[AwardedBallerParticipant]

So I’ve been trying to take basketball a lot more serious as of late, as I see that this sport really is more than a game, it also builds character and relationships and teaches me many things. I’m a 6′ Wing in the Class of 2016, although I’m in the Class of 2016, I could reclassify seeing as I’m a whole year younger than my grade. (I’m 13 years old currently, while some of my teammates on the freshmen team were 15 and 16) I completed my first season of high school basketball playing on the freshman team….. Which is very disappointing to me, I honestly felt as if I should be playing at least JV but I have a serious problem that I will get to later in the thread. On the freshman team, I averaged 11.3 PPG and 5.2 APG, I thought that was a pretty nice stat line for a SHOOTING GUARD, but I’m still not satisfied. I work really hard while I’m by myself, but when I get around the JV and Varsity players it is like all that confidence goes away. I’ve tried to listen to all the cliche’s about how “My opponents put their shoes on in the morning just like I do” but nothing works. I work really really hard but it seems like there is no way I can get myself to get noticed by the head varsity coach. We’ve had team camps to the Naval Academy and to VCU, I was invited to neither of the camps. I honestly believe I’m a top 10 player at school, but somehow I just forget all my training and work once I step on the court with the older players. In all honesty, I DOMINATE my age group, I’ve been invited to tryouts for top AAU teams such as Team Loaded and DC Assault, I eventually made both teams but could not join the team due to the proximity of the teams from my city. But my question is, how do I allow myself to shine during Open Gym, Individual Workouts and weight training? I’ve talked to so many people about this but haven’t gotten much help so I feel like the forum will be able to help me more.

[highflyer0Participant]

I’m going to trust you here and assume that actually are as good as say you are. With that said, the only way to gain confidence is through experience. Ask some of the older players to work out with you. Over time, you’ll get used to playing with/against them and it won’t seem like as a big of a deal anymore. For now, you’re probably just apprehensive because you are overestimating them. In high school basketball, the younger players catch up really fast. The difference between a sophmore and freshman is tremendous. Next year, the “older” players won’t look so old anymore, and when you see the incoming freshmen, you’ll think they belong in some kind of 5-6 year old YMCA. Just keep working hard, and it’ll all come together for you. Instead of focusing on going up to varsity as fast as you can, just focus on being the best player you can be once your time has come. John Wall didn’t even play varsity until he was a junior, so I’m pretty sure you can handle waiting your turn. Good luck my dude.

[highflyer0Participant]

I’m going to trust you here and assume that actually are as good as say you are. With that said, the only way to gain confidence is through experience. Ask some of the older players to work out with you. Over time, you’ll get used to playing with/against them and it won’t seem like as a big of a deal anymore. For now, you’re probably just apprehensive because you are overestimating them. In high school basketball, the younger players catch up really fast. The difference between a sophmore and freshman is tremendous. Next year, the “older” players won’t look so old anymore, and when you see the incoming freshmen, you’ll think they belong in some kind of 5-6 year old YMCA. Just keep working hard, and it’ll all come together for you. Instead of focusing on going up to varsity as fast as you can, just focus on being the best player you can be once your time has come. John Wall didn’t even play varsity until he was a junior, so I’m pretty sure you can handle waiting your turn. Good luck my dude.

[LTrain32Participant]

Nice to see someone your age taking a deep look in the mirror and wanting to improve anyway possible.. Keep at it man, I’ve seen so much good talent wasted here in Cleveland by many young kids not having their head on straight. But, you get it and that’s good. Take it one day at a time and never give up, stay relentless at each goal you set and the confidence will follow. You got a lot of growing to go through on and off the court. From what i’ve read it seems like you can endure it and come out of it as a better player reaching the potential you are after and more.

P.S. What High School do you currently play for?

[LTrain32Participant]

Nice to see someone your age taking a deep look in the mirror and wanting to improve anyway possible.. Keep at it man, I’ve seen so much good talent wasted here in Cleveland by many young kids not having their head on straight. But, you get it and that’s good. Take it one day at a time and never give up, stay relentless at each goal you set and the confidence will follow. You got a lot of growing to go through on and off the court. From what i’ve read it seems like you can endure it and come out of it as a better player reaching the potential you are after and more.

P.S. What High School do you currently play for?

[MBRHParticipant]

Hey I played for DC Assault back in the day, are you from the DMV? Like the other poster said just play against older guys, keep working hard and the results will pay off. Also the NCAA made new ruled about reclassifying so be sure to check those out before you do anything like that. I would recommend just going though highschool and if you think you need another year and are good enough go play at a prep school like Saint Thomas More or Brewster for a post grad year instead of reclassifying. Also work on your guard skills because if you stay at 6 feet your a small point guard in college not a wing but if your grow you are a big guard and everyone wants big guards not small bigs. Play alot of one on one especially against guys who are much better than you and make you work. One on one is a great way to develop confidence and work on moves.

