@ECHSxcandtrack I’ve said it before and will say it again—Coaches Brad and Nicole are the best. EC is so fortunate to have them. They work so hard to help our kids succeed. Thank you for all you do.
Bittersweet day today as we held our end of season banquet. 🖤 We hate saying goodbye to this senior class, but are in AWE of the legacy they leave behind.
@KySportsRadio It’s not often you get to watch a Kentucky kid actually get playing time at Kentucky. A few more years would have been so exciting to watch. Just add it to the long list of disappointments associated with Kentucky basketball the past few years.
I get a lot of parents asking me for advice regarding AAU. Here are my thoughts: 📖 ⬇️
I’m not here to attack AAU whatsoever. Playing AAU changed my life!
HOWEVER - AAU has grown into a whole different beast.
A mom told me she was being told her son has to play on the top AAU team now, and if he takes the summer off to play baseball instead, he’ll never be on a top team and won’t be seen by college coaches and won’t have a chance to play in college. The kid was in 6th grade at the time!🤦🏼♂️
My story is unique, and I’m not recommending this to anyone else, but I didn’t play AAU until after 10th grade.
I went from playing in my small hometown of Princeton, MN, to playing with Howard Pulley on the Nike circuit against future NBA all stars and committing to Wisconsin a few months later.
And AAU is what opened the doors to those opportunities!
But if you are in 5th/6th grade, is spending 10 hours in the car every weekend driving to Kansas City to play 4 games really the best use of your time?
You spend thousands of dollars throughout the summer to play in games where you might take 7 shots and never once finish with your left hand.
How much better does that make you?
What if those hours wasted traveling were spent in the gym instead? Getting purposeful reps working on your ball handling, finishing, and shooting?
Of course you also need to play games. Playing games is irreplaceable to build your IQ and general feel for the game.
And the memories of going on trips and winning tournaments with your friends will last forever. And that is important too.
But I think in general the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of games vs practice.
Playing games should be the reward. But when kids are potentially playing 100+ games a year between AAU and school / travel ball, the games mean less and less.
AAU is great. But kids aren’t being recruited in 6th grade. Team rosters change.
Kids shouldn’t be traveling every single weekend for tournaments. Let them be kids. Play other sports. Spend more time practicing and less time traveling. That’s my opinion.
And if you want to travel all over the country starting in 4th grade because you love it and it works for your family, that’s great!
But don’t do it just to keep up with the Joneses
Got to ask Caitlin Clark her final media question as a Hawkeye: How did you hold it all together and bring it every night, all the way to scoring 18 points in the first quarter of the national championship game?
Her final answer as a Hawk:
“Oh, gosh. I don’t know. I don’t get nervous for games. It’s crazy, like it’s the national championship, and I walk out there and I’m as calm as can be. I think that’s because I trust all the work I’ve put in. I know I’ve been ready for these moments. … I know this is my last time playing in a Hawkeye uniform, like there’s nothing to lose. We’re the underdog. Go out there and have a blast. I feel like that’s what I’ve done. I’m proud of the way I’ve carried myself. It’s certainly been hard at times, to always be in the spotlight and have everybody’s eyeballs on you. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. The positive and the negative. I’m so lucky, I’m so fortunate. That’s what I always remind myself. There’s so many people that would want to be in my shoes. It’s been a lot of pressure, but it’s been a lot of fun. And I feel like our team has risen to every single moment, every single challenge. Just so proud of our program.”
Words cannot express my love for my teammates, coaches, fans and our university - Thanks for making my dreams come true. Wearing Iowa across my chest the last four years has been an honor. This place will always be home🖤
@TheWildcatAlley This was a great episode. Joseph Blanton was so encouraging, positive, and motivational. It was wonderful to see him again and hear his success story!