made into select team but

My boy made into a select /competitive team. But he barely gets to play in tournament games. It doesn't look like coach feels comfortable using new players. Even with big lead on the team, my son still doesn't get play that much.
His skills are better than most of the starters in my opinion. He has been working with a private trainer. Only thing he lacks is team skills.

sitting on the bench can't be good for his confidence. additionally if he doesn't play, he can't get better or prove himself.

any advise on what to do?

I forget... how old is he?

6th grader

At this age he should be getting some playing time...... this might not be the rigtht fit for him. Find a team where he will get some playing time. JMO

This is actually a problem with certain AAU programs and travel teams.

There are good programs out there that with their youth levels, they play the kids fairly and make sure every kid at least gets a chance.

But there are other programs that don't; once they have your money, they cater to the best kids and leave others on the bench.

It is why it is important to background check a program before joining it. Find parents who are involved, coaches who have worked for the program and coaches who have coached against it. Find out what they are about.

As far as the current situation: repetitions are what it is all about. I agree with everyone that at the 6th grade level, no kid should be left on the bench. I had a falling out with a girls 7th grade program over this exact issue.

I'm not certain what the options are for you.
Politely inquire about playing time to the coach, but do it during the week, and not immediately following the tournament. Give yourself time to cool down and the coach time to get away from it too. Then approach it coolly and calmly. What can my son do to earn more minutes?

In terms of improvement, I always felt skills were developed more away from games. Repetitions were the key, and you can get more from practice than you can waiting for your turn to come up in games.

These are just my thoughts. Obviously I hope he starts playing more. If he doesn't I hope that the solution that is reached is amicable, at least for your son. Nothing can turn a joyful sport into a joyless experience quite like the kind of situation you are referring to.

thanks for all the replies. I will schedule a meeting with coach next week over this.
but can anyone tells me why winning becomes the only goal for these type of tournaments? after winning, it's just a trophy or metal. Is it coach's pride or organization's reputation at stake?

I know what it was for the organization I was working for.

They want to win to achieve notoriety. They showcase their best players for that same reason.

Getting the wins and players with reps makes them better known.

Which means when they approach new talent to bring them into the system, they have probably already heard of the program.

Getting those players allows them to win tournaments.

Which increases the reputation.

Which allows them to gain access to talent.

And the cycle goes on and on. The sad thing is when talent gets poached from organizations who do things the right way: focus on player development, create a good experience for all kids. They get poached because some organization says "We will get you into college. We will get you into a bigger college. We will make you sought after". The parents get starry eyed, and they drift away from the organization that took the time to work with their kid and develop them into what they became in the first place.

briansass wrote:Getting those players allows them to win tournaments.

Which increases the reputation.

Which allows them to gain access to talent.

Here is what bothers me about this Brian ......We are talking about 10-11 year old kids here.... do those coaches want to be nominated to the 6 grade hall of fame? There goal should be to teach them the fundamentals of the game, get them ready to play at the next level and to have some FUN....Winning is a by product of a fundametaly sound team and NOT at the expense of sitting a bunch of 10/11 year olds. JMO

You know what, it's not just about winning. they wanted blowout. In one game yesterday, my son's team score was double of the other team. his team led the score all the time at every turn. Yet my son didn't get to play that much until the very last moment when the game was ending. He was put out as if to show that he actually had play time. a couple of other players had similar treatment.

Ken, that was why that organization parted ways after the first tournament. Fundamental disconnect about the purpose of youth sports.

Made me sick.

Time to find your son a tam that will help him to become a better player..... This is all about that coach sowing evone how muc better a coach he is. Do some research and find a team and coach that wants to TEACH the game and not worry about the Ws and Ls.

Brian, you KNOW how I feel about this....this guy needs to learn a little humilty.

I looked around a bit. it looks like all the select team says that players need to 'earn' play time here.
I have to continue looking.

Earn can mean different things. I think any good program is going to say that kids have to earn minutes.

The key is HOW they mean earn. At the youth level, earning should be
1.) Attend every practice
2.) Give your best effort at every practice
3.) Be enthusiastic
4.) Be respectful

If you meet those 4 criteria as a youth player, you should earn playing time.

It shouldn't be the best will play a majority of the minutes while the rest sit on the bench (not at the youth level).

You'll need to inquire of some of the parents and see what they say about the coach and the program. Are they fair? Do they teach? It's the problem with being involved with a bad travel program is they create scars on players and parents and then one can be really hesitant about getting involved again.

Michael W wrote:I looked around a bit. it looks like all the select team says that players need to 'earn' play time here.
I have to continue looking.

I take this comment as " we need to win " in order for you to get playing time.

Coach Sar wrote:

briansass wrote:Getting those players allows them to win tournaments.

Which increases the reputation.

Which allows them to gain access to talent.

