Is basketball now a sport for the rich? Half players have a pro athlete parent

[King Poetic]

AAU and the price to put your kid in those camps is ridiculous

If the kid is outstanding and from the hood someone would come along and bank roll him till he get good enough and the kid can reimburse

shyt really going to get like baseball for black kids in the hood

 

[GoldenGlove]

It really it home for me with this process when a local kid named Jack Smiley left his high school, where he was the star and was in position to break many of the records Bryce Drew set and he willingly left to go to La Lumiere, basketball power house school in LaPorte, Indiana. He averaged 24-6-6 to go to a school to where he wouldn't be the man anymore. Here he is in his words.

Tapping the local talent: Valpo star Smiley transferring to La Lumiere for his senior basketball season

With a roster that crosses the country and often reaches around the world, La Lumiere doesn't typically have a local presence on its boys basketball national team.The Lakers stayed closer to home with their latest addition in Valparaiso's Jack Smiley, a 6-foot-2 guard who will trade his senior...

www.jimpeterspreps.com

Public schools can't compete with this.

I don't agree 100% with this. I started paying attention a lot more to the local HS basketball scene last year and I think it depends on the public school. I also think the prestige around these prep schools and leagues have forced parents into thinking that if their kid isn't there... They're missing out and falling behind. With how quickly AAU starts after the HS season idk...

These kids all transferred out of their HS to go prep after their SOPH years... But they were already 5 star recruits and they already had HUGE followings and exposure.





There's another few that everybody is assuming will be going prep also from the Chicagoland area...



Davis led his team to the state title game as a sophomore and lost by a basket

shyts crazy how much the landscape has changed and how much clout prep schools gives kids now

 

[yseJ]

I think this is happening across all sports

in any sports that has a large skill factor, you will get better honing your skills in a specialized school/academy. and you need money to attend those unless youre just super talented and above everyone else

with how good and instant the scouting is nowadays to find even the most obscure talent from a random ass boonie town...all sports is slowly becoming for the rich.

it used to be tennis and shyt like hockey because of equipment needed, but now its every single sport. even soccer where you always had that coming up from the bottom stories, kids nowadays in poor countries like brazil are also going to academies if they have talent.


the more and more technology improves and more and more globalized society becomes, the less athletes you will see who come from the hood/streets/bottom

 

[Snake316]

Unfortunately the days of seeing guys like Kevin Garnett and Allen Iverson creating rags to riches stories are over.

Seeing brothers like that coming from the hood to go on to win MVPs was so inspiring.

 

[Trips]

I think all sports are just getting more expensive and one of the primary reasons so many kids are becoming specialized at an earlier ages. I also think to get the best reach, the most looks, the strongest comp you have to pay now. And that shyt just keeps stacking. I've seen friends that some weekends they are in one state and their wife/husband is in another state with the other kid. That shyt is just too much man.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

I don't agree 100% with this. I started paying attention a lot more to the local HS basketball scene last year and I think it depends on the public school. I also think the prestige around these prep schools and leagues have forced parents into thinking that if their kid isn't there... They're missing out and falling behind. With how quickly AAU starts after the HS season idk...

These kids all transferred out of their HS to go prep after their SOPH years... But they were already 5 star recruits and they already had HUGE followings and exposure.





There's another few that everybody is assuming will be going prep also from the Chicagoland area...



Davis led his team to the state title game as a sophomore and lost by a basket

shyts crazy how much the landscape has changed and how much clout prep schools gives kids now

I can't speak to the others but I know of Davis, given I'm right by the Illinois border. He is cold. That being said, his game has been developed by the AAU circuit. He's played for Mean Streets on the Nike EYBL circuit, alumni being Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis for example. Also played for Illinois Flight (it was them that lead me down the rabbit hole of their program because my son's team played against them. From there, I learned of Davis)

At the end of the day though, a public school can't complete a prep school. Just watching the game playing now, spoke of SGA and his cousin going to a prep school. The schools have elite trainers, amazing gym rooms, etc.

 

[GoldenGlove]

I can't speak to the others but I know of Davis, given I'm right by the Illinois border. He is cold. That being said, his game has been developed by the AAU circuit. He's played for Mean Streets on the Nike EYBL circuit, alumni being Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis for example. Also played for Illinois Flight (it was them that lead me down the rabbit hole of their program because my son's team played against them. From there, I learned of Davis)

At the end of the day though, a public school can't complete a prep school. Just watching the game playing now, spoke of SGA and his cousin going to a prep school. The schools have elite trainers, amazing gym rooms, etc.

I'm talking about about the end goal being kids getting to the next level. These guys are already 5 star recruits with multiple high level D1 scholarships... They go to legit public schools that are big, and they are in communities with money/proud alumni.

I'm saying that those elements along with a top tier AAU team will still get talented kids scholarships.

