One of you is going to cost this kid a scholarship

So I'm coaching my son's 3 and 4-year-old basketball team at the YMCA this season. It's a just for fun league where they don't keep score during games.

At the first game, the league director tells me they'll be moving a kid from the 5 year old league down to my team and introduces me to the kid's dad. He says, "My son shoots really well, so I pushed him up to the next age group." Problem was, the basket is a foot higher for that age group and his kid can't get within six inches of the rim.

Kid can't dribble at all and has no concept of being on the same team with other kids. Which doesn't make him all that much different from half the players on the team. But after the second game, his mom mentions his birthday is coming up. He's going to be...3. So the dad signed his 2 year old up for a 5 year old league and was amazed when the kid couldn't compete.

I guarantee the dad has some run-ins with coaches, league officials and youth sports writers in his future.

 

I was six-years-old playing for my church basketball team and I remember we spent most the game tripping over our shoelaces and dribbling the ball off our feet. Not much different from the L.A. Clippers, but I can only imagine how bad the 3-year-olds are.

 

3 and 4 year olds playing games? Wow. I guess I could see some sort of program w/ dribbling drills and relay races but actual games? I used to be very involved in coaching youth basketball...from the 3rd or 4th grade level up to high school. We would only allow a very advanced 3rd grader to take part. I can not imagine what a group of 3 and 4 year olds must look like? I am guessing they are about on par with 8th grade girls? (OK that was a cheap shot.) But why is there a program for kids that young?

 

Yeah I'm with you. I never knew they had leagues for kids so young. I didn't think youth sports started until about age 6.

What's even more ridiculous is why in the hell would the league allow a freakin 2 year old to be "moved up" to the 5 year old league? Seriously? Youth sports are getting out of control. There should not be leagues for 3 year olds whether you're keeping score or not.

 

Putting a two-year-old on the court to run around with five-year-olds is bordering on child endangerment.

 

The program is mostly about running off some energy. I've yet to convince my kids to pass the ball during the game, except for inbounding after a made shot. Whoever takes the inbound pass takes the ball all the way up the court, stops right in front of the goal and shoots. While he's doing this, the other nine players on the court stand there and watch him shoot.

We have a 1-hour practice each week. We work on passing and dribbling then. Several of my kids can dribble the ball pretty well, but again if we complete just one pass in our six-game season I'll be a happy coach.

 

How high are the baskets for 3 and 4 year old?

 

About 5 and 1/2 feet. Of the eight kids on my team, six are fairly consistent shooters at that height. My son has been shooting baskets on a little tykes goal since he was old enough to stand on his own. This despite my wishes that he play soccer instead. We even did several months of a soccer skills class, like BadgerBeer mentioned, but after every class he asked me when he could take a basketball class.

Another player is the son of a 24-year-old who appears to do nothing but play basketball, so he comes by it naturally. I have one kid who's 4 and has already played a season of soccer--so he seems to understand the game concept better than the rest. I have two who act like they'd never seen a basketball before the first practice. But they still seem to have fun most of the time.

 

Eric Mangini said the same thing at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

 

Does this whole thing strike anyone else as slightly over the top?

 

I've got to hand it to you. If you can handle eight 3-4 year-olds and get them to do something even semi-organized for an hour you are more skilled with kids than probably 99% of the planet.

 

The program is mostly about running off some energy.

Yeah, right. Tell it to the dads.