I'll tell you what I learned some time ago. I coached a team that was beating the soup out of an opponent at the end of the 1st quarter in a fairly large tournament. We were up 22-2. I went to the coach after the kids went out for the 2nd quarter and I said "Coach, I don't want to embarass your kids, and I'll do my best to keep this in check, is there anything that you want your kids to work on?" I'll never forget what he said. He replied "Coach, I appreciate that, but I told these kids that we'd face this type of thing, and I told them that no matter what, I wanted them to play as hard as they can even if we get beat 100-0, so by all means, you keep right on running your sets, and we'll keep right on playing hard."

That has stuck with me and I'll tell you one thing, those kids played their guts out, we quit running out on them, but we still guarded them hard and boxed them out limiting them to one shot per trip. I can honestly say that I've never had more respect for a coach and bunch of kids than his.

With that said, sometimes when you get in the AAU arena, you should know in advance that you will run into the buzzsaw especially at the beginning. You face the best players, playing together. I agree with not embarassing the opponent, but considering the story I related above, perhaps it's not a coach trying to run up the score all the time. And if the opponent learns, gets better as the season progresses, faces better competition, then I don't know how you could count that as anything but successful.

 

Great gesture to the coach and an excellent response as well. :thumb:

5TH grade Wolfpack team according to the Sports of all Sorts website has won 61-2 and 58-1? Is this correct? Why would any coach beat another team like this? Are the other teams that bad?

 

I am not affiliated with the Wolfpack but was at the first game and watched it from start to finish. They did press for the first quarter only. Actually less than the full quarter until it was obvious the other team was going to struggle beyond control. At that point they played 1/2 court defense for the remainder of the game. I know that it's an awful feeling for the team on the losing end but I am not sure what more he could have done. I was not at the second game but know they played another first year team.

 

I have been on both ends of a score like this. It's my opinion that you cannot tell your kids not to play hard. You can tell them to pass more or to pull back on run outs but you can't tell them not to shoot or play defense. At some point, the other teams need to step up and make plays or if they are in that far over their heads, look for another league. This is AAU basketball after all.

I'll tell you what I learned some time ago. I coached a team that was beating the soup out of an opponent at the end of the 1st quarter in a fairly large tournament. We were up 22-2. I went to the coach after the kids went out for the 2nd quarter and I said "Coach, I don't want to embarass your kids, and I'll do my best to keep this in check, is there anything that you want your kids to work on?" I'll never forget what he said. He replied "Coach, I appreciate that, but I told these kids that we'd face this type of thing, and I told them that no matter what, I wanted them to play as hard as they can even if we get beat 100-0, so by all means, you keep right on running your sets, and we'll keep right on playing hard."

That has stuck with me and I'll tell you one thing, those kids played their guts out, we quit running out on them, but we still guarded them hard and boxed them out limiting them to one shot per trip. I can honestly say that I've never had more respect for a coach and bunch of kids than his.

With that said, sometimes when you get in the AAU arena, you should know in advance that you will run into the buzzsaw especially at the beginning. You face the best players, playing together. I agree with not embarassing the opponent, but considering the story I related above, perhaps it's not a coach trying to run up the score all the time. And if the opponent learns, gets better as the season progresses, faces better competition, then I don't know how you could count that as anything but successful.

 

I have a similar story. We played a team last year at Hoops in Louisville, pressed the first part of the game and were up by 15-20. I pulled the press and the other coach asked me to keep pressing, that his kids needed to learn to beat it. I told him to make sure his parents understood he was the one that told me to keep pressing, because I hated to keep doing it. Of course, I had 8-10 kids at the game and I kept rotating the kids in and out and doing whatever I could to control the score including finally taking the press of even against the other coaches wishes. Still, we won something like 90-15, but we could have easily scored 120-130 points and really blew out a team.

 

But, I have been on the other end of it as well. When we first started our AAU team, we played in the 9U state AAU (they didn't have 8U back then) as 7-year olds. We got beat something like 62-2 after scoring the 3rd bucket of the game trailing 4-2. And, the other coach was apologetic and felt bad, but sometimes in athletics that happens. And, we as the losing coaches had no ill feeling toward anyone. We were outmatched.

