So here is the situation, it was recently posted on the message board socalhoops.
"13 seconds left... team with the ball is down by one and has a three on one break. The coaches of the team on defense are yelling for a timeout. The ref closest to them blows his whistle and everyone stops, he immediately says he is sorry and gives the team that just had a three on one break with the possibility of taking the lead the ball at half court. Did the refs handle that situation correctly or should the team trying to call timeout without the ball or a stoppage of play get a tech? "
There were a lot of people who were upset at how the official handled it, that in terms of the fictitious "advantage/disadvantage" idea, that somehow this gave the defense and advantage, thus the defense should be penalized.
Having not been present for this occurrence there are some thing that would need to be taken into consideration.
First, was it an inadvertent whistle? If the referee made the mistake, and another team gained an advantage, that doesn't mean he needs to penalized the advantaged team becasue of his mistake. Just because it might have stopped a possible score (just because there is a fast break with numbers, especially in girls basketball, doesn't mean it is an automatic bucket), doesn't mean anyone needs to be specifically penalized. So, if it was in fact a mistake, then fine, he handled it correctly.
Second, if the defensive coach was purposely trying to subvert the game through tricking the referee, "gaming the system", know it would stop play, then they should be penalized. However, this is almost impossible to prove. If it was provable it would be considered unsportsmanlike conduct and require a Technical foul on the defensive team. It would come down to referee interpretation of the situation and be completely his call. He is placed in a difficult situation, especially at the end of the game, in a moment that might be deciding. Reason why I would never want to be a ref.
Third, one not brought up. Sadly there are coaches out there who really don't know the rules. You may think I am crazy, but I have seen coaches blatantly argue points with referees that were wrong. I used to think that they were doing that just to be argumentative, now I think at times, there are coaches who don't actually understand the game. He might not have a clue about the rule.
Lastly, and I admit I have done this, in the heat of the moment, you are so excited you start blurting things out. I can admit I have called a timeout on defense. Just in the excitement of the moment, not thinking. It wasn't malicious or any ill intent, it was just a mistake, and mistakes happen.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Traverseing the Teenage Hoop Scene... Chapter 2 Finding the right school
Now that you have taken the time to sincerely and objectively evaluate your child (hopefully) it is time to start thinking about the right high school. So lets quantify what the "right" high school means.
I am not going to sit behind the keyboard and make the decision for you as what the "right" high school is. That is up for you to decide upon based on the needs of your child and thier desires. (PLEASE GIVE THEM A VOICE ON THE DECISION!!) So I hope to provide some tips that will help you and your child make the best decision for them.
Normally high school basketball season is different from the middle school season. I know for instance the Parochial League (PAL) starts after Christmas (I believe), thus this gives you and your child time to visit your local high schools. (Yes, start with the local high school in your enrollment area, you might want to narrow things down first with statistics for the schools).
First lets talk about the most important part of choosing a high school, academics. Yes, academics are important. If we look at the numbers of Div I scholarships given out, as well as the numbers of kids who don't qualify academically, it behooves every parent and child who wishes to play in college to choose a school with the following pieces.
Things you can and should ask/do.
1. Call the schools of interest and ask if they an information packet about their school, something that lists classes, staff degrees, all the basic stats. (You can often times find them at places like Great Schools on the internet)
2. Ask the school if you and your child can come and do a tour. This is important, 4 years is a long time, you wouldn't buy a house unseen, why choose a school unseen.
3. During your tour, inspect the school. Is there lots of graffiti? Do they have metal detectors on campus? Are teachers dressed appropriately (for instance are they in jeans or in slacks or business dress)? Faculty dress code can be a good indication of seriousness of the faculty (not always, but most of the time). Is the school gated? Do they have someone checking everyone who enters? (This important for safety, if you can walk on to campus and no one stops you, that is a red flag) Are the desks in good condition? Are the bathrooms well taken care of? Is the school generally free of trash? Are the classrooms in good shape? Is student work posted? Are the rooms the appropriate size for the numbers of students? (For instance having 40 kids in a Chemistry class meant for 30 students is an extreme safety hazard considering the chemicals in use, I bring this up because I teach science.)
