Chattanooga Talent? Top Teams?

[CPHoops]

There certainly are. Flight of course is nop notch. The team from Dayton does it right. But that supports the previous notion that Chatt area is far behind other areas in TN in large bc of the disparity in the quality of AAU programs.

[LadyMustangsCoach]

In Dayton, Roy Pankey's Org, TN Force, is a well run program.  Good instruction.  All AAU programs have their shortcomings.  Seems that most issues revolve around egos and those crazy parents, and I have seen this from every program in TN. 

 

The funny thing to me is that these organization push the college scholarship angle so much.  WE GET GIRLS TO COLLEGE!  Really???  I feel so bad for these girls and their parents that spend every dollar they can spare chasing this dream.  You either have the athletic ability to play in college, or you don't.  Fact is that if they saved the money they spend on tournaments, hotels, etc they could pay for the college themselves.

 

I am not knocking AAU ball.  It can be a lot of fun and very rewarding if you keep the right perspective.  And being a good high school bballer is a great memory to have.

[SJF]

Well said! I call it "The Parent Trap" AAU Coaches convincing kids parents to spend thousands of $$ to play for their programs, travel and pay them for personal training. The majority of players that end up playing College ball would have gotten their scholarships by just playing for their HS teams cause a big number of those players end up at a local Jr. College or Christian College. Very few players that play in these big AAU programs in our state end up playing D1 that money could have been saved for College tuition! AAU should be used for fun and lasting memories and friendships and players improving to help their HS teams have successes. 

[Indian]

Hamilton Heights seems loaded. They aren't TSSAA so basically can bring in whoever they want, whenever they want. They beat Tennessee Temple, a college team, by 20 in an exhibition game. That's not a Division I college, but still they beat a team with 21 and 22 year old women handily. I don't think they have as much height as they have had but may be quicker. They brought in one of the best players I've ever seen in the 8th grade level, from Berean in Chattanooga, is a freshman point this year at 5'10". Most of their players are from other countries and are probably in at least in part to gain exposure for college opportunities, a negative is they may not be familiar with each other as other teams would be and their styles may not mesh easily.

[anotherback]

Well said! I call it "The Parent Trap" AAU Coaches convincing kids parents to spend thousands of $$ to play for their programs, travel and pay them for personal training. The majority of players that end up playing College ball would have gotten their scholarships by just playing for their HS teams cause a big number of those players end up at a local Jr. College or Christian College. Very few players that play in these big AAU programs in our state end up playing D1 that money could have been saved for College tuition! AAU should be used for fun and lasting memories and friendships and players improving to help their HS teams have successes.

 

 

+1 for many it's exactly what youve stated.

[KYTNGBB]

In Dayton, Roy Pankey's Org, TN Force, is a well run program.  Good instruction.  All AAU programs have their shortcomings.  Seems that most issues revolve around egos and those crazy parents, and I have seen this from every program in TN. 

 

The funny thing to me is that these organization push the college scholarship angle so much.  WE GET GIRLS TO COLLEGE!  Really???  I feel so bad for these girls and their parents that spend every dollar they can spare chasing this dream.  You either have the athletic ability to play in college, or you don't.  Fact is that if they saved the money they spend on tournaments, hotels, etc they could pay for the college themselves.

 

I am not knocking AAU ball.  It can be a lot of fun and very rewarding if you keep the right perspective.  And being a good high school bballer is a great memory to have.

 

 

Well said! I call it "The Parent Trap" AAU Coaches convincing kids parents to spend thousands of $$ to play for their programs, travel and pay them for personal training. The majority of players that end up playing College ball would have gotten their scholarships by just playing for their HS teams cause a big number of those players end up at a local Jr. College or Christian College. Very few players that play in these big AAU programs in our state end up playing D1 that money could have been saved for College tuition! AAU should be used for fun and lasting memories and friendships and players improving to help their HS teams have successes. 

 

If you play with the right program, you aren't spending "thousands of $$" to play. Parents should honestly do more research. & there are programs that will help you sign with more than just the local JUCO or Christian College. 

[MartianMan]

Their are but parents have to realize that every kid cant play at UT. There is nothing wrong with signing JUCO or Christian. At the end of the day it should be about getting better and getting an education.

[CPHoops]

It really is amazing how a short drive west over the plateau can change the quality of girls bball that you see. The girls there simply play with a different mindset and intensity that you don't see in Chattanooga area.

[raiderpride42]

Hamilton Heights seems loaded. They aren't TSSAA so basically can bring in whoever they want, whenever they want. They beat Tennessee Temple, a college team, by 20 in an exhibition game. That's not a Division I college, but still they beat a team with 21 and 22 year old women handily. I don't think they have as much height as they have had but may be quicker. They brought in one of the best players I've ever seen in the 8th grade level, from Berean in Chattanooga, is a freshman point this year at 5'10". Most of their players are from other countries and are probably in at least in part to gain exposure for college opportunities, a negative is they may not be familiar with each other as other teams would be and their styles may not mesh easily.

Seen this team at Riverdale today. To say they are loaded is an understatement. I would bet they would beat most cc teams. The freshman point guard is the real deal for sure.

[WarriorFan]

If you play with the right program, you aren't spending "thousands of $$" to play. Parents should honestly do more research. & there are programs that will help you sign with more than just the local JUCO or Christian College. 

