@pd_skillz and @IconDoug are joining forces!! No one ever thought they would see it happen but the world is about to find out what we can do as a unit! Team ICON is now @MavsEliteE40. Same mission, same values, new name, new circuit!! @Elite40League
Someone make this make sense to me…
A player can play spot minutes on a circuit team, have very little responsibility, not guard the best players, not be asked to carry a team, put up below-average numbers, and college coaches fall in love because she “looks the part.”
Meanwhile, a player on a non-circuit team can play a great schedule, guard, handle, score, rebound, defend, lead, and be responsible for winning… and somehow the response is, “We need to see more.”
Make it make sense.
Take the circuit player and put her on a non-top circuit team where she has to be one of the best players on the floor every night against good competition. Could she do it? Could she lead? Could she help her team win?
Now take the non-circuit player and put her on a major circuit team. Cut her production in half because she’s surrounded by talent and suddenly she’s a Power 4 prospect with offers rolling in.
That’s the reality nobody wants to talk about. And it happens in high school basketball too.
Before anyone gets mad, this isn’t a shot at circuit basketball. Circuits matter. Exposure matters. Relationships matter.
But let’s stop pretending the jersey doesn’t influence perception.
This mindset is exactly why so many talented players are under-recruited. It’s also why so many college coaches are living in the transfer portal looking for answers. Sometimes we’re evaluating who looks the part instead of who has actually been asked to do the hard part.
And while we’re at it, maybe that’s why there are so many coaches in the coaching portal these days too. 😂
The game has gotten backwards.
And to the coaches who are offended by this post… don’t worry, you probably weren’t recruiting our kids anyway. 😂
One of the reasons youth sports has become so complicated is because everyone involved is often chasing a different definition of success.
One parent wants college recruiting to be the primary focus. Another wants their child to enjoy the experience and make friends. Another wants championships. Another wants equal playing time. Another believes development matters more than wins. Another believes if you’re paying thousands of dollars, your child should be on the field or court.
None of those perspectives are necessarily or inherently wrong. They’re just different.
The challenge is that one coach, one team, and one season cannot satisfy all of them at the same time.
Parents are also navigating an increasingly confusing landscape. Travel teams, private trainers, recruiting services, showcases, camps, social media influencers, former players, college coaches, and other parents all offer advice. Often that advice directly contradicts itself.
One person says play multiple sports. Another says specialize early.
One person says development matters most. Another says exposure matters most.
One person says find the best coach. Another says find the team that will give your child the most playing time.
One person says your child needs more reps. Another says your child needs more rest.
One person says the child should attend prom and not miss life events. Another says team commitments should come before all else.
For families investing significant amounts of time and money, it can become incredibly difficult to know who to trust.
The coaching side is just as complicated.
Most coaches are not showing up every day trying to hold players back, target families, or play favorites. Most genuinely care about their athletes and want them to succeed. But coaches are often forced to make decisions where there are no perfect answers.
Should they prioritize winning or development?
Should they play the senior who has earned it or the younger player with a higher ceiling?
Should they focus on the best interests of one athlete or the best interests of the team?
Should they reward effort, production, leadership, potential, experience, or loyalty?
Every decision creates a winner and a loser in someone’s eyes.
A coach sees the entire roster. A parent sees their child.
Neither perspective is inherently wrong, but they naturally create conflict.
The reality is that parents often judge a season through the lens of their child’s experience, while coaches are forced to evaluate it through the lens of the entire team. Those viewpoints frequently collide.
Add in the emotional investment, financial commitment, social media comparisons, recruiting pressure, and the fact that every child develops at a different pace, and it becomes easy to see why frustration exists.
Youth sports isn’t difficult because people don’t care.
It’s difficult because everyone cares deeply.
Parents care about their children.
Coaches care about their teams.
Athletes care about their opportunities.
And when passionate people are pursuing different goals, disagreements are inevitable.
The best environments aren’t the ones where everyone always agrees. They’re the ones where expectations are clear, communication is honest, trust is built over time, and everyone remembers that there are many different paths to success in sports and in life.
‼️‼️College Coaches‼️‼️
Maybe you guys should stop paying attention to what you think is wrong with a kid and focus on the things so right with them🤷♂️
We all have faults in everything we do. We build relationships, friends, and work based on the good things they bring us!! Focus on that!
My @MavsEliteE40 17U squad checks all the boxes!
1. Coachable
2. Winners
3. Defend at high level
4. Make open shots
5. Good teammates
6. Love the game
7. Communicators
8. Hate to lose
9. Plays hard
10. Tough
Based on offers I've seen, I see why some of these schools don't win! They can't evaluate talent!
Stop listening to these directors who push the names & trust ur 👀's on what ur watching & who ur watching ACTUALLY produce & impact the game!
More minutes don't = more productivity
Schedule update:
Coaches your next time being able to see the ladies of Mavs Elite will be June 27-28 at the Texas Club Championships in Bryan, Texas!
@MavsEliteE40@pd_skillz
A lot of college coaches miss out on a lot of great talent because they’re only recruiting the ones that everybody else is recruiting #GrindHouseBasketball
Coaches if you tough and coachable players that defend look no further than Mavs Elite!
Players if you want development and exposure look no further than Mavs Elite!
@pd_skillz@MavsEliteE40