4. This is one that isn't contained in any of the statistics, but I think is of extreme importance. What is the ratio of academic counselors to students? Do they have a college counselor? Do they have academic counselors with degrees in pupil services (Look for the PPS credential)? Does your child meet with a counselor every year to help plan the next year? You can ask the office all these questions, and they should tell you, if they are reluctant, go straight to the principal or call the district office. Too many kids are getting bad counseling in high school and not having the right courses at the graduation time that makes them ineligible with the NCAA Clearing House to play college sports or with colleges(the class requirements recently changed). If they aren't getting academic counseling, choose another school. It is too important.
5. What are the class sizes? Do teachers have too many students in a class? This impacts their ability to provide effective attention to students who might need it
6. What types of electives do they have? Is their a wide variety of choices or are they very limited in selection? Do they have honors and AP courses? What is their pass rates (regardless of whether your child is AP material)? Do they have a grade requirement for AP courses to weed out kids "they" think should not be taking AP courses? This is a big "no no" according to the College Board, there should be no grade requirement. The statistics prove that kids who engage in AP courses regardless of their score do better in college than those that don't take AP courses, and that there has been no correlation between AP test score and college success. Is there a International Baccalaureate program? Do they have tutoring programs available? Both teacher and peer programs? Are there a variety of clubs?
These are some of the few things that you should look at for every school under consideration on the academic side. This is not the definitive list, but is a good start, if you think of something I should add, please let me know.
Now lets talk about the athletic things you need to look at. I will talk about this from only a basketball view, but some of this can apply to other sports.
1. Look at the last five years of team success, are there more down years than up? Are they in a tough league? Do many of their teams make the playoffs? What division are they in for basketball? You can find all this information at Maxpreps.
2. Ask to talk with the AD, DO NOT GO TO THE COACH. The coach cannot talk with you until your child is enrolled. This is to prevent undue influence by the coaching staff; making you promises, bad mouthing other teams, etc... Ask the AD about coaching turnover. How many years the head coach has been there? Also, one that I think is important, what is the assistant coach and lower level coach turnover. Many people forget that the success of a program is provided by stability and coaching at all levels, and a head coach is only as good as the coaches helping him. If your child is multi-sport (an I think they should be, they are only in high school once) what support do they give kids? Do they have coaches telling kids not to play other sports? Most AD's will say they encourages it (multi-sport athletes), make sure your child is there to hear it, and knows that if a coach does in fact tell them they won't start or some other condition if they played another sport they can come to the AD. One way to find out is to ask how many of thier basketball kids play other sports? (this isn't as big of a problem on the girls side, but many basketball, football, and baseball coaches on the boys side tell kids to not play other sports. Mostly this is because they are more focuses on their own wins and not what might be best for the kid.) I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY COACH HAS ANY RIGHT TO TELL YOUR CHILD WHAT SPORTS THEY CAN OR CANNOT PLAY. This is the childs decision along with the parents. If a coach wants to say something, they should come talk to you, not talk to the child about it. Coaches often times misuse the respect players give them to influence kids to their own benefit. (not all of them). What are the fees invovled? (Many high schools charge an athetics fee). Is their a Basketball booster club or just a general sports booster club? Do they have both? Is there a summer league? Does the coach have a club team? Is there a spring league? Fall league?
3. GO SEE GAMES!! Not just one. (If possible try to see the freshman team and coach, along with varsity) First look at how the coach interacts with his players. Is she/he supportive? Do they yell alot? Do they swear at the players? (I don't believe any coach should swear at a player). Do they spend more time yelling at the ref than coaching their team? Do they instruct the kids on the bench? Is every player talked to by a coach when they come out of the game? Do they get technicals? Are the players demonstrating sportsmanship? Are the assistant coaches talking to the players on the bench? Are the bench players into the game? Administratively was the game atmosphere well run? What is the condition of the gym and the floor?
