NCAA Championship Game...what was that?

[hoopmanx]

Giddyup,
If you read the column by John Feinstein that Water Pony posted, it follows my thinking. In a column you have to generalize a little bit because you only have so much space. I think Feinstein generalized the AAU factor. Hoopmanx may know it to be different and that's fine. But the perception -- fueled by Feinstein and others -- is out there that the AAU has a bad name, even if it's unfair.

I don't doubt there are some good people running AAU teams. But it appears that the trend is growing that AAU people have more influence over where a kid winds up than a high school coach. Personally, no one in the AAU or High School should ever have influence. They can help provide information but beyond that? No thanks because it would suggest that the kid going to school X fulfills the AAU/HS coach's agenda and not the kid himself.

And yes, that's too pollyanna for that.

As for the casual fan, I understand your point. In essence, the season is built for the BB geeks like us and the alumni.

However, I still think the game needs to find a way to draw in the casual fan more than it cares to admit. I couldn't tell you how it can go beyond the TV packages or something like that. Maybe it just works better in college towns than major metro areas.

But I am concerned that if most of the casual fans think the college basketball season is just 3 weeks in March and a bunch of bracket rackets, then it devalues the game. When you can't follow a team for 3 seasons because everybody is leaving after one season, that hurts. No one can identify with the players. And yes, college BB is a coaches game, but they're changing programs as quickly as the kids.

Brandon Knight is ready for the NBA? Are you kidding?

I've written far beyond OTP's attention span (LOL) but I am concerned. I love the game as much as you do. A given. But it's going in the wrong direction.

quick question, Mitch. When your kids are old enough to look at colleges, do you trust their schools college counselor, or do you hire a 3rd party college counselor w/more connections/pull, that knows how to massage the system?

[Mitch McConnell]

Why was a third-party system created in order to massage the system in the first place?

Kids went off to college to play basketball before the proliferation of the AAU...

I know what you're saying -- that's the system that's in place now.

I just hope we can tell the difference of who is in AAU for the right reasons and who is not.

[hoopmanx]

Why was a third-party system created in order to massage the system in the first place?

Kids went off to college to play basketball before the proliferation of the AAU...

I know what you're saying -- that's the system that's in place now.

I just hope we can tell the difference of who is in AAU for the right reasons and who is not.

Here's the thing, so much of this is societal but gets blamed on a profile summer league. Why don't we blame Jordan, Sportscenter, legalizing the dunk, 3pt shots, teen pregnancy rates, absentee Dads, hip-hop etc. The reality is that these kids would be playing pick-up on the black-top and hanging on street corners, if not for the schedule. Do we think they'd be in summer school, or even working w/skill & development trainers? Nope. Is it easier to recruit kids through the AAU system, or on the streets? Easier to go through a AAU head or dealer? The media glare on AAU is blinding, but they never see the other side. You have to have a system in place, or it'll be total anarchy. Some regulation is better than none.

Now, for all those complaining about AAU eroding skill, what about the rise of the mid-major. VCU & Butler are products of the AAU system. It's no longer about profile, it's about evaluation. Schools w/smaller recruiting budgets now get to watch all the same games/kids as the big boys, in all the same gyms. Instead of lusting over the most athletic kid on the court, they recruit for skill & to a system. No longer do they have to recruit only in their demographic region, w/in driving distance etc. They are far more competitive nationally, as a result.

There is so much that plays into this, that its just simplistic to blame AAU. Beyond that, it's also responsible for some of the best parts of the current game.

[Mitch McConnell]

The media does take the easy way out. But the AAU doesn't do a good job of spreading its message either. I would gather that's because you have so many moving parts that you can't get everything linked together.

Wouldn't a governing body be very useful (a la the UIL) for something like this? Or if there really is a central office for AAU (I've never heard of one), wouldn't this be the time to create one and put regional offices in certain locations?

I just think there needs to be universal accountability with AAU.

[hoopmanx]

The media does take the easy way out. But the AAU doesn't do a good job of spreading its message either. I would gather that's because you have so many moving parts that you can't get everything linked together.

Wouldn't a governing body be very useful (a la the UIL) for something like this? Or if there really is a central office for AAU (I've never heard of one), wouldn't this be the time to create one and put regional offices in certain locations?

I just think there needs to be universal accountability with AAU.

Well, here's the snafu. AAU is the commonly used term, but they only have a handful of tournaments. They are a legitimate organization, at least to an extent, but they aren't summer basketball. The rest are held by promoters, sponsored by apparel companies, featuring select travel teams. Most of those tourneys aren't AAU events at all, just profile national tournaments that independantly apply for accredidation through the NCAA, so coaches can attend during open periods.

What happens is that Nike sponsored tourneys end up inviting/having Nike sponsored teams, aka the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Adidas squads play on the Adidas tour etc. These are guidelines, not hard & fast rules, but they mostly follow along those lines. Reebok/Converse/Under Armour have teams as well, but not true tours, so they play independant events etc.

