Derry Area Mens Basketball

Attitude & Effort: 2 THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL!

[William Payne @TweetsbyCoachP]

RECRUITS ARE LOST AND CONFUSED

One of the biggest misconceptions about recruiting is that more information and more opportunities have made the process easier.

On the surface, recruiting appears simple.

Create highlights.
Attend camps.
Contact coaches.
Perform well.
Make the grades.
Get recruited.

But beneath the surface is a world of competing voices, conflicting advice, and constant pressure that many families struggle to navigate.

They’re being pulled in every direction.

Parents have opinions.

High school coaches have opinions.

Travel coaches have opinions.

Trainers have opinions.

Friends have opinions.

Former players have opinions.

Social media has opinions.

One person says stay close to home. Another says leave the state. One says focus on academics. Another says chase the highest level possible. One says be patient. Another says commit now. Everyone sounds confident, yet nobody fully agrees.

AND college coaches often have opinions that completely contradict everyone else’s.

At the same time, recruits are surrounded by more noise than any generation before them. Every day they see commitment graphics, rankings, scholarship announcements, campus visits, transfer portal news, and highlight videos. They’re constantly comparing their journey to someone else’s best moments.

The pressure of “D1 or bust” only makes things harder. Many athletes grow up believing that if it’s not Division I, it’s not success. The reality is that incredible opportunities exist at every level:

D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO, USCAA, NCCAA, and more

But too many recruits spend their time chasing someone else’s definition of success instead of defining it for themselves.

They’re also trying to please everyone. Their parents. Their coaches. Their teammates. Their friends. The people who invested time and money into them. All while trying to figure out what they actually want.

And perhaps that’s the hardest part. Recruiting isn’t just choosing a school. It’s choosing where you’ll live, who you’ll learn from, who you’ll compete with, and what the next chapter of your life may look like. All while trying to decipher what the financial aid package really means for their future!

That’s a lot of pressure for a 16, 17, or 18 year-old who is still trying to figure out what tomorrow looks like and who to truly trust.

The recruits who navigate the process best aren’t usually the ones who listen to the loudest voices. They’re the ones who eventually learn to tune out the noise, stop comparing themselves to others, and define success for themselves.

Because recruiting was never meant to be about impressing the most people.

It’s about finding the place where you can grow, belong, and become the best version of yourself.

[Derry Area Mens Basketball @DerryArea]

@BREAL412 @CharValleyHoops @federicoluca23 Great to see a young man making the great decision to return to his public school & play with his buddies

WPIAL provides all the exposure a player needs to have a possibility of playing at the next level - especially in a great program like CV

Fun for the district & community

[Takeover Hoops @takeoverhoops_]

2030 Benny Federico put on a SHOW at the Takeover Hoops Middle School Elite Combine.

The 6’4 rising freshman earned MVP honors after leading his team to a championship with a game winner while stuffing the highlight reel with posters, ankle breakers, and deep threes.

One of the top players in Pennsylvania, and maybe the country. The sky is the limit. 🚀

[Derek Deprey @derekdeprey]

Unpopular opinion…

AAU doesn’t need to lead to college basketball to be worth it.

For a lot of players today, it’s simply part of becoming competitive enough to play varsity basketball.

Not every player is chasing a Division I scholarship. Some are chasing a varsity roster spot. Some want to make the rotation. Some want to help their high school team win. Some just love the game.

And that’s enough!

I think we’ve become too obsessed with using college basketball as the scoreboard for whether a player’s journey was worth it.

What if they never play another organized game after high school?

If they loved the practices… loved the tournaments… loved the road trips… loved the teammates… loved competing…

Wasn’t that valuable too?

Not every basketball journey has to end with a scholarship to be a success.

Sometimes success is simply getting better, building friendships, making memories, learning life lessons, and squeezing EVERY DROP out of a game you love.

If you’re playing on Court 1 or Court 37, play hard.

The love of the game doesn’t care what division you’re headed to.

❤️🏀

[Hermie Carmichael @CoachCarLRC]

I love this post.
Some just love playing basketball and AAU gives them that extra basketball.
Like @Coach__Strick says “it’s club basketball now not AAU”. Sooner people realize this the sooner the AAU posts will go away.

[Derry Area Mens Basketball @DerryArea]

@TheJacobTurner Very common in basketball, volleyball both genders & girls softball also.

