Can someone help me understand how all of these travel teams are put together, and more importantly, do they practice? How do they practice? I see teams that are headquartered in certain parts of the State, but they have players joining them who are a 1 - 2 hr drive away. Do those teams practice? If so, do parents/players drive 1 - 2 hrs for their kids to attend a practice a few nights/days per week?

 

Having coached a few teams, I believe in practice, where "teaching" and "development" is done. Has this progressed where it is just a game to "recruit" the best players you can find, and go play in Exposure tournaments? Or, are there any AAU coaches who are teaching at the 15, 16, 17 yr old level?

 

Please help me understand the thought process behind this? I guess I understand if you have Div I or Div II athletes, who are looking to play in the EYBL or those Elite leagues....but what about the next tier player. I see teams loading up a roster with great individual players to win their State AAU tournament. Do they actually coach & teach & develop? Or, are they just trying to win a $10 trophy for their kids? I mean, I see "teams" that don't even have uniforms or players that are the same week to week.

 

Do kids join these teams for exposure? development?

Yes they practice, they may have weekend training camps where they practice 3-5 times in one weekend. It may be a lot, but it also helps with conditioning for tournaments. You may play 3-4 games in one day. Ive never been a fan of "renting" a player, but if you're renting a player then they are in the market to switch teams. I know of a kid about five years ago that actually did play for another team with his coaching okaying the move for a weekend. The kid turned an ankle, and had to miss a tournament or two. Needless to say, this has never been a problem for that coach again.

With many things going on this time of he year such as prom, graduation celebrations of relatives, ACT/SAT testing, exams, it's sometimes dufficult to get in many true practices, but that doesn't have to effect team chemistry ect.

 

As far as having a player or two join the team for a weekend or two, many teams do that to fill their roster at times, again as this time of year you may have many things going on with kids and their families. A coach doesn't "own" a player so of that players team is off a weekend the coach really doesn't have a say if their players can play for another team, it's the decision of that player and their family. Many teams will have this, and final rosters won't be in place until just before July, as players do switch teams until then.

Can someone help me understand how all of these travel teams are put together, and more importantly, do they practice? How do they practice? I see teams that are headquartered in certain parts of the State, but they have players joining them who are a 1 - 2 hr drive away. Do those teams practice? If so, do parents/players drive 1 - 2 hrs for their kids to attend a practice a few nights/days per week?

 

Having coached a few teams, I believe in practice, where "teaching" and "development" is done. Has this progressed where it is just a game to "recruit" the best players you can find, and go play in Exposure tournaments? Or, are there any AAU coaches who are teaching at the 15, 16, 17 yr old level?

 

Please help me understand the thought process behind this? I guess I understand if you have Div I or Div II athletes, who are looking to play in the EYBL or those Elite leagues....but what about the next tier player. I see teams loading up a roster with great individual players to win their State AAU tournament. Do they actually coach & teach & develop? Or, are they just trying to win a $10 trophy for their kids? I mean, I see "teams" that don't even have uniforms or players that are the same week to week.

 

Do kids join these teams for exposure? development?

 

Kids join for a lot of reasons and ultimately they learn about life the hard way. The next tier player is not a player of concern for the upper tier AAU teams. Kids find out they are next tier players and then it is up to them to put in the work to become a next tier player. There aren't that many practices for the next tier player so the next tier player better make all of the practices or the whole AAU season could end up being a colossal waste of money. The next tier player needs to have a good support base around them and hopefully they can still learn, grow and develop as a player or person regardless of their next tier status. At the end of the day the support base of that next tier player will determine their future success.

I saw Trace Young and Ben Moss playing with a team called Owensboro Magic down in Owensboro at the Next Level this past weekend. I thought they were with Hoop Dreams. It must be another borrow a player situation.