Now, what's the NCAA going to do, tell Nike & adidas to back off their hunt for the next Jordan/Kobe or whomever? Of course not, cause those companies float the NCAA boat. They offset operating costs, subsidize ADs w/apparel deals, not to mention individual coaches, and advertise.

The issue isn't AAU ball, it's that basketball makes so much money internationally, and it's all based on star power. Own the stars, reap the rewards. Who is going to regulate the folks that pay for everything?

[Mitch McConnell]

There has to be some common ground found between AAU and these shoe-company trumped up tournaments in order to make sure there is some compliance and structure.

Maybe some UNIQUE consolidation is the answer. Ballpark thinking.

You can call it AAU or whatever and ensure the shoe companies can maintain some "predator" (for lack of a better word) qualities but ensuring they don't blow up the system.

I think you work for an apparel company but do you believe there is some perception is that these shoe companies are "pimping" these kids for the next level? I'm just asking.

I think we've reached a point with these leagues need a checks and balances system.

We reached a very disturbing point in college basketball when a kid like Kyrie Irving -- he of the 11-game college career -- declares for the NBA. To me, that's the ultimate red flag for this game.

We're just having a conversation about this.

[hoopmanx]

There has to be some common ground found between AAU and these shoe-company trumped up tournaments in order to make sure there is some compliance and structure.

Maybe some UNIQUE consolidation is the answer. Ballpark thinking.

You can call it AAU or whatever and ensure the shoe companies can maintain some "predator" (for lack of a better word) qualities but ensuring they don't blow up the system.

I think you work for an apparel company but do you believe there is some perception is that these shoe companies are "pimping" these kids for the next level? I'm just asking.

I think we've reached a point with these leagues need a checks and balances system.

We reached a very disturbing point in college basketball when a kid like Kyrie Irving -- he of the 11-game college career -- declares for the NBA. To me, that's the ultimate red flag for this game.

We're just having a conversation about this.

I think there is a perception that the kids are getting pimped, but no one has ever asked the kids. IF/When they are asked, I think you'd find that they love the system, just would prefer playing a little less. Their reality is that they get free everything, travel the country, mostly all expenses paid, and get a tremendous amount of gear. Beyond that, they get massive exposure/publicity and learn to deal w/the media at a much younger age. They develop a tremendous amount of life savvy by playing summer ball, as compared to never leaving their hood or whatever. Also, they become competition hardened, as opposed to playing against kids on the block, or the local school summer league, who aren't on their level.

Summer ball is like the internet. You can't go back, just b/c porn dominates search engines. You just have to develop more effective filters. Here's your reality, AAU as a style of play is closer to the NBA than it is college ball. I've spoken to scouts about this, and it's a better way to evaluate than coach driven high school ball or college ball. Beyond that, the best AAU teams every single year are national championship contenders in college hoops if you add two years experience. ALL OHIO RED from two summers ago was Ohio St this year etc.

I have no problem regulating it, but its entrenched for legitimate reasons, even if there are a bunch of illegitimate people involved. Also, I think people need to understand this is a uniquely urban industry, so you can't compare it to white collar america. It's run far more like a hip-hop label, than commercial real estate or whatever

[hoopmanx]

As for Kyrie, he's ready for the league. They should have just let him jump after high school and quit the farce of it. The reality is that the success stories of legit kids leaving early or leaving after high school, trumps those that fall on their face. Pretty much all the best players in the league never played college, or just played a year. If those kids can vote or go to Iraq, they sure as heck should be able to opt for the workforce over attending class

[PonyKai]

As for Kyrie, he's ready for the league. They should have just let him jump after high school and quit the farce of it. The reality is that the success stories of legit kids leaving early or leaving after high school, trumps those that fall on their face. Pretty much all the best players in the league never played college, or just played a year. If those kids can vote or go to Iraq, they sure as heck should be able to opt for the workforce over attending class

But they can't have a beer. No, no, oh heavens no they can't touch alcohol!

[Mitch McConnell]

As for Kyrie, he's ready for the league. They should have just let him jump after high school and quit the farce of it. The reality is that the success stories of legit kids leaving early or leaving after high school, trumps those that fall on their face. Pretty much all the best players in the league never played college, or just played a year. If those kids can vote or go to Iraq, they sure as heck should be able to opt for the workforce over attending class

This needs to be the come-to-Jesus moment for college basketball, the NBA and summer/AAU leagues to get their houses in order.

[hoopmanx]

As for Kyrie, he's ready for the league. They should have just let him jump after high school and quit the farce of it. The reality is that the success stories of legit kids leaving early or leaving after high school, trumps those that fall on their face. Pretty much all the best players in the league never played college, or just played a year. If those kids can vote or go to Iraq, they sure as heck should be able to opt for the workforce over attending class

This needs to be the come-to-Jesus moment for college basketball, the NBA and summer/AAU leagues to get their houses in order.

Why? just adopt the baseball rule and move on. Kyrie never needed a day of college

[Mitch McConnell]

The baseball rule COULD BE the come-to-Jesus moment.