A letter to the parents of South Carolina

“Changing the Identity and Expectations of South Carolina Basketball” 
A letter to the parents of South Carolina 

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results! 
Parents we know that travel basketball is right around the corner. I myself a former Division 1 basketball player, parent, and coach from South Carolina must say something that is true and very dear to my heart. Parents we have a lot of student athletes with talent in this great state. But it saddens me to see our kids barely making it to the next level because of the systems they play in during the school year and the exposure they get during the summer. Through my travel and experience I found our kids are missing out on opportunities because of several reasons. Let me be clear we have some great coaches and organizations in our state, but we also have some coaches and organizations in this state that are lying to parents about their success and connections to the next level. 
Exceptional summer programs consists of the following formula: strategic coaching, consistent practices, and competitive tournament schedules. The end result is college scholarships offers for our young athlete. The focus should never be about playing an easy schedule to count the number of wins for a coach. 
Red flag: If an organization is not producing college scholarships for the athletes in their programs year after year. These programs are not elite or legit. 

Parents we are joining programs and organizations for the wrong reasons. It’s time to have a true conversation with ourselves and honestly evaluate the problem and find a solution. 
Problem #1 Location. Because the program is close and considered the best program locally is just not good enough anymore. SC is not considered a basketball state and we don’t have multiple kids going to play High D1 college basketball consistently year in and year out. Playing local is out. Do your homework and take the time to invest in your kids success and future. 
Problem #2 Comfort and Laziness. Let’s face it some parents like seeing their kids perform at their best in a non-competitive environment. If their son or daughter is dominating in a weak environment they are happy because they hear others tell them how good there kid is. Kids need to be challenged. Some of the best lessons are learned in defeat. Challenge your kids to get better daily. Playing video games and not having a trainer, coach, or organization to challenge them consistently is a recipe for disaster. 
Problem #3 Travel. You have to get out of your area and see your real competition. It’s not going to be the guy you see in your city or your state. It is the guy you see on YouTube or read about on Twitter. 
Lets just be honest not every player’s game will translate to the next level so their current travel team may be a fit. But bottom line is this, for the good players out there, if you are competing against the same players you see during your high school regular season you are in the wrong program. 

 

Problem #4 Camps. If your kids are not going to legitimate camps and getting the recognition, you are fooling yourself. Name a Pro-player or a star college athlete that never attended an elite camp during their high school career. If your coaches and organizations are not pushing for your child to be at these camps you are in the wrong program. Just think: if pro players and star college athletes had to go to these camps why do we believe our kids do not. The camps are there for a reason. 
Problem #5 Money!!!! You get what you pay for! If you expect to only pay $200 to $500 or $0 to play travel ball – expect to stay local. 

Basketball is the one sport people believe they can pay the least amount of money, but reap the biggest reward. I have seen parents invest more money in soccer, volleyball, and dance than they do in basketball in South Carolina.
Basketball has become more competitive then it ever has been before. Athletes around the country are training and playing travel ball year round. If you don’t believe me check out social media. It’s explosive and profitable. 
If your child doesn’t have a trainer, go to camps or participate in tournaments outside of the 3 state radius of South Carolina your child’s window of opportunity diminishes significantly. 
Problem #6 Academics. If your high school coach or travel ball coach allows your kid to play basketball, when they willingly know academically your child is ineligible. They are setting the child up for failure. Why showcase a kid who doesn’t have the grades! It’s ridiculous! A Division 1 college coach told me personally there are two main reasons why SC kids are considered High Risk. Our kids are not skilled enough and not academically eligible. 
Schools like Oak Hill Academy and Our Savior New America are starting to pluck kids out of high school earlier. For an example, in the class of 2019 our program has 7 out of 10 kids that play travel ball outside the state. 
Our kids deserve the right to play and compete against the best across country. If your kid is exceptionally good the “Brand” teams will come calling. If not, you got to do something different!!! 

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost 

Shane McCravy