[MBRHParticipant]

Hey I played for DC Assault back in the day, are you from the DMV? Like the other poster said just play against older guys, keep working hard and the results will pay off. Also the NCAA made new ruled about reclassifying so be sure to check those out before you do anything like that. I would recommend just going though highschool and if you think you need another year and are good enough go play at a prep school like Saint Thomas More or Brewster for a post grad year instead of reclassifying. Also work on your guard skills because if you stay at 6 feet your a small point guard in college not a wing but if your grow you are a big guard and everyone wants big guards not small bigs. Play alot of one on one especially against guys who are much better than you and make you work. One on one is a great way to develop confidence and work on moves.

[AwardedBallerParticipant]

Thanks for the advice, I play against and with them a lot during streetball games but I seem to defer to them, which I really need to stop doing. If I see one of them is dominating the game, I just give them the ball and move out of the way. Even happened yesterday that I found my self deferring to players obviously less skilled then me. My parents are academics first, academics second, and basketball third. So I think the possibility of reclassifying and/or going prep is out of the window. To answer your question, yes, I live in the DMV and I play for Freedom High School in Woodbridge, VA. It’s a high populated a few minutes from DC.

[AwardedBallerParticipant]

Thanks for the advice, I play against and with them a lot during streetball games but I seem to defer to them, which I really need to stop doing. If I see one of them is dominating the game, I just give them the ball and move out of the way. Even happened yesterday that I found my self deferring to players obviously less skilled then me. My parents are academics first, academics second, and basketball third. So I think the possibility of reclassifying and/or going prep is out of the window. To answer your question, yes, I live in the DMV and I play for Freedom High School in Woodbridge, VA. It’s a high populated a few minutes from DC.

[goldie92689Participant]

I coach, most recently 8th grade. I have played my entire life, I see myself as a bit of a development guru, I may be over estimating myself, but I do know what I do well. Basketball is a process. At your age you should be a little intimidated by older players. It would be extremely difficult for you to be comfortable with the older players especially because you are so hungry to impress(and you should be). Getting comfortable is about time and experience. You can’t rush, you should focus on being prepared for when you are called. That means develop your skills. Identify your weakness’ and focus on them. For you to get to the next level you should relentlessly develop your handle, shooting, athleticism and awareness. Get those attributes ready and when the coach calls your number it will be easy.

[goldie92689Participant]

I coach, most recently 8th grade. I have played my entire life, I see myself as a bit of a development guru, I may be over estimating myself, but I do know what I do well. Basketball is a process. At your age you should be a little intimidated by older players. It would be extremely difficult for you to be comfortable with the older players especially because you are so hungry to impress(and you should be). Getting comfortable is about time and experience. You can’t rush, you should focus on being prepared for when you are called. That means develop your skills. Identify your weakness’ and focus on them. For you to get to the next level you should relentlessly develop your handle, shooting, athleticism and awareness. Get those attributes ready and when the coach calls your number it will be easy.

[Velvet HoopParticipant]

it saddens me to hear you make comments like “I just give them the ball and move out of the way”. This is a major problem in regards to AAU basketball. Too much one on one and a “do him” mentality. It sounds like you need to be a part of a team that plays a system that encourages ball and player movement rather than isolation style one on one.

The teams you are talking about: Takeover, Assault, Loaded, etc. tend to play like this. They usually have a tremendous size and athleticism advantage over most of the teams they encounter and don’t really need to execute in a half court setting or play team ball to win. It is just press-steal-fastbreak-dunk/lay up or rebound-fastbreak-dunk/layup. I am not being negative about this type of play. My teams always pressure full court and trap in corners and wings, but if your team is not able to play both styles, you are doing your team a disservice. Eventually you are going to run up on a team that is bigger, stronger and faster. Or one that your pressure will not create turnovers, and that gets back in transition and will not allow you to get shots in the paint every time. What do you do then, when all of your players are used to playing one on one? I had a chance to watch Team Loaded 16’s vs. RYG from Raleigh NC over the weekend and this very thing happened. In warm ups it was clear that Loaded was more athletic and bigger, but RYG just executed damn near every time down the court. The open man took the shot and the ball movement was excellent. The had really good players too, but the difference is, they bought into a system. The communication and precision of their players was tremendous. It really was great to watch.

I see it every weekend at events all across the region. Fundamentals, team play and basketball IQ are not staples of the AAU experience. There is too much of an emphasis on breaking ankles and dunking on people, or basically a hoopmixtape mentality. You see it all the time. I never hear the crowd oooh and ahhh over a nice screen, cut, stepping up to help on D, boxing out, etc. Rest assured though, people that really know the game look for these things and if you continue to work hard, have a positive attitude and play smart – you will be noticed eventually.

The worst thing you can do is give up. The rest of your life you will wonder what if. Good luck young man, let us know how things progress for you.

[Velvet HoopParticipant]

it saddens me to hear you make comments like “I just give them the ball and move out of the way”. This is a major problem in regards to AAU basketball. Too much one on one and a “do him” mentality. It sounds like you need to be a part of a team that plays a system that encourages ball and player movement rather than isolation style one on one.