Here is what bothers me about this Brian ......We are talking about 10-11 year old kids here.... do those coaches want to be nominated to the 6 grade hall of fame? There goal should be to teach them the fundamentals of the game, get them ready to play at the next level and to have some FUN....Winning is a by product of a fundametaly sound team and NOT at the expense of sitting a bunch of 10/11 year olds. JMO

Problem is, at least locally, is it is not about developing kids, it is about making money. A lot of programs are more like factories - how many kids can we get in at each level that will pay the monthly dues. Most of which get funneled up to support the A team that builds notoriety for the program, thus bringing in more kids and more money for the organization. Obviously not all programs are built this way, but it can be hard to separate those that are vs. those that aren't. Here in southern California there are a ton of options for competitive level basketball, some starting as young as 3rd grade. My 4th grader has been asked a few times to join teams, but right now I can't afford the $200+ a month some of these programs cost per kid, and until I have had time to research the program to see what kind of program they are, I won't make that commitment.

The focus of what is "right" often goes out the window when the amount of money we are talking about is involved.

Coach Sar wrote:

Michael W wrote:I looked around a bit. it looks like all the select team says that players need to 'earn' play time here.
I have to continue looking.

I take this comment as " we need to win " in order for you to get playing time.

At our preseason meeting for our 5th grade girls travel team a couple weeks ago, I talked to the parents and players about this. I told them that all playing time is earned. I made sure to explain what I meant by this. Your attitude, effort and performance in practice are what will determine the order in which you enter the game, whether that be as a starter or the first person off the bench or the last person into the game. From there, your attitude, effort and performance in the game will determine who plays how much in that game.

I can't imagine a scenario where one of our players will not enter the game in the first 5-7 minutes unless it is a disciplinary issue. I also talked about how I'm not going to guarantee equal playing time. But I can guarantee FAIR playing time based on the work each player does to earn their time.

I also told our parents and players that I would be lying if I said winning is not one of my goals. I love to win. But I believe our best way of doing that is developing each individual into the best basketball player they can be. We don't run a bunch of complicated plays that require a lot of time to learn, so that allows us to spend a ton of time on player development.

I spent a lot of time prepping to give that speech in hopes that it didn't come across the wrong way! LOL

I felt that "Play Their Hearts Out" by George Dorhmann should be mandatory reading for any parent who wants their son to play in AAU or travel ball. I think it should also be required reading for any coach who wishes to start an AAU/Club/ or travel team.

It is very informative as to the culture that has been created at youth levels and gives the perfect example of what happens when youth starts to be controlled by people who are in it for the wrong reasons (aka self promotion and advancement).

It was a heartbreaking story that I haven't been able to get out of my head, but definitely something I think anyone involved in the field should read.

briansass wrote:I felt that "Play Their Hearts Out" by George Dorhmann should be mandatory reading for any parent who wants their son to play in AAU or travel ball. I think it should also be required reading for any coach who wishes to start an AAU/Club/ or travel team.

It is very informative as to the culture that has been created at youth levels and gives the perfect example of what happens when youth starts to be controlled by people who are in it for the wrong reasons (aka self promotion and advancement).

It was a heartbreaking story that I haven't been able to get out of my head, but definitely something I think anyone involved in the field should read.

100% agree. A very good read for anyone - parent or coach - involved in youth basketball.

buying the book "Play Their Hearts Out".

To be honest, I don't even expect my son to get college scholarship or anything. Just want him to develop his character thru sports.

If the goal is to develop all players, everyone should play. trophies come second. If a player is always on the bench, he starts to believe he is bad even though he may be really good.

The whole concept of 'starter' for 6h grader is crazy. Basically non-starters are filling the gaps. they play last 2 minutes of each quarter or half or when it's certain the team will lose the game (then they throw all non-starters at the end). They sub for a 2-3 minutes and really don't have chance to shine even they are good. Can LeBron even score most point if he is only allowed to play 3 minutes in a game?

It's not that my son is bad. He is even better than most of the starters. the problem is that difference is not that great so that he could unseat a current starter at this point. Made some noise. He got some more play time. Waiting for a couple of months and will get out he still gets same treatment. . Not going to have my kid sit on the bench forever. what a way to waste a weekend. parents and players all siting and waiting for 2-3 minutes of play time and parents have to put a happy face and cheer for their kids afterwards.

It sounds like you're on a team that's about winning and winning big. A lot of club/select teams (not all, I ran across several teams that "got it" and were coached well) are in the business of increasing their marketability. If you can boast that you've won tournaments and your players went on to play with top high schools and colleges, it brings in more business. We have local club teams here that have gained insane reputations where everything is sponsored, so the kids fees and gear are all paid for if they make the "select" team. It seems goofy to have this going on at the 6th grade level, but I see it at the 3rd and 4th grade levels.

It can be tough finding the right coach and team for your son, but they are out there. Ask around and watch other teams as they're playing. You'll see the ones who emphasize sportsmanship and character. Ask other parents at games. Check in with the league directors and tell them what you're looking for in a team. I bet you'll dig something up.

Michael W wrote:Can LeBron even score most point if he is only allowed to play 3 minutes in a game?

On a side note, I saw Lebron play the other night as the Cavaliers came to our city. Guy was a class act all the way around. It was pretty clear he could score at will, but I was impressed with his assists.