Clear Lake Falconhoops

 Players caught between AAU, school coaches

 Article by Sam Kahn, Houston Chronicle, 8-3-10

Third of five articles in a series. 

Some blog reactions to the article are found at the bottom of the article.

During a basketball game, most coaches constantly move along the sideline, pointing at their players while shouting instructions.

There's a lot of finger-pointing off the court as well, but not of the instructional variety.

When it comes to a player's best interests and development, there is a constant tug of war between Amateur Athletic Union coaches and high school coaches. And fragmented relationships have resulted from the power struggle between the two groups.

Their styles of play often are different — and the circumstances make it almost impossible for them not to be. High school programs often run structured offensive systems and put emphasis on preparation and knowing one's opponent. Teams will play two games a week (more if they play in a tournament) and often have at least two days of practice between games, with the exception of the three tournaments each high school is allowed to play during the non-district season.

In AAU basketball, the volume of games is much greater. Showcase tournaments are frequent, and in a five-month span from March through July, a team might play anywhere from 50-80 games, with practice time significantly limited. In an equal span from November though March, a high school team might play 40 games - and only if it reaches the state tournament.

The differences have led to finger-pointing between coaches as to who is properly developing a player's basketball skills.

"Eighty percent of them (AAU coaches) don't know what they're doing," said Jones coach Quincy Shelton, who referees AAU tournaments in the summer. "They've got them playing out of position and doing things they're not going to do when they get back to school."

Present versus future

AAU coaches acknowledge that conflicts can originate from position changes.

"Take a kid that's 6-6 or 6-7," said Houston Hoops 17-and-under coach Marland Lowe. "He may be the tallest kid in his high school. On that high school team, he may be expected to play center. On the travel circuit, he might play small forward or (shooting) guard and may have to play on the wing in college. A high school coach will play him at center because that's what's best for his team, but we might move him out to the wing, where he projects in college, to help him be successful in the future."

But Lowe said he stresses to his players the importance of listening to their high school coaches.

"At the end of the summer, we have expanded their skills, but if a high school coach asks you to play a different position, we tell them, 'Do what is asked of you from your coach,'?" Lowe said. "A lot of times that's not done, though, and the kid may think the high school coach is not fully utilizing his skills, when in fact, he's trying to do what's best to help that team win."

In some cases, there is little or no relationship between a player's high school coach and AAU coach.

"I don't see as many (high school) coaches in the summer supporting some of their players," said Houston Hoopstars coach Keith White. "I do see some. Some of my players' coaches have come and supported their guys. Knowing a little bit more about what we do kind of helps."

The relationships aren't bad everywhere. Many high school coaches have positive relationships with AAU coaches who tutor their players in the summertime.

"I try to make sure my players are with people that are upstanding and that you can trust," said Clear Lake coach Tommy Penders. "I try to watch practices and go to games, and that's why my summer is so busy. It's a totally different brand of ball. You just have to be around, and I try to communicate with their coaches, and I think that's a necessary part of the business. Your kids need to know that you care about what they're doing in the summer."

Bad apples fuel perception

Most seem to agree that both AAU and high school basketball are necessary components in a player's development. High school basketball provides structure similar to what is experienced in college basketball, while AAU provides the greater exposure to coaches and scouts, especially during the July NCAA evaluation period.

"There's so much more structure involved going to class all day in the high school season," University of Houston assistant coach Alvin Brooks said. "It's more of a true evaluation to gauge how they're going to perform at our level."

And though there's a stigma associated with AAU coaches that many say they can't shake, some believe the negative generalization doesn't apply to all of them.

"I think in the grass-roots scene, there's so many good grass-roots coaches," Memphis coach Josh Pastner said.

"There are bad apples in every walk of life - you have a bad apple in the police department and in politics and in the agent business, but that doesn't mean that everyone's doing it the wrong way.

"The negativity gets so blown out of proportion, and I think 98 percent of them are doing it the right way and giving kids opportunities to do good things. I'd rather these student-athletes be going to summer basketball tournaments than being involved in drugs and violence and alcohol and getting in trouble with the law."

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