In response to my rant entitled, Is AAU helping or handicapping our players? I received this email from the father of one of the better players in San Antonio.
"In my opinion the first thing any good club team should do is have your regular coach, and then have a few skills coaches available that the parents can hire on their own. Make it very clear that little Susie will not get any better without working on her individual skills, and game with a skills coach. Unfortunately with the lack and cost of gym time, the club teams these days can only focus on team structure, and team fundamentals in order to be competitive. Nuances of the game really have to be taught on an individual basis. The problem is when people start paying money for something, they start expecting tangible things that are still ultimately on them, not on a coach or a team. You are not buying a watch, you are buying the understanding of how the watch works."
I agree with much of the email but I do believe that AAU parents ARE buying a watch. The quality of the coach and his instruction depends on what kind of watch you are buying. Is your AAU coach selling you a Timex or a Movado? We both agree that the AAU coach is hard pressed to deliver the latest Philippe Patek with so little instruction time. I do take exception to this statement," The problem is when people start paying money for something, they start expecting tangible things that are still ultimately on them". Here is my opinion.
ALL coaches that teach middle school aged players should not focus on team structure. The emphasis should be on teaching the fundamentals of the game. By instilling the fundamentals, these players will be able to fit into ANY STRUCTURE. I can not effectively teach the Dribble-Drive motion offense if my players can not dribble. What can be more tangible than a middle school player going on to high school with a decent skill set. That is what AAU parents should expect if they are not only paying but entrusting their kids to AAU coaches.
Now it is very true that an AAU coach can not make a player a great shooter. Great shooters are made with good instruction but even more sweat. Gilbert Arenas just signed a $111 million contract with the Washington Wizards but he still works out like a madman. AAU coaches can not make a player great at anything because all of the skills that need to be mastered take unthinkable hours to perfect. Personal trainers nor AAU coaches can be held responsible for players that do not work on their game. This father is absolutely right in recommending personal trainers to sharpen the games of players but AAU coaches have a responsibility to introduce the fundamentals to their young players.(One of the most common shooting techniques taught is the 1-Handed-Shot. Shooting can be very intricate but the 1- Handed- Shot is one of the most simple yet effective tools a coach can teach. Youtube has a video of Gilbert Arenas beating teammate Deshawn Stevenson with this technique. The amazing thing is that Arenas beat Stevenson while shooting the 1- Handed-Shot but Stevenson shot the regular way and still lost!!)
The great Tex Winters writes:
Coaches must develop and organize out-of-season programs that promote greater total development of their players."
What is out-of season? AAU season is out-of-season!!!! All AAU coaches should incorporate drills that enhance skills in every practice. This father goes on to add:
"The other thing parents do not understand at all, is the type of club teams that are out there, and the type of team that will suit their kid. Even between so called Elite travel teams there are many differences. A parent that does not understand that, could end up wasting a lot of money. Everyone attributes success with winning. At the NCAA showcase level what is more important is being on a team that can highlight the skills your child is blessed with. Not with how many wins you rack up."
My point exactly! NO CHILD IS BORN BLESSED WITH BASKETBALL SKILLS. Skills are the result of good teaching and constant work. Most serious young ball players are introduced to the game at the AAU level. For those of you who do not know, the "showcase level" refers to viewing/exposure events. These are the events that college coaches attend. Gone are the days of a college coach flying across the country to scout one player in a high school gym. Coaches now line up like cattle to find the missing piece of their championship puzzle among the dozens of viewing events. Any respectable viewing event will have at least 100 college caliber players going at each other. This underscores my earlier point. These coaches are looking for players, not teams. AAU coaches, even at the elite level ,should spend time on making sure their players have the adequate skills that coaches are looking for. Adequate skills can be the difference between a free ride to college or mommy and daddy footing the bill.
Here is a quote from Pat Summit at a recent clinic in Los Angeles,
“IN RECRUITING, THE FIRST CONTACT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. WITH THE HELP OF MY ASSISTANTS, WE ARE NOW ON TO RECRUITING 8 AND 9 YEAR OLDS.”
I think that Summit was slightly exaggerating but it is well documented that coaches are looking for kids earlier than in the past. Since that is the case, the kids that want to play at a high level will have to be associated with an AAU coach and/or personal trainers that are TEACHING at an early age. As the elite dad put it, " A parent that does not understand that, could end up wasting a lot of money.