 

That is a loaded answer.  What is "more than just a JUCO or Christian College"???  The facts are pretty simple.  It doesnt matter who you sign with...unless you are UCONN, TN, Louisville, Iowa St, and a few others...you are gonna play most every game in women's basketball in obscurity to a crowd of less than 1,000 people.....even at the DI level.  The average OVC game attendance in 2013-14 was 924.  The average SEC game in 2013-14 was 3,847.  That being said.....you aren't playing for the glory of a huge crowd....actually....there is NOTHING worse than a crowd of 1,000 people in a gym that seats 10,000.....kind of disheartening.  Here is a link to back this info up:  http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_basketball_RB/reports/Attend/14att.pdf .  

 

My bet is that Riverdale, Blackman and Oakland in 7-AAA has a bigger average crowd attendance than the average NCAA D-1 basketball game.  The average D-1 basketball game has a crowd of only 1,579 according to the NCAA.  Most any district game with high stakes at Riverdale has over 2000-2500 people with overflow crowds turned away at the gates.  For most colleges...womens basketball is a sport that people dont support except players parents and others looking for inexpensive  entertainment because women's basketball games are ridiculously inexpensive to go to.  One of the least expensive forms of entertainment my family had for years was going to Vanderbilt womens basketball games.  We had 4 mid court seats, just 12 rows back for $350.....it was an awesome way to spend time with family.  If it were seats for a guys game, it would have cost me around $1500 minimum for the 4 season  tickets.  As good as Vanderbilt is, they only averaged last year 3,900 a game in attendance.

 

If this is true.....then how do you mean that there are programs that will help you sign with more than just the local JUCO or Christian College?  It is a pretty common knowledge that 99.9% of womens basketball programs operate in the red, and are mainly supported by money making sports such as men's football and men's basketball.

 

A public school education averages $22,826 a year, but a private school education (which would be the Christian school you are talking about) averages $44,750 a year nationally.  http://www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10064  The numbers appear to me that a private school scholarship monetarily blows the state D-1 scholarship out of the water in terms of scholarship amount awarded.  The University of TN at Knoxville has tuition of $11,836 a year not including room and board.  This is a D-1 school.  If you go to a D-II "Christian school" in TN like Union University in Jackson...the tuition is $27,470 not including room and board.  The D-II myth is that scholarships are all broken up over many players, which isnt true.  D-II schools give 10 scholarships.  Most D-II schools give 7-8 FULL scholarships and break 2-3 scholarships in half, which gives about 12 players scholarships.  D-I schools give 15 full scholarships.  Hence....there isn't really that much difference.  A kid is also much more apt to keep their scholarship at a D-II level if they aren't playing as much or they get hurt.  Most D-I programs "clean house" every year of players not producing because the coach is always on the lookout for better talent so he can keep his job...after all....in D-I programs, if you dont produce as a coach...you are fired.  Most parents dont realize that athletic scholarships are 1 year annually renewable contracts at the discretion of the coach/athletic director.

 

There is NOTHING wrong with playing at a Christian College.  The classroom ratios are much lower....there is more eyes and attention on the kids.....and you get ALOT more money and normally a pretty darn prestigious degree in the end.

 

Basketball is just a tool to go to school and better a kids life....no more....no less.  It is fine at ANY division....it is about using a God given athletic talent to get an education.....which in itself is kinda crazy!  There is absolutely no money in the WNBA (except maybe a handful that get endorsements)..amazingly enough, a whole teams salaries COMBINED cannot be more than $913,000.. ( http://www.examiner.com/article/wnba-salaries-for-the-2013-season )...so the end prize is a college degree.  Parents have huge fantasies about their kids doing tremendous things in womens basketball.....but to be truthful....for the most part...no one cares because very few people watch the sport unless you are in a girls basketball hungry area like Murfreesboro.  Most kids will be bigger stars playing for their home town team than they ever will playing in college because local people and parents care more.  The only way you are a "star" in college is if you are on a level of a UT or UCONN....or Notre Dame.  I do not encourage anyone to romanticize womens college basketball to be anything more than it is.....which is a way to go to school.  There is way to much emphasis placed on DI/DII/NAIA differences.  What matters most is getting your degree thru the use of the sport.

Edited November 10, 2014 by WarriorFan

[KYTNGBB]

That is a loaded answer. What is "more than just a JUCO or Christian College"???

Someone took what I said WAY out of context. You forgot the most important word in my post -LOCAL-

Let me clarify: there are programs that will help you sign with more than the LOCAL JUCO or LOCAL Christian school.

As in- not every kid wants to go to the local JUCO or local Christian school and there are programs that can help you get other options than those.

[WarriorFan]

Someone took what I said WAY out of context. You forgot the most important word in my post -LOCAL-

Let me clarify: there are programs that will help you sign with more than the LOCAL JUCO or LOCAL Christian school.

As in- not every kid wants to go to the local JUCO or local Christian school and there are programs that can help you get other options than those.

 

My appologies if I was too hard on you. There are coaches out there that  emphasis that if a kid doesn't play "big time" DI, then the kids or scholarships are crap.  Kids should go where they fit in best in academics, where they can come out of school with the best degree for what they want to do for the rest of their life and with congruence of the mission of the school.  Division level should come further down the list.  I believe that any scholarship a kid gets is awesome....juco....DI....DII....NAIA.  Most kids are done with basketball by the time they are 20-21, and we as parents or coaches place too much emphasis on what scholarship is "good".  What is "good" in the end is the scholarship that gets the kid educated.  99% of even the most die-hard womens basketball fans (I am a die hard fan...and will be watching my Lady Vols play tomorrow!) cannot name the past 3 national champions....in the end, it really isnt that important in life.  The kid getting a degree is, and will take them much further. 

Edited November 9, 2014 by WarriorFan