2018 Rankings

[ThePinkPanther]

It is amazing how much out of touch with reality that some people are. It is OK though. (Some people just have no clue that they don't know). Must be nice to live in la-la land.

[SJF]

Just asked a question! Never meant to offend anyone! There are obviously some Experts on Exposure B-Ball on here! Of the 1000's of kids participating in each of these events which are usually 3-4 days long and most are staying in hotels eating out etc. I assume if this is the ONLY way to go then please help us move out of la la land and enlighten us on how many % wise are leaving after the event with full ride offers? 

[ThePinkPanther]

SJF. The La-La land comment was not directed toward you. And i don't know what % of kids that go to exposure events actiallly receive scholarships, but I can just about bet that 95% of kids that get scholarships HAVE attended exposure events.

[SJF]

Thank You! And I believe you are correct in 95% of the kids who sign attended an Exposure Event! I assume you are referring to D1 Colleges! Whether that is a Power 5 level D1 or mid level such as Chattanooga, ETSU, etc! But that is the teams and players that play in the TOP Div at these events! But I assume there are 100's of other teams and 1000's of other players in the lower Div. who are just there and will not get offers! I know there are other benefits of playing in these events! But in your honest opinion of the 100's of teams and 1000's of players overall scholarship speaking only would you say most are wasting their time and money? 

[NOMOSHOW]

Thank You! And I believe you are correct in 95% of the kids who sign attended an Exposure Event! I assume you are referring to D1 Colleges! Whether that is a Power 5 level D1 or mid level such as Chattanooga, ETSU, etc! But that is the teams and players that play in the TOP Div at these events! But I assume there are 100's of other teams and 1000's of other players in the lower Div. who are just there and will not get offers! I know there are other benefits of playing in these events! But in your honest opinion of the 100's of teams and 1000's of players overall scholarship speaking only would you say most are wasting their time and money?

I agree SJF, the term Showcase has became really watered down and had became a cash cow for tourney directors. Selling an elusive dream of a full ride scholarship. SMH!! These people on here only believe that D1 is all there is but that's simply not the case. Your child is not a failure if she don't sign D1 (some parents have a hard time with that one) lol. Seems to be more about what the parents want more than the child. I'm completely new to the "T" but doesn't take long to realize that tournament directors own this thread.

[SJF]

"BINGO!!!!!! Showcase! Showcase! Showcase! That phrase is dominating Girls AAU ball now! Showcases for 3rd thru 8th Grade teams! These big Exposure events that have been watered down so much with different divisions in each age group! $$$$$$ The PROMISE of playing a game surrounded by College Coaches! And this happens but they are not watching 75% of the teams there! But these Directors know that if they do these player profiles and yes get them to College Coaches like the advertise thats the "SELL" to get teams to come that truly have no business being there! Yes 100's of College Coaches are there! But they are not watching a game on Court 21 between 2 9th or 10th grade teams in the Bronze Division! Way too many AAU Coaches and programs are feeding on this frenzy by telling parents we will take your child to Showcases to play where College Coaches are! Just pay what we tell you too and your kid will be Showcased! Maybe only 10% of the kids at these events will play D1! The College Coaches already for the most part know these players and the teams they play for! Another 20% or so will get offers from D2 level teams! Lets be honest! Not counting the teams that play in the Super Gold Divisions in grades 10 and 11 most of the teams there lets say 10 girls on a team maybe only 3 girls on those teams will even play some level of College Ball! The other 7 are just paying the Hot Shot AAU Coaches way and giving his best 1-2 players to be seen! Cause without doing Showcases he will lose his best player to another Showcase team! I know a couple NAIA Coaches and its not in their budget to attend these events! I am sure thats the case with lots of smaller Colleges! Just don't want the terms Showcase and Exposure diminishing the importance of playing for your HS team and ruining AAU at the State level! 

[etnhoops]

Guys.... Listen yes there 1000s of players going to these events. But not all or most of them could play college ball. But it is the only viable. Place to be seen. There are different tiers or levels of play. The higher levels get much more college exposure. They may have 60 courts in 1 building. If you are playing on court 54 there may be a few colleges who come and watch but they have a tip or are following a player. Some of you think that every kid wants or is trying g to play college ball. There are some teams that are good but may have 1 elite player. As a team they are decent but will never come close beating the elite. So they drop down and play more even competition but it also lets that elite player play in front of coaches. The experience alone is a blast for the girls. They are for the love of the game and to play against good teams from around the country. You guys think that every parent or kid thinks they will get offered. No... But there is a possibility even if small that they may get noticed and have a chance. Especially the gifted players who don't play on elite teams. The Middle Tennessee Flight teams you refer too... Are already loaded with the best girls from around the state. Yes they promote their players well... And yes they make money. But they get their players college exposure... But a lot of their kids are already good and colleges would find them. It helps the colleges evaluate them better because of the talent they are playing. But if you want to play competitive ball and play in a great atmosphere and possibly in front of colleges then these events are where to go... It doesn't matter 8th grade or not.

