Perfect Practice

I saw a team with six of Highlands High School senior to be playing on a team called the Kentucky Firebirds - George Grote, Tyler Grubbs, Stephen Gordon, Zach Lother, Corey Dill, Garrett Smith-Keller. They also have Casey McDaniel and Cody Collins from Newport High School. McDaniel scored 35 points in a game Sunday during the Eddie Ford tournament. They also hung tough with only six players playing against the Indy Elite a team that eventually beat the Shining Stars in the finals.

 

That makes all 8 of the top returning players at Highlands playing AAU on one team or another

Stephen Kowolonek - Shining Stars (McFarland) and Ben Watson -Shining Stars (Bundy) Zach Stewart (Highlands HS) a 6-7 junior to be was also playing for a team at the Eddie Ford Grassroots tournament

 

And for the KY Players if you're wondering why the big three are still playing with them its called "loyalty" apparently a forgotten concept these days. Kudos to the Holmes kids not forgetting were they came from.

I believe the kid you may be talking about is Jack Stewart. He is a Junior to be from Highlands. He was playing for the NKY Bulldogs at the Grassroots Shootout. I saw him play in a couple of games. He played well.

I agree with the "loyalty" concept. And, those Holmes kids are great basketball players and the KY Players are a good team. They should make some noise with a few other U17 teams this season.

Glad to hear this. Congrats to Vee Sanford!

Can you tell it is AAU season yet?

Early, yet in full swing! Time for some basketball boys and girls.

I agree, just not as familiar with the other organizations. To me, the ultimate goal it to help prepare the kids for their future careers........and a sports/basketball scholarship will certainly help do that. Whatever organization or team or coach helps these kids to accomplish that, they need to be applauded. Most coaches or organizations that we are familiar with all indicate they would do all they could to help a player realize his goals. There are absolutely those that also have incorrect motives, but for the most part, we haven't seen that. There are a lot of coaches and organizations that are involved with AAU because they want to help kids and they enjoy the atmosphere along the way. There are lots of quality people you meet along the way, including the kids.

I absolutely agree with you. As a coach, you should get into AAU specifically for the kids. If a coach gets recognized for helping kids, GREAT. But, it is about the young athletes. I would certainly hope that there arent to many coaches, or any at all that are doing it for the wrong reasons.

Playing for a good program/team is good, but minutes are also important. The more you get to play, the better chance for improvement and possibly exposure. If you play on a lesser-known team, I would think that putting up a big game against a powerhouse team could also get a player noticed. I don't think players 8-10 on a stacked team always get as much opportunity for exposure as the top 3 on a good, but not top-tier team.

This is exactly what I'm trying to say! Kudos to you sir or ma'am.

If your child plays for a good organization (i.e. SS sports, DSAS, I.E. etc), thats good. But, it doesnt guarantee or confirm exposure.

Just got word on two of the Shining Star Sports alumni. (Since you asked)

 

Vee Sanford of Lexington Catholic and Shining Star Sports has committed to play basketball in the Big East. He has committed to play at Georgetown.

 

Austin Hill of Holmes and Shining Star Sports has committed to play basketball at Illinios State next year.

 

If you want the complete list:

 

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=SHININGSTARSPORTS&t=c&s=basketball&p=custom&pagename=Alumni%20at%20College

Also,it appears that some of the names on this list, are kids who may have played with this organization at one time or another, but not only this organization.

But this list is somewhat impressive nonetheless.

Kudos on getting that info.

Just got word on two of the Shining Star Sports alumni. (Since you asked)

 

Vee Sanford of Lexington Catholic and Shining Star Sports has committed to play basketball in the Big East. He has committed to play at Georgetown.

 

Austin Hill of Holmes and Shining Star Sports has committed to play basketball at Illinios State next year.

 

If you want the complete list:

 

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=SHININGSTARSPORTS&t=c&s=basketball&p=custom&pagename=Alumni%20at%20College

This is fantastic news! Thank you. Congrats to those kids!

But again, you are talking about 2 kids out of how many players in the entire organization.

Just back to my point that, you DONT have to play for any specific organization to get recognition OR college scholarhsips. These kids just have to play to the best of their ability, and i do think that they should play in some of the bigger tournaments.

SS is a great organization that has many teams in all boys divisons. also staring to venture in to the girls divisions. IMO they try to provide a quality experience for all those participating in SS. They have many players who have gone on to play at the next level. you can view their web site shiningstarsports.com they are about helping kids improve and reach the athlete's goals. not everyone's goal is to play at a major D1 school. Believe it or not, some players actually choose their school based the educational opportunities that the college provides, but having a scholarship opportunity helps to achieve their educational goals........I know for many on this thread that's unthinkable................but there are actually a lot of these kids that realize that sports is a way to pay for a college education!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

SS has grown tremendously in the past 3 years, not sure the year they first organized. Originally started in the Cincy area, then ventured in to No Ky and now venturing in to the Louisville area.