4. Look at the players in the game, again you must take a step back from your own child, evaluate what you see on the floor in the same way you did your own child. ALERT!!! THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH KIDS BEING BETTER THAN YOURS, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR VALUE OR WORTH AS A PARENT OR THERE WORTH AS A PERSON!! All too often parents connect the play of their child to their worth as a parent. They are not in any way connected. If you child is good, great, if they aren't, fine. Niether indicates you are a good or bad parent. Also try not to focus your attention on the starters, you will probably have more benefit looking at the ability of the players coming off the bench, what can they do, then compare them to the "real" ability of your child. If you want to you can go so far as to pull the rosters of the teams off Maxpreps to see the grade level of the team.
5. Notice I said nothing about looking at the score or who won the game. This is not an appropriate indicator of the experience your child will have playing in that program.
6. Does the team travel for tournaments during the year? While this is a great experience, realize that this cost often falls on the parent. Can you afford it? (If you can't, it is only a perk, not a fundamental aspect that will insure the fun of your child, so don't do it if you can't afford it). Do they run their own tournament?
Now that you have seen and learned all you can about your schools of interest (both local and private; if you can afford it). A side note, just because a school is private does mean the academics are better than public schools. Schools like Troy and Torrey Pines high schools have tremendous academics (pretty darn good sports programs). The most important thing of this whole process is to have included your child in all this, and then ask them "WHAT DO THEY WANT?" It is their school, they must be happy, not just you. It is my opinion that the only reason you should ever override your child decision is for academics. If they choose a school with decent academics, and it is the one that makes them happy, then let them (there is something to be said about going to school with friends). If they turn out not to like it, they have learned something, and that is the whole goal in raising kids, helping them to learn (Mistakes are not the end of the world, they are always the beginning of a new world). Make sure you make your child feel like they have a voice, and give them your opinion and then allow them to choose (make sure you tell them that you might override their choice on academics, but that you respect their wishes), this is the reason why you should have included them in the research.
Things to remember......
First, California Ed codes states that open enrollment is available. This means that regardless of your enrollment area you live in you can attend any public or private high school anywhere you want. However, in that, you must file with your home district an interdistrict transfer paperwork to attend outside your district (public ony). Very few times are these declined, however, the new school must have room to take you, they must take local kids first. Also, if you wish to attend a school in your district that may not be your local (closest school), some districts might make you provide a reason other than athletics to gain entrance if there a large enrollment (or impaction). For instance, if your local school doesn't offer AP Chemistry and your child is an honor track kid, you can petition to attend another school in your district that has it, it will ALWAYS be granted (I have never heard of a district saying no, it would be a breach of the ED code).
Second, remember, under current Southern Section rules, you get one free, no restriction transfer after the freshman year to another school, anywhere, and not lose a year of eligiblity on varsity. After that you must change enrollment area, REGARDLESS, of where your child is tranfering too.
Hopefully this will help in making the decision WITH your child that is best for him or her. Next chapter... creating an open hoops dialogue with your child, the true key to thier success (I do not consider a college scholarship, CIF championships, or even a winning team success).
I am not going to sit behind the keyboard and make the decision for you as what the "right" high school is. That is up for you to decide upon based on the needs of your child and thier desires. (PLEASE GIVE THEM A VOICE ON THE DECISION!!) So I hope to provide some tips that will help you and your child make the best decision for them.
Normally high school basketball season is different from the middle school season. I know for instance the Parochial League (PAL) starts after Christmas (I believe), thus this gives you and your child time to visit your local high schools. (Yes, start with the local high school in your enrollment area, you might want to narrow things down first with statistics for the schools).
First lets talk about the most important part of choosing a high school, academics. Yes, academics are important. If we look at the numbers of Div I scholarships given out, as well as the numbers of kids who don't qualify academically, it behooves every parent and child who wishes to play in college to choose a school with the following pieces.
Things you can and should ask/do.
1. Call the schools of interest and ask if they an information packet about their school, something that lists classes, staff degrees, all the basic stats. (You can often times find them at places like Great Schools on the internet)
2. Ask the school if you and your child can come and do a tour. This is important, 4 years is a long time, you wouldn't buy a house unseen, why choose a school unseen.
