5th Grade Girls AAU Basketball in NKY?

[Good Time Charlie]

To Magicfan:

A direct quote from Leonard Hamilton, the current head coach for the Florida State Seminoles who is one of the winningest coaches in ACC history and noted defensive guru.

"The best man defense looks like a zone and the best zone defense looks like a man."

This is where my comment comes from. Not saying that a coach cannot figure it out, but that if you are playing either defense properly, no player should be just standing in the middle.

You are also making assumptions that the teams that are pressing and running gimmick defenses are not looking to advance their skill set. If they have a good coach then they are also learning a well rounded game in practice and can continue to develop along with everyone else and stay ahead of the game. I have seen coaches come out in games with a trap and pressing zone to take a lead and then go man 2 man with the game in hand.

And I am telling you that teams may have to play zones because they do not have the agility and speed to guard man 2 man yet. A team with a quick guard and a big who knows how to move can get layups all day on a slower non agile team.

I am not going to argue that you do not teach man 2 man and I don't know what team wronged you in the past, but AAU is AAU. If you are playing it at a high level, you play to win. There are leagues that have rules that force you to play man 2 man along with a whole list of other restrictions to control the game. Again and to be clear, I have never said that you do not continue to teach man 2 man principles. I feel like these skills are essential for every player to learn.

[RCC9]

When someone in AAU tells me a team under 6th grade tells me "they can't play MTM", I always add "you mean in order to win every game". They can get lay MTM, but they may eventually lose a game or two because of it. Again, under the 6th grade, that tells me that team is more focused on winning rather than development.

 

I would ask, if they don't learn to do it then, when are they gonna learn?? Because they will continue to be behind the others that already have!!

 

Coached an AAU team from 3-8 grade and I can't remember ever playing a zone other than an occasional zone press, if we were up big or until we got to the 8th grade. If you teach help and recovery, just about any team can man.

[Trainhard]

Sounds like your aau team didn't get far away from northern ky because in super competitive aau with the athletic ability of the players these days you must be able to try to help defense and run transition ... Watch the EYBL peach jam championship today and it was 90% trap help transition... You want to play with the big dogs you have to beat them at their own game period ..

[Trainhard]

I simply know too many players that have not had a good experience with Warriors (harsh) coaching style.

 

I've watched Royal at that age level and while they have been successful on the scoreboard, the focus seems to be on winning by applying unorthodox defenses that create constant fast breaks and run up the score. I'm interested in having my daughter continue to develop fundamentals. Winning will come with development.

 

Winning in an unorthodox manner and having a program that trains and teaches skills and fundamentals during the week allows these kids to go out and find themselves as a player on the weekends as they are running up the score and finishing respectively fifth and seventh in the country ... High school coaches just love these kind of players period as they have a motor that NEVER stops .

[RCC9]

Sounds like your aau team didn't get far away from northern ky because in super competitive aau with the athletic ability of the players these days you must be able to try to help defense and run transition ... Watch the EYBL peach jam championship today and it was 90% trap help transition... You want to play with the big dogs you have to beat them at their own game period ..

 

AGAIN...I didn't care about winning as much as you do. Especially in the 5th grade!!! I cared about developing local kids and hanging on to them as a group. Not going out and relacing them with the next best thing that came along. I've been to nationals plenty of times. I know what it's about. But all my kids now are having very successful high school careers. So I feel like I did my job.

 

You do realize that way less than 1% of basketball players actually play D1 basketball right?

[TheColonel]

FAR more weight has been put on the mention of "unorthodox defense" than intended. My point is this - I've seen the Royals 5th grade team keep a press on when the score was 21-2. It was clear the opponent was not equipped to handle the pressure yet they kept applying pressure resulting in fast break layups. I see many girls play through middle school with that same style and eventually their opponents mature and can now handle pressure that made up 80% of their offense. To each his own, but I don't want my daughter to be in that situation 4 years from now.

 

RCC9 could coach my daughter anytime! Not sure if your daughter goes to Highlands or NCC but both play great basketball. I wonder how those girls that beat her team back in 5th grade are doing:)

 

My main concern as a father of a 5th grader is not getting my daughter a D1 scholarship (not to say that she couldn't someday). My concern is having her love the game, learn the game and continue to develop the skills that puts her in position to be successful in HS and possibly beyond. I can teach her how to hit fast break layups in my driveway. :banana:

[RCC9]

FAR more weight has been put on the mention of "unorthodox defense" than intended. My point is this - I've seen the Royals 5th grade team keep a press on when the score was 21-2. It was clear the opponent was not equipped to handle the pressure yet they kept applying pressure resulting in fast break layups. I see many girls play through middle school with that same style and eventually their opponents mature and can now handle pressure that made up 80% of their offense. To each his own, but I don't want my daughter to be in that situation 4 years from now.

 

RCC9 could coach my daughter anytime! Not sure if your daughter goes to Highlands or NCC but both play great basketball. I wonder how those girls that beat her team back in 5th grade are doing:)

 

My main concern as a father of a 5th grader is not getting my daughter a D1 scholarship (not to say that she couldn't someday). My concern is having her love the game, learn the game and continue to develop the skills that puts her in position to be successful in HS and possibly beyond. I can teach her how to hit fast break layups in my driveway. :banana:

 

Well thanks!

 

My oldest daughter will be a senior at HHS. She has started at varsity PG since midway thru her 8th grade year. So I assume the best female player to ever play in KY and one of the best coaches around LOVES her skills and motor!

 

She hasn't played AAU for the last four years because her focal sport became softball. But still enjoys bball a lot.

[Jesse James]

AGAIN...I didn't care about winning as much as you do. Especially in the 5th grade!!! I cared about developing local kids and hanging on to them as a group. Not going out and relacing them with the next best thing that came along. I've been to nationals plenty of times. I know what it's about. But all my kids now are having very successful high school careers. So I feel like I did my job.

 

You do realize that way less than 1% of basketball players actually play D1 basketball right?

 

Great post. At the highest levels you better be fundamental and have a lot of heart as well as be very athletic. I love transition basketball as much as anyone and if we could just press and trap and shoot layups all day would be great. But the truth is when you play agaisnt really good teams you cant turn them over, so you better be able to play in the half court and be disciplined or you will lose. No junk defense will win. Skill and heart wins.

[TheColonel]

As I was saying, Warriors and Royals are not an option for my 5th grade daughter :up:

[TheColonel]

Just signed her up for a Legacy "developmental session" to keep her skills progressing.

[JTrunick]

If you want her to learn the game and fundamental skills it's Legacy..

[MentschTrachtGottLacht]

As I was saying, Warriors are not an option for my 5th grade daughter :up:

 

:thumb:

[maysvilleky]

If you want her to learn the game and fundamental skills it's Legacy..

 

Legacy training is good. But like all AAU teams, they primarily press and try to get easy buckets.

[Deuces22]

I simply know too many players that have not had a good experience with Warriors (harsh) coaching style.

 

I've watched Royal at that age level and while they have been successful on the scoreboard, the focus seems to be on winning by applying unorthodox defenses that create constant fast breaks and run up the score. I'm interested in having my daughter continue to develop fundamentals. Winning will come with development.

 

Although I agree on fundamentals, I would also say the very core of what the royals did and who they did it with is excelling at the high school level now. You would have a hard time with finding issue with the players from Mackes team 3 years ago and how they are now as players. I would say they have developed as has the Legacy team who did the same as the Lady Knights when they were 5th graders.