These kids are going D1 regardless of where they play HS because of the AAU circuit/teams they are in deep with.

 

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

I'm talking about about the end goal being kids getting to the next level. These guys are already 5 star recruits with multiple high level D1 scholarships... They go to legit public schools that are big, and they are in communities with money/proud alumni.

I'm saying that those elements along with a top tier AAU team will still get talented kids scholarships.

These kids are going D1 regardless of where they play HS because of the AAU circuit/teams they are in deep with.

Ok, I see what you are talking about and in large part, I agree with you. Now, the name of the game is NIL. Getting on that prep circuit that line you up for that AJ Dybantsa paper. For example, he didn't need prep school as he was Gatorade Massachusetts player of the year as a freshman but he ended up at Utah Prep anyways. Play the toughest schedule, ball out AND kill at the AAU tournaments, you will be a multi-millionaire before you finish your one and done in college.

 

[Guess Who]

I agree with the bolded heavily I have a cousin who’s in the nfl rn and one who was like a borderline nfl player and they probably not even top 5 in terms of actual talent out of all my cousins but they came from better family structures and had more overall support

I had a brother who was NBA bound but…injury and not enough resources for proper rehab. Late bloomer and my mom didn’t advocate hard enough for his recovery. Woulda been an all star. Size and athleticism of Iguodala but with a jumper and a mean streak.

I have another half brother. Shoulda gone D1 but between my dad not knowing how to navigate recruitment and his mom fukking up relationships with schools, including turning down an offer from Rutgers because she wanted the bigger name schools. All his offers got revoked while playing the waiting game.

I do have a couple cousins playing overseas though. Why? They just had a little bit more family support.

 

[Doctor Doom]

that's why it's America's pasttime and premier sport.

But even football players would love NBA contracts. If they were taller, 99% would rather hoop

Eh. Self-inflicted, football has the weakest player union in all of sports. Their revenue share is so fukking sorry, it's hilarious.

 

[KillerPups]

friend of mine is trying to get his son in nfl. his kid prep school cost 100k a year.

everything is for the rich now

 

[KillerPups]

I can tell you’re plugged in and been around it breh. You get it. Me too. I have multiple family members who never made it to D1 or beyond despite having the talent. People who actually were selected to programs based on that talent but had crash out or plain dumb ass parents who didn’t know how to support them properly to get to the next level. I have so many stories.

the hood is literally full of people who could have gone pro. Most get caught up in surviving. I know 4 who made it out my hood (Plainfield nj) and one from Newark nj to the nfl Even knew a couple who could have made it in mlb. none in nba tho. NBA different.

 

[Guess Who]

the hood is literally full of people who could have gone pro. Most get caught up in surviving. I know 4 who made it out my hood (Plainfield nj) and one from Newark nj to the nfl Even knew a couple who could have made it in mlb. none in nba tho. NBA different.

Absolutely. Reminds me of my friend George who in grade 10 at 5’10 was catching 360 alleys in games and shyt like that. Basically doing Ja Morant shyt like it was nothing. But his mom fukked up his path. Wouldn’t invest in his development almost like she was jealous of him. To this day he’s still the most athletic non-pro hooper I’ve ever seen in person. One foot or two foot jumper. Both elbows above the rim type shyt.

Then there was this brother Dean who came from Jamaica and after two years of ball was touching six inches above the white box and getting crazy dunks. Ridiculous standing vert. But never had the exposure. His parents were good Christians who understood nothing about basketball and how to navigate the landscape.

Or Germaine who was the quickest leaper I’ve ever seen and had skills to go with it. Super quick and unguardable off the dribble with a nice pull up jumper, but he had a kid mad early and dedicated his life to her, quit basketball, and started hustling.

Even my crazy white boy friend Keith, he had crazy ups. Windmilling on fast breaks. Had a jumper and could get to the rack. He was getting some looks from recruiters but his mom was a crash out and he had a little brother he was dedicated to. Dropped out of school and started hustling to take care of him. Got stabbed in the neck. Lost touch with bro for years. Ran into him a decade later at a comedy show and dude was fried from the trauma of the street life.

All these guys were collegiate level athletes but resources and opportunities man…resources and opportunities.

 

[Rekkapryde]

Eh. Self-inflicted, football has the weakest player union in all of sports. Their revenue share is so fukking sorry, it's hilarious.

While true, what I meant was if most football players were a but taller and leaner, they'd hoop to try and get that NBA bread

 

[Doctor Doom]

While true, what I meant was if most football players were a but taller and leaner, they'd hoop to try and get that NBA bread

That NBA bread is so elusive though, you might never see it if things don't work out and you don't get drafted/make a roster.

At least with the NFL, 210 new players enter the league every year and the skill floor is much, much lower.