The rule at my house and by my sons AAU coach is that the school team comes first. My son has had opportunities to play on "better" AAU teams with the stipulation that AAU comes first. I'd never deny my child his chance to be a kid and play on his school team. These are still kids we are talking about. School ball is good, AAU is better for them. A nice combination is great to prepare those that will play into highschool and for those that won't. Not all of our children will go on to play highschool. I've seen too many 6'0 tall big men in middle school who become 6'0 fans in highschool.

Like I said at the top of the thread....................school ball would always come first, and there would never be any conflicts. My son played both in 6th and 7th, and never missed ONE practice or ONE game of school ball. My personal opinion is that the school coach should not be able to dictate what we do on Sunday evenings when there are no school activities.

Like I said at the top of the thread....................school ball would always come first, and there would never be any conflicts. My son played both in 6th and 7th, and never missed ONE practice or ONE game of school ball. My personal opinion is that the school coach should not be able to dictate what we do on Sunday evenings when there are no school activities.

 

Agreed! I'm sure your coach does not want you son playing football but has no say in that issue either!

As a coach, my main concern for my players is safety/health. Our school teams in middle school practice 2-3 hours a day 5-6 days a week. From November until February we play 3-4 games per week. From all of the college training I have had in Health and Wellness and coaching clinics and training, I have learned that the kids need at least one day a week for their body to rest. That is the approach that I take with my players. I do not forbid that they do not play AAU, but I strongly suggest against it for the good of the team. In the last couple of years, I have seen some players who play AAU during school ball season completely exhausted by tournament time, when they should be getting stronger. I believe that to be because of muscle exhaustion.

 

I guess I just do not understand the purpose behind it. I'm all for AAU during the offseason to keep playing year round, but I don't understand why they have to play from November - February???

 

The KHSAA has determined this to be an important enough issue that they voted that kids in high school cannot play on another team during the school basketball season. Middle schools do not have this type of governing body looking out for athletes. I wish more middle school and AAU coaches would put what is best for the safety of the kids as a first priority, not whether or not they will win a tournament.

I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I respect you guys because most people on here have been around hoops for a very long time and you know what you are talking about. Another tidbit to throw in............this situation is in Boone County, and a couple of years ago Boone County and Kenton County parted ways and no longer have a league together (this is a whole new thread topic). So, the only way for 8th grade kids at this school to play good competition from around all of NKY is to play on Sundays at SOAS.

Boone County and Kenton County really need to fix this issue because it's only hurting the kids........IMO.

 

OK, I do not understand this part. The middle school my son is at is in Boone County and they played tons of competitive teams all across NKY. Just because they are not in a league together does not mean they can't play non-conference games. Of the teams they played were - Beechwood, Highlands, Summit View, Holmes, Woodland, Turkeyfoot, Walton-Verona, Campbell County as well as the Boone teams, which were very competitive. They also played in tournaments, which put them against some very good competition - AB Combs, Georgetown Middle, Betsy Lane. So, I don't get why Boone and Kenton not playing conference games is a big deal.

To play a full AAU and school schedule, there will be conflicts (or one of the two is not worth participating in). For my sons, it is school ball first and then AAU. I would have a heart to heart with the coach and explain that school ball comes first but that AAU is something we will participate in. If my son gets cut because of that, the administration will be hearing from me. The KHSAA allows it so there is no reason that coach can mandate anything different.

As an aside, I think the coach would not be very intelligent in this approach. AAU competition leads to better school ball play.

 

Actually, the KHSAA does not govern the middle schools. They govern most of the high schools in KY and they do have a rule stating that kids in grades 9-12 (because that is all they can govern) cannot play for another team during the season.

 

I think middle schools would be smart to follow the same guidelines as the high schools.

I was just thinking. My son played for three teams when he was in 8th. grade. We prioritized them with school ball coming first in case of conflicts. If your son wants to play, I would let him play. I have seen alot of kids who absolutely hate school ball and only continue because of the fun they have on their AAU teams. Some of the middle school coaching is lacking also. What is the coaching level of the coach telling you not to play. There will be enough rules to follow when your son is in high school. I wouldn't force him to start following them early. I would say that if your son is good enough, it won't matter what he plays, he will play school ball. It all starts over in high school anyway. This is my opinion.

OK, I do not understand this part. The middle school my son is at is in Boone County and they played tons of competitive teams all across NKY. Just because they are not in a league together does not mean they can't play non-conference games. Of the teams they played were - Beechwood, Highlands, Summit View, Holmes, Woodland, Turkeyfoot, Walton-Verona, Campbell County as well as the Boone teams, which were very competitive. They also played in tournaments, which put them against some very good competition - AB Combs, Georgetown Middle, Betsy Lane. So, I don't get why Boone and Kenton not playing conference games is a big deal.

 

The big deal is that the end of the season tournament in Boone County is horrible. It includes the following: Conner, Gray, Tichenor, Ockerman, RA Jones, and Grant County. My son barely played in half of these games due to lopsided scores..................that is why it should NOT be a big deal to play a one hour game on a Sunday night. I think his body can handle that, don't you think so?? Where is the common sense here?