Not sure I follow you pops. In my context, if you truly love basketball, you would do what it takes not only to make yourself better, but what it takes to make your team better. If making your team better means you need you play the 4 instead of the 2, then that's what you do even if it might mean you might only average 13 points a game instead of 17 but it makes the team better and helps the team more able to reach their goals collectively.

 

From a coaching perspective I agree with you a thousand percent. Again, I think there's a difference between a kid who loves basketball and a kid who loves for his team to win basketball games.

 

#aau

#LazyNarrative

 

MJ, if you think 17 year old basketball players, most of which are from urban areas, don't "get winning" because they received a YMCA soccer trophy at age 5, you're kidding yourself. A LOT of these kids play AAU to get recruited, and winning or losing is secondary (or lower) to having Coach Mack or Coach Miller or Coach Cal respond positively to your play. The trophy nonsense is worn out, and in this case, completely superfluous to the conversation.

 

I agree, many of these kids are looking to get noticed, they like winning but it is not always the first priority. I find it hard to keep winning in perspective at these events because I have heard college coaches say they could not tell you who won the match that they just watched... they were there to see how you played.... not if your team won.