As someone that was in and around AAU basketball in Illinois from 2001-2007, it’s still shocking to me how Nike bags, balls, shoes, shorts, and jerseys …
Inspiration from Jonas Hayes
…you make a decision now that you think you’ll be able to live with 10 years down the line.
Father of Jonah Hayes
How did Jonas Hayes end up at the Xavier basketball coach? Check out the story… Continue reading “Inspiration from Jonas Hayes”
Discipline Yourself so Life Won’t Have To | PGC Basketball | Motivation
Discipline Yourself so Life Won’t Have To | PGC Basketball | Motivation
Explore more videos from PGC at their YouTube Channel.
Luke Ridnour Interview at William Jessup University Chapel
It is always interesting to understand how character, faith, and family intersect for NBA-level players such as Luke.
Luke Ridnour highlights:
Mixed up Perspective
Just read a short (3 minute) article from The Virginian Pilot and its worth a quick read. The idea that a player – after having rec’d a free education through a scholarship – would say: “The guys who don’t go on to the NBA, once they leave college, they look back and say, ‘Wow, I was exploited — and I have nothing to show for it.” … is a great example of the dangerous attitude of ungratefulness.
“The guys who don’t go on to the NBA, once they leave college, they look back and say, ‘Wow, I was exploited — and I have nothing to show for it.”
We’ve written about gratefulness on TourneyBuddy.
We all tend to think we are experiencing a tougher road in life than others. Whether it is a sibling that seems to have had an easier upbringing, other coaches that always get the calls or another kid that is getting all the game time. We all feel like we are running into a headwind and the deck is stacked against our success sometimes. As coaches and parents it is critical for us not to feed this resentment within our aspiring athletes.
Good coaches find ways to encourage gratitude within the team.
Gratitude is good for us and research has shown that those people that notice the tailwind in their life are more satisfied, sleep better and see the doctor less. Maybe thanking mom after the big game isn’t a cliche but an important step that recognizes the gift that even playing the game is, no matter the role.
So rather than seeing the obstacles and complaining about the referees, the other team, or a lack of playing time encourage your athlete to notice the tailwind in their life. It might just add to their enjoyment of the process and the success of your team.
The AAU “Scandal”
You have heard Kobe Bryant and others knock AAU basketball in America. Here is a great article on why I don’t believe he is entirely correct. There is a reason why there are less dominant NCAA teams holding number rankings for the entire year. There is a reason why small colleges can knock off big time colleges, or a guys like Damion Lillard coming from a small college can make a big impact in the NBA. The world of AAU is evolving with better coaches everyday looking to give back and share their knowledge to the next generations. Sure there are some issues with AAU but overall here is why it is good. Best Way to Develop Young Players
Louisville basketball scandal: Adidas exec Jim Gatto appears in court
Per the FBI complaint, Gatto and Code colluded with sports agent Christian Dawkins, investment adviser Munish Sood and former AAU basketball …
TourneyBuddy Competitors
It’s no surprise that there are a number of competitors to TourneyBuddy. And most of them are larger companies with more customers. But if you are like me trying to select an app or software to run your Tournament, Team, or League can be overwhelming. Every company claims their app will “solve all your problems!”
But spend 30 seconds at bluestarsports.com and you’ll see amazing tools, but I suspect be 100% overwhelmed with the options. You don’t have time to invest in learning something new. You just want it to work.
So here is an overview of your best options. And of course, where TourneyBuddy fits in.
“Can’t live without” Feature: The “Krossover” provides advanced film management.
“What bugs me”: So many options to choose from and appears to be enterprise level so not appropriate for my Team or Club.
“Can’t live without” Feature: Live scoring is so simple with this app.
“What bugs me”: It can be confusing to claim a team and get started.
“Can’t live without” Feature: App is excellent and tournament tracking very easy to use.
“What bugs me”: Not everybody is using it because of the costs involved.
“Can’t live without” Feature: Integration of website, registration, and team management in one tool.
“What bugs me”: Request a Quote makes me automatically assume it will be expensive. And probably too big for my Team.
“Can’t live without” Feature: The individual event listings are well designed, easy to read, and full of the right information.
“What bugs me”: Pricing model results in wasted costs. And processing online payments gets complicated.
TourneyBuddy
“Can’t live without” Feature: Team Roster & Scheduling is EASY and FREE!
“What bugs me”: Since we are just rolling out most features, occasional actual app bugs happen.
I’d love your feedback if you are a current user of one of these products. What do you love and what bugs you?
FBI Investigation: Where does the NCAA turn now
Will it force the NCAA to prohibit shoe companies from getting involved in AAU basketball? Will the NCAA give out the death penalty as a penalty?
Skating Towards The Next Chapter
Jonathan Mosenson, from Bethpage, New York has played AAU inline hockey since 2003 competing in the World Roller Games in China next week, his last tournament as an athlete with Team USA