Who can Compete Nationally?

[success123]

To compete Nationally you must get the best players from middle tennessee and the surrounding states. Al , Ky . Even Memphis with all the talent they have still recruit from Ms and Ak. Most of this discussion has centered around ninth graders. YOMCA is the only nationally competitive 9th grade team in the state. Bellevue and the Elite are they only competitive 8th grade teams.

 

As far as the shoe companies go... get real they own this sport period. They will be involved you may as well join them if you can. Remember when you list all these kids and talk about how good they are. Only a few of them have a real chance to be major D1 players. We won't know for sure unless they are super stars until they are juniors or seniors. When scouts look at kids if they are under 6'5" they must have the whole package. A lot of these kids can't shoot or can't handle, can't create ... I think coaches should be focused on fixing this and making sure players have a complete game.

 

My prediction is the strong programs that do well nationally will keep getting stronger the weak will get weaker the end result Nashville will be like Memphis super teams sponsored by shoe companies. Ask bigyomca if things are better in Memphis as far as teams and coaches getting along.

 

On another note what happened to the travelers? They use to be an elite program they have a shoe company sponsor seems they not at the same level anymore.

[Blackburn]

Travelers used to be able to come in and take all the best players from Mid Tn b/c there were no other capable teams. Now, they arent getting those players and are becoming desperate. By all accounts, Nike is unpleased.

 

There are Mid Tn teams that use AL and KY players. However, TN AAU banned AL kids from playing in the Districts this year. Case in point, the SE Elite 15U has a 6'11 kid from AL and one of the best two gaurds in AL (kid started for a state tourney team and scored 15ppg). Anyway, neither were permitted to play in the substate or state AAU tourneys. Meanwhile, the Y had a couple big kids from MS apparently. Doesnt seem fair, does it. Cant really grasp the logic there, but neither can the AAU folks.

[candlelight05]

This is a very interesting topic with some really good replies. I believe there are a couple of reasons why the TN Travelers are not as strong as they used to be. With that being said, I believe the TN Travelers can still compete at the national level, especially this year in the 15 & 16 year old divisions. The TN Travelers 17 year old "Orange" team is a solid bunch who lacks the size to be a formidable opponent at the national level, but if they continue to improve throughout the summer, then they should be one the top 25 Nike teams by the Nike Peach Jam. The TN Travelers 17 year old "Navy" team is pretty good in terms of AAU at the state level, but I do not believe they can compete in the national showcase tournaments, AAU nationals, etc.

 

The reasons why I believe the TN Travelers are not as "elite" as they used to be are listed below:

 

Reason 1: The TN Travelers are based primarily out of East TN and I believe the talent level in East TN is lower than that of Middle and West TN. With new organizations forming in Middle and West TN, the TN Travelers are not able to get as much of the talent from these areas and they are being forced to play with more East TN talent.

 

Reason 2: There are more shoe sponsored teams in the state of TN (whether it be Nike, Reebok, Adidas, etc.) that can compete with the TN Travelers in terms of funding, traveling accommodations, etc. Also, if a specific program is not shoe sponsored, then there are plenty of programs in TN that raise money through different activities that can absorb the cost of not having a sponsorship.

 

All in all, the TN Travelers may not be as successful on the national level as in previous years, but I do believe they are one of the top 3 programs in the state of TN and also believe they can hold their own against national competition.

 

 

 

 

 

Travelers used to be able to come in and take all the best players from Mid Tn b/c there were no other capable teams.  Now, they arent getting those players and are becoming desperate.  By all accounts, Nike is unpleased.

 

There are Mid Tn teams that use AL and KY players.  However, TN AAU banned AL kids from playing in the Districts this year.  Case in point, the SE Elite 15U has a 6'11 kid from AL and one of the best two gaurds in AL (kid started for a state tourney team and scored 15ppg).  Anyway, neither were permitted to play in the substate or state AAU tourneys.  Meanwhile, the Y had a couple big kids from MS apparently.  Doesnt seem fair, does it.  Cant really grasp the logic there, but neither can the AAU folks.

825683484[/snapback]

Edited May 28, 2005 by candlelight05

[gomerpyle]

I have worked with the Travelers since 1991, so here are some of my thoughts on summer basketball in Tennessee:

 

1. There is more parity in summer basketball, both in Tennessee and nationally than there ever has been - more good teams, more good players, more money involved. I hate to compare apples and oranges, but the same thing is happening in women's college basketball now. Programs like UT and UConn will still be elite programs, but will the dynasty days are going to be a thing of the past (i.e. Baylor and Michigan State in the national championship game).

 

2. At various age groups (some programs are much better in a select age group), you have five or six programs in-state that can compete nationally - it used to be only two. I believe this is simply a result of the fact that there are more good players in Tennessee than there used to be (quantity, not quality). Two or three programs can't accommodate all the good players anymore.

 

3. I think this trend will continue for a while. More and more coaches are working very hard at this. Memphis will always have tremendous players and outstanding teams in every age group. Other programs will continue to be solid nationally, especially if they are able to go out-of-state for a few players, and that isn't hard to do because of the unique geography of our state.

