Insights to help improve your youth basketball experience.

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More Than 35,000 Athletes Set to Compete in World’s Largest Volleyball Event in Central Florida Next Week

ORLANDO, Fla. (June 8, 2017) – More than 35,000 athletes from across the country, including thousands of Orlando-area athletes, are expected to bring more than $52 million in economic impact to Central Florida during the 44th annual AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships beginning Thursday, June 15 at Orange County Convention Center and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.

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Losing the right way is better than winning the wrong way.

Had the privilege of hearing Jake Locker speak this weekend. Of the many interesting and challenging things he shared, this stood out to me:

Losing the right way is better than winning the wrong way.

How often we can get this confused in youth sports. Winning in the “wrong way” is risky message to teach our kids. The lesson they learn on the court will translate in to their work and family lives.

So what is the “wrong way” to win? Winning by a ref’s bad call, a technicality, or by intentionally hurting a player are a few that come to mind. But a few grey-area wrong ways to win include; intimidate young refs so they don’t call fouls on your team, always foul the shooter, foul overly aggressively, only play the 5 best players, only play 2-3 zone and forcing the other team to shoot, or press the entire game when it is obvious you will win.

In youth basketball some of these tactics mean kids are not being development as complete athletes and basketball players. And if half the kids on your team sit on the bench the entire game just to win you are really only helping 5 kids.

Check out this video. Yes, the dark-jersey team created a really strange play. BUT why is the white-jersey team pressing them when it is 16-0. Why bother? Even in the half-court why not just let the team shoot.

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Is the AAU system going to change?

WESTFIELD, Ind. — A longtime high-major assistant coach stops cold, cocks an eyebrow and chortles.

“Different?” he says. “Nothing is different. Not yet, not for awhile. This is like turning around a big ship.”

The coach shrugs and moved on. More games to see; more games to be seen at. Out here on the AAU trail, there’s little else to do at this point. Last fall, when the FBI diverted its resources from its regular hodgepodge of terrorism, cyber crime, drug trafficking and Wall Street fraud to unmask the national threat of cheating in college basketball, sweeping change seemed imminent. And yet, eight months later, precisely nothing has changed in college basketball’s summer circuit. It’s the same characters reading from the same script. Depending on who you ask, maybe that’s not the worst thing. Others say, yes, it most definitely is. Everyone has an opinion on AAU basketball. Problem is, few come without an agenda.

Read full article at: https://theathletic.com/336048/2018/04/30/a-weekend-on-the-aau-trail-same-as-it-ever-was/

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David Dickson – Squalicum High School

We’ve been honored to have Coach David Dickson recently contribute to Tourney.Life. He is a standout coach and man of integrity.

He is currently the Head Boy’s Basketball Coach at Squalicum High School. He was inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame after 22 seasons of coaching. He is currently in his 24th season of coaching. Keith Stackhouse has said of him, “I didn’t know a person who didn’t want to work hard and play well for Coach Dickson. You want to win for Dickson, and you want to work hard for him.” You can read more about Coach David at the Bellingham Herald article.

His numbers as of 2016:

  • 22 seasons of coaching
  • 351 career coaching victories
  • .660 career winning percentage (351-181)
  • 11 State tournament appearances
  • 5 State trophies won by his team
  • 2 State championships in 2009 & 2010