3. During your tour, inspect the school. Is there lots of graffiti? Do they have metal detectors on campus? Are teachers dressed appropriately (for instance are they in jeans or in slacks or business dress)? Faculty dress code can be a good indication of seriousness of the faculty (not always, but most of the time). Is the school gated? Do they have someone checking everyone who enters? (This important for safety, if you can walk on to campus and no one stops you, that is a red flag) Are the desks in good condition? Are the bathrooms well taken care of? Is the school generally free of trash? Are the classrooms in good shape? Is student work posted? Are the rooms the appropriate size for the numbers of students? (For instance having 40 kids in a Chemistry class meant for 30 students is an extreme safety hazard considering the chemicals in use, I bring this up because I teach science.)
4. This is one that isn't contained in any of the statistics, but I think is of extreme importance. What is the ratio of academic counselors to students? Do they have a college counselor? Do they have academic counselors with degrees in pupil services (Look for the PPS credential)? Does your child meet with a counselor every year to help plan the next year? You can ask the office all these questions, and they should tell you, if they are reluctant, go straight to the principal or call the district office. Too many kids are getting bad counseling in high school and not having the right courses at the graduation time that makes them ineligible with the NCAA Clearing House to play college sports or with colleges(the class requirements recently changed). If they aren't getting academic counseling, choose another school. It is too important.
5. What are the class sizes? Do teachers have too many students in a class? This impacts their ability to provide effective attention to students who might need it
6. What types of electives do they have? Is their a wide variety of choices or are they very limited in selection? Do they have honors and AP courses? What is their pass rates (regardless of whether your child is AP material)? Do they have a grade requirement for AP courses to weed out kids "they" think should not be taking AP courses? This is a big "no no" according to the College Board, there should be no grade requirement. The statistics prove that kids who engage in AP courses regardless of their score do better in college than those that don't take AP courses, and that there has been no correlation between AP test score and college success. Is there a International Baccalaureate program? Do they have tutoring programs available? Both teacher and peer programs? Are there a variety of clubs?
These are some of the few things that you should look at for every school under consideration on the academic side. This is not the definitive list, but is a good start, if you think of something I should add, please let me know.
Now lets talk about the athletic things you need to look at. I will talk about this from only a basketball view, but some of this can apply to other sports.
1. Look at the last five years of team success, are there more down years than up? Are they in a tough league? Do many of their teams make the playoffs? What division are they in for basketball? You can find all this information at Maxpreps.
2. Ask to talk with the AD, DO NOT GO TO THE COACH. The coach cannot talk with you until your child is enrolled. This is to prevent undue influence by the coaching staff; making you promises, bad mouthing other teams, etc... Ask the AD about coaching turnover. How many years the head coach has been there? Also, one that I think is important, what is the assistant coach and lower level coach turnover. Many people forget that the success of a program is provided by stability and coaching at all levels, and a head coach is only as good as the coaches helping him. If your child is multi-sport (an I think they should be, they are only in high school once) what support do they give kids? Do they have coaches telling kids not to play other sports? Most AD's will say they encourages it (multi-sport athletes), make sure your child is there to hear it, and knows that if a coach does in fact tell them they won't start or some other condition if they played another sport they can come to the AD. One way to find out is to ask how many of thier basketball kids play other sports? (this isn't as big of a problem on the girls side, but many basketball, football, and baseball coaches on the boys side tell kids to not play other sports. Mostly this is because they are more focuses on their own wins and not what might be best for the kid.) I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY COACH HAS ANY RIGHT TO TELL YOUR CHILD WHAT SPORTS THEY CAN OR CANNOT PLAY. This is the childs decision along with the parents. If a coach wants to say something, they should come talk to you, not talk to the child about it. Coaches often times misuse the respect players give them to influence kids to their own benefit. (not all of them). What are the fees invovled? (Many high schools charge an athetics fee). Is their a Basketball booster club or just a general sports booster club? Do they have both? Is there a summer league? Does the coach have a club team? Is there a spring league? Fall league?