 

as far as I know DSAS only has 1 16 yr old team and 2 17 year old teams. Is this correct?

 

SS has many teams at the various age levels.

Just as SS sports may be a good program that offers kids opportunities so they can go to school for their education, smaller less well known teams may offer kids the same opportunity.

Or, if kids play for SS sports so they can go to school for education THATS GREAT! But, those same kids could play for any other organization and have an opportunity to possibly do the same thing.

I posted the link to the Jody Demling article because the tournament was being discussed. I don't recall stating that I knew AAU basketball because I read his blog. Just sharing info with the posters.

 

I also find it very interesting that you want to take shots at Shining Star Sports. The Shining Star Sports program has won the last 2 17u State Championships. They also won the 16u State Championship last year and finished runner up in the 15u.

 

Why would you think that the Derek Smith All Stars would blast them? Shining Star beat them in the championship game of the state tourney at the 16u and 15u levels last year.

 

With that being said I have also predicted the Derek Smith All Stars 16u team as the team that will win the 16u state tourney. They have a fantastic team that is flat out loaded. I also think that Coach Davis is one of the better AAU coaches in the state of Kentucky.

By no means am I trying to take "shots" at SS sports. I know they have a good program. Very good players. Some good coaches.

However, I completely disagree that you must have a brand such as the SS to get team and player recognition. Kids from all around can compete.

I applaud the SS for what they have been able to do. Especially the U17 teams. In my opinion, I think SS (McFarland) will be really, really good this year, after what I saw this weekend. Give McFarland some time, and he'll have them near unbeatable in my opinion.

I posted the link to the Jody Demling article because the tournament was being discussed. I don't recall stating that I knew AAU basketball because I read his blog. Just sharing info with the posters.

 

I also find it very interesting that you want to take shots at Shining Star Sports. The Shining Star Sports program has won the last 2 17u State Championships. They also won the 16u State Championship last year and finished runner up in the 15u.

 

Why would you think that the Derek Smith All Stars would blast them? Shining Star beat them in the championship game of the state tourney at the 16u and 15u levels last year.

 

With that being said I have also predicted the Derek Smith All Stars 16u team as the team that will win the 16u state tourney. They have a fantastic team that is flat out loaded. I also think that Coach Davis is one of the better AAU coaches in the state of Kentucky.

I wasnt singling you out on this. Just stating this fact in general. Jody Demling is great. Has a wonderful blog. But, to know his blog, isnt knowing AAU basketball. Again, a statement in general. Which is where i think many get information. I think you have to watch the tournaments and see the games and the kids play.

I didn't mean for it to sound that way.

Entitled to your opinion but if I am a college coach with the limited number of off campus evaluation days available to me and the hectic tourney schedule for NCAA certified events I target the teams where I know the elite players play. Coaches don't walk thru these events without a game plan. In most cases they are targeting a specific player or teams before they ever walk into the gym. My point being that playing for a DS or SS increases your opportunity for exposure. In a perfect world maybe brand recognition does not play a role in the recruiting process and everybody could just play with their local teams and get the same opportunities but that is not the reality of the situation.

I couldn't have said it better. I didnt say that any of these kids will get any recognition at all. But, a coach will target the big name tournamentd. If a team like the Bulldogs, Court, WKY Elite or whomever are playing in these bigger tournaments against your so-called "teams where elite players play", they will get to see teams like the non-branded teams give them their best shot. Whether an AAU team beats another AAU team is not on a coaches agenda either. A college coach wants to see the players play the game. Final score means nothing to no one except those teams and those affiliated with it.

Branded organizations or local teams, doesnt matter. Compete in the big tournaments and you CAN gain recognition. Both for teams and players.

Not hating just stating what I believe to be fact. Stauffer and Trammel would be better served playing with a higher level organization. If there goal is to play at the collegiate level they would be better off on a team with players as talented as they are and compete for minutes. Coaches are going to gravitate to the big name organizations because that is where the majority of the top players will be playing.

Completely incorrect in my opinion. College Coaches gravitate to the big name TOURNAMENTS. If any of these more local teams show up, any player or any team could get noticed. How could you not see that? And, if the NKY Bulldogs, WKY Elite, Charlotte Court, KY Players or anyone else play well, or have players that perform well against your so-called "big name organizations" then those players/teams will get noticed. If they didnt, then why not just have a tournament that only allows the 3 "big" organizations to play in it (DSAS, I.E. & Shining Stars). Well, simply because coaches and AAU tournament programs know that not all the great/good players want to play for those organizations.

These thoughts keep coming back to me.

There seem to be a lot of Shining Stars fans on here. Wow. Thats good. I have no direct affiliation. Just a curious AAU fan.

