Category: General

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The Race to Nowhere

The title of this movie – RacetoNowhere.com – caught my attention because in youth basketball sometimes we forget what we are “racing” towards. This movie focuses more on academics, but the parallels to athletics is important. So there so many redemptive reasons to participate in youth basketball.

3 Redemptive Reasons to do youth basketball: 

  1. Learn to make quick & correct decisions under pressure.
  2. Learn to work with teammates who often have different perspectives and attitudes.
  3. Develop physical skills.

Want to dig deeper?

The Race to Nowhere Trailer: 

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Is AAU or High School More Important?

I have coached both AAU and Highschool basketball and to me there has been issues both ways of kids skipping spring/summer tournaments to go with their AAU teams to and also I’ve lost AAU players to high school teams because their coach pressures them into having to be there, or they are trying to make an impression on their coach.

What it comes down to is players goals. Is there goal to make varsity? Is there next goal then to get to college? I think high school coaches and AAU coaches need to respect those two things. If a player has already been on varsity that last year then there next focus should be to get to college, in which AAU will help them get there 95% more than their high school team will. College recruiters like the AAU circuit because you get the best playing against the best. Not to mention scouting services who see you on the AAU circuit in big national tournaments. On many high school teams you find 1-2 really good college level players and the rest won’t probably make it past their senior years of high school. Sure there are some exceptions like the state tournament, however college coaches are usually busy preparing their own teams to really crunch down and recruit kids in the high school season. Also it is important to take in account the strength of the league you are playing in. What college or pro players have come out of your league and how well do the teams in your league compare to the rest of the state? College coaches have predetermined bias’s about your league and AAU puts everything on a level playing field for them.

For more info on the importance of AAU here is what college coaches say about the issue.

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Finding the Right AAU Team to Maximize your Exposure – 4 Tips

Choosing and AAU team to play on should not be taken lightly and can be a rigorous process. Finding the right AAU team comes down to who is going to develop your skills to their maximum potential and who can showcase your talents the best to college recruiters. One team may have a coach that specifically can make you a better ball handler however the team may have the number 1 and 2 guards in the state and you would only play 5-10 minutes a game. Therefore you wouldn’t get the ample time to demonstrate your improved ball handling to recruiters. In a scenario like this you may trade 20 minutes of playing time over your individual development and a better skills coach. Here are 4 more tips for further consider. Finding the Right AAU Team 4-tips

 

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A new era for scoreboards

Seems like scoreboards in gyms haven’t changed in 30 years. Old-school scoreboards are expensive & break often and just a tabletop version can cost $300.

I have recently connected with David from PCscoreboards.com to learn more about their system. I’ve downloaded the software and tested it on my Windows7 computer. Super easy to install and operator. You get a simple control screen and a display screen. Simple.

Its time to take your scoreboard to the next level and transform your TV or Projector in to a beautiful custom scoreboard. PCscoreboards.com has a brilliant system for any budget and gym. Check out the details on their website. And if you use promo code “tourneybuddy” YOU save 10% on your order.

Check them out today! And if you use promo code “tourneybuddy” YOU save 10% on your order.

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UW Men’s Basketball acquiring a new farm team?

Demoting your assistant coach and hiring a new “parent assistant” who gets paid $100,000 more than any other assistant coach on your roster. Is this the new price you pay for getting the #1 recruit in the nation?

Nathan Hale’s Porter brothers don’t even attend Nathan Hale’s classes as they are home schooled.

Is Nathan Hale and Brandon Roy’s team walking an ethical line or is this going to be the new norm?

Either way Romar needs a college level defense 101 class, or the UW fan base may riot if they keep producing 1 and dones with losing records.

MOORE: NATHAN HALE’S MANUFACTURED TITLE NOT WORTH THE CELEBRATION

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Choosing Teammates over Winning

We love seeing stories like this. A team that loves to win, but knows what is more important.

A short documentary based on a brotherhood through sports.

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Coaching like a Pro

Coaching like a Pro

The movie Moneyball teaches us that teams often miss value people. Swayed by irrelevant information we often demonstrate a great deal of bias when making decisions related to our teams. As a result, the recent revolution in all professional sports is the move away from the use of ‘gut’ feel and observation to the use of more objective data or "analytics". It is an effort to get beyond personal bias and try to understand what is really happening on the court so that talent is not overlooked and abilities are maximized.

If professional coaches, with decades of experience, recognize that they might have bias how much more relevant is this to high school athletics. It is easy for us as parents or coaches to be swayed by irrelevant information. In Behavioral Economics this mental short cut is called the Availability Heuristic. It means that if something can be recalled it must be important and people tend to allow this information to more heavily weigh their judgments, making opinion biased toward that latest news. So for example, a player chases the opposition down the court and makes a fantastic block sending the ball out of bounds. The fans erupt, parents wonder why John doesn’t get more playing time and the coach calls him out at half time for being the only player making an effort out there. The one big showy event gets locked into the mind of coaches and fans alike benefiting the player. And yet basketball games are made up of 40 minutes with many examples that go without review and speak more to John’s true defensive effort.