule. Like i said.... there were not a lot of those that flamed out or moved way up or way down on those lists.

My point in responding was that those kids were garnering attention in 6th grade...to the point that we were aware of them and watching. There were not a lot of them that fell out in that 100 or so we were aware of....Lil Romeo went on to a singing career and some of that class like Johnny Flynn, Koufos, Lauderdale ended up with pretty good college careers while some like the Plumlees reclassified. THere were many like Devaughn Washington and his Va Beach running buddy along with the Jimmer Fredettes were not yet sought out or on the radar that went on to pretty solid careers in college and/or overseas.

It is very interesting to go through and follow closely. Van is in the middle of it now. Watching Paul Baron's son go through it after watching his 2 nephews and also watching KJ Rhodes coming up and having success is extremely interesting. Gives me a bit of perspective that is fascinating.