Question: If this (SS) is an elite group or team, where is Shanklin? Fants? Avery? Forrest? Stroud? Harrison? Barkesdale? Jeremiah Davis?

Are the Shining Stars second rate compared to DSAS and Indy Elite organizations and team? And, if they are... dont guys like Schuette and Gibson leave to play wit DSAS or Indy Elite?

Who is the last "BIG" name, or D-1 commited player to play with the Shining Stars?

Just questions.

Hey played a lot this past weekend for I.E. 1 (U17). If he plays more U16, they also are the top level at U16. Bottom line is, that doesnt matter. He doesnt. So, if you have good players, you have good players. Whats on your jersey has little to no bearing.

You are way off base with this thought process in my opinion. If you look at the better orginizations in the state of Kentucky they are all very talented and deep rosters. This allows these teams to advance further into tournament brackets and allows them to receive more attention and be exposed more.

 

College coaches and scouting services want to see players competing against top talent. If you cant compete with the top teams it doesnt serve your team well. You have to be able to advance in the brackets to get that opportunity.

 

The better orginizations want you to think that it benefits you playing with them because it does benefit a player to play with them. The exposure is much greater with these teams and their orginizations. That is a fact!!

 

Look at the number of kids playing college basketball that have played with Derek Smith, Shining Star Sports, Indiana Elite, etc..

 

You can't really believe that no one knows more than 3 players off of a roster because they are deep. I know that Jordan Gilbert, Scott Schuette, Kyle King, Jake Geisler, Neal Pawsatt, Kellen Smith are all being recruited and will have opportunities to play at the next level. They all play on the Shining Star Sports 16u roster that you mentioned. Any one that follows AAU basketball knows more than 3 players off of their roster.

 

What about the Derek Smith 16u team. Do you really believe that no one knows more than 3 players on their roster or that it hurts them playing with a deep roster? Timmy Knipp, Jordan Shanklin, Donovan Kates, Remy Abbell, Robbie Stenzel, George Fant, Travis Purvis, etc.. They are loaded and it benefits every kid on that roster to play with Derek Smith.

 

Teams like the Bulldogs have a hard time staying together because if they do have players that play at a high level they will choose to play with one of these orginizations at some point. I wouldnt be suprised to see Trammell or Stauffer play with Derek Smith or Shining Star Sports later this year or play their 17u season with them. It would only benefit them to do so.

 

The fact that there are a number of kids being looked out helps the rest of the roster because they are followed and observed. The college coaches in this region keep a close eye on the Derek Smith, Indiana Elite, Shining Star Sports teams.

To your point here (in the bold): Anyone can rattle off names from an AAU team. Anyone that knows regional AAU basketball has heard of the NKY Bulldogs. If i remember correctly, they made some noise late last year at the Hoops nationals tournament in louisville. They gave the Royal Family team (with josh stroud, another one of your big names) a run for their money in the tournament championship game. Jake Flesch and Matt Trammel shut Josh Stroud down in that specific game. Didnt even have 10 pts.

To another of my points... Anyone that knows regional AAU basketball has heard of Bobby Stauffer, Matt Trammel, and Jake Flesch. If you havent... How much do you really know? Knowing Jody Demlings blog doesnt mean you know AAU Basketball. Sure, I have heard of Kellen Smith, Pawsett, and King... I know AAU basketball. But, just because I know their names, does this mean that they will play at the next level? Absolutely not. So your notion that just because you play with a Shining Stars organization means that your going to get recognition is premature and incorrect. Also, you named maybe 5 guys from the Shining Stars, where are the other 5 or 6, buried on the bench?

The Shining Stars are a trend, and just like any regional AAU team, they would get blasted by the DSAS. Also, if the guys like zollo, shanklin and such played at U16, Indy Elite 1 would beat up on them as well. Chris Harrison and Indy Elite Team Indiana beat them this past weekend. They had no defensive answer for Harrison!

Anyways, you must remember, these kids are Sophomores. 2 years is ALOT of time to get MUCH better, or get stegnant. All of these sophomores (U16), whether they play for the Shining Stars, NKY Bulldogs, DSAS, I.E. 1, or I.E. Team Indiana have time.

Lastly, you blast the Bulldogs continuously, BUT, i kind of admire a team that comes out of nowhere to compete. These kids must be homegrown. They must feel, and their parents must feel, that the coaching and organization of the team is the way to go. If you can play ball, you can play ball. A brand doesnt matter. The Shining Stars had to get started somewhere. Maybe the same will be said for the NKY Bulldogs in 5 years.

Lastly, at the grassroots shootout, the Shining Stars Pittman team must have had 10 or 11 guys. Two of those 10 or 11 stood out; Scott Schuette and Jordan Gilbert, really great players.

Lets keep the facts straight. You cant ASSUME that a brand means recognition, thats mere stupidity.