September 15, 2024 • 26 mins
Coach C. Collins is back at it to help give his experience of coaching methods and tactics that can hopefully help you to grow in the game of basketball along with talking any other issues or video reactions that he wants to discuss.
Join Coach C. Collins from the YBA Phenix Fitness 24/7 basketball facility in Rocklin, California, for an insightful episode of Coach's Rize Time.
In this episode, Coach Collins dives into the state of AAU basketball in 2024, offering a comprehensive look at the good, the bad, and the evolving dynamics of the sport.
Coach Collins discusses various categories of parents involved in AAU, from supportive athlete parents to overbearing helicopter parents, and the impact they have on the game. He also addresses the lack of loyalty in AAU, the influence of nepotism, and the financial challenges faced by many families in supporting their young athletes.
Furthermore, Coach Collins sheds light on the increasing violence in youth basketball, the crucial role of emotional control for young players, and the importance of guidance from male figures in the lives of young black men. He emphasizes the need for creative fundraising solutions and the reality of rising costs in the current economic climate.
Through it all, Coach Collins offers practical advice and critical thinking strategies for players, parents, coaches, and directors navigating the complex world of AAU basketball. Tune in for an honest, unfiltered look at the sport and valuable tips to help you succeed in your basketball journey.
Don't miss this episode filled with candid insights and actionable advice to better your AAU experience. Hit that like and subscribe button, and consider supporting the podcast on Patreon to help keep the valuable content coming.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
From the YBA Phoenix Fitness 24-7 basketball facility in Rockland, California.
It's Coach's Rise Time with Coach C. Collins.
Hey,
it's Coach C. Collins talking from Coach's Rise Time. If you are here and you're
tuning in, of course, I always appreciate you. The HBO special, help a brother out.
(00:24):
Hit that like, hit that subscribe, do what you got to do. Shout out to the poor
man's podcast because I definitely took that from him.
But no, I appreciate you guys if you've been supporting. I haven't done a coach's
rise time in quite a while. I've just been doing a lot about that life episodes
and I have more coming up.
So please stay tuned for those. But again, the subject matter of this one,
I just simply want to say AAU basketball where it sits in 2024.
(00:49):
I want to talk about maybe some of the good, some of the bad,
some of the things I've observed.
The high school side, of course, which is the most important.
And maybe some of the issues that some people have, some of the things that
they've talked about, some of the things I might have issues at,
and hopefully tips and things that can help future AAU directors and people
(01:09):
trying to make a way for themselves.
So again, I hope you enjoyed the episode. I hope you enjoyed the content.
I hope it helps you better your journey in this AAU space of ours,
this AAU basketball space of ours.
So let's get right to it. But first thing in 2024, we got to talk about parents.
Parents has got to be the number one subject.
(01:30):
There are so many layers to it. I can only get through so much.
Otherwise, this episode would be about two and a half hours.
So we're not going to go that long.
But the biggest thing we could talk about when it comes to parents is you have kids.
Basically three to maybe five categories of parents.
One parent you have is, you know, the athlete, the athlete parent,
(01:51):
the parent that played some level of sports, typically, hopefully college or pro.
And they kind of just stay out your way and let you do your job for the most
part, because they understand what it takes.
Most say you people enjoy those types of parents, but they are sometimes very
critical of you as a coach, because they want to see their kids pushed in the
right direction to you have helicopter parents.
(02:14):
Parents that do too damn much, like they got to be overbearing on everything.
They got to know everything. Like these are the parents that are in training
sessions telling trainers how to fucking train their kid.
Like you hired me to do my job. Let me do my job. Right.
We all know helicopter parents. We've seen them. Number three would be I call
them delusional parents.
(02:35):
Right. I guess you could say a subcategory of a helicopter parent.
They see their kid miss 10 layups and tell them that's OK.
You did really good. no they fucking didn't they missed 10
layups that's 20 potential points you
did not do good if you miss 10 fucking layups
unless you are eight years old okay like no if
(02:56):
you are 17 years old missing 10 to 20
layups turning the ball over four times
and getting three fouls and that's your fucking stat line at the
end of the game you did not do good but you know unfortunately
mom and dad sometimes have those parent goggles and
think you know it's not it's not his fault that you know he's
fucking got baby hands and can't catch the ball no it's your
(03:17):
fucking fault it's your fucking fault it's your genetics blame you
you're right your kid has no genetics and has little baby fucking
hands because you have little baby fucking hands okay so
that's that category of parents number four right
is the i call
them at game parents the parents like overall
they're cool but when they get in when they go to
(03:38):
a game they're fucking nuts they
are the parent at the baseline yelling at
their kid typically it's a mom holding a
goddamn cell phone the entire game recording the kid and yelling at the ref
and yelling at the opposing kid and then yelling at their kid it's usually shoot
the ball you know don't pass that shit like whatever it's it's Generally speaking,
(04:03):
a mom, don't get me wrong, it's dads too.
And they don't even get a tripod.
They just hold the phone, and they just roam around the fucking court.
Like, they'll get next to, I've had one of those parents get next to my bench.
And start recording, and I'm like, yeah, hey, lady, can you go to your side
of the court, please, like, that's how crazy that category of parents is.
(04:24):
And then, of course, there's more and more and more. I'm sure you guys have
dealt with plenty, but that's at least four that I know and think of off the top of my head.
