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Another spring and summer of high school basketball is over--or is it ever really over?--and it is time for the NCAA to revamp its outmoded and obsolete and unwieldy recruiting process before the colleges are struck with another embarrassing scandal.
It is time for the NCAA to re-evaluate the recruiting process and come up with a new design. The old model has broken down and the ones who are suffering are the kids it is supposed to help.
Many coaches are complaining about being forced to pay as much as $600 and as little as $175 or $200 for a packet of information and entrance to a tournament or camp. For the money, you might expect to get accurate jersey numbers, correctly spelled names and maybe even a home address and telephone number.
There is talk about certifying scouting services. Should someone who runs a scouting service also sponsor an AAU team? Some AAU coaches insist a college coach must subscribe to his scouting service if he wants to scout his players.
And what about school websites? Some are being accused of serving as intermediaries for the schools. One even talked a blue-chip recruit out of his commitment to another school. They give a new meaning to bad-mouthing.
The big issue is a growing number of transfers each year, now about 250 annually, kids who are persuaded to make bad and early decisions by coaches who don't have enough time to see everybody, even the players they need to see.
Instead, because they have limited time on the road and can't see everybody at every tournament, college coaches usually base their decisions on projections. How good will he be in two or three years? Can he start for me as a sophomore? They don't have enough exposure to the kid. They can't evaluate his development. Instead, they are forced by the system to make hasty and often ill-advised decisions.
Under these circumstances, the best players gravitate to the elite programs. The rich get richer. The low to mid-major programs have to wait until the bigger schools pick and choose whom they want. The power programs will get their share of the top talent.
In a desperate attempt to police summer basketball and all of the unsavory things associated with it, the NCAA closed down the spring and pushed everything into the summer. The coaches have two 10-day evaluation periods in July. They are lobbying for two seven-day periods in the spring and perhaps 40 days during the season. Anything, they insist, is better than what they have now. The current system, most agree, hurts not only the coaches but the players as well.
"The coaches feel they are backed into a corner and want to figure out a better way of doing it," said recruiting analyst Van Coleman of Hoopmasters.com. "The power programs are on top of the totem pole and don't care about this stuff. They'll get their kids. They don't worry about recruiting against the lower half of their conferences, only against one another. North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA only worry about recruiting against one another."
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THIS IS AN AAU SITUATION, BUT LETS BE CLEAR THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN AT EVERY TOURNAMENT, IT HAPPENED AT A FEW, WE ALL KNOW SHOE COMPANIES DON'T SPONSOR EVERY TEAM!
IF COLLEGES CAN PAY OVER A MILLION DOLLARS TO A COACH OF A TEAM, THOSE COLLEGES SHOULDN'T COMPLAIN, PUT IT THIS WAY, IT'S LIKE ANNOUNCING A FOOTBALL GAME AND THE OPPOSING TEAM DIDN'T LIST THE UNIFORM NUMBERS OF THEIR TEAM!
YOU IMPROVISE, ADAPT, AND OVERCOME!
AAU TOURNAMENTS ARE THE MAJOR SOURCE FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL, WITHOUT THESE TOURNAMENTS ALOT OF TEAMS ARE WAY BEHIND IN THEIR RECRUITING EFFORTS!
WHAT IS THE NCAA GOING TO DO MAKE SURE EVERY TOURNAMENT HAS A TYPIST AT THE TOURNEY?
SO HERE IS THE SOLUTION AAU TEAMS TIGHTEN UP YOUR TOURNAMENT STANDARDS AND MAKE SURE EVERY TEAM HAS A CORRECT ROSTER IN YOUR PROGRAM!
AAU is mostly a bunch of run and gun and doesn't help the kids skills at all. They should be on the court working on their individual skills, not playing 150 games in the Spring and Summer. There was basketball being played before AAU or Summer Basketball which is what it should be called. AAU only has a few tournaments so let's name it right. It's Summer Club Basketball. Yes more kids are getting seen but too many kids pick schools along shoe company lines which ultimately hurts the kid. Yes also college coaches are hypocrits also making millions of dollars off the kid. Making their kids walking billboards for the shoe company. And the kid is not seeing a dime of that shoe money from the contract the coach gets. So both are wrong. NCAA-HOLES can shut down summer basketball by not letting their coaches evaluate players in the spring and summer. Confine it to the high school season but they won't do it because too much money is changing hands and everybody is being bought. It's a shame because it's not about the kids but the shoe companies on both sides of the coin.
Another great article, thanks Taylor. Unfortunately this recruiting decision does not hurt the college's, as much as it does the kids. We should all be in favor of anything that can help a kid get exposure and/or a scholarship. If anything the college love this, LESS WORK FOR ALL INVOLVED.
