Look Out Below!
March 27, 2018
Here are the kinds of statements that should send chills down the spines of thoughtful leaders of school-based basketball:
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From Maverick Carter, business manager for LeBron James and CEO of Springhill Entertainment: “... the system is broken at the base, the foundation of it, which is youth basketball ... And if youth basketball is broken, then that’s part of his (NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s) job, too, because those kids are quickly in his league.”
“... the NCAA has these stupid-ass rules that are so archaic, so you have to fix that whole thing and figure out a way to do it. I own a piece of Liverpool football club, in European soccer, because clubs have a system all the way down to youth.” -
From Michelle Roberts, NBA Players Association executive director: “... we need to go younger, and we’re now plotting ways to do that.”
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From Draymond Green, formerly of Michigan State and now of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors: “You talk to the European guys who I’ve played with, and they’ve been making money since they were 15 years old ...”
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From Michael Singer of the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN: “... the NBA is indeed exploring avenues to connect with elite high school players and improve the developmental system ... Part of the NBA’s plan could hinge on working with elite prospects throughout high school, whether at tournaments or at summer camps.”
So, at minimum, this is what school-based sports can expect as a result of NBA and NCAA efforts to fix what’s broken in college basketball:
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Additional pressures on students to specialize in basketball year-round from a very early age.
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Further distraction from the masses of players toward elite players.
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An attack on amateur standing rules in school-based basketball.
Small Steps
November 3, 2015
“You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.” I believe it was former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George who said this when advocating for a big leap forward for his country during the early 20th century.
Indeed, taking two small jumps when one giant leap is necessary is an ill-fated strategy.
However, I have found that a series of smaller steps to solve large problems is very often the most practical and politically-expedient approach.
For example, as we have enhanced coaching requirements, especially related to health and safety, we didn’t insist that all of the changes occur simultaneously, or immediately. One thing at a time, phased in over several years, made these changes possible.
My MHSAA colleague Rob Kaminski, our webmaster and publications coordinator who is also an MHSAA registered football and basketball official, once remarked, “Not all football plays are designed to score touchdowns; some are just intended to move the ball forward or to set up a bigger play later.”