Also, AAU in 2024, there is absolutely no loyalty anymore.
So coaches, trainers, I'm sorry, that shit is dead at this point. It is 100% fucking dead.
If there is a free program, a program that will cover all costs,
(04:48):
typically a shoe sponsor program, you're going to lose your kid.
It's just going to happen. and and you know
even some of your mom and pop programs the programs adjacent to
you they'll you know they got they finesse money somehow maybe they
got a rich parent maybe they got a parent that's just
looking to do a tax write-off maybe they got a kid on the team
and they don't mind paying for all the shit yeah they're
(05:09):
going to use that to finesse talented kids away from you and
parents are quick to oblige and jump on it do i
agree with it no i think it's stupid if you
have a coach that has helped your kid get from a to x why the fuck would you
leave them when they can get you to w-i-z right like i don't it doesn't make
(05:30):
sense to me i don't get it i don't fucking understand it but that's the culture
right and it's something you just learn to accept.
It's it's not every single kid but i will say the kids that rock with you that
are loyal and the parents that rock with you are loyal or have become the minority
now They are not the majority.
They used to be the majority years a majority.
(05:52):
Excuse me years ago Where they they would stick with you.
They rock with you. They saw the best growth out of their kid with you Now it's
just always peeking at the other fence.
It's always looking somewhere else. It's always like oh what's better over there?
What's better over there and it's the same. It's the same fucking thing I I
I reiterate this over and over again.
I'll probably do an episode on talking about this itself a system them.
(06:15):
It's just different ways to score the basketball. That's it.
It's different ways to take the same shots. That's what a system is.
If a system is working for your kid and they're getting the most and the best
growth out of it, why change it? There's nothing more to change, but people will.
People will inherently in this space think that there's always something more.
There's always something they got to do. There's always something better.
(06:38):
And they inevitably find out that they were wrong.
And it's unfortunately when it's too late, it's when the kid is trying
out for juco's and can't even get on a juco team and it's
like what happened what happened to y'all well you know i got
too good for the program i was at don't get me wrong sometimes a kid does outgrow
a program but if the program is fulfilling everything you need putting you on
(06:58):
the best stage putting you against high competition on a shoe circuit shit has
a facility that's i'm naming basically everything we have here in my in my program
and you still decide to leave just because.
Because somebody says, we'll give you a bunch of free gear, and it's free? Right.
It don't make sense to me. And I've talked to enough coaches,
college coaches, high school coaches, like they don't get it.
(07:22):
And majority of college coaches, even though they won't say it because they
don't want to ruin their potential chances of recruiting kids,
they judge your inability to be loyal unless they know they are a university
where basically kids are going to spend one year there and then cut because
of the transfer portal, right?
Nepotism in AAU in 2024. It's big. It is what it is. Nepotism is a thing.
(07:48):
Ex-pros, athletes, kids are going to get the nod before the unknown kid.
If you're not related or a cousin to some level of pro athlete,
whether it be football, shit, it could be soccer at this point.
But if you don't have some sort of relation to an ex-pro athlete,
(08:08):
it is another layer that you're going to have to fight through,
especially if you're on the court with one of those ex-pro athletes kids but
to me to also on the flip side of it creates these these opportunist windows where you can become.
Famous or get some clout because if you bust the ass or if you beat the dog
(08:32):
shit out of one of those nba kids you know one of those nba players kids you
now get thrusted on a stage that you might've been an unknown.
And now you have, you know, 50,000 followers and people are hyping you up to
be the next greatest thing.
So there is two sides to that coin, right? Is it fair?
(08:54):
I don't really know. I don't really have a yes or no for that.
I think it's just part of the game.
And if it's unfair to you, get the fuck over it and get, and get better.
If, if you are one of those kids, they get to take advantage,
take advantage. Why not? Shit. All right. Let Let me make this clear.
I have kids. I have two sons.
Their dad is co-owner of a gym and a director of an AU program.
(09:20):
So if my kids can basically get in the gym anytime they want,
they can get shots up anytime they want, they can practice their game anytime they want.
And I know that's an advantage that the majority of my kids,
that basketball peers in competition don't have for their kids. I don't give a fuck.
I'm going to give my sons the most advantage they can. Get over it. Get better.
(09:43):
And that's exactly what I would tell my kids if they're running into a situation
where they play a high-level kid.
Elevate your game. Step up. If it gets the better of you that day,
get back in the gym and get better so you're ready for the next time you play them, right?
So that would be my suggestion for any of you guys that are dealing with any of that.
Stop worrying about how fair shit is. Sports itself isn't inherently not built
(10:04):
to be fair it's people taking advantages of their physical gifts their abilities
their skill sets against other people's physical abilities and skill sets that's just how it works.
Also a couple more things and hey you in 2024 the prices i know the admission
prices are getting ridiculous but inflation is a motherfucker in this country
(10:26):
what do you want to hear it's just it's It's not going away.
It's not right. I mean, have you been to a grocery store? Have you seen how
much a gallon of milk costs? Have you seen how much a carton of eggs costs?
Compare it to what it was five years ago, right?
Just go five years back. Go three years back. Go pre-COVID, right?
(10:47):
Unfortunately, we are in a state in this country where things are overpriced.
And at the same time, you have to understand you are going to have to dedicate
some finances in order to help your kid achieve athletic prowess.