NOBODY CARES ABOUT THEIR INDIVIDUAL SKILLS UNTIL THEY GET THE PLAYER ON THEIR CAMPUS, IF THESE YOUNGSTERS DON'T PLAY HIGH-LEVEL AAU THEY CAN KISS A SCHOLARSHIP GOODBYE!
THIS IS A FACT, THIS IS WHY YOUNGSTERS DON'T PLAY BASEBALL, BECAUSE THEY THINK IT IS BORING, THEY WATCH IT ON TELEVISION AND SAY I AM NOT GOING TO PLAY THIS, NOW I AM TALKING ABOUT AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUNGSTERS IN BULK, I KNOW SOME STILL PLAY, BUT NOT LIKE BACK IN MY DAY, AAU BASKETBALL IS HERE TO STAY, YOU MAY PUT SANCTIONS ON IT, BUT IT IS HERE TO STAY, I AM A FAN OF IT,BECAUSE IT KEEPS YOUNGSTERS OFF THE STREETS, THEY GET TO TRAVEL TO OTHER CITIES, NOW DO YOU THINK A YOUNGSTER IS GOING TO PASS ALL OF THIS UP, THINK AGAIN!
LOOK AT ALL OF THE YOUNGSTERS BEING SHOT AND KILLED ON THE STREETS OF CHICAGO THIS SUMMER, IT IS A SHAME, THE SHOE COMPANIES ARE BACKING THE HIGH LEVEL TEAMS, AND THEY HAVE HIGH LEVEL PEOPLE BACKING ALL OF THIS, HAVE YOU BEEN TO BIGTIME AAU TOURNEY?
I KNOW YOU HAVE TAYLOR, I AM TALKING TO WHOMEVER IS READING WHAT I AM BLOGGING ABOUT!
DO YOU THINK SHERRON COLLINS WOULD BE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS WITHOUT AAU BASKETBALL AND PLAYING FOR A COACH LIKE ANTHONY LONGSTREET?
DO YOU KNOW A YOUNGSTER FROM SAN DIEGO JUST SKIPPED HIS LAST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL TO PLAY FOR A TEAM IN ISRAEL?
HE WILL EARN 140,000 DOLLARS FOR ONE SEASON!
YOU SAY IT ISN'T ABOUT THE YOUNGSTER, BUT HE IS THE ONE WEARING NEW SNEAKERS, FLYING ON PLANES, STAYING IN HOTELS, WEARING NICE GEAR, WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO GET, NOW ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS HIT THE BOOKS THE SAME WAY THEY HAVE BEEN TREATED ALL SUMMER!
TIM I AM NOT FUSSING AT YOU, I AM JUST GIVING YOU MY OPINION AS WELL, I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM, AND TAYLOR I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT OF VIEW ALSO!
AAU BASKETBALL IS A GLOBAL ENTERPRISE, IT ISN'T LOCAL ANY LONGER!
Phil of course Summer Basketball will not go away because too much money is changing hands. And another problem is these kids are not hitting the books in the summer, they are playing double the games an NBA team does over an 8 month stretch. And Phil have you watched the NBA lately? These kids have no skills whatsoever and are in the league mostly because of being "ATHLETIC". Why you think people are not watching and the ratings are going down? Summer Basketball is not teaching these kids the fundamentals needed to make the NBA a good product. I AM a Lakers fan and even though they won I venture to say they are the Worst NBA Champion in the history of the league. So Summer Basketball is not helping the quality of the product at all.
1. The AAU sponsors 38 sports.
2. The AAU has sponsored about 22 boy's basketball tournaments in the last 12 months.
3. The AAU is older than the NCAA.
4. The NCAA has no jurisdiction over the AAU or the other tournaments that are held.
5. The NCAA does have jurisdiction over the
coaches.
6. I am happy for the ONE player going to Israel to play, what about the others?
7. Does anyone remember Ronnie Fields?
8. Why aren't these kids coached by the summer league coaches? Indiana Spiece is considered to be well coached and they win. Why not all the teams?
9. At the end of the day planes, hotels and gear are not that important.
10. Tim I agree with you.
The coaches are not guiltless, that's for sure. Some of these bb promoters and coaches are guilty. The shame is when a player is taken advantage of for the benefit of someone else.
phil
caps lock dude, seriously.
every single time
stop shouting. no one cares.