3. GO SEE GAMES!! Not just one. (If possible try to see the freshman team and coach, along with varsity) First look at how the coach interacts with his players. Is she/he supportive? Do they yell alot? Do they swear at the players? (I don't believe any coach should swear at a player). Do they spend more time yelling at the ref than coaching their team? Do they instruct the kids on the bench? Is every player talked to by a coach when they come out of the game? Do they get technicals? Are the players demonstrating sportsmanship? Are the assistant coaches talking to the players on the bench? Are the bench players into the game? Administratively was the game atmosphere well run? What is the condition of the gym and the floor?
4. Look at the players in the game, again you must take a step back from your own child, evaluate what you see on the floor in the same way you did your own child. ALERT!!! THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH KIDS BEING BETTER THAN YOURS, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR VALUE OR WORTH AS A PARENT OR THERE WORTH AS A PERSON!! All too often parents connect the play of their child to their worth as a parent. They are not in any way connected. If you child is good, great, if they aren't, fine. Niether indicates you are a good or bad parent. Also try not to focus your attention on the starters, you will probably have more benefit looking at the ability of the players coming off the bench, what can they do, then compare them to the "real" ability of your child. If you want to you can go so far as to pull the rosters of the teams off Maxpreps to see the grade level of the team.
5. Notice I said nothing about looking at the score or who won the game. This is not an appropriate indicator of the experience your child will have playing in that program.
6. Does the team travel for tournaments during the year? While this is a great experience, realize that this cost often falls on the parent. Can you afford it? (If you can't, it is only a perk, not a fundamental aspect that will insure the fun of your child, so don't do it if you can't afford it). Do they run their own tournament?
Now that you have seen and learned all you can about your schools of interest (both local and private; if you can afford it). A side note, just because a school is private does mean the academics are better than public schools. Schools like Troy and Torrey Pines high schools have tremendous academics (pretty darn good sports programs). The most important thing of this whole process is to have included your child in all this, and then ask them "WHAT DO THEY WANT?" It is their school, they must be happy, not just you. It is my opinion that the only reason you should ever override your child decision is for academics. If they choose a school with decent academics, and it is the one that makes them happy, then let them (there is something to be said about going to school with friends). If they turn out not to like it, they have learned something, and that is the whole goal in raising kids, helping them to learn (Mistakes are not the end of the world, they are always the beginning of a new world). Make sure you make your child feel like they have a voice, and give them your opinion and then allow them to choose (make sure you tell them that you might override their choice on academics, but that you respect their wishes), this is the reason why you should have included them in the research.
Things to remember......
First, California Ed codes states that open enrollment is available. This means that regardless of your enrollment area you live in you can attend any public or private high school anywhere you want. However, in that, you must file with your home district an interdistrict transfer paperwork to attend outside your district (public ony). Very few times are these declined, however, the new school must have room to take you, they must take local kids first. Also, if you wish to attend a school in your district that may not be your local (closest school), some districts might make you provide a reason other than athletics to gain entrance if there a large enrollment (or impaction). For instance, if your local school doesn't offer AP Chemistry and your child is an honor track kid, you can petition to attend another school in your district that has it, it will ALWAYS be granted (I have never heard of a district saying no, it would be a breach of the ED code).
Second, remember, under current Southern Section rules, you get one free, no restriction transfer after the freshman year to another school, anywhere, and not lose a year of eligiblity on varsity. After that you must change enrollment area, REGARDLESS, of where your child is tranfering too.
Hopefully this will help in making the decision WITH your child that is best for him or her. Next chapter... creating an open hoops dialogue with your child, the true key to thier success (I do not consider a college scholarship, CIF championships, or even a winning team success).
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Guide to traversing the teenage hoops scene...Part 1
I get tons of questions in the mailbag about "How do I choose a high school?", "Should I play club ball?", "what should I do if my child is good but the coach doesn't see it?", etc etc. So I thought, hmm, maybe I could put together a little guide on how to traverse this thing we call hoops. These are just my ideas on how to get by, how to look at things, ways to approach problems, and how to encourage and help a player. This is not a definitive guide, nor will it make your kid better, directly. However, a little insight into the realm is important, especially if your child has not yet made it to high school.