 

4. Since I've been around for a while, I can say that a lot of the same things happening here are happening in other states. Used to be that the same teams from the same states were good every year. Now there are more good teams from these states, and it isn't always the same program every year. Obviously, some states have the population base for several outstanding teams each year - California, New York, Texas, etc. But in states similar to Tennessee in terms of population, the same things are happening.

 

5. It's important to remember that while we all want to win, the objective for all of us should be to help kids. If there are more good teams in state, hopefully more kids will benefit from all this and we can all do a better job of working together instead of coming at one another so much.

[Blackburn]

I am with you in the sense that it should be about the kids. However, it seems more and more that it isnt. This is due, in my opinion, to the shoe companies' involvement in summer basketball. The general notion of having sponsors involved with basketball (i.e. Nike, Reebok, etc.) is a good idea for exposing kids and getting them to major camps. But there is also the pressure to win when shoe companies are putting money on the line. That pressure leads to battle for kids when it shouldnt and that brings hostility b/t programs.

 

However, shoe deals arent all they are cracked up to be. Most think that sponsored teams are getting all sorts of money and gear, when in reality, that isnt always true by any means. Getting free jerseys is a bonus, but many just offer breaks on jerseys/shoes until your team accomplishes something or puts a "big time"player into D-1.

 

Back to the topic though, I think there is just more interest in basketball in Mid TN than there used to be. The cities have grown tremendously the last 10 years and there are definitely more teams to accomodate more players, all of which hurts the Travelers presence in this area and accounts for the improvement of Mid Tn teams. It used to be if you wanted compete nationally and you were from Mid Tn, then the Travelers were your only option. Now, many teams without shoe deals are finding ways to get to Kingwood and to get to Vegas and other big events. If you can find a competitive team in your area, why drive 2 hours aways to play for another team.

 

I am just pleased to see the sport growing in Mid TN. Hopefully, more solid basketball people will get involved to teach kids from a young age solid fundamentals to go with the athleticism and take a group of kids they have known and developed all the way through. It is so much harder to work to develop kids than it is to just go find the best 15 year old for that season and discard them the next year for the next 16 year old . However, I hope that the trend becomes the former rather than the latter.

[whoa242001]

I agree my kids are going to the senior boys national tourney and we have one civic club help us pay for the state tourney and parents contribute what they can and we raise the rest and i believe that it helps build a team chemistry that isnt even present during the high school season. Our kids work together so they can play. Not work together so we can win for a shoe sponsorship. Dont get me wrong we want to win, but playing with out the added stress of corp. sponsorship i believe gives my kids a confidence and attitude that we belong here and we worked to get here on the court and off the court. I believe this helps my kids understand that the game on the court is only a small part of what we are trying to accomplish, using basketball as a learning tool for life and how to deal with adversity, confict, and how to accept winning and lossing is a greater accomplishment than winning a state or national title. I hope my kids have learned more about how the real world works with our summer team, especially with the seniors who are going to college and leaving the house for the first time.

If we can do this Im not worried about our record.

 

 

In writing this i am not undermining the donations we have recieved. They are greatly appreciated. The show of support and generativity that we have recieved makes me believe that we have an understanding of how much it means to support our youths of today and leaders of the future.

coach frye

whoa242001@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

I am with you in the sense that it should be about the kids.  However, it seems more and more that it isnt.  This is due, in my opinion, to the shoe companies' involvement in summer basketball.  The general notion of having sponsors involved with basketball (i.e. Nike, Reebok, etc.) is a good idea for exposing kids and getting them to major camps.  But there is also the pressure to win when shoe companies are putting money on the line.  That pressure leads to battle for kids when it shouldnt and that brings hostility b/t programs. 

 

However, shoe deals arent all they are cracked up to be.  Most think that sponsored teams are getting all sorts of money and gear, when in reality, that isnt always true by any means.  Getting free jerseys is a bonus, but many just offer breaks on jerseys/shoes until your team accomplishes something or puts a "big time"player into D-1.

 

Back to the topic though, I think there is just more interest in basketball in Mid TN than there used to be.  The cities have grown tremendously the last 10 years and there are definitely more teams to accomodate more players, all of which hurts the Travelers presence in this area and accounts for the improvement of Mid Tn teams.  It used to be if you wanted compete nationally and you were from Mid Tn, then the Travelers were your only option.  Now, many teams without shoe deals are finding ways to get to Kingwood and to get to Vegas and other big events.  If you can find a competitive team in your area, why drive 2 hours aways to play for another team.

 

I am just pleased to see the sport growing in Mid TN.  Hopefully, more solid basketball people will get involved to teach kids from a young age solid fundamentals to go with the athleticism and take a group of kids they have known and developed all the way through.  It is so much harder to work to develop kids than it is to just go find the best 15 year old for that season and discard them the next year for the next 16 year old .  However, I hope that the trend becomes the former rather than the latter.

825683659[/snapback]