You are comparing apples to oranges my friend... EYBL=SEC/ACC, UA=Conference USA, Adidas=WACC/Patriot League

 

You, sir, do the Travelers organization no favors. All of your chest thumping is done to accomplish what exactly?

 

We all already have our own opinions on the quality of the leagues and of the teams within our state. You making a statement such as this isn't going to change anyone's mind on the matter. What it will do is breed resentment towards the very organization you are trying to build up. Again, you are doing them no favors.

Ironic to see the Travelers PR firm relying on the reality of the situation I posted when they made the move to KY. There simply isn't enough talent in the state to compete consistently at the EYBL level. The program is capped at competing for one of the last Peach Jam spots in "up" years as built.

 

Still great exposure for the kids that get to play on that stage, but the talent level is what it is...

Ironic to see the Travelers PR firm relying on the reality of the situation I posted when they made the move to KY. There simply isn't enough talent in the state to compete consistently at the EYBL level. The program is capped at competing for one of the last Peach Jam spots in "up" years as built.

 

Still great exposure for the kids that get to play on that stage, but the talent level is what it is...

 

I don't find this to be true at all. If the Travelers had the pick of any kids in the state every year they'd make peach jam every year. They don't have either of the arguably best two players in the state, Quentin Goodin or Eli Wright, and they have still won 4 games. You don't think they find a way to win 4 more with those two?

 

The problem isn't a lack of talent, the problem is a bad ratio of high level AAU teams with not enough talent to fill them all. Kentucky on average produces about 10-15 D1 kids a year, yet we have three shoe sponsored teams currently. If Hoop Dreams or the Louisville Magic or whoever had the best players in Kentucky on a team they'd be a threat nationally as an AAU program every year.

I don't find this to be true at all. If the Travelers had the pick of any kids in the state every year they'd make peach jam every year. They don't have either of the arguably best two players in the state, Quentin Goodin or Eli Wright, and they have still won 4 games. You don't think they find a way to win 4 more with those two?

 

The problem isn't a lack of talent, the problem is a bad ratio of high level AAU teams with not enough talent to fill them all. Kentucky on average produces about 10-15 D1 kids a year, yet we have three shoe sponsored teams currently. If Hoop Dreams or the Louisville Magic or whoever had the best players in Kentucky on a team they'd be a threat nationally as an AAU program every year.

 

The reality is that this is the case with every state. I have moved down to North Carolina and there are 7 shoe company teams. Granted that is a talent rich state when it comes to basketball, but the situation is the same. All of the teams are getting watered down with the addition of the Under Armour circuit and Adidas adding a million teams to their circuit.

I don't find this to be true at all. If the Travelers had the pick of any kids in the state every year they'd make peach jam every year. They don't have either of the arguably best two players in the state, Quentin Goodin or Eli Wright, and they have still won 4 games. You don't think they find a way to win 4 more with those two?

 

The problem isn't a lack of talent, the problem is a bad ratio of high level AAU teams with not enough talent to fill them all. Kentucky on average produces about 10-15 D1 kids a year, yet we have three shoe sponsored teams currently. If Hoop Dreams or the Louisville Magic or whoever had the best players in Kentucky on a team they'd be a threat nationally as an AAU program every year.

 

Just to correct myself the Travelers have won 3 games not 4

The reality is that this is the case with every state. I have moved down to North Carolina and there are 7 shoe company teams. Granted that is a talent rich state when it comes to basketball, but the situation is the same. All of the teams are getting watered down with the addition of the Under Armour circuit and Adidas adding a million teams to their circuit.

 

There are 5 Adidas teams in North Carolina alone.

 

What Adidas did this year was give small deals to a lot of programs to see who they wanted to invest in for a longer term. There are something like 65 programs in the Adidas Gauntlet this year. Next year they will be scaling back to 30-40 and the model will be similar to the EYBL with more Gauntlet events.

I don't find this to be true at all. If the Travelers had the pick of any kids in the state every year they'd make peach jam every year. They don't have either of the arguably best two players in the state, Quentin Goodin or Eli Wright, and they have still won 4 games. You don't think they find a way to win 4 more with those two?

