OTL: AAU Vs. High School Basketball

Fri, 15 May 2009 OTL examines the power struggle between club and high school basketball

via OTL: AAU Vs. High School Basketball.

Not much posting to this blog lately. Usually if it’s just an interesting article I post to Twitter these days….

But this one got me a little riled. Without telling too many tales (those of you who know me have heard them already), it hits too close to home. I’ve become a bit of a broken record on this issue, but I’ll try to hit the main point concisely here.

ESPN’s OTL should be commended for addressing the issue, but like many other outlets that have taken a look at this, I think they miss the point.

School-based sports aren’t supposed to be the same as non-school sports. The “student-athlete” is not just a kid who plays a sport. As an educator who coaches, I see my work in coaching as an integral component of my players’ academic growth experience as well as any advances we might make in sport. Too often, coaches – some at schools, and some in clubs – don’t see themselves as educators first.

I do.

Sadly, it’s often to my own detriment as a professional educational coach. Club and AAU coaches do have tons of influence in my area (Chicago), but they’re not the only ones. There is a powerful and growing contingent of school-based coaches who also see themselves as power brokers and collectors of athletic talent. These coaches increase their power base by becoming successful in assembling championship teams by collecting talent. They often do this with close relationships with club programs. Many directly or indirectly recruit student-athletes from other schools.

Interestingly, the ESPN piece exhibits this in its narrative, but doesn’t spend a lot of time assessing the role of some school-based coaches.

The result is that our talented youth athletes have become commodities – both to certain club coaches as well as certain school-based coaches. They are wooed and squabbled over and led to believe that their college opportunities are dependent on their affiliation with a particular coach or program. They are bought with lofty promises and expensive shoes.

I’ve seen kids really benefit – personally and academically – from sports. You may never hear about them or see them play in television-worthy college games, but my primary job is to teach skills they’ll take with them when they’re not playing sports.

Club sports programs changing recruiting scene

Whole new ballgame: Club sports programs changing recruiting scene – Sports – HometownAnnapolis.com

Let’s see…

I knew for sure I wanted to blog this, but I really don’t know where to start to comment. There is no question that club sports and the whole “high school exposure” circuit have become important for players and big business for a lot of entrepreneurial adults.

Let’s set aside the fact the the reporter is given to hyperbole (“During the summer before an athlete’s junior year of high school, making the cut for the varsity team is probably the least of their concerns.”) There are honestly some very good things and some very ugly things related to the rise in prominence of club sports.

The reporter here plays into one of the ugly things right off the bat – the creeping mistrust (and often animosity) between club and high school coaches. It’s misleading and disingenuous to run the quote, “the high school sports season is now more like a recreation league” when the comment comes from someone with a financial interest in her club program’s success. While the reported does find one high school coach to comment and points out some of the financial concerns related to participation, the article is largely dominated by the opinions of club coaches.

There are some very good club coaches and programs out there. There are some very bad ones, too. Sometimes it’s very difficult to tell the difference. Many will remember the highly publicized case involving Rick Lopez, arguably the leading girls AAU basketball coach in the nation at one time, who committed suicide shortly before his scheduled arraignment to face abuse charges involving his players. While this is undoubtedly an aberration and is not representative of most club coaches, it does shine light on one of the many important issues involved here: there is no professional oversight or certification for club coaches.

By comparison, coaches at our school must be certified in coaching principles, first aid, and state athletic association guidelines. In addition each coach must undergo two background checks – one for criminal history and another for any abuse allegations filed with relevant agencies. This doesn’t ensure good coaching or even safety, but it is far more thorough than parents are guaranteed with club coaches.

On the other side of the coin, many high school coaches are as quick to unfairly dismiss club coaches as the LAX coach (I do find it amusing that lacrosse folks are comfortable with that abbreviation) in the article dismissed high school sports. It’s clear that club coaches can often offer athletes advantages that high schools cannot. Club coaches can offer instruction and play outside of state-mandated high school seasons as well as important exposure opportunities.

Nevertheless, collegiate coaches at all levels are still interested in athletes’ high school sports. Success on school teams demonstrates an athlete’s ability to balance sport with studies and social concerns.

Coaches in both worlds (and, like me, many have a foot in each camp) need to strike a delicate balance to ensure that athletes get the full value of both.

Players and parents seeking club sports opportunities will do well to have clear goals for the experience. Most good club programs are very up-front about their niche – some seek collegiate exposure, others emphasize player development, some serve as off-season versions of existing school teams. Many larger programs offer an array of teams that have different purposes (often one “elite” exposure team bolstered by a series of less competitive developmental teams.)

Finally, and most importantly, families need to decide what is truly best for the athlete’s entire life. While the appeal of club sports is that they allow athletes to participate in one sport all year long, the value of that is hotly disputed by many sports science professionals. (Check “Wiersma, L. D. (2000). Risks and benefits of youth sport specialization: Perspectives and recommendations. Pediatric Exercise Science, 12(1), 13-22″ and this link.) Additionally, the stress of the high-stakes exposure circuit can be daunting and often debilitating for young athletes.

While the article cited above is lopsided, I applaud the reporter for addressing the issue. The landscape of high school-aged youth sports is changing fast, and it’s worth discussion among parents, coaches, athletes, and researchers to help ensure the healthiest experience for athletes.