(11:07):
I saw a YouTuber, I check out every now and then,
he talked about this, he said, basketball isn't a Trent baby sport anymore,
meaning you grew up in the trenches,
it was a hard struggle and from that struggle, You rose through the ashes to
become something great and create generational get generational wealth that
could change the trajectory for your family for the rest of their lives,
(11:29):
those guys Are now the elitists They they were the trench guys.
They are the elitists So now they give their kids all the advantage and their
kids like a jamal crawford son isaiah thomas son carmelo anthony son the boozer
twins matt barnes's twins like Nothing wrong with what these men are doing.
I think it's actually fucking great what they're doing But understand now,
(11:51):
OK, it's not a Trent baby sport anymore.
So if you're not willing to put any money into this, if you just want to say,
no, just go out there and play in the streets and figure it out.
And, you know, some somehow some way it'll come your way.
Good luck. So I can tell you good luck. You know, I mean, like it just kind of is what it is.
(12:15):
AAU in 2024, trainers are now coaches all the time.
They use their training to poach kids, to try to entice kids to leave.
I've been blessed enough and lucky enough. I found a balance between my ability
to be a trainer and a coach, but I've been doing that for, you know, 15 plus years.
(12:35):
Some of these guys are training in order to recruit kids and then creating the
AAU portion of it to try to retain the kids.
And ultimately keep their finances backed and at the same time i am very tired of kids.
(12:55):
At and parents at the youth level and this is
another thing that pisses me off in a you in 2024 is your
kid is 10 years old 11 years old 12 years old 13 14 whatever they're like super
high level kid every parent thinks if their kid is really good they it should
be free i want to know why if anybody leave comments under this right like leave
(13:19):
a comment under this you know.
Explain to me why your kid should be free just because they're good at basketball,
like what so because they're good they are somehow more of a human being than
the person next to him Like you could say their basketball value is different, right?
(13:40):
Like again, it's the same logic in terms of like doing a movie, right?
One movie star is not going to
get paid the same as the other movie star because it's called star power.
That movie star is going to draw in more revenue, so therefore they get paid more money. No doubt.
You could say there's different basketball value, right? Right.
The six six center in sixth grade is going to have more value than,
(14:03):
let's say, the backup, you know, four nine point guard. No doubt.
But why does that automatically mean that person should be free and the other
person has to pay full price to me?
Both should have to to me. Both should have to pay full price unless there's
obviously life circumstances and things like that, which does happen.
And because, again, we are living in a day and age where inflation is crazy,
(14:25):
price of things are crazy. So it does make things more difficult.
Also, in 2024, referees are is rough.
A lot of high level referees are staying away from you. You have the referees
union, which is striking.
I saw some in front of Open Gym Premier. They're striking and feeling like they're
not getting paid enough, not a livable wage.
(14:46):
I'm inclined to agree overall with it. But like I said, the problem is,
um, Where does the money come from?
Well, the money will come from raising the prices.
For us, but the basketball community's complaining about the price, right?
And most of the people that don't complain about the price are the elitists, right?
(15:08):
LeBron James is not complaining about the fees he has to pay for Bryce.
He's a billionaire. If Compton or whoever he's playing for, whatever UYBL team
he's playing for, let's say he plays randomly for Compton Magic,
Compton imagine says oh the fee is two thousand bucks no
i don't think bron is complaining that's like two dollars to him it's
more probably like a 50 cents okay and but
(15:31):
two thousand dollars to the lower middle class or poverty stricken class that
that's everything you have to figure it out my my advice do fundraising figure
out ways to generate revenue have your kid get involved some
way, shape or form. We do a lot of things here at YBA.
(15:53):
We have snack bars. We try to do fundraisers, online fundraisers,
physical fundraisers, car washes, things like that. Do old school stuff like that back in the day.
You have to figure it out. There is no one's going to come and just cut you a check, right?
Again, now, if your kid is the exception to the rule, they're the 610 eighth
grader who, you know, D1s are
(16:13):
looking at right now and they want them been playing on a national team.
Well, congratulations. You are the exception to the rule.
You are, you broke the algorithm. You were so talented, so good that Nike,
Adidas, Under Armour, whoever is willing to invest and spend all their money on you.
But I'm talking to the majority of you guys, for you guys who are listening,
for the people who are checking this out, I'm talking to the majority.
(16:36):
You guys have to figure it out. And I try through this show to give you guys
answers and tangible tips, not just talk at you, not just to say,
oh, it's fucked up and that's just what but it is. No, I'm giving you the answer.
You have to fundraise. And how do you fundraise? Pick one.
There's a bunch of them out there. There's vertical rays. Go check them out, right?
(16:56):
There's people that do shoot-a-thons. There's candy companies.
There's all kind of ways. There's restaurants will usually have days where they
use a code or a coupon. That money goes towards your AU club.
You have to be very creative on how you're going to figure out how to make money for yourself.
I'm not saying it's easy. I'm just saying it's doable and you have to be willing
to put in the work and parents have to be willing to participate the last thing
(17:19):
i'll bring up in aau in 2024 is violence violence in aau basketball is for sure at an all-time high.
It's all over the place it's not exclusive to one area it's not exclusive to
one demographic but this is the reality of it the majority of basketball is
black it's african-american young black boys, African-American men.
