The selection of a basketball club for your child is a critical decision that has a significant influence on your child’s development and, ultimately, the trajectory of their basketball career. It is essential to research area clubs to find out which organization is aligned with the goals that you have for your child. As I look back on my experience and with the benefit of hindsight, I should have started my research when my daughters were in 2nd or 3rd grade. It sounds insane, but the early research will pay dividends into the future. Of course, it will depend on the goals that you have for your child. My goal was nothing less than a Division 1 scholarship for both of my daughters.
Reputation
The reputation of the club influences the growth and development of your child in several ways. You must ask the clubs that you are researching four key questions.
How do the coaches treat the kids in their program?
I contend that coaches must strike a balance between positive reinforcement, player accountability, and “tough love” with their approach to the players that are in their program. My coaching experience has shown me that yelling and berating youth, and high school-aged players yield little benefit when done consistently. It must be used sparingly and selectively depending on the child. A well placed stern challenge from a coach can help take the player’s game to the next level. The coaches should hold the players accountable to the role that they have on the team and, when appropriate, dish out the “tough love” to their players.
I remember a tournament in Waukegan, Illinois. My daughter was asked to play at a higher age level because the coach needed an additional skilled three-point shooter. At the beginning of the game, she was a bit tentative playing with the older kids. The ball was swung around to the wing, and she had a wide-open shot. She passed up on the shot, throwing the ball to another player. The coach called a time out. During the whole time out, the coach screamed at my daughter. He was telling her that her role is to shoot and that she should not pass up on another one up if she wants to play (along with some colorful language). She went back into the game and ripped off ten straight points. This was a powerful lesson for her. The “tough love” was used to its fullest potential in this situation.
I would highly suggest asking the program director if you can attend a practice. I would then go to a tournament where their teams are competing. Observe how the players and coaches are interacting. I would also seek out parents of the current and former players and try to obtain as many opinions as you can. The idea is to build a comfort level with the program’s coaching.
What is the program’s approach to playing time?
I believe that playing time should be relatively balanced in grades third through seventh. While winning for a program is always important from a business standpoint, the program must get the kids in the game where they can be placed in a situation where they can succeed or fail. Practice does not simulate the unique struggle and pressure of a game. Getting sufficient and consistent playing time is key to the player’s development. They need to utilize the skills that they have been working on in practice during the game to gain confidence. As the game winds down and if it is close, I am okay with the coach playing for the win by using the players that they feel they need to use to get the job done.
At the 8th grade age level and older, the playing time should be based on their skill level and attitude. This is the age when a player needs to learn the life lesson that playing time is earned through that work put in the gym and the driveway (This equates to what they will be facing in the workplace!). I have always told my daughters that the amount of playing time that you get is directly correlated to the effort that you put into skill development. Basketball players are not born with talent. Talent is produced through consistent and relentless hard work. The development of this talent comes early for some and later for others. It is important to relay to your child that there is something great waiting for them at the back end of all the effort.
Does the Program have a Winning Tradition?
A club that has a tradition of winning is vital to your child’s growth and development. Also, it can have a significant impact on how far your child will go in the game of basketball. A program that has a tradition of excellence will attract the best players in the region. It is not uncommon for some parents to drive their child an hour or two to be apart of a top program. Playing and competing against higher level players challenges your child daily. It will raise their game and expose weaknesses that need to be furthered developed.
The programs that excel can field teams that can compete with the top teams in other club programs across the country. The reason for playing these higher-level teams is to challenge the players against stiff competition and also provide excellent exposure to college coaches that target these teams during college viewing periods. Your child might not be the one they came to recruit, but you have the opportunity to capture their attention during these games.
I have a great personal story about my daughter that is an excellent example of getting this exposure. My daughter’s club team was traveling to Kansas City for a tournament, but they were missing a couple of players from their 17u team. Even though she was only in 8th grade, the program director asked her to attend because of her outside shooting ability. He was mainly looking for another deep scoring threat. During the Saturday session, over 30 coaches were sitting on the sideline. They were there to watch a player on the opposing team who was being highly recruited. During the game, my daughter played out of her mind hitting 4 of 5 three-pointers. She was in the right place and performed at the right time in front of the right people. She played to the best of her potential during that game. In the weeks that followed, the club director received calls from seven colleges. A few weeks later, we set up a campus visit, and she was offered a full scholarship at a Division 1 college. The reputation of the club allowed the club director to build strong connections with college basketball recruiters. These recruiters, over time, grew to know and trust the type of players that the club develops. This results in a good percentage of their players receiving scholarship offers. IT MATTERS GREATLY WHO YOU PLAY FOR!
How Successful are the Current and Former Players?
Club programs are defined by the success of their current and former players. There is a distinct series of questions that you need to ask the director of the basketball club that you are looking to join.
- Does the program have some of the top high school basketball players locally and/or regionally?