The teams you are talking about: Takeover, Assault, Loaded, etc. tend to play like this. They usually have a tremendous size and athleticism advantage over most of the teams they encounter and don’t really need to execute in a half court setting or play team ball to win. It is just press-steal-fastbreak-dunk/lay up or rebound-fastbreak-dunk/layup. I am not being negative about this type of play. My teams always pressure full court and trap in corners and wings, but if your team is not able to play both styles, you are doing your team a disservice. Eventually you are going to run up on a team that is bigger, stronger and faster. Or one that your pressure will not create turnovers, and that gets back in transition and will not allow you to get shots in the paint every time. What do you do then, when all of your players are used to playing one on one? I had a chance to watch Team Loaded 16’s vs. RYG from Raleigh NC over the weekend and this very thing happened. In warm ups it was clear that Loaded was more athletic and bigger, but RYG just executed damn near every time down the court. The open man took the shot and the ball movement was excellent. The had really good players too, but the difference is, they bought into a system. The communication and precision of their players was tremendous. It really was great to watch.

I see it every weekend at events all across the region. Fundamentals, team play and basketball IQ are not staples of the AAU experience. There is too much of an emphasis on breaking ankles and dunking on people, or basically a hoopmixtape mentality. You see it all the time. I never hear the crowd oooh and ahhh over a nice screen, cut, stepping up to help on D, boxing out, etc. Rest assured though, people that really know the game look for these things and if you continue to work hard, have a positive attitude and play smart – you will be noticed eventually.

The worst thing you can do is give up. The rest of your life you will wonder what if. Good luck young man, let us know how things progress for you.

[AwardedBallerParticipant]

Sorry for the late response, but things been looking a little brighter. I didn’t mean for that “Give the ball and move out the way” comment to sound like that but, I’m the type of player who just enjoys winning. If I notice one player is going off I will just feed him the ball. I agree with the hoopmixtape and other problems, if you ask about a player who does fancy crossovers and passes everyone would tell you “Ohh that player is great” if you ask about the player who boxes out, sets screens and cuts to the basket they’ll say “Oh he’s alright, he does little things though”, and I find that a huge problem.

But if I could ask, what AAU team do you coach?

[AwardedBallerParticipant]

Sorry for the late response, but things been looking a little brighter. I didn’t mean for that “Give the ball and move out the way” comment to sound like that but, I’m the type of player who just enjoys winning. If I notice one player is going off I will just feed him the ball. I agree with the hoopmixtape and other problems, if you ask about a player who does fancy crossovers and passes everyone would tell you “Ohh that player is great” if you ask about the player who boxes out, sets screens and cuts to the basket they’ll say “Oh he’s alright, he does little things though”, and I find that a huge problem.

But if I could ask, what AAU team do you coach?

[ItsRainingNegsParticipant]

I never played high school basketball, just football. When I play at my college against kids who have played ball I just play to my strengths, hard nosed D, and limit bad decisions. But one thing I’ve always wanted to improve but never knew how to develop it. I like driving to the basket but when I play pick pocket point guards I have to play off of the ball. Playing against older players is nothing my man, it’s about your skills and how you can play against theirs. I don’t know how well you can handle the ball but the more secure you can keep the ball the more secure you would be on the court. In developing your ball handling skills will in turn make you the attacker against your defender instead of you defending the ball against your defender. I feel that when your handle is on point that you can just play in your offense the way your position is supposed to. Defensively just put your best effort into it and don’t over think your every move. Know the opposing teams and your opponent’s tendencies.

Good luck to you boss and I hope this helped in any way.

[ItsRainingNegsParticipant]

I never played high school basketball, just football. When I play at my college against kids who have played ball I just play to my strengths, hard nosed D, and limit bad decisions. But one thing I’ve always wanted to improve but never knew how to develop it. I like driving to the basket but when I play pick pocket point guards I have to play off of the ball. Playing against older players is nothing my man, it’s about your skills and how you can play against theirs. I don’t know how well you can handle the ball but the more secure you can keep the ball the more secure you would be on the court. In developing your ball handling skills will in turn make you the attacker against your defender instead of you defending the ball against your defender. I feel that when your handle is on point that you can just play in your offense the way your position is supposed to. Defensively just put your best effort into it and don’t over think your every move. Know the opposing teams and your opponent’s tendencies.

Good luck to you boss and I hope this helped in any way.

[ItsRainingNegsParticipant]

Elite competitors are like sharks. If they sense fear or hesitance they will make your day hell. Always be confident, your coach will see it in the way you play and prepare. If not he’ll see weakness. You can definitely work on your mental makeup it just has to come through your own vice.

[ItsRainingNegsParticipant]

Elite competitors are like sharks. If they sense fear or hesitance they will make your day hell. Always be confident, your coach will see it in the way you play and prepare. If not he’ll see weakness. You can definitely work on your mental makeup it just has to come through your own vice.

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