Lets first start with the phase I will call Pre-high school (7th grade).
So your son or daughter has been playing Jr. high ball at either their school, club, or both and is entering their 8th grade year. It is now time to start thinking about high school basketball. Now, regardless of their success on the Jr. High circuit, there is a huge chasm between what is done and expect there and what is required in high school, so lets get that straight now. Good in Jr. High does not always translate to good in High School.
Okay, first, you need to try to evaluate your own child's ability. I know, I know, your kid is the best, but I want you to step back a minute from the stat book. Stat books don't tell the whole story, if your child always played weak competition an average kid can look like a super star statistically. At the high school level, the overall ability of teams is far stronger.
So here are somethings you should look for, objectively as possible.
1. Can they dribble the length of the court with either hand?
a. If you have a girl, can she can dribble the length of the floor at full speed alternating dribbling hands with her head up? (undefended)
b. If you have a boy, can he dribble up the floor with either hand under control while being defended?
2. Can they defend the ball?
a. boy or girl, can they stay with an offensive player in a half court set for more than 3 dribble off an attack on the basket. Mostly this means does it take more than 3 dribble to beat them a majority of the time?
3. What do they do when they catch the ball?
a. Girl, does she catch the ball and turn and face the basket? Does she stay low when holding the ball? (If she puts the ball above her head at the first sign of pressure, either before or after the dribble, she needs a lot of work). Ball over the head on a high school team means lots of time on the bench for an average team.
b. Boy, does he catch and turn and face the basket? Is he in a triple threat a majority of the time? Do he have a jab step?
4. Can they pass the ball?
a. Girl, are her passes too late? Always tipped? Does she make an over head bounce pass? Does she make ball fakes before passing? Do she step forward when making a chest pass?
b. Boy, can he pass with his off hand while being defended? Does he ball fake? Can he pass with either hand off the dribble?
5. Footwork?
a. Girl, does she get traveling called on her a lot? (I know refs are terrible and your kid never travels, come down to the real world, if your daughter has more than one traveling call a game, she has bad footwork). Does she jump off the right foot when going in for a layup, or the wrong foot? Can she pivot on either foot when it is the pivot foot? Forward and back? When she starts running from a start does she negative step?
b. Boy, Does he have a jab step? Can he frog hop off the dribble to change direction? Does he have a crossover attack step? Doe he only ever pivot one way? Does he negative step when he starts running? Does he have a spin move?
6. Intangibles
a. Girl or boy, on defense off the ball are they in the right helpside? In a stance most of the time? Do they take a step towards their offensive player to box out before turning to the ball? Do they lose track of their man or the ball on defense? Do they dive on the floor for a loose ball? Do they cheer their teammates on while on the bench? Do they pout when taken out of the game? Do they give excuses, yell at their teammates, DO ANY UNSPORTSMANLIKE ACTIONS on the floor (REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANOTHER PLAYER DID ONE FIRST). Do they get technical fouls a lot? Do they praise their teammates on the floor when they do something well (thanking a passer for the assist).
7. Stats you should pay attention too (and probably not keeping).
a. Turnovers, if your child is turning the ball over more than 5 times a game, they will struggle in high school. Even if they are playing the entire game, or handle the ball more than others.
b. What is their field goal percentage from inside the arc? If they score 20 points a game but shoot 10 for 30, they will struggle in high school.
c. Free throw line. If they aren't shooting on average above 65-70 percent from the line that isn't good.
d. Blocked shots. Not how many they have, but how many times they got blocked in a game. If you are looking at 2 or more a game, that isn't good.
e. Fouls. If you child fouls out more than 10 percent of the time they play (1 in every 10 games), that is not a good thing.
So this is the first place you should start. Try to be objective, I know everyone loves their kid, but being real with their ability will pay off in the long run. It won't set you or them up for a bad experience when they get to high school.
