Summerball for school or summer team?

[pioneer34]

I was wondering how many players stay and play with the highschool team in the summer or play with a summer league team. And if someone does play for another team what does highschool coach think about it? Some coaches say that you should be loyal to the program, but some players play on travel teams. Post your opinions.

[Scoutinprospects]

i think you shouldnt be forced to play on the school team b/c there is way better competition in the USSSA or GNABA. I think the summer school league should not be forced to the players but a decision.

[shakinbake22]

I agree, summer high school teams often end up playing the same two or three teams the whole summer and never see any real competition. They just play the same teams over and over again...no fun.

 

Players should not be on a leash when the can go out and be seen or have a chance to show their skills to someone who might impact their future.

[ahsbaseball06]

I think that with most of the high school teams splitting up for the summer then if you want to play summer ball then go ahead and play with your summer ball team.

[Gerry Bertier]

I think it would be beneficial if the team stays together and plays summer ball team. In between my junior and senior year we played summer ball together and we were able to bond and get closer as a team. Eevn though we didn't play the greatest competetion come tourney time we did and we moved onto the state tourney that summer. My senior year of high school we went from winning 13 games to 27, setting many school records, and getting the school's 1st regional win. I don't think any of that would of been possible without playing ball during the summer together. Seems more schools in rural areas keep their teams together while the teams in big cities split up. I guess it is the individuals choice.

[k3urout]

It depends on two things...No. 1, is your high school summer team going to go out and play against good people in good tournaments and No. 2 is your high school coach going to take it seriously.

 

You need look no further than Riverdale, Oakland, Hendersonville, Goodpasture, Germentown, Collierville, Houston, Columbia, Coffee Co. to see that good high school programs that keep their kids together and have the guts to go out and play anybody anywhere in the summer, reap the benefits in the spring. These schools are just a few of the examples of teams you see all over the place in the summer working for the next year and their head and assistant coaches work hard for their kids. Some of them aren't around this spring to see the state tournament, but I can bet you they are already working towards summer and next spring. If done right, staying together is great, again I say, if done right.

[davidlimbaugh]

k3' well said.... But you forgot to mention one of the great byproducts of a high school team staying together in the summer. The parents get to be better friends and know each other more and become more of a family. Nothing like traveling all over the southeast to bring ya together - agreed?

[back@home]

The top programs play a summer schedule very similar to that of travel teams and that benefits them. Some HS programs do not play that tough schedule. If teams have top notch players, it would benefit those players to go play on a travel team that plays the tough schedule and goes to places the young men can be seen. That would also open the door for an underclassmen or role player to get more pt on his HS summer team.

[Gville80]

I agree. However, another key element to making a school summer league team work is dedication from the coach taking on the responsbility. You can kiss bonding away if this part of the glue factor is missing.

[doubleplay96]

During the summer i play for both a High School summer team during the week and a AAU team on weekends except for the AAU Nationals when we play all week long and i have to say that i play more games and see better competition in AAU ball than i do with the high school summer league team.

[cbg]

What they do in Florida is allow the top players in each class (usually no more that 2 or 3) to play on a Summer Select Team. The high school coaches have no problem with this if the kids are playing on one of the elite Summer teams. It also gives the high school coach time to work/play some of the kids that may have not been given very many opportunities. The way most Florida coaches do this it is a win/win for everyone.

[pccoach]

good topic and a tough topic: being a high school coach: you would love to have your team to stay together to better prepare for the next school season. but if the top players in your program are not being pushed , are they getting better? i feel that , as a coach i have to put together the toughest schedule possible and play the travel teams because your players need the exposure. exposure is the things parents are concerned the most about. the tbca showcase, the sunbelt soph. and jrs. are ways to be seen, there are other showcases around that players can go to(always watch for the" pay for "showcases cause someone is making a buck on them).the coach has to be have totally committed and put the time and effort for the games and PRACTICE during the entire summer. i have had great players that stayed together as a high school team and i have had great players that went with the travel teams. the players that stayed and the ones that travelled both ended up in the schools that they needed to be at.there are very few REAL players that get lost in the crowd anymore.this will always a hot topic and also a hard thing for some people. good luck to all the kids that have to make this decision.