Here's an interesting article about Gerald, blaming his lack of fundamentals on his AAU days.
Ultimately, it is up to each player to put the work in. You can't blame the system.
I disagree here, kozlodoev. Autodidacticism is a very bad way of learning the game. Generally, doesn't work, kids can't learn by themselves. And basketball is not an easy game to learn. Also, fundamentals are essentially a matter of practice, hence of good coaching. It's insane to believe that a 15 or 16 years old kid is going to go home and practice a boring drill, where he won't be bouncing or shooting the basketball, by himself. He's going to try to dunk, do reverse dribbles, make crazy lay-ups, play 1-on-1 games. But if he doesn't practice fundamentals, and execute the right way all the times he's practicing them, he won't learn, because basketball fundamentals are basically something that's acquired by habit, almost in an unconscious way.
I've been thinking for years that high-school coaches in America are doing a terrible job, because of how American young players suffer from a severe lacking of fundamentals.
I try to follow youth international tournaments. Every time I have the chance to attend one, I'm amazed by how the American players, who have all that incredible raw talent and athleticism, so far superior to those of other kids, are overplayed and defeated, because they lack basic basketball skills. I think that the last time an US team won the U19 World Championship was like 18 years ago. This should raise a red flag to American youth coaches, I think.
That's one of the reasons why USA team have been struggling in international tournaments. When playing a game more based on fundamentals, where athleticism and physical prowess are not so decisive, their talent advantage becomes severely shortened.
I've coached some youth teams myself. Watching some NCAA Tournament games this year, I saw a player that was drafted with a lotto pick (curiously, one that wasn't nurtured in AAU; but still a player in his 3rd college season, not a freshman) displaying a problem that I've never seen in any of my players older than 15 years old, crossing the legs when sliding, something that even the less talented or athletically gifted kids learn after 1 year of practice. It's disturbing how nobody took the time to correct such a basic fundamental.
I understand where you're coming from - e.g. Green had plenty of time and chances to correct his game - but the problem is that some basketball fundamentals become harder to learn at a later stage, because in the meanwhile players acquire vices, wrong mechanics, that are increasingly difficult to reverse. And if you don't grasp the understanding of the game at a lower level, even a basic understanding, it'll be very difficult to do it in a league like the NBA. The same way it's hard to teach to an economics student who was never taught how the offer/demand curves equate the Arrow-Debreu model.
I believe coaches have an ethical responsibility towards their players and the game. Many coaches aren't complying with that responsibility - and although it certainly is a worldwide problem, is more evident and deeper in the US, I think. I understand that it's not easy for coaches, the system of incentives pushes things towards the "wrong" way. But I believe they could do more. It's not like they lack competence or qualifications, quite the contrary.
And it's also a shame to NBA fans, because the quality of the game isn't as good as it could be; and some players with potential never fulfill it.
Topic: You got to root for this kid! Gerald Green (Read 19690 times)