DEVELOPMENT OR ELITE which way to go.. ?

          DEVELOPMENT OR ELITE which way to go.. ?





The conversation of the terms "Development" vs "Elite" is a topic that never seems to end or have a definite answer here in the GTA and across Canada in regards to Basketball there are countless reasons for the debate because most of the people having the conversation don't really know alot about the game of basketball or how it actual works .... many people in Basketball right now are very self serving either trying to make money in the game, Take Credit for the kids new success or Create a niche for there own gain be it coaching or recruiting.

Next month we have yet another Draft with more Canucks than ever going into the NBA and you can see some people and organisations frantically trying to gain attention for the growth of the Game in Canada .. From Basketball Canada on down we have people claiming to have tracked these kids from day 1 and how they had a notion the kid would be great when honestly they had very little to do with it at all or shared many doubts about the final outcome NBA, NCAA or Europe...

Basketball Canada will typically find a talent after the U.S has found our talent for us and told us about the kid and how good he is and then suddenly he's on the Cadet Team or Junior Team and or Senior Team in the end very few players have really been blessed by the National Program without U.S influence atleast none of the good ones .. Within the last 2 years Rowan Barrett has started the process of tagging player for Basketball Canada  Grade 7 and Up which is a start however even this new process is full of flaws and who you know politics.
The Junior Development Program initiated by Rowan Barrett is a great concept and definitley shows vision on his part and Basketball Canada it allows Canada Basketball to have a small influence on the kids that pass through the program and if they do make it someday Basketball Canada can honestly say they knew the kid when and recognized his talent early.

Would we call what Basketball Canada is doing with the JDP Development or Just finding the best guys and having them train ? .. We personally don't believe that at a National Level Program where you may be in contact with the program and coaches less than 10x a year would be called development and they should be in the business of polishing the Elite which is where Basketball in Canada is going we have so many Elite players now who may need that final touch to get beyond there dreams Basketball Canada with Steve Nash and Rowan Barrett are the ideal mentors to finalize the process however it is not what people at the Club level would call "Development"

The main issue is Club Basketball in Ontario where there are way to many former Hockey people running OBA Clubs .. Basketball is not Hockey FYI there are things you cannot implement in Basketball that may work in the old MHL, MTHL, GTHL whatever the structure in Basketball is entirely different and changing everyday. In Basketball like everything else success breeds dislike and hate the most sucessfull Club Teams in the History of Canadian Basketball are the most hated by the average Clubs.


Most Hated Clubs in the GTA :

1. CIA BOUNCE - Tyler Ennis, Dylan Ennis, Andrew Wiggins, Naz Long, Melvin Ejim, X, Kevin Zabo, Anthony Bennett, Jamal Murray, Chris Egi
2. GRASSROOTS - Dwight Powell, Corey Joeseph, Nick Staukus, Brady Heslip, Denham Brown,
3. NORTHERN KINGS - Duane Notice, Jabari Craig
4. THE ASSOCIATION - Justin Jackson, Chase Vaselles

The Clubs Listed above are all considered Clubs that do not develope players yet are producing more finished product without the help of being a community Club with subsidized gym fee's and city funding along with a healthy paying base of House League players who are more valued as revenue generating participants for Rep than actually developing these new players with superior coaching and structured game play thats the actual truth in many cases with the "Development Clubs"

For example the Monarchs (Mississauga) for many years up until last year at the house league level did not allow House League players to play games (Zero Game Play) just skills and drills for weeks and weeks with no applied testing in an actual game is that development ? its basketball not ballet kids need to play games and drill however at the beginner level you need a combination we are pointing this out because it took the Club years and outside advice to change this practice of "Development" .. Our point here is not to pick on the Monarchs it is just an example of how change can be slow and if not for the Elite Clubs many of the traditional Clubs may not be taking the new steps needed to push the game further we need these large traditional Clubs like the Monarchs a pilar of Basketball in Mississauga for more than 20 years to excercise the change needed just as well as these smaller clubs.

The Questions again is what is deemed as Development vs Training the Elite .. there is no real answer only a parent and player can actual confirm who "Developed" there talent who they appreciated and who made the light bulb go on in that individual player and took them from avg to great..
If you think being the first club to teach a kid how to do a lay-up is development then please stop coaching kids because anyone can do that and take credit. Our issue here is there are many many
people in this Basketball community which is still very small and not as important as we all think in Canada we still dont have the awareness we deserve yet we have people within the community using the "D" word as there weapon vs Elite Basketball ..

Not every Club is Elite however everyone provides some form of "Development" we all need to respect our strengths and weaknesses..

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