Donovan Williams
- Thread starter kaz36_rivals189319
- Start date
Totally sucks. Was really looking forward to his senior season. Hope for a speedy recovery
That sucks, well good deal he’s a junior and has all summer and next season. I think he will be good by next season even. A few from my sons high school was good by the following year.
Whether the AAU is good or not is certainly up for debate but I won’t blame an injury on it.
Why not? You don't think the same repetitive athletic movements year-round doesn't lead to over-use syndrome? There's only so much mileage on every athlete's joints. Sport specialization without taking a break from athletics is the #1 cause for an increase in youth injuries. Not to mention burn-out.
Absolute truth, year around wear and tear will takes its toll eventually
Maybe. He could have torn it skiing on spring break with a church group too. Sh## happens.
Sure... overuse. And the level of skill development due to year round basketball is off the charts compared to 20 years ago also. Fantasize about the old days if you want, but a kid who plays basketball and doesn't play summer basketball is going to be left behind.
At who's expense?...and who's profit?
1. Put the kids' health at risk
2. Parents pay big money all on the promise of a scholarship.
3. While some organization & coach profit off of said promise.
4. Knee surgery.
Great system....for some.....not for the kids, nor for the parents.
My son plays AAU basketball. Nobody is promising anything. He just loves the sport
I understand, the real players have to take 2:00 breaks and let the roster fillers in once in a while. Thanks for contributing to a for-profit organization, for the love of it.
I guess you’ve never been passionate or good at anything to understand. Have a nice day.
3-sport HS athlete, played non-scholarship ball in college...I know all too well.
Perfect. Way too many AAU kids keeping it real thinking they need to “save” their energy for what is essentially open gym.
Let me tell you even IF the kid wasn't playing in a summer league he would have been playing somewhere. Kids want to play and the best players play multiple times a week in the off season usually for hours on end in pickup games. Back in the day at Mizzou I would see starters from Mizzou's basketball team playing pickup ball ALL afternoon long at the gym. Only played with Ricky Frazier one time. Amazing vertical. I just laughed at the outcry about the women's player injured in Europe. She was playing because she WANTED to play, not because she HAD to. I played pickup ball in the summers against a 6-5 female pro player who came to our gym because she loved to play and didn't want to sit on her *** during trips back to the states.
So you're saying today's kids "just want to play more?" Brilliant analysis.
At 10-14 yrs old, we "played" year round too. Baseball, basketball, rode bikes, a little golf, playground football, swam.
Ask a 13 yr old basketball player today the last time he rode a bike, swam, or took more than 2 weeks off from taking a 3-point shot. Sport specialization is driven by scholarship-hungry parents and money grubbing coaches/organizations.
Sometimes it's driven by a kid who just loves the game and who isn't much good at the other sports which he doesn't care for........... You can NOT make blanket statements about AAU ball, youth sports and parents. You may be right in some cases but often it is the kid who is driving his activities. Been there.
A big part of this falls on the youth coaches who think their season is the only season. 10, 11, 12 year olds are playing baseball multiple nights a week, all the while trying to compete in wrestling or basketball. The same goes for almost all sports. There are far more academic scholarships available. Most parents would be better off putting the money to ACT prep and getting half or full tuition the academic route. Crazy world now compared to those who grew up in the 70s and 80s.
What's your point? For all but the best athletes, sport specialization makes perfect sense if you want to play in college.
Right, so the premier knee surgeon in the US is wrong, and you, a delusional cub fan, is correct. Sure thing, pal.
"I have seen my patient population and surgical cases get increasingly younger. Children, parents and coaches need to realize that kids need to take a break from playing one sport year round. Sports should be fun for children. Overuse injuries in children is a concerning trend."
-Dr. James Andrews
http://www.andrewsinstitute.com/InjuryPrevention/STOPSportsInjuries.aspx
So, you been there, huh?....you mean you looked your kid in the eye and said, "do you want to play this one sport year round for the next 8 years and sacrifice your health, social life and $1,000s of our dollars to do this?"
...and they said yes?
Sure, that happened bud.
Do you consider Williams a child? Now I'm not discounting repetitive injuries but the last kid I coached in little league who his dad had throwing curve balls as a 16 year old, is in MLB. Cmon man. We all understand the concept but telling a 16 year old he can't go play basketball in the summer is ludicrous.
Mileage. Mileage on a kid's joints. Every body has a mileage where the joints will break down. Some earlier than others. How about letting them "play" some other sport?...that's all I'm asking. The real experts, doctors, are warning you, but you, a "parent/coach," MUST know better. Yeah, we know your type.
8 years? Really? When did he start? 6? Cmon. Williams is at least 16. He was playing AAU ball in the summer. MOST kids back in the 70s were going to summer basketball camps which I guarandamnedtee you were more dangerous than a kid going and playing a couple of AAU games a day on weekends. We all understand the risk of repetitive injuries for young kids but you are overplaying that in Williams's case.
If you think kids aren't specializing from 10 yrs old to 18 yrs old, you're not paying attention....and maybe can't do math.
I haven't coached kids in over 15 years and then it was purely volunteer. All of my kids did multiple sports of some kind whether it was basketball, golf, hockey, dance etc. Just get off your high horse. I would much rather have a kid practicing 3s all summer than hanging out at the river with a bunch of duds.