The BLC Blog

with comment from Richie G.

“Even if today’s players are incredibly gifted, they grow up in a basketball environment that can only be called counterproductive. AAU basketball has replaced high school ball as the dominant form of development in the teen years. I coached my son’s AAU team for three years; it’s a genuinely weird subculture. Like everywhere else, you have good coaches and bad coaches, or strong programs and weak ones, but what troubled me was how much winning is devalued in the AAU structure. Teams play game after game after game, sometimes winning or losing four times in one day. Very rarely do teams ever hold a practice. Some programs fly in top players from out of state for a single weekend to join their team. Certain players play for one team in the morning and another one in the afternoon. If mom and dad aren’t happy with their son’s playing time, they switch club teams and stick him on a different one the following week. The process of growing as a team basketball player — learning how to become part of a whole, how to fit into something bigger than oneself — becomes completely lost within the AAU fabric.”

From Richie G:

Steve Kerr is a great coach and thoughtful man. His thoughts on AAU basketball, I think, are on point. His perspective is on how AAU ball affects the pro game. I see it also for its effect on younger players. Young players are doing things that not too many years ago would have been thought unthinkable. Many (most) are not as good with fundamentals nor playing as a member of a team. During the NBA playoffs, I will be rooting for teams that move the ball and players (Golden State, San Antonio) and against others that use the commonly seen stationery offense (where two shooters stay in the corner and a player uses the two high big men for pick and roll or pop opportunities). At Brant Lake we emphasize, at all ages, a motion or passing game style, in addition to developing fundamentals and working on individual improvement. It is imperative for players to learn what to do when the ball is NOT in their hand, as there are 10 players on the court at one time and one ball. Do the math!!

In anticipation of the upcoming UNC Walk for Health, Bobby G is once again in the spotlight. Brant Lake Camp even gets a mention in this one! Check out the link for his latest TV interview.

As most of you know, we love sports at BLC, as we think so many life lessons can be learned. We believe that it is “About the journey, not the destination”. Here is an article speaking to the importance of : Parents keeping their egos out of their children’s sports performances and that it’s best for children to play multiple sports rather than specializing, before their teenage years, in one sport.”

https://sportfactoryproshop.com/blog/how-to-destroy-your-childs-athletic-future-in-3-easy-steps/

Here’s the link to another interesting aritcle that you may wish to read:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/are-parents-ruining-youth-sports-fewer-kids-play-amid-pressure/2015/10/04/eb1460dc-686e-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html?postshare=4551444841709956

Another interesting article on the value of playing multiple sports as a youngster, which is something we strongly believe in at Brant Lake Camp.

http://on.wsj.com/1C2yLuY

This article by David Brooks in the NY Times is interesting. He makes the point that today there is undeniably more attention and praise given by parents to their children– which is also clear from our perspective. Much of it is for the good.

We think that this constant feedback from parents, some of it as Brooks mentions is subtle and unintentional, points to the value of a good summer camp experience– like Brant Lake provides! It is a place away from home where campers receive lots of praise and positive attention but perhaps in a more neutral and balanced way.

http://nyti.ms/1ONmFGk