(17:46):
And unfortunately, a lot of these young boys are making bad decisions that can
compromise them from youth to adulthood.
And that's a different day and age we live in. The mistakes we made back then,
there was no cameras recording that dumb shit.
(18:06):
Now everything's recorded. Now everything is seen. If you make that mistake,
it can affect you for a very long time.
So my advice to a lot of these kids and parents and the reality is if this is
me speaking to black people and black culture, you can like what I'm saying.
You can scrutinize me for it. You could talk shit in the comments,
(18:26):
probably for the two point three
women that watch this damn show or my YouTube or listen to my podcast.
You single moms got to get the fuck out the way like this is this is just the
statistics. This is just what it is.
70% of the black community is raised by single women and young black boys are
(18:49):
being raised by single women.
What I'm saying is because of the emotional indoctrination you have kind of
put in your your young male child,
he might lack emotional control and stability in situations that are adverse,
(19:09):
which unfortunately can result in bad decisions.
Decisions the problem with young men when
they have no emotional control they make
impulsive choices that usually manifest
into violence or physicality meaning fighting
choking referees out swinging you
know fighting parents fighting coaches you know and unfortunately the families
(19:32):
get involved and then after the families get involved it gets bigger it gets
worse there's story after story of shootings and things like that i've done
that on previous episodes Like our young black men have got to be led and have guidance.
But my suggestion for a lot of the mothers out there raising these young black
men, let them be coached, let them be pushed, let them be uncomfortable,
(19:56):
let them cry, let them go through it.
Because generally speaking, most of their coaches are going to be black men.
Doesn't mean the coaches now are going to be their father. That's bullshit.
That's not going to happen. Right. But he can be a male figure that can help
him to understand and navigate how to be a man, how to grow up in a man in a man's environment.
(20:24):
I know that's not the societal norm today.
Right. You know, we we want to kind of try to, you know, feminize everything
and talk about patriarchy and all this bullshit.
Shit sports is the arena where i think is a
lot of life lessons and you got
to allow those lessons to be taught you can't you
(20:47):
can't you can't shield your kids from the world forever
right so let them go through the
motions let them go through the pain and what will
happen is let the more these young
men learn self-control there'll be less violence in
the sport and less people pointing the finger saying
hey you know a you a you
(21:08):
basketball their sport is all about
you know that dumb shit all that dumb ignorant shit where
i know as a community we can do better i know as a basketball community we can
do better we can teach better and we can hold each other accountable to that
degree just keep striving to do the best keep pushing to move forward right
(21:30):
like i love how Austin Rivers was talking about,
he was saying, you know, everybody has a trainer now, everybody has a trainer,
but they forget, you still got to put in work on your own. That's what I'm saying.
We've moved so far on certain things when it comes to AAU in 2024.
Having trainers in abundance was not a thing when I was young.
There's trainers everywhere now, which is great. That's not a bad thing.
(21:52):
For one, this is a capitalist market.
It gives more entrepreneurship. And I believe in entrepreneurship is the way
of independence for everybody in some way, shape or form.
It gives more opportunity for competitive markets. Competitive markets breed better product.
There's a reason why Android and Apple always have to keep one up in each other
(22:14):
because it's the competition.
If you're the monopoly, that means you can settle for minimum, right?
When you have relative competition always pushing you to be better,
to have to be better at your craft, to have to study, you have to know what's
going on in order to retain your customer base.
The people who benefit the most are the customer, right?
(22:34):
So, you know, the problem is because there's so many trainers,
so many gyms, so many coaches, where losing the old school stuff where,
yeah, you got to go to the gym yourself and put in work.
You have to know yourself better than your trainer knows you.
You have to learn how to motivate yourself without needing that guy in your
(22:57):
ear saying, come on, hustle, hustle, hustle.
You got to be able to figure that shit out, right?
So AAU in 2024 is in a very interesting spot. I know I spoke on a lot of layers
of it. My best advice to you,
My number one advice to anybody listening, players, parents,
coaches, directors, shit, even people who don't like me, I don't give a fuck.
(23:20):
This is what I would say to you. Use critical thinking.
Use discernment. If you find somewhere that is getting the best out of your
child, or you as a player are find somewhere that's getting the best out of
you and fulfilling everything that needs to be fulfilled. They're marketing you.
They're putting you in high level tournaments. They're putting in positions to challenge you.
(23:41):
You are still learning and upgrading your game and ability as a player through practice.
Stay where the fuck you're at. If you evolve to such a point where the EYBL
is calling, 3SSB is calling, UAA is calling, then have that conversation with your home coach.
(24:01):
But don't just leave just because you get a little minor bit of success.
You'll find that now you're just a commodity.
You're just a piece You're a cog in a wheel.
You're a cog in a machine You're you as a person are not valued and these a
you high-level you guys they're not gonna say that shit to you I keep it real
with y'all. I'm a quote-unquote a you got I'm gonna keep shit.
(24:23):
We're real with you But I get it from their side of it too.
It's a business Basketball is a business youth basketball is a business youth sports is a business.
I think it's a $4,000,000,000 or 40 billion dollar a year machine.
Cool. Nothing wrong with that. Love that. That's the stay reliving.
So, but if you still have values, if you still care,
(24:46):
if you still want to get the best out of the kids that you teach,
if you still have a heart for the game as a coach and a director,
if you players still have some resemblance of loyalty, look around you.
