Category: News

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When AAU intensity goes bad

Apology issued after melee caught on video at girl’s basketball game
WTOC
It happened over the weekend at an AAU basketball tournament at the Jenkins Athletic Club. “I’ve refereed the City of Savannah leagues in places where the fans weren’t as kind, but they never got this far. Never got this far,” said Marcus Fowles, the referee at the game. Mayhem broke out at a girls’ …

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Girls Youth Basketball is Different

Just came across an interesting article from TheUndefeated.com which highlights the different paths for girls when it comes to college scholarships. What caught my attention was the additional number of college scholarships available to women. It represents great opportunities for women in basketball.

Women’s Division I teams each have 15 scholarships, compared with 13 for men, so there are 644 more free rides for women. And there are about 120,000 more boys playing high school basketball than girls. In other words, women’s college basketball has more scholarships for fewer players.

Author Jesse Washington reminds that “We don’t see the 5-8 kid in eighth grade and then she’s 6-3 in 11th grade. That just doesn’t happen…”. So – as with all kids – be realistic with your daughter’s opportunities.

“Because women still spend four years in college, because the money to be made in professional women’s basketball is not life-changing in the way that men’s basketball is, the main difference is that recruitable girls and their families still value education, first and foremost,” Gottlieb said. “I think they value relationships with the coaches and with the teammates and things like the feel of the campus.”

Read the full article for more insights: TheUndefeated.com

 

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Practical Advice for a Youth Basketball (AAU) Coach

We asked long-time Coach Dickson of Squalicum High School in Bellingham, Washington:

What would be your one practical piece of advice for a youth basketball (AAU) coach?

“This suggestion is an attempt to improve your team’s culture. In order to motivate and maximize your team’s and players’ potential, a coach must make every team member feel valued.

Show value to your players for their on-court contribution to the team (rebounding, defensive intensity, FTs, passing, etc) and their on-court qualities (competitiveness, persistence, encouraging, etc).

Take time to model this alone with each player and in front of the team. After you have modeled this practice, have your players demonstrate value towards each other by noting the contributions (on-court and character) made by their teammates. You might pair players up, or choose one player to be “spotlighted“.

This is a terrific way to improve your team culture as well as teaching your players the value of affirming others.”

Many coaches may take time after a game to give positive feedback to their players. Keep in mind 2 things:

  1. Demonstrate value to each player for their on-court contributions & qualities.
    “Great job scoring 20 points” communicates one thing to a player. “I appreciate your unselfish play near the end of the game” communicates something deeper.
  2. Find specific situations to highlight.
    “I appreciate your unselfish play near the end of the game” is a great encouragement, but “It showed great unselfish play in the last minute when you chose to pass inside instead of shoot.“