DEVELOPMENT
CLUB BASKETBALL
Our club basketball teams are an extension of our player development program. Players in our program who reach Level 2 and Level 3 have the opportunity to be selected into our club teams, who will play competitive games against other club teams.
Holistic Player Development
IN A NUTSHELL
- Be in a program where player development is the priority and every player can reach their potential, whatever that is, and not get lost in the shuffle of playing games and putting training on the back burner.
- Be in a program where health is a point of emphasis, and athletic development and skill development work hand-in-hand to produce strong, durable athletes while avoiding the grind of tournaments where players play multiple games in a day.
- Be in a program where teams at different levels understand the same system, and things are streamlined because the emphasis is on players making decisions, not running an abundance of plays.
- Be in a program where players can learn to prepare and scout for opponents with film, with time in between games.
TELL ME MORE
Is it travel basketball?
It is similar from the standpoint that it is a club team that will play other club teams, some of which play in travel tournaments. However, travel basketball, often termed AAU for its association with that league, typically involves playing tournaments on weekends, whereas our club teams will host games in our facilities.
How is it different?
1) Our goal first and foremost is to develop basketball players. In our player development program, we have three levels of players, Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. Players who play in the NLBYDL will still spend just as much or more time doing skills training. What we often see is that development takes a back seat role in travel basketball, and youth basketball more broadly. Our goal is that players have room to develop and grow into their ceiling, whatever that may be.
2) We want to safeguard player health. Since young players have maturing nervous and musculoskeletal systems, playing sports can potentially put them at risk for injury. This is why being attentive to rates of load in training and recovery is important (Emmet, Roberts, and Yao 2018). Some legal scholars have questioned this quandary from an ethical standpoint and spoken about the need to educate parents and coaches on this matter (Friesen et al. 2018).
These concerns contradict a travel basketball system that could include a practice schedule in addition to a tournament style of scheduling, which includes 3 to 5 games over a two-day time span.
Players who participate in the NLBYDL will not play more than one game per week during the regular season, and will only play in a tournament on occasion.
Since players in the NLBYDL are members of our player development program, they participate in athletic development sessions on days they do not train to safely enhance their movement skills and technique while building strength, good indicators of durability.
How do you play?
All of our players speak the same language and learn a conceptual offense that gives them a deep understanding of the game so that they can be prepared to read, react, and run the same actions that will be asked of them in high-level prep, college, or professional basketball.
Growing with an organization and other players is more suitable than changing teams often in search of a playing situation, often stunting development.
The fundamentals of decision-making and seeing the game multiple passes away is a pillar of our player development program and the way we train, so translating this to competitive games is the natural progression.
When do they play?
During the regular season, players will play a game every other week or every week, depending on their level, with a mid-season break for more practice time. This also allows for a component of preparation, like film study and scouting.
All you need to do to be eligible is join our player development program!
So what about Level 1 players?
Our level 1 players, in every age group, will participate in 3-on-3 tournaments once a month, in addition to the experience they get in their skill development sessions. These games are a bit shorter than regulation games. We choose 3-on-3 for this level because the game is simplified to a few decisions, and players can handle the ball and make those decisions more often than if they were playing 5-on-5.
Our decisions are based on what is best for the player in the long run and not focused on short-term satisfaction.