 

The problem isn't a lack of talent, the problem is a bad ratio of high level AAU teams with not enough talent to fill them all. Kentucky on average produces about 10-15 D1 kids a year, yet we have three shoe sponsored teams currently. If Hoop Dreams or the Louisville Magic or whoever had the best players in Kentucky on a team they'd be a threat nationally as an AAU program every year.

 

10-15 D1 kids a year is a lack of talent in the state...

10-15 D1 kids a year is a lack of talent in the state...

 

10-15 D1 kids is enough talent to compete in the EYBL. You said Kentucky doesn't produce enough talent to do just that. This is what I was refrencing "There simply isn't enough talent in the state to compete consistently at the EYBL level"

 

Unless you're suggesting the Travelers need to field a 20 man team?

10-15 D1 kids is enough talent to compete in the EYBL. You said Kentucky doesn't produce enough talent to do just that. This is what I was refrencing "There simply isn't enough talent in the state to compete consistently at the EYBL level"

 

Unless you're suggesting the Travelers need to field a 20 man team?

You can't realistically expect every d1 kid to land on the same AAU team. It simply isn't going to happen.

 

I'm saying there isn't enough talent in the state to field a team that does any better than what we have already seen from the program. Decent squad that in up years will get one of the last spots at Peach Jam. Reality is this is the weakest EYBL I have seen top to bottom since it started and they only have 4 wins...

10-15 D1 kids is enough talent to compete in the EYBL. You said Kentucky doesn't produce enough talent to do just that. This is what I was refrencing "There simply isn't enough talent in the state to compete consistently at the EYBL level"

 

Unless you're suggesting the Travelers need to field a 20 man team?

 

And ask yourself this. Of those 10-15 a year, how many are even mid plus prospects? 3-5 at most? Even if you did have them all on the same team, that isn't enough to make any real noise in the EYBL...

10-15 D1 kids a year is a lack of talent in the state...

 

There is plenty of talent. The kids are just spread out across multiple teams. In the 2017 class, multiple top kids play out of state.

You can't realistically expect every d1 kid to land on the same AAU team. It simply isn't going to happen.

 

I'm saying there isn't enough talent in the state to field a team that does any better than what we have already seen from the program. Decent squad that in up years will get one of the last spots at Peach Jam. Reality is this is the weakest EYBL I have seen top to bottom since it started and they only have 4 wins...

 

So what you're saying is the state does have enough talent to compete consistently at the EYBL level?

 

This is also the first year they lost two players right before the season, if you think they wouldn't have more wins with Quentin Goodin and Tray Hollowell you're crazy

There are 5 Adidas teams in North Carolina alone.

 

What Adidas did this year was give small deals to a lot of programs to see who they wanted to invest in for a longer term. There are something like 65 programs in the Adidas Gauntlet this year. Next year they will be scaling back to 30-40 and the model will be similar to the EYBL with more Gauntlet events.

 

5?

 

Garner Road, Wall, and Loaded. Who am I missing?

 

But that makes sense what Adidas was doing. I am not as familiar with Adidas and wondered if that was going to be their strategy to compete with the other circuits.

There is plenty of talent. The kids are just spread out across multiple teams. In the 2017 class, multiple top kids play out of state.

 

I know big time AAU ball is mostly new to KY, but that's just how it works. How many elite teams from Indiana? Virginia? North Carolina? Louisiana? Florida?

 

One team isn't going to have the top 10 players in the state. Simply not how it works...

And ask yourself this. Of those 10-15 a year, how many are even mid plus prospects? 3-5 at most? Even if you did have them all on the same team, that isn't enough to make any real noise in the EYBL...

 

So they weren't one win away last season from making it out of pool play at peach jam? After losing Ray Spalding and Christian Thieneman? Plus they didn't have several of Kentucky's best 2015 kids.

 

What about two seasons ago when they made some noise at Peach Jam? That was without Shane Hall, Jordan Green, Trey Grundy, Quentin Snider or D'Angelo Russell?

 

Point is there is plenty of talent every year in the state to compete at the EYBL level, that's true this year and it'll be true for the 2017 and 2018 classes.