- Do the program’s kids have a history of making their high school’s varsity team as freshman or sophomore?
- How many of their former players have went on to play for D1, D2, D3, or NAIA college programs?
- Do their former players have a high transfer rate at the colleges that they attended?
Positive answers to the above questions directly relate to the quality of the club’s training, their reputation, and the coaching/management of the players.
Motion Type Offense
I believe that the best way for youth and high school basketball players to learn the game of basketball is to play in a program that runs a Motion Type Offense. I am directly referencing an offense that does not have structured movements, but instead, it has a set of rules that the players use to read and react to how the defense is playing them. For example, if a defender is flat out denying an entry pass into the offense, the offensive player would decide to back cut to the basket. If a player’s defender is trailing them on a screen, then the offensive player would curl around the screen into the lane. This provides an excellent foundation of offensive basketball principles. This type of offense pushes the players to become creative and teaches proper offensive spacing while they play the game.
Programs that run structured offenses, especially at the younger ages, do not allow their players to develop a greater understanding of the game. The youth players become more concerned about running from point A to point B instead of reacting to the defense that is playing against them. I have seen programs that structure their offense to allow their strongest players to take the majority of the shots. An excellent example of this is the high pick roll type offense that is played the entire game. Essentially two of the team’s best players handle the ball while the other three players stand and watch. This does not allow all players to have the opportunity to touch the ball and develop their skills.
Be sure to get a strong understanding of the club’s offensive philosophy.
Man to Man Defense
It is my opinion that zone defenses should be used rarely in the club basketball world. I would never choose a program that plays zone between the grades of third to eighth. Solid defensive principles need to be taught over and over again for the players to internalize the concepts. Playing solid team defense is a difficult concept for youth players to learn. The repetition of the principles followed by consistent coaching is the only way the players will grasp it.
A very good friend of mine has been a college and pro basketball coach for the last twenty years((A very good friend of mine has been… – HM Photography …. https://www.facebook.com/hmphotographyanddesign/photos/a.390873991050160/1845963188874559/)). He has told me over and over again that he does not want to come to an exposure event and see kids play zone. He stated that he needs to see them play solid on-ball and off-ball defense. If a basketball player can play fundamental man to man, then he says it is easy to train them to play zone when they get to college.
Another thing to look for at a program’s younger ages is if they are focused on a full-court man to man or zone presses for the entire game. At the youth ages, players do not have the height or strength to make the passes necessary to break the press effectively. A pressing style such as this yields easy wins for many programs, but I do not feel that it allows the young players to work on their individual and team defensive skills as much as a team that decides to stay in a half-court man to man defense for the majority of the game.
Once again, I would have a discussion with the program director on the club’s defensive philosophies.
Skills Training
Perhaps the essential attribute to a basketball club is their commitment to the training of their players. This usually takes the form of additional “workouts” that can be purchased for $10 to $20 per session. The training sessions that have been offered at my daughter’s club have become central to her development as a player. One of my favorite sayings that I preach to my daughter is that she needs to make a move or a shot 1,000 times in practice for her to have the confidence to make that shot during a game situation. During these training sessions, she can work on her conditioning, shoot 200 to 300 shots, practice her ball handling, and work on a variety of finishing drills. Also, her club brings in a fitness trainer that does band workouts, and the club coaches take the players through exercises that help them build the core muscles. The repetition of the skills during these workouts over time make the moves that they are learning second nature. I work to make sure that she attends every workout that she can get to.
I have a great story concerning my daughter’s workouts. She started attending her club’s workouts when she was in second grade. They had a drill where they would start behind the three-point line on the baseline. They would dribble toward the basket and attempt to do a reverse layup. She had a lot of trouble making this type of shot. Undaunted, the coach had her try it over and over from workout to workout. It seemed like forever before she started to become proficient with the finishing move. Then, when she was in fifth grade, she was playing in a game during the summer months. She got the ball on the baseline and drove to the basket. She ended up doing the reverse layup in a game situation! She was so excited that she started clapping for herself as she ran down the court to get back on defense. It was a proud moment for me as a father because I knew the hard work that she put in on mastering that move ((Toddler walking the ramp for fashion show audition # …. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl9OHnfyHpg)).
Training repetitions are the key to a player’s development. I would not join a club that does not offer the player’s consistent training sessions where their players can work on their game.
Conclusion
The difficulty in choosing a basketball club for your child is that there is no perfect club. Also, many times a selection has to be made with the clubs that are located in the geographic region that you reside in. I hope that these five things to look for are beneficial to you as you do your research. For full disclosure, I am distinctly aware that my opinions and goals that I hold for my children may not coincide with the goals that you hold for your children. In the end, you must choose what you feel is best for your child. I would stress that you take an active role in your child’s basketball development. Never leave it up to one program or one training method. It takes a combination of clubs, personal trainers, youth/high school coaches, and dedicated parents to build a basketball player.
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