 

The only time in my years of coaching did I get upset with a coach is in a game when we were 9U at NKU against one of the better Cincy teams. We were down about 20 with less than 2 minutes left and I had emptied my bench and they were pressing for the first time all game. If you have played in Northern's main gym with the curtain down to separate the courts, you know the coaches sit about 3-4 feet from each other. When they put the press on after a timeout late, I stayed seated and simply said to their coach, "Are you kidding me? You're up 20 and now you decide to press." He immediately yelled at his kids to get back.

 

Most coaches do not want to embarrass the other team (and by the way, I don't think it was the Cincy's coaches intent either). You can't tell a kid to stop playing. I actually think in most cases of a blowout it is the losing coach's fault for not understanding the level of competition he is bringing his team into.

We were up 20-0 at the end of the first quarter of the 6th grade game last night agaist our biggest rival. Final score 46-25. My kids never quit playing hard, we just play some really strange combinations and work on things. The kids don't care as long as they are playing. I have been on both ends, once in 9/u we were down like 55-4 and still being pressed late in the 4th quarter, I still remember his name and look for him at every tournament. My time hasn't arrived yet, but it will.

 

I personally think 20 is the right margin to slow down. With the 3 ball, anything before that is not safe.

We were up 20-0 at the end of the first quarter of the 6th grade game last night agaist our biggest rival. Final score 46-25. My kids never quit playing hard, we just play some really strange combinations and work on things. The kids don't care as long as they are playing. I have been on both ends, once in 9/u we were down like 55-4 and still being pressed late in the 4th quarter, I still remember his name and look for him at every tournament. My time hasn't arrived yet, but it will.

 

I personally think 20 is the right margin to slow down. With the 3 ball, anything before that is not safe.

 

I agree with you. When your up big you should work on some things to get you better. Differant sets and players. If you continue to score while doing that there really is nothing you can do. If he is presses then it's a differant situation.

I agree with you. When your up big you should work on some things to get you better. Differant sets and players. If you continue to score while doing that there really is nothing you can do. If he is presses then it's a differant situation.

 

The key is the kids need to work on things but go full speed.

5TH grade Wolfpack team according to the Sports of all Sorts website has won 61-2 and 58-1? Is this correct? Why would any coach beat another team like this? Are the other teams that bad?

 

Honestly some teams need to stay in a recreational league. I have seen teams that have no business being a part of an AAU division. When they do play you can get scores like this! It isn't always the "fault" of the other coach.

What is the thinking behind grade exceptions in AAU? Why doesn't everyone just play with their own age group? It seems like good students are penalized for not flunking since they can not play with a younger age group but those that fail can. Has AAU always had grade exceptions? Is the same true for USSA, and BCI?

What is the thinking behind grade exceptions in AAU? Why doesn't everyone just play with their own age group? It seems like good students are penalized for not flunking since they can not play with a younger age group but those that fail can. Has AAU always had grade exceptions? Is the same true for USSA, and BCI?

You have to draw the line somewhere. Not everyone will agree on the line, no matter where you draw it. And I highly doubt you have any kids that flunk. And by the way, USSSA has less stringent rules. Enjoy playing a team full of "grade exceptions."

 

As for playing with your own age group, if you had for instance all 12 year olds by x date, doesn't matter what grade you're in, then we'd have the argument, well Johnny is only in the 5th grade playing against 6th graders, or it's not fair because Tiny is already in the 7th grade. See what I'm saying? You have to draw some sort of line.

I say, make it all by current grade and you are eligible to play if you would be eligible to play as a senior in high school. Bring a copy of your grade card and birth certificate and let's play! These are the same kids your going to be competing agaist all the way through school. If you can play, you can play! Kids mature at all different ages, i know a 6 foot sixth grader who stayed back this season but already looked like a man last season. It was tough last year and it will be tougher this year but we will have to learn to beat his team some time if we are going to advance because he will always be there.

If there was an age were maturity universally set in then you could say a certain age until they get to that point but it's always going to be an advantage to be older. I don't like excuses so we never bring it up to our kids, execution and effort will overcome alot. If you have to have a date, I think it should be January 1, just like in girls AAU. This debate can go on forever. Just play, and learn to overcome it. It makes victory a little bit sweeter.

I say, make it all by current grade and you are eligible to play if you would be eligible to play as a senior in high school. Bring a copy of your grade card and birth certificate and let's play! These are the same kids your going to be competing agaist all the way through school. If you can play, you can play! Kids mature at all different ages, i know a 6 foot sixth grader who stayed back this season but already looked like a man last season. It was tough last year and it will be tougher this year but we will have to learn to beat his team some time if we are going to advance because he will always be there.