If you're getting the most out of what you want, stick with
it right well with that being said i
know i said a lot i know i did a lot and hopefully
(25:09):
i gave you a good rundown of what to expect in au for 2024 again shout out to
you if you made it all the way to the end of the episode you're a real one i
appreciate you if you can consider it hit that like and subscribe sign up for
my patreon it helps support this podcast it helps support.
It's all crowd funded, it's funded by me and those who are willing to donate
(25:32):
and push and help out. It's really appreciated.
Again, take the information for free. That's what I'm here to do.
Do the HBO special, help a brother out. I hope everybody is living great,
living safe, enjoying your basketball journey.
Music.
From the YBA Phoenix Fitness 24-7 basketball facility in Rockland, California.
It's Coach's Rise Time with Coach C. Collins.
Hey,
it's Coach C. Collins talking from Coach's Rise Time. If you are here and you're
tuning in, of course, I always appreciate you. The HBO special, help a brother out.
(00:24):
Hit that like, hit that subscribe, do what you got to do. Shout out to the poor
man's podcast because I definitely took that from him.
But no, I appreciate you guys if you've been supporting. I haven't done a coach's
rise time in quite a while. I've just been doing a lot about that life episodes
and I have more coming up.
So please stay tuned for those. But again, the subject matter of this one,
I just simply want to say AAU basketball where it sits in 2024.
(00:49):
I want to talk about maybe some of the good, some of the bad,
some of the things I've observed.
The high school side, of course, which is the most important.
And maybe some of the issues that some people have, some of the things that
they've talked about, some of the things I might have issues at,
and hopefully tips and things that can help future AAU directors and people
(01:09):
trying to make a way for themselves.
So again, I hope you enjoyed the episode. I hope you enjoyed the content.
I hope it helps you better your journey in this AAU space of ours,
this AAU basketball space of ours.
So let's get right to it. But first thing in 2024, we got to talk about parents.
Parents has got to be the number one subject.
(01:30):
There are so many layers to it. I can only get through so much.
Otherwise, this episode would be about two and a half hours.
So we're not going to go that long.
But the biggest thing we could talk about when it comes to parents is you have kids.
Basically three to maybe five categories of parents.
One parent you have is, you know, the athlete, the athlete parent,
(01:51):
the parent that played some level of sports, typically, hopefully college or pro.
And they kind of just stay out your way and let you do your job for the most
part, because they understand what it takes.
Most say you people enjoy those types of parents, but they are sometimes very
critical of you as a coach, because they want to see their kids pushed in the
right direction to you have helicopter parents.
(02:14):
Parents that do too damn much, like they got to be overbearing on everything.
They got to know everything. Like these are the parents that are in training
sessions telling trainers how to fucking train their kid.
Like you hired me to do my job. Let me do my job. Right.
We all know helicopter parents. We've seen them. Number three would be I call
them delusional parents.
(02:35):
Right. I guess you could say a subcategory of a helicopter parent.
They see their kid miss 10 layups and tell them that's OK.
You did really good. no they fucking didn't they missed 10
layups that's 20 potential points you
did not do good if you miss 10 fucking layups
unless you are eight years old okay like no if
(02:56):
you are 17 years old missing 10 to 20
layups turning the ball over four times
and getting three fouls and that's your fucking stat line at the
end of the game you did not do good but you know unfortunately
mom and dad sometimes have those parent goggles and
think you know it's not it's not his fault that you know he's
fucking got baby hands and can't catch the ball no it's your
(03:17):
fucking fault it's your fucking fault it's your genetics blame you
you're right your kid has no genetics and has little baby fucking
hands because you have little baby fucking hands okay so
that's that category of parents number four right
is the i call
them at game parents the parents like overall
they're cool but when they get in when they go to
(03:38):
a game they're fucking nuts they
are the parent at the baseline yelling at
their kid typically it's a mom holding a
goddamn cell phone the entire game recording the kid and yelling at the ref
and yelling at the opposing kid and then yelling at their kid it's usually shoot
the ball you know don't pass that shit like whatever it's it's Generally speaking,
(04:03):
a mom, don't get me wrong, it's dads too.
And they don't even get a tripod.
They just hold the phone, and they just roam around the fucking court.
Like, they'll get next to, I've had one of those parents get next to my bench.
And start recording, and I'm like, yeah, hey, lady, can you go to your side
of the court, please, like, that's how crazy that category of parents is.
(04:24):
And then, of course, there's more and more and more. I'm sure you guys have
dealt with plenty, but that's at least four that I know and think of off the top of my head.
Also, AAU in 2024, there is absolutely no loyalty anymore.
So coaches, trainers, I'm sorry, that shit is dead at this point. It is 100% fucking dead.
If there is a free program, a program that will cover all costs,
(04:48):
typically a shoe sponsor program, you're going to lose your kid.
It's just going to happen. and and you know
even some of your mom and pop programs the programs adjacent to
you they'll you know they got they finesse money somehow maybe they
got a rich parent maybe they got a parent that's just
looking to do a tax write-off maybe they got a kid on the team
and they don't mind paying for all the shit yeah they're
(05:09):
going to use that to finesse talented kids away from you and
parents are quick to oblige and jump on it do i
agree with it no i think it's stupid if you
have a coach that has helped your kid get from a to x why the fuck would you
leave them when they can get you to w-i-z right like i don't it doesn't make
(05:30):
sense to me i don't get it i don't fucking understand it but that's the culture
right and it's something you just learn to accept.