APPARENTLY YOU CARE, BECAUSE YOU KEEP READING MY COMMENTS, AAU BASKETBALL IS DOING ONE BAD THING, IT IS CONVINCING YOUNGSTERS TO CONCENTRATE ON BASKETBALL ONLY, THAT IS A MISTAKE, IF YOU HAVE TALENT LIKE A TAI STREETS, YOU SHOULD FLAUNT THAT TALENT AND PLAY 3 SPORTS, TAI ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AND PLAYED IN THE NFL, BUT IN HIGH SCHOOL HE PLAYED FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND TRACK & FIELD, HE WAS AN ABSOLUTE SPECIAL ATHLETE, AND I AM GLAD I SAW HIM DO THIS WITH MY OWN EYES, PLEASE LISTEN ATHLETES, DON'T LET PEOPLE GIVE YOU BAD ADVICE, PLAY AS MANY SPORTS AS YOU CAN, YOU CAN'T GET THESE YEARS BACK, DON'T BECOME A SPECIALIST BEFORE IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO BECOME ONE!
IN FACT TAI STREETS EVEN PLAYED BASKETBALL ONE SEASON AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, HE IS STILL SECOND IN RECEPTIONS AT THE U OF M!
WE NEED MORE TAI STREETS TYPE ATHLETES!
RONNIE FIELDS STILL PLAYS IN THE CBA, HE PLAYS IN MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA!
HE HAS BEEN A PROFESSIONAL SINCE HE LEFT HIGH SCHOOL, JUST BECAUSE HE DIDN'T PLAY IN THE NBA, DOESN'T MEAN HE HASN'T HAD A PRODUCTIVE PROFESSIONAL CAREER, WE ALL KNOW WHY HE DIDN'T MAKE THE NBA, SO THERE IS NO REASON TO TRASH HIS GOOD NAME!
YES HE WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY IN THE NBA, AND PROBABLY STILL IS, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION!
WHAT HE DID IN THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LEAGUE WILL NEVER BE DUPLICATED, AND THAT IS THE TRUTH/RUTH!
YOU HAD TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE WHAT YOU WERE WITNESSING!
HIS NAME ALONE COULD PACK A GYM, SOMETHING ONLY A FEW ATHLETES HAVE EVER DONE!
Pnil,
You seem to be the all knowing individual. I have a few questions for you:
1. Who trashed Ronnie Fields?
2. Why didn't he play in the NBA?
3. Do you expect people to take your statements as gospel just because you say so, even if they are in CAPS?
4. How do you explain making the statement that what Fields did will never be duplicated and then turn around and state that only a few athletes have ever done that? Make up your mind.
You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that. It seems to me that you never answer questions, you just seek to impose your will. Won't work here, sorry.
Mr. Bell and I do not always see eye-to-eye but that's okay. You on the other hand just by the nature of your statements make it almost impossible to interact. Finally, the all CAPS is really rude and inconsiderate and you don't have a humble bone in your body or psyche.
THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT YOU JAY, YOU FUSS AND RANT ABOUT MY COMMENTS, BUT YOU ARE THE ONE WHO BROUGHT UP RONNIE FIELDS IT WASN'T ME, IF YOU THINK THAT MR. FIELDS WASN'T A HUMAN HIGHLIGHT FILM IN HIGH SCHOOL, THEN YOU NEVER SAW HIM PLAY, I WAS MAKING THE POINT THAT HE STILL PLAYS PROFESSIONALLY, YOU WANT TO HYPE ABOUT THE NBA, EVERYONE WILL NOT MAKE THAT LEAGUE AND YOU KNOW IT, SO INSTEAD OF PUTTING QUESTION MARKS AT THE END OF YOUR SENTENCES, YOU NEED TO PUT EXCLAMATION POINTS, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH, TAYLOR I AM TALKING TO JAY, AS YOU CAN SEE I AM A HUGE FAN OF RONNIE FIELDS, BECAUSE I SAW WHAT HE DID ON THE BASKETBALL COURT, AND HE WAS SO EFFECTIVE THAT KG DECIDED TO TRANSFER TO THE SCHOOL THAT RONNIE ATTENDED!
NAME ME ONE HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER THAT SHOWED OUT LIKE RONNIE FIELDS DID ON THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL? THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT MR. JAY!
RONNIE FIELDS GOT FARRAGUT TO THE FINAL FOUR OF THE CPS EVERY YEAR, AND LIKE TAYLOR SAID HE MIGHT OF RECEIVED BAD ADVICE FOR TRYING TO GO PRO OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL INSTEAD OF GOING TO A JUCO FIRST, BUT ON THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL HE WAS DYNAMITE!
By the way, the only way to protect yourself from irritative calls and spy devices is to use Block Phone