SHOWMAN TO BASKETBALL PLAYER

I came across a blog from the Dallas Morning News written by a Dallas Mavericks blogger Tim MacMahon. This is a pretty good read and required by all. MacMahon covers Gerald Green, citing that Green is the poster child for AAU basketball.

There is so much talk about what is wrong with AAU basketball. Just like everything else in society, the negative always gets more publicity than the positive. Just grab your local newspaper and check the front page. We all know that AAU basketball is ‘up and down’ racehorse basketball. We all know AAU teams travel to venues to play three, sometimes four games a day. And it’s no secret AAU teams don’t practice much as a unit (probably because of players coming from different parts of the State, travel is tough and of course gym availability).

Gerald Green gets it. He knows that all his talent will go to waste if he doesn’t change his ways. Or at least he’s saying all the right things.

A 6-8 guy with his athleticism and shooting touch should sign a megabucks contract entering his fourth NBA season. Green, however, comes to the Mavericks for a minimum salary, hoping to prove he can harness that talent and become a legitimate NBA player.

The first line by MacMahon is a good one – ‘Gerald Green gets it’, that’s a good start.  I have mentioned in the past about athletic kids working on their fundamentals (imagine how much better they would be?).

See Michael Jordan.

A few weeks ago while attending a basketball camp there was some high-flying freak on the court during the lunch break throwing down dunks and every camper in the gym was going crazy.  Imagine if that kid was working on his shooting or ball handling?

Green has paid for listening to the coaches who told him how good he was instead of the ones who tried to make him better. He’s a phenomenal talent who has no clue what he’s doing on defense and doesn’t understand how to get his shots in a structured offense.

You don’t have to be a great athlete to be a solid defender – it takes desire and a willingness to listen. Creating your own shot requires countless reps, commitment and being coachable. (How many times do you see a player working on their shot fake, one dribble pull-up?)

If you are a basketball player, get with a coach who knows the game, not WHO they know.  Parents need to ask themselves if their kid is working on their game?  Are they being coached, are they improving and are they COMMITTED?

Commitment is a HUGE word!

For the most part, AAU teams are for travel – exposure and a chance to go against other top-notch players across the country.  AAU basketball is not the only problem for the so-called ‘lack of fundamentals‘ by players.  A basketball player has enough time during the year to work on their game, learn the game and understand the importance of team basketball.  (Chris Mullin played basketball every day during his four years in high school)

I was talking to a high school player a couple of nights ago and he was so excited to be going to Orlando, Florida with his AAU team. “My mom could never afford to take us out of the State” the kid said to me.

PLAY THE RIGHT WAY!