It's it's not every single kid but i will say the kids that rock with you that
are loyal and the parents that rock with you are loyal or have become the minority
now They are not the majority.
They used to be the majority years a majority.
(05:52):
Excuse me years ago Where they they would stick with you.
They rock with you. They saw the best growth out of their kid with you Now it's
just always peeking at the other fence.
It's always looking somewhere else. It's always like oh what's better over there?
What's better over there and it's the same. It's the same fucking thing I I
I reiterate this over and over again.
I'll probably do an episode on talking about this itself a system them.
(06:15):
It's just different ways to score the basketball. That's it.
It's different ways to take the same shots. That's what a system is.
If a system is working for your kid and they're getting the most and the best
growth out of it, why change it? There's nothing more to change, but people will.
People will inherently in this space think that there's always something more.
There's always something they got to do. There's always something better.
(06:38):
And they inevitably find out that they were wrong.
And it's unfortunately when it's too late, it's when the kid is trying
out for juco's and can't even get on a juco team and it's
like what happened what happened to y'all well you know i got
too good for the program i was at don't get me wrong sometimes a kid does outgrow
a program but if the program is fulfilling everything you need putting you on
(06:58):
the best stage putting you against high competition on a shoe circuit shit has
a facility that's i'm naming basically everything we have here in my in my program
and you still decide to leave just because.
Because somebody says, we'll give you a bunch of free gear, and it's free? Right.
It don't make sense to me. And I've talked to enough coaches,
college coaches, high school coaches, like they don't get it.
(07:22):
And majority of college coaches, even though they won't say it because they
don't want to ruin their potential chances of recruiting kids,
they judge your inability to be loyal unless they know they are a university
where basically kids are going to spend one year there and then cut because
of the transfer portal, right?
Nepotism in AAU in 2024. It's big. It is what it is. Nepotism is a thing.
(07:48):
Ex-pros, athletes, kids are going to get the nod before the unknown kid.
If you're not related or a cousin to some level of pro athlete,
whether it be football, shit, it could be soccer at this point.
But if you don't have some sort of relation to an ex-pro athlete,
(08:08):
it is another layer that you're going to have to fight through,
especially if you're on the court with one of those ex-pro athletes kids but
to me to also on the flip side of it creates these these opportunist windows where you can become.
Famous or get some clout because if you bust the ass or if you beat the dog
(08:32):
shit out of one of those nba kids you know one of those nba players kids you
now get thrusted on a stage that you might've been an unknown.
And now you have, you know, 50,000 followers and people are hyping you up to
be the next greatest thing.
So there is two sides to that coin, right? Is it fair?
(08:54):
I don't really know. I don't really have a yes or no for that.
I think it's just part of the game.
And if it's unfair to you, get the fuck over it and get, and get better.
If, if you are one of those kids, they get to take advantage,
take advantage. Why not? Shit. All right. Let Let me make this clear.
I have kids. I have two sons.
Their dad is co-owner of a gym and a director of an AU program.
(09:20):
So if my kids can basically get in the gym anytime they want,
they can get shots up anytime they want, they can practice their game anytime they want.
And I know that's an advantage that the majority of my kids,
that basketball peers in competition don't have for their kids. I don't give a fuck.
I'm going to give my sons the most advantage they can. Get over it. Get better.
(09:43):
And that's exactly what I would tell my kids if they're running into a situation
where they play a high-level kid.
Elevate your game. Step up. If it gets the better of you that day,
get back in the gym and get better so you're ready for the next time you play them, right?
So that would be my suggestion for any of you guys that are dealing with any of that.
Stop worrying about how fair shit is. Sports itself isn't inherently not built
(10:04):
to be fair it's people taking advantages of their physical gifts their abilities
their skill sets against other people's physical abilities and skill sets that's just how it works.
Also a couple more things and hey you in 2024 the prices i know the admission
prices are getting ridiculous but inflation is a motherfucker in this country
(10:26):
what do you want to hear it's just it's It's not going away.
It's not right. I mean, have you been to a grocery store? Have you seen how
much a gallon of milk costs? Have you seen how much a carton of eggs costs?
Compare it to what it was five years ago, right?
Just go five years back. Go three years back. Go pre-COVID, right?
(10:47):
Unfortunately, we are in a state in this country where things are overpriced.
And at the same time, you have to understand you are going to have to dedicate
some finances in order to help your kid achieve athletic prowess.
(11:07):
I saw a YouTuber, I check out every now and then,
he talked about this, he said, basketball isn't a Trent baby sport anymore,
meaning you grew up in the trenches,
it was a hard struggle and from that struggle, You rose through the ashes to
become something great and create generational get generational wealth that
could change the trajectory for your family for the rest of their lives,
(11:29):
those guys Are now the elitists They they were the trench guys.
They are the elitists So now they give their kids all the advantage and their
kids like a jamal crawford son isaiah thomas son carmelo anthony son the boozer
twins matt barnes's twins like Nothing wrong with what these men are doing.
I think it's actually fucking great what they're doing But understand now,
(11:51):
OK, it's not a Trent baby sport anymore.
