Some teams are playing nearly 30 games in about 20 days. What is the purpose of it? I would worry more about fatigue and injury.

 

I think at one time summer ball was a useful tool. But most serious kids play some sort of AAU/organized ball during the summer now.

 

IMO I wouldn't mind seeing H.S. Summer ball cut back to a couple weeks and maybe 10 - 12 games max. Max play 2 games in a day. Use the other days for practice for Coaches to start working with their team for next year.

 

Anyone else out there have thoughts on the H.S. summer ball?

Personally I think it is very important especially if it is done correctly. It allows a coaching staff to get a better understanding of team chemistry and what they need to focus on in the preseason. Usually you rotate and play a lot more kids in the summer and for some kids it is there first shot. Also not all kids get the opportunity to play as I for various reasons. Last and most importantly we have to remember summer bal is not always about preparing kids for college ball, a lot of kids need to stay busy and be around teammates and coaches who care for them and our their closes thing to role model. For the elite player they probably do not need summer ball, for the smaller programs and average teenager I think it is great

I think it's quite a bit more beneficial than sprig football...and football guys will tell you how important/beneficial they think spring football is.

 

As far as # of games, factor in that most games are running clocks, quite a bit of substituting is going on, some of those games are for the younger kids only who aren't playing as much in the other games anyway, and it's not as much as you think.

I think HS summer basketball is absolutely the most overrated thing in all of high school sports. Sweet 16 berths aren't granted in June and the Sweet 16 isn't won in June. A lot of teams play kids and different lineups that won't see the court in January/February when it is winning time. I've seen multiple teams play 20-30 games every June only to lose in the first round of the district tournament every year.

 

Practice and individual workouts will go a whole lot longer towards team development and player development than any amount of games in June will go. The games allow schools and basketball programs to make money so in that aspect it is good but IMO all of the games aren't beneficial towards development.

Good experience for younger kids. Don't see how it could hurt.

Game play should always be balanced with practice - which may/may not happen based on which coach/program you are talking about. Players should also have very specific development points - individually and collectively - during games.

 

Games are where a player is most likely to revert to habits - good and bad. If there is no focus on changing bad habits then these games will reinforce counterproductive behavior, making it even harder for a player to improve during the preseason.

 

When it comes to preparation, there is no substitute for game action and speed. However - simply playing games without taking breaks to practice, develop/improve required individual skills and behaviors, and implement/reinforce foundational team concepts (offense and defense) can result in scrimmages/games being counterproductive.

Edited June 2, 20179 yr by Don't_Hate_the_Playa

I agree with Purple Pride. Overrated and could lead to more injuries than anything. Remember Burns from Fleming Co injuring his knee in summer ball and costing him most of his senior season. I have seen coaches in smaller schools try to use it as a recruiting tool vs football. "Come and work hard for me this summer and fall and your going to be a starter"....until the regular starter comes in after football season and starts game 1. Seen many schools also play 20 games + each summer and do well and not win 10 in the regular season.

I couldn't agree more with this.

I know of one team that only played 9 games last summer and they were in the state final 4 this past March. (6 games this summer)

Individual workouts are where its at. Not to mention the kids that play AAU in April/May. When do they have a break to recover if their school team is playing 20+ games. You don't have college and pro guys playing all summer like that (NBA summer league are guys trying to make a roster), they do individual workouts.

I think HS summer basketball is absolutely the most overrated thing in all of high school sports. Sweet 16 berths aren't granted in June and the Sweet 16 isn't won in June. A lot of teams play kids and different lineups that won't see the court in January/February when it is winning time. I've seen multiple teams play 20

If I was head coach it would be nothing but individual and strength training maybe 7-8 games for fun.

It may serve a JV developmental type purpose for those kids that are new/fairly new to playing time. But for those returning starters or returning players with significant playing time; summer ball is a total waste of time. 7 to 8 games for the entire summer and that's about it. The AAU kids are never gonna get their legs back for the July sessions, not to mention risk of injury.

Think it is good if approached the right way. Do I put a lot of stock in the summer record. ......NO. Players missing and playing the younger players

If you are a one sport athlete have at it. In smaller schools you need multi sport athletes in order for your programs to survive. For kids who play golf, soccer, football, etc, all this does is keep them in shape before those seasons start. I think the kids who just ended baseball season need a break to regain their competitive mind set as well. AAU? Just because your involved doesn't guarantee anything. If you've got the money to fork out, I'd say no one will turn you down. Playing time might be a whole other issue. Shoot, shoot, shoot, dribble, dribble dribble. That's the advice I've been hearing. Give the competitiveness a break.

I think it's quite a bit more beneficial than sprig football...and football guys will tell you how important/beneficial they think spring football is.

 

As far as # of games, factor in that most games are running clocks, quite a bit of substituting is going on, some of those games are for the younger kids only who aren't playing as much in the other games anyway, and it's not as much as you think.

 

Let me further refine my first post.

 

I think summer ball CAN be very beneficial, if done the correct way. Just rolling the ball out and saying "ok lets play" while trying to accomplish something...no. Now, lets also be specific here, I'm referring to SCHOOL TEAM summer ball here. I think some of the above posts might be lumping in non-schoolteam AAU ball with this thread as well.

 

Anyway, with drills, conditioning and purposeful practice, it's beneficial.

 

I'm working with a group of just finished freshman and a couple of 8th graders, all from the same school, and we are playing weekend travel ball as a team. We did the same thing last year, and it was GREATLY beneficial for them. We drill, identify specific weaknesses and work on them, run through sets, and on weekends they get put in game situations and work on the things we identify. Now, we aren't in the gym every night, and we might get 5 tournaments in over the summer, so it's not a constant thing. It's not something that will "burn them out". And it's something they WANT to do.

Game play should always be balanced with practice - which may/may not happen based on which coach/program you are talking about. Players should also have very specific development points - individually and collectively - during games.

 

Games are where a player is most likely to revert to habits - good and bad. If there is no focus on changing bad habits then these games will reinforce counterproductive behavior, making it even harder for a player to improve during the preseason.

 

When it comes to preparation, there is no substitute for game action and speed. However - simply playing games without taking breaks to practice, develop/improve required individual skills and behaviors, and implement/reinforce foundational team concepts (offense and defense) can result in scrimmages/games being counterproductive.

 

Some great comments here, this one resonates most with me. Balance is key - between strength conditioning, individual skill work, team practices, then test in a few games with ample playing time for all players participating.

I see way too many instances of competitive coaches who can't help themselves in these games - berating officials, over-playing proven players for the sake of winning a meaningless game, not giving players who need the experience the opportunities to get in the flow of a game due to the desire to win.

Many players just take it upon themselves to achieve this balance, doing individual skill sessions and strength work on their own, and of course this adds to the risk of injury when they are also asked to play so many games. So in my view, anything more than 2-3 games per week becomes counterproductive and is risky to the athlete striving for the balance (or forces the athlete to adjust their approach).

Would 16 games in 7 days be to much?