Now that you know where you child stands you can move into phase 2.....Visiting high schools (coming soon).
Lets first start with the phase I will call Pre-high school (7th grade).
So your son or daughter has been playing Jr. high ball at either their school, club, or both and is entering their 8th grade year. It is now time to start thinking about high school basketball. Now, regardless of their success on the Jr. High circuit, there is a huge chasm between what is done and expect there and what is required in high school, so lets get that straight now. Good in Jr. High does not always translate to good in High School.
Okay, first, you need to try to evaluate your own child's ability. I know, I know, your kid is the best, but I want you to step back a minute from the stat book. Stat books don't tell the whole story, if your child always played weak competition an average kid can look like a super star statistically. At the high school level, the overall ability of teams is far stronger.
So here are somethings you should look for, objectively as possible.
1. Can they dribble the length of the court with either hand?
a. If you have a girl, can she can dribble the length of the floor at full speed alternating dribbling hands with her head up? (undefended)
b. If you have a boy, can he dribble up the floor with either hand under control while being defended?
2. Can they defend the ball?
a. boy or girl, can they stay with an offensive player in a half court set for more than 3 dribble off an attack on the basket. Mostly this means does it take more than 3 dribble to beat them a majority of the time?
3. What do they do when they catch the ball?
a. Girl, does she catch the ball and turn and face the basket? Does she stay low when holding the ball? (If she puts the ball above her head at the first sign of pressure, either before or after the dribble, she needs a lot of work). Ball over the head on a high school team means lots of time on the bench for an average team.
b. Boy, does he catch and turn and face the basket? Is he in a triple threat a majority of the time? Do he have a jab step?
4. Can they pass the ball?
a. Girl, are her passes too late? Always tipped? Does she make an over head bounce pass? Does she make ball fakes before passing? Do she step forward when making a chest pass?
b. Boy, can he pass with his off hand while being defended? Does he ball fake? Can he pass with either hand off the dribble?
5. Footwork?
a. Girl, does she get traveling called on her a lot? (I know refs are terrible and your kid never travels, come down to the real world, if your daughter has more than one traveling call a game, she has bad footwork). Does she jump off the right foot when going in for a layup, or the wrong foot? Can she pivot on either foot when it is the pivot foot? Forward and back? When she starts running from a start does she negative step?
b. Boy, Does he have a jab step? Can he frog hop off the dribble to change direction? Does he have a crossover attack step? Doe he only ever pivot one way? Does he negative step when he starts running? Does he have a spin move?
6. Intangibles
a. Girl or boy, on defense off the ball are they in the right helpside? In a stance most of the time? Do they take a step towards their offensive player to box out before turning to the ball? Do they lose track of their man or the ball on defense? Do they dive on the floor for a loose ball? Do they cheer their teammates on while on the bench? Do they pout when taken out of the game? Do they give excuses, yell at their teammates, DO ANY UNSPORTSMANLIKE ACTIONS on the floor (REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANOTHER PLAYER DID ONE FIRST). Do they get technical fouls a lot? Do they praise their teammates on the floor when they do something well (thanking a passer for the assist).
7. Stats you should pay attention too (and probably not keeping).
a. Turnovers, if your child is turning the ball over more than 5 times a game, they will struggle in high school. Even if they are playing the entire game, or handle the ball more than others.
b. What is their field goal percentage from inside the arc? If they score 20 points a game but shoot 10 for 30, they will struggle in high school.
c. Free throw line. If they aren't shooting on average above 65-70 percent from the line that isn't good.
d. Blocked shots. Not how many they have, but how many times they got blocked in a game. If you are looking at 2 or more a game, that isn't good.
e. Fouls. If you child fouls out more than 10 percent of the time they play (1 in every 10 games), that is not a good thing.
So this is the first place you should start. Try to be objective, I know everyone loves their kid, but being real with their ability will pay off in the long run. It won't set you or them up for a bad experience when they get to high school.
Now that you know where you child stands you can move into phase 2.....Visiting high schools (coming soon).
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