So if you're not willing to put any money into this, if you just want to say,
no, just go out there and play in the streets and figure it out.
And, you know, some somehow some way it'll come your way.
Good luck. So I can tell you good luck. You know, I mean, like it just kind of is what it is.
(12:15):
AAU in 2024, trainers are now coaches all the time.
They use their training to poach kids, to try to entice kids to leave.
I've been blessed enough and lucky enough. I found a balance between my ability
to be a trainer and a coach, but I've been doing that for, you know, 15 plus years.
(12:35):
Some of these guys are training in order to recruit kids and then creating the
AAU portion of it to try to retain the kids.
And ultimately keep their finances backed and at the same time i am very tired of kids.
(12:55):
At and parents at the youth level and this is
another thing that pisses me off in a you in 2024 is your
kid is 10 years old 11 years old 12 years old 13 14 whatever they're like super
high level kid every parent thinks if their kid is really good they it should
be free i want to know why if anybody leave comments under this right like leave
(13:19):
a comment under this you know.
Explain to me why your kid should be free just because they're good at basketball,
like what so because they're good they are somehow more of a human being than
the person next to him Like you could say their basketball value is different, right?
(13:40):
Like again, it's the same logic in terms of like doing a movie, right?
One movie star is not going to
get paid the same as the other movie star because it's called star power.
That movie star is going to draw in more revenue, so therefore they get paid more money. No doubt.
You could say there's different basketball value, right? Right.
The six six center in sixth grade is going to have more value than,
(14:03):
let's say, the backup, you know, four nine point guard. No doubt.
But why does that automatically mean that person should be free and the other
person has to pay full price to me?
Both should have to to me. Both should have to pay full price unless there's
obviously life circumstances and things like that, which does happen.
And because, again, we are living in a day and age where inflation is crazy,
(14:25):
price of things are crazy. So it does make things more difficult.
Also, in 2024, referees are is rough.
A lot of high level referees are staying away from you. You have the referees
union, which is striking.
I saw some in front of Open Gym Premier. They're striking and feeling like they're
not getting paid enough, not a livable wage.
(14:46):
I'm inclined to agree overall with it. But like I said, the problem is,
um, Where does the money come from?
Well, the money will come from raising the prices.
For us, but the basketball community's complaining about the price, right?
And most of the people that don't complain about the price are the elitists, right?
(15:08):
LeBron James is not complaining about the fees he has to pay for Bryce.
He's a billionaire. If Compton or whoever he's playing for, whatever UYBL team
he's playing for, let's say he plays randomly for Compton Magic,
Compton imagine says oh the fee is two thousand bucks no
i don't think bron is complaining that's like two dollars to him it's
more probably like a 50 cents okay and but
(15:31):
two thousand dollars to the lower middle class or poverty stricken class that
that's everything you have to figure it out my my advice do fundraising figure
out ways to generate revenue have your kid get involved some
way, shape or form. We do a lot of things here at YBA.
(15:53):
We have snack bars. We try to do fundraisers, online fundraisers,
physical fundraisers, car washes, things like that. Do old school stuff like that back in the day.
You have to figure it out. There is no one's going to come and just cut you a check, right?
Again, now, if your kid is the exception to the rule, they're the 610 eighth
grader who, you know, D1s are
(16:13):
looking at right now and they want them been playing on a national team.
Well, congratulations. You are the exception to the rule.
You are, you broke the algorithm. You were so talented, so good that Nike,
Adidas, Under Armour, whoever is willing to invest and spend all their money on you.
But I'm talking to the majority of you guys, for you guys who are listening,
for the people who are checking this out, I'm talking to the majority.
(16:36):
You guys have to figure it out. And I try through this show to give you guys
answers and tangible tips, not just talk at you, not just to say,
oh, it's fucked up and that's just what but it is. No, I'm giving you the answer.
You have to fundraise. And how do you fundraise? Pick one.
There's a bunch of them out there. There's vertical rays. Go check them out, right?
(16:56):
There's people that do shoot-a-thons. There's candy companies.
There's all kind of ways. There's restaurants will usually have days where they
use a code or a coupon. That money goes towards your AU club.
You have to be very creative on how you're going to figure out how to make money for yourself.
I'm not saying it's easy. I'm just saying it's doable and you have to be willing
to put in the work and parents have to be willing to participate the last thing
(17:19):
i'll bring up in aau in 2024 is violence violence in aau basketball is for sure at an all-time high.
It's all over the place it's not exclusive to one area it's not exclusive to
one demographic but this is the reality of it the majority of basketball is
black it's african-american young black boys, African-American men.
(17:46):
And unfortunately, a lot of these young boys are making bad decisions that can
compromise them from youth to adulthood.
And that's a different day and age we live in. The mistakes we made back then,
there was no cameras recording that dumb shit.
(18:06):
Now everything's recorded. Now everything is seen. If you make that mistake,
it can affect you for a very long time.
So my advice to a lot of these kids and parents and the reality is if this is
me speaking to black people and black culture, you can like what I'm saying.
You can scrutinize me for it. You could talk shit in the comments,
(18:26):
probably for the two point three
women that watch this damn show or my YouTube or listen to my podcast.
You single moms got to get the fuck out the way like this is this is just the
statistics. This is just what it is.
