AAU vs HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

ESPN Outside the Lines had an interesting topic this morning.  It was AAU vs High School basketball. (Good timing during the NBA playoffs and two big Game 7’s today)  The three guests were Dru Joyce, Gary Charles and John Beilein.

There were some interesting comments but I wish each guest would’ve had more time to explain their views.  (Memo to ESPN, expand the show or have the guests on longer). 

This debate has been going on for many years.  The one common theme Charles and Joyce mentioned was “ego”; on the part of the high school and AAU coach.  Everyone says they are in it for the interest of the kid, but deep down, is that really the agenda?

Recently on Twitter, George Mason men’s head basketball coach Jim Larranaga said he’d rather have kids playing AAU basketball on weekends than hanging out in the malls.  

You can google this topic and come up with 745,322 articles.  You can talk to 100 people involved with basketball and you will get 100 different views.  You can poll players and coaches and you’ll get different opinions.  Basketball people will be talking about this forever.  

I don’t have a solution – but I don’t want to be part of the problem by bashing either side or even judging.  I know there are very good AAU programs out there. Just like there are very good high school programs; on the flip-side, we can all agree that each side has their bad apples.   The bottom line is as adults; coaches and parents, we need to do the best we can when making decisions that are going to effect young men.  We need to put our own interests aside and do what’s best for the kids.

Two very good books that cover AAU, high school, sneaker companies and recruiting, ‘Raw Recruits’ and ‘Sole Influence’ were published in 1991 and 2000 respectively.  

PLAY THE RIGHT WAY

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

BALL-YOU-MAN

My assistant and I went to observe individual workouts yesterday at the University of Michigan.  Let me just say that John Beilein is an incredible teacher!

This workout wasn’t your typical, roll out the balls, shout out to the players how many shots or makes from each spot.  No, this was teaching!  This was instructing!

How to cut without the ball, how to screen, how to pass, how to defend and even how to jump/land!

U of M takes individual instruction to a different level.

PLAY THE RIGHT WAY!