Delusion

[Jacob Turner @TheJacobTurner]

A PARENT’S JOURNEY THROUGH YOUTH SPORTS:

Age 5: “He’s got a cannon.”
Age 6: “He’s the fastest kid out there. Coach said so.”
Age 7: “Rec ball isn’t challenging him anymore.”
Age 8: “We tried out for select. Obviously made it.”
Age 9: “$2,800 for the season. Plus uniforms. Plus tournaments. Plus hotels.”
Age 10: “Cooperstown is basically a family vacation, right?”
Age 11: “He needs a hitting guy. And a pitching guy. And probably a mental performance coach.”
Age 12: “I’m not a crazy sports parent. The OTHER parents are crazy.”
Age 13: “We changed schools. For academics. (And also baseball.)”
Age 14: “Showcases are a requirement at this age.”
Age 15: “Ya his ranking just ticked up. We’re cooking.”
Age 16: “He just needs to get seen by the right school.”
Age 17: “The D1 schools want him to walk on. He’ll earn a spot by sophomore year.”
Age 18: “Okay, D2 is actually really competitive.”
Age 19: “He’s redshirting. Strategic.”
Age 20: “He’s focusing on school now.”
Age 21: “You know what? He’s so much happier.”

Roughly 7% of high schoolers play in college.

About 1.5% of those get drafted.

Less than half of draftees ever play one day in the big leagues.

The odds of our kids going pro are somewhere between “struck by lightning” and “find a $100 in old shorts.”

I love youth sports (all my kids play a bunch of them) just keep a good perspective my friends. ✌️

[Coach West @coachwwest]

I’m going to tell it like it is.

95% of these recruiting services are scams.

A company can put your child on a graphic, write glowing words, and rank them No. 12 on its own list.

That does not mean college coaches value any of it

[EZ Garcia @830finestt]

This is probably going to be the last year of May live period …

NCAA wants to & probably will move them to July only.

June will be adding another scholastic event as ncaa coaches prefer June scholastic events over AAU.

[Derry Area Mens Basketball @DerryArea]

@coachwwest So are basketball head coaches

[Derry Area Mens Basketball @DerryArea]

@BREAL412 @mwhiteburgh Brad,
It has been a pleasure ‘working’ with you and I greatly appreciate our friendship.
Best wishes to you and I’ll see you court side next season as you embrace your new role with the same compassion & energy as you have had for so many years. 👊🏼

[Derry Area Mens Basketball @DerryArea]

@StrickHoopsLLC
I know that you’ll have the precise answer:
WNBA plays quarters
Why is Indiana & Dallas on offense in front of their benches in the 1st quarter?
Asking for a friend 😂

[Bill Beckner @BillBeckner]

The all-state boys basketball teams are out.
⬇️

@TribLiveHSSN

[Derry Area Mens Basketball @DerryArea]

@ThompsonFoto12 Curious to hear why you both think that separating public & private schools could be a disaster?

[Bill Beckner @BillBeckner]

Jeannette's Markus McGowan is named to Pennsylvania sportswriters Class 2A all-state first team (18.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 63 3s).

Derry's Stanley Rajkovich makes 4A third team (20.2 points, 8.1 rebounds).

@Jhawkathletics @DASDTrojans1 @DerryArea @TribLiveHSSN @TribWestmoreCo

[Dennis Marshall @mar5hallhoops]

To piggy back off that. A high school coach and his assistant have been to a aau team games that 2 of their players play on. That's big to me. Many HS coaches don't even go see their kids play AAU. A lot of them would be pleasantly surprised.

[Rex Walters @CoachRexWalters]

Simple Offensive Thought:

Hitting the open man causes a closeout. Closeouts are one of the hardest things to do defensively.

Young Players: this is why coaches don’t want u pounding the ball and exhausting your no advantage 1 on 1 ISO.

Create Closeouts = Hit Open Man

[Rex Walters @CoachRexWalters]

My advice to HS/AAU Ball Players.

Rankings mean nothing when you’re on the court.

Also, make your teammates better > focusing on being recruited or who’s watching.

Just keep working, keep improving, keep making your team better.

Good Luck!

[Zak Blair @coachzblair10]

Isn't it a little fishy when you have a HS private school coach that also runs a travel org...then all of a sudden his summer players end up on his HS team and all of his HS guys end up in his summer org?

Hmmmmm....🧐

[Tom Keller @_TomKeller]

Pre Pitt Jam Fest Tip-Off Classic Eye-Catchers https://t.co/tkdU5226u1 @CoachJohn823 @TeamWildcat_ @WinTodayWildcat @AdamIkamba @ConnorVans0 @cavemanbb @stanrajkovich @DerryArea @GinoPalmosina