Daniel’s Summer Wrap Up
As we put a bow on this grassroots season, I take a look back at what was a summer for the books. It was a Summer that I will remember fondly, from the relationships I made to the travel team I started, it was definitely an interesting and fun ride.
This summer proved to be unforgiving to players who struggled and couldn’t handle the pressure that comes with the bright lights of the various live periods, but it also proved to be rewarding to those who stepped up and rose to the challenge. I saw a lot of basketball this summer, maybe more than I have in my previous 26 summers on this earth, it seemed like I was at a tournament of some sort everyday. As you can imagine the traveling and long days in the gym have taken a toll, but my exhaustion fails in comparison to what these young men/women have gone through as they try to accomplish their dreams.
I saw parents fight with referees, coaches, fellow parents, the other team, and even their own kids. I saw coaches try to push their athletes to a level where maybe they themselves thought they couldn’t get to, I saw kids leaving their blood sweat and tears on that court. All for one goal, to impress just one coach at the next level that will offer them a scholarship.
It was a tension filled summer, every gym you walked into you felt the kids thoughts, wondering who was there to see them, hoping this would be the day that they finally get their big break. Here at prep hoops we like to cover the under the radar kids, who for whatever reason haven’t received the needed exposure. Those were the kids I noticed the most, the ones that just wanted one person to take notice of them, the ones that are hungry for an offer.
The top guys are going to be good regardless, they showed out and impressed everyone along their path, including me of course, and they kept racking up the offers. But for those below the radar players it was all or nothing, and I was proud of so many of them, with the way they stepped up to the plate and showed those watching that they too belong, they too deserve the interest and the offers.
As we look back on this summer, I ask that we look in the mirror and do better, at the end of the day these are kids playing the game they love, I understand it’s a competitive world and we all want our kid to be the one who ends up on top, but I can assure you one thing, your kid will not get an offer because you just yelled at the ref and told him/her to wake up, they won’t get an offer because you yell at the coach for more playing time, if anything, it’s doing the complete opposite, let’s aim to do better and help our children the right way. And as far as next summer goes, I can’t wait to do it all over again.