If there was an age were maturity universally set in then you could say a certain age until they get to that point but it's always going to be an advantage to be older. I don't like excuses so we never bring it up to our kids, execution and effort will overcome alot. If you have to have a date, I think it should be January 1, just like in girls AAU. This debate can go on forever. Just play, and learn to overcome it. It makes victory a little bit sweeter.

 

 

Good points. If you going to play against these kids in high school. Might as well play against them in grade school.

I say, make it all by current grade and you are eligible to play if you would be eligible to play as a senior in high school. Bring a copy of your grade card and birth certificate and let's play! These are the same kids your going to be competing agaist all the way through school. If you can play, you can play! Kids mature at all different ages, i know a 6 foot sixth grader who stayed back this season but already looked like a man last season. It was tough last year and it will be tougher this year but we will have to learn to beat his team some time if we are going to advance because he will always be there.

If there was an age were maturity universally set in then you could say a certain age until they get to that point but it's always going to be an advantage to be older. I don't like excuses so we never bring it up to our kids, execution and effort will overcome alot. If you have to have a date, I think it should be January 1, just like in girls AAU. This debate can go on forever. Just play, and learn to overcome it. It makes victory a little bit sweeter.

 

I totally agree.

What is the thinking behind grade exceptions in AAU? Why doesn't everyone just play with their own age group? It seems like good students are penalized for not flunking since they can not play with a younger age group but those that fail can. Has AAU always had grade exceptions? Is the same true for USSA, and BCI?

 

First the answer to your last question. I'm unsure of USSAAA requirements and BCI's are non existent. If you show up with your fee to play, you play. You can be in the U12 division and have 3 15 year old and you're playing at the BCI.

 

Secondly, the only time/place grade exceptions are checked would be State and National AAU Championships.

 

You can go on their website, http://www.aauboysbasketball.org, and read all the requirements and rules that go along with AAU. If you are a coach, you need to know these rules - by heart!

 

Spindoc said it right, a line has to be set somewhere. No matter where it's set, there will be complaints. That is a life lesson - no matter what the situation or circumstance. I think the best way to do it, is to require the player to be eligible to play sports their senior year in high school. However, those rules are set by each state, so when you get past the state level in AAU there could be inconsistencies from state to state and that would cause a problem at the National level.

 

What's very funny - we've had these discussions the past 2 years. :laugh:

 

Finally,

What is the thinking behind grade exceptions in AAU? Why doesn't everyone just play with their own age group? It seems like good students are penalized for not flunking since they can not play with a younger age group but those that fail can. Has AAU always had grade exceptions? Is the same true for USSA, and BCI?

 

The first thing everybody has to keep in mind about the AAU is you are actually playing an AGE level with grade being allowed for 3 exceptions. What that means is you can be in 3rd or 12th (obviously a big exaggeration for my point), but you are eligible first and foremost by the age you are. I had a player on my team for 3-4 years who was a grade older than the rest, but was age eligible. Just keep that in mind when you talk about grade exceptions.

First the answer to your last question. I'm unsure of USSAAA requirements and BCI's are non existent. If you show up with your fee to play, you play. You can be in the U12 division and have 3 15 year old and you're playing at the BCI.

 

Secondly, the only time/place grade exceptions are checked would be State and National AAU Championships.

 

You can go on their website, www.aauboysbasketball.org, and read all the requirements and rules that go along with AAU. If you are a coach, you need to know these rules - by heart!

 

Spindoc said it right, a line has to be set somewhere. No matter where it's set, there will be complaints. That is a life lesson - no matter what the situation or circumstance. I think the best way to do it, is to require the player to be eligible to play sports their senior year in high school. However, those rules are set by each state, so when you get past the state level in AAU there could be inconsistencies from state to state and that would cause a problem at the National level.

 

What's very funny - we've had these discussions the past 2 years. :laugh:

 

Finally,

...and regional qualifiers. Boom said it all. And if you'd like to compete well, you'd better make certain that your grade exceptions are players. I have been on both ends there. Took 2 kids our first year who were barely grade exceptions that, frankly, didn't help us much. If you're in the game long enough, you'll learn to make the best decisions with your grade exceptions to compete. Of course, 14U is the last year that is a factor.