As the AAU season kicked back into full gear this past weekend I made sure to be in the building in Indianapolis. As I’m moving around from court to court and gym to gym watching the young hoopers put in work. I’m reminded of how delusional some of these parents really are. They think that just because there is a score board that the powers that be really care who wins these stupid games.
Now let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! AAU is a tool for the kids to get more reps. It’s practice!!! In my Allen Iverson voice, “We talkin’ bout PRACTICE!” The actual score of the freakin’ games and the team’s record at the end of the day mean absolutely nothing. The kids are playing to get better. Nobody cares if they won 6 games this weekend or not. The question is, did they get better? Did they improve on the facets of the game that they had opportunities for growth in?
The mortgage is dependent upon whether your kid won a stupid AAU game. The car isn’t getting repossessed because a ref made a bad call on Saturday. So why are you up in this piece hollerin’ and cursin’ folks out on every call or non-call? Either your kid has the DNA or not to play this game at the D-1 level.
Winning a dump game on Saturday night after playing 6 previous games for the day isn’t going to get him or her a scholarship offer. As a matter or fact, it may just cost them an opportunity if a coach was actually interested in your kid. As soon as you stand up and start cursing and yelling. They’re suddenly looking for some other kid with less of a fool for a parent. Keep in mind that your kid isn’t the only kid hooping.
How do I know this? Because I’ve got a ton of friends that coach at that level and they tell me this all of the time. What they don’t want is a fool parent once they recruit a kid to come to their campus. When the coaches show up to recruit these kids at these AAU games they want to see whether or not the kid can play. And guess what playa? They can see that within the first minute and 40 seconds.
If they can play does he or she make good decisions on the floor etc.? Do they play the game the way it’s supposed to be played? Are they selfish? How do they handle stress? Do they fall apart under pressure? That’s what the coaches are looking for once they figure out they can play. Do they fit into the system that they run or do they fit with the personalities of the current roster etc.? They don’t give a rip who wins the stupid game.
So pull a Snoop Dogg and back up off of the refs and sit yo cup down. Stop me when I start lyin’!
