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Cal Stars excel at EOT

Streak One

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Nov 11, 2003
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Cal Stars Nike Elite won the overall title at the EOT in Oregon this week. Was a dominating run for the Stars, which are considered one of the favorites at Nike Nationals.

Cal Stars 15U Elite also showed very well.
 
Cal Stars 15U actually made it to the overall championship against Cal Stars Nike Elite. Tremendous accomplishment to have both of their teams meet up in the championship!
 
Yes they did. When I made the initial post, I didn't know if the teams would play the finals with travel concerns and stuff like that.

First time in 35 years that teams from the same program played in the finals.
 
My buddy that was there mentioned that the level of talent was way down compared to previous years. Alot of teams apparently skipped it this year. I had heard there was some bad blood between Nike and Adidas and a lot of teams didn't go because of that. That's probably a pretty simple statement and theres more to it than just that. But that's just my belief....Anyone have any thoughts about it?
 
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The EOT has definitely changed, as has the whole summer landscape. There are many more tournaments, to begin with, and I think also that teams realize traveling for the sake of traveling isn't necessary. Most players go to college near their homes, so why should a NYC team come to Oregon? Or a California team play in Nashville? (The elite clubs with multiple Power 5 players are in a different category ...)

But then again, the summer has never been about teams winning titles -- it's about getting girls showcased and seen.
 
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Clay,

While the ultimate goal for the players is to get showcased with hopes of getting a scholarship, I would say that a lot of AAU coaches are also concerned about winning titles. Winning titles can attract talent, which in return will make the program stronger and have more pull when it comes to getting seen by a gym full of coaches...or am I way out in right field on this one?
 
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You're right ... everyone likes to win, and parents tend to put their children on winning teams, even if it isn't the best spot for them to develop as players. It's a lot easier to recruit talent when you have a lot of trophies.
 
Clay,

you bring up an interesting thing. "...parents tend to put their children on winning teams, even if it isn't the best spot for them to develop as players." I know if you ask any parent on the Ballaz, Cal Stars, EBX, or any other top tier AAU team, they'll say that their kid is developing (ie. winning) when in reality, they still can't dribble or do a left handed lay-up, and have NO clue what man to man defense is. But the teams win, and parents are enamored by this. Just like in any sport, players get bigger, faster, the smaller more technical players grow into their bodies and leave others behind. It's hard to tell a parent that X AAU program is better than Y, especially if one is winning and the other is developing and losing.

But who's to blame? Lower school, middle school, high school, or AAU coaches/programs? Any parent or wanna be coach with an ego can start an AAU program, which is why you only have a couple really good teams in Norcal (my opinion); it's diluted. In the end, I think it's up to the parents to do the research and find the best fit for the kid and remember that winning isn't everything.
 
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Happened to be in Orange County over several days last week and the stunning difference between AAU showcase (in Garden Grove) and high school summer league (in Placentia) was on full display. The former was full-court, chaotic, undisciplined, wildly out of balance and generally out of control much of the time. With decidedly less overall talent, the latter was well-coached, much more under control and focused on shot selection, half-court execution and possessions without turnovers. The two forms of hoops were in blatant opposition. So take your pick. You be the judge.
 
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Norcal_Fan,

I am a Ballaz parent and I don't agree with you when you say parents equate developing to winning and players are not developing (can't dribble, make left hand layups, etc). Based on your comment, it's hard for me to believe you have seen this year's top team. We are very dominant on the left side, majority of our layups (contested and uncontested), post moves, put backs, and shots in general are attempted and made on the left side of the court.
Crazy you say this, because after one of today's game I shared with a parent that we as a team, my daughter to be specific, have become so dominant on the left side that defenders usually try to take our player's left side away, thinking they're left handed. Some evaluators have even refered to my kid and at least one of her teammates as lefties.
Our team also has no problem with ball handling, as any player 1-5, can and are encouraged to bring up the ball, even with pressure, and can run the offense.
My thoughts on development, in this day in age, who leaves it up to an AAU coach or high school coach to develop their child anyway? Although AAU coaches should be working on development, be it offense, defense, shooting, ball handling, rebounding, 4 hours of AAU practice is definitely not enough time to cater to the needs of an individual player. This is the same with high school coaches/ programs. High school is definitely about team ball, not individual development. In my opinion, good high school coaches incorporate team drills (fundamentals, shooting, dribbling, defensive, etc.) which enhance the overall development of their players in their practice. I will reiterate, high school practice alone is not enough.
I definitely think my kid has developed since the beginning of April. She has spent significant time both at AAU practice, individual training, and on her own working on her offense, putting up shots. Leroy knew coming in this season she had lost her confidence offensively, so for her the goal has been to develop, bring back her offensive game, become an offensive threat. So far this season she is averaging approx. 15 ppg, scoring both off the dribble and knocking down shots. She is currently 60% from beyond the arc in her last 11 games.
Developing players for me goes beyond the physical aspect. Having confidence in a kid, giving them the confidence they need to put up shots, handle the ball, etc. plays a big part in a kid's development as well. As a parent, I am very happy with the development of my kid this season. Winning is a plus, but believe me, I know the difference.
 
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Kkross,

My apologies if I offended you; I didn't mean ALL parents. I was speaking in general and got carried away with my keyboard. :) Glad your daughter is experiencing an improvement and having success.
 
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Players absolutely get better in club basketball and develop in ways they most likely won't in high school.

And Leroy is an excellent coach and has done a great job with that program over the year. But as you point out, the limitations on practice time for summer teams is a killer. Because opponents will run a variety of presses and halfcourt defenses, a coach has to spend a long time in practice on those team elements, which leaves little time for fundamentals.

In high school, you can devote more time to fundamentals (though some coaches prefer running lots of plays, and spend their time on those).

For me, an ideal combination is a situation where everyone is agreed that improving an elite player's skills for the next level are more important than winning games -- at least most of the time. Elite players usually have many games in high school where their team will win so they can work on shooting, etc. (or whatever they need to work on), and there are many games in the summer that are also easy wins.

If you're playing in NCS or for a tournament title, it's a different story ...
 
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