[etnhoops]

And to note... The flight are my enemy.. Meaning I respect them. But I want to play them..they rule most of the state because they have a lot of talent. But you have to play the top dogs to really get noticed. Losing to them by 18 is better than besting a bad team by 20 if your team looks good in losing... Colleges will find talent.

[SJF]

You used the words Possibly and Probably and Small and Chance! You also confirmed that most of the teams playing in the lower tier levels at these tourneys may have 1 Elite player thus admitting that the other 8-9 players on that team are there to maybe play good comp and hopefully get their 1 team member possibly seen! Parents choice!I am not talking about the teams that play in the top level!!! I just hope that these Coaches are truly informing their parents of what is not going to happen at these Tourneys before they take a week off and pay lots of $! Please let this sink in! I attended a NAIA game just yesterday! There was at least 10 young ladies attending the game in grades 9-12 a couple of those already committed the rest are there because they have established a relationship with these College Coaches because the Coaches attended their HS games! I am sure at most NAIA, JUCO, etc this is the norm! Just another Viable option that just happens not to be very expensive! Great basketball played at that level by the way!

[dmm88]

Very good basketball played at the NAIA level. Freed is number 1 in the nation and Bethel is in the top 15. Also Cumberland and Martin Methodist are at the top of their conferences. Just goes to show kids that it's nothing wrong with staying close to home and getting lots of minutes for a good NAIA team, although most parents brainwash kids when they tell them D1 or you're a failure.

[cradle2thegravelakersfan]

All of you have valid points on this topic. My 2 cents is that more kids than some of you think are getting noticed at these exposure events. A lot of people keep talking about major college exposure, but there's a little bit of something for everyone at these tournaments. Only a few kids are considered " ELITE ". Recruiting services usually do a list of the top 150 or so players in the country. Do you guys realize there are 351 D1 colleges and universities in the U.S. that play women's basketball ? There's also D1-AA, D2, D3, NAIA-D1, NAIA-D2, JUCO-D1, JUCO-D2 and JUCO-D3. Almost ALL of these schools attend these exposure events during the summer. You'd be surprised at the number of kids that get noticed, but often parents or the kids themselves feel disrespected if they only receive attention from some small school that they've never heard of. Sometimes it's best to put your pride aside if the goal is to gain a basketball scholarship. Hopefully this helps clear things up for some of you. Not everyone can afford to have their kids play travel ball, but if you can it helps her chances to play collegiately. Just be selective when placing your child with a travel program and make sure they have the child's best interest at heart and carefully inspect the summer team schedule.

[cradle2thegravelakersfan]

You used the words Possibly and Probably and Small and Chance! You also confirmed that most of the teams playing in the lower tier levels at these tourneys may have 1 Elite player thus admitting that the other 8-9 players on that team are there to maybe play good comp and hopefully get their 1 team member possibly seen! Parents choice!I am not talking about the teams that play in the top level!!! I just hope that these Coaches are truly informing their parents of what is not going to happen at these Tourneys before they take a week off and pay lots of $! Please let this sink in! I attended a NAIA game just yesterday! There was at least 10 young ladies attending the game in grades 9-12 a couple of those already committed the rest are there because they have established a relationship with these College Coaches because the Coaches attended their HS games! I am sure at most NAIA, JUCO, etc this is the norm! Just another Viable option that just happens not to be very expensive! Great basketball played at that level by the way!

Not every kid is blessed to play in an area that a local NAIA or other institution can come watch them play. Freed, Bethel, and Union coaches do an excellent job of getting out to the local games and building relationships with area players, but what about kids out in the middle of rural Timbucktoo ? Getting on a local travel team is probably those kids best options. You're also right, good basketball IS played at the lower levels and these coaches also attend exposure events. Some of you keep implying that it's all a waste of time because most kids can't play D1 ball, but everyone already knows those chances are slim. They're just hoping to be seen by a coach, any coach. Parents have to be realistic about their kids abilities too. The kid might be a dominant 20ppg HS post player in her area but only about 5'7. At an event, a coach from a small, non-descript college might see this and offer. You never know.