70% of the black community is raised by single women and young black boys are
(18:49):
being raised by single women.
What I'm saying is because of the emotional indoctrination you have kind of
put in your your young male child,
he might lack emotional control and stability in situations that are adverse,
(19:09):
which unfortunately can result in bad decisions.
Decisions the problem with young men when
they have no emotional control they make
impulsive choices that usually manifest
into violence or physicality meaning fighting
choking referees out swinging you
know fighting parents fighting coaches you know and unfortunately the families
(19:32):
get involved and then after the families get involved it gets bigger it gets
worse there's story after story of shootings and things like that i've done
that on previous episodes Like our young black men have got to be led and have guidance.
But my suggestion for a lot of the mothers out there raising these young black
men, let them be coached, let them be pushed, let them be uncomfortable,
(19:56):
let them cry, let them go through it.
Because generally speaking, most of their coaches are going to be black men.
Doesn't mean the coaches now are going to be their father. That's bullshit.
That's not going to happen. Right. But he can be a male figure that can help
him to understand and navigate how to be a man, how to grow up in a man in a man's environment.
(20:24):
I know that's not the societal norm today.
Right. You know, we we want to kind of try to, you know, feminize everything
and talk about patriarchy and all this bullshit.
Shit sports is the arena where i think is a
lot of life lessons and you got
to allow those lessons to be taught you can't you
(20:47):
can't you can't shield your kids from the world forever
right so let them go through the
motions let them go through the pain and what will
happen is let the more these young
men learn self-control there'll be less violence in
the sport and less people pointing the finger saying
hey you know a you a you
(21:08):
basketball their sport is all about
you know that dumb shit all that dumb ignorant shit where
i know as a community we can do better i know as a basketball community we can
do better we can teach better and we can hold each other accountable to that
degree just keep striving to do the best keep pushing to move forward right
(21:30):
like i love how Austin Rivers was talking about,
he was saying, you know, everybody has a trainer now, everybody has a trainer,
but they forget, you still got to put in work on your own. That's what I'm saying.
We've moved so far on certain things when it comes to AAU in 2024.
Having trainers in abundance was not a thing when I was young.
There's trainers everywhere now, which is great. That's not a bad thing.
(21:52):
For one, this is a capitalist market.
It gives more entrepreneurship. And I believe in entrepreneurship is the way
of independence for everybody in some way, shape or form.
It gives more opportunity for competitive markets. Competitive markets breed better product.
There's a reason why Android and Apple always have to keep one up in each other
(22:14):
because it's the competition.
If you're the monopoly, that means you can settle for minimum, right?
When you have relative competition always pushing you to be better,
to have to be better at your craft, to have to study, you have to know what's
going on in order to retain your customer base.
The people who benefit the most are the customer, right?
(22:34):
So, you know, the problem is because there's so many trainers,
so many gyms, so many coaches, where losing the old school stuff where,
yeah, you got to go to the gym yourself and put in work.
You have to know yourself better than your trainer knows you.
You have to learn how to motivate yourself without needing that guy in your
(22:57):
ear saying, come on, hustle, hustle, hustle.
You got to be able to figure that shit out, right?
So AAU in 2024 is in a very interesting spot. I know I spoke on a lot of layers
of it. My best advice to you,
My number one advice to anybody listening, players, parents,
coaches, directors, shit, even people who don't like me, I don't give a fuck.
(23:20):
This is what I would say to you. Use critical thinking.
Use discernment. If you find somewhere that is getting the best out of your
child, or you as a player are find somewhere that's getting the best out of
you and fulfilling everything that needs to be fulfilled. They're marketing you.
They're putting you in high level tournaments. They're putting in positions to challenge you.
(23:41):
You are still learning and upgrading your game and ability as a player through practice.
Stay where the fuck you're at. If you evolve to such a point where the EYBL
is calling, 3SSB is calling, UAA is calling, then have that conversation with your home coach.
(24:01):
But don't just leave just because you get a little minor bit of success.
You'll find that now you're just a commodity.
You're just a piece You're a cog in a wheel.
You're a cog in a machine You're you as a person are not valued and these a
you high-level you guys they're not gonna say that shit to you I keep it real
with y'all. I'm a quote-unquote a you got I'm gonna keep shit.
(24:23):
We're real with you But I get it from their side of it too.
It's a business Basketball is a business youth basketball is a business youth sports is a business.
I think it's a $4,000,000,000 or 40 billion dollar a year machine.
Cool. Nothing wrong with that. Love that. That's the stay reliving.
So, but if you still have values, if you still care,
(24:46):
if you still want to get the best out of the kids that you teach,
if you still have a heart for the game as a coach and a director,
if you players still have some resemblance of loyalty, look around you.
If you're getting the most out of what you want, stick with
it right well with that being said i
know i said a lot i know i did a lot and hopefully
(25:09):
i gave you a good rundown of what to expect in au for 2024 again shout out to
you if you made it all the way to the end of the episode you're a real one i
appreciate you if you can consider it hit that like and subscribe sign up for
my patreon it helps support this podcast it helps support.
It's all crowd funded, it's funded by me and those who are willing to donate
(25:32):
and push and help out. It's really appreciated.
Again, take the information for free. That's what I'm here to do.
Do the HBO special, help a brother out. I hope everybody is living great,
living safe, enjoying your basketball journey.
Music.
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