Selfishness in Basketball

[IUHoosier5 1,366]

Yesterday I was able to watch my 7th grade brother play in a game against a top school in his area. Some might call me biased, but the area knows that my brother is the best player for his age group. Despite this, hardly any of the offense was ran through him and he barely touched the ball on the offensive end. 7th graders are extremely selfish with the basketball, and my brother, being the best on the court, is the least selfish player on the team. He passed the ball up court during fast breaks to the open player rather than keeping it himself for the points. I look forward to watching my brother progress and play AAU ball during the offseason with less selfish players, but I could not help but think that this is what basketball is becoming. Basketball is becoming a sport where it's all about the individual stat line rather than the team winning or losing. My brother still put up a solid stat line with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals, but he was extremely disappointed his team lost by 3. More and more players are not buying into the idea of playing as a team and it truly is disappointing. That is why I admire teams like Wisconsin and even Kentucky. Calipari somehow gets his egotistical "superstars" to play as a team and forget about individual stat lines. That's the way it should be. As more young kids look up to players such as Lance Stephenson and James Hardin, team basketball is quickly fading. Here's to hoping things will change.

[djsalway 4,161]

I think it all depends on the coach. A good coach would see a specific player being selfish and bench him until he has learned his lesson. However, a lot of coaches aren't what I would call "good coaches"

[IUHoosier5 1,366]

I think it all depends on the coach. A good coach would see a specific player being selfish and bench him until he has learned his lesson. However, a lot of coaches aren't what I would call "good coaches"

I completely agree. This coach doesn't seem to see how selfish some of his players are being. You would think that if the kids know he is the best player and openly admit it that they would pass him the ball. That's not happening. Many coaches these days are late twenty year olds that ended up being teachers and coach the school team in their spare time. I think this is a generation issue.

[djsalway 4,161]

I completely agree. This coach doesn't seem to see how selfish some of his players are being. You would think that if the kids know he is the best player and openly admit it that they would pass him the ball. That's not happening. Many coaches these days are late twenty year olds that ended up being teachers and coach the school team in their spare time. I think this is a generation issue.

Not sure I'd call the generation the issue. But more now than ever, kids want to be the star player, even if they have a better player on their team, just to get noticed. Selfishness isn't a generational problem, though. You can look at any period in basketball history and find selfishness. What kids these days don't realize is that potential recruiters/scouts, or even their own coaches, are looking for the little things, not the points. Assists, rebounds, good screens, knowing where to be on offense and defense, those things matter more than points. That's where I think this generation is a little off, they think points are the only thing that matter.

[TheWatShot 13,335]

I look forward to watching my brother progress and play AAU ball during the offseason with less selfish players, 

 

I'll probably catch some heat for this, but what makes AAU players less selfish? If anything I'd think AAU consists of more players who want to "get theirs" and impress the coaches who show up to watch them. I can't stand AAU and I think it's the main reason we're seeing a lot of the problems you mentioned. 

[IUHoosier5 1,366]

I'll probably catch some heat for this, but what makes AAU players less selfish? If anything I'd think AAU consists of more players who want to "get theirs" and impress the coaches who show up to watch them. I can't stand AAU and I think it's the main reason we're seeing a lot of the problems you mentioned.

I said that statement knowing the team my brother is on. The coach preaches team basketball and benches selfish players immediately. I completely agree that the majority of the AAU scene has created a vibe that includes selfishness.

[IUHoosier5 1,366]

Not sure I'd call the generation the issue. But more now than ever, kids want to be the star player, even if they have a better player on their team, just to get noticed. Selfishness isn't a generational problem, though. You can look at any period in basketball history and find selfishness. What kids these days don't realize is that potential recruiters/scouts, or even their own coaches, are looking for the little things, not the points. Assists, rebounds, good screens, knowing where to be on offense and defense, those things matter more than points. That's where I think this generation is a little off, they think points are the only thing that matter.

I completely agree with your point about young kids not realizing that potential recruiters, coaches, and scouts are not just looking for points. That's exactly what excites me about my brother. Call me a homer being his brother, but he understands that point at a young age. This is why I'm so excited for his basketball future. He's unbelievably gifted

[jmsgws 2,030]

The only thing I would disagree with the original post is about Calipari.  This years team is playing together, but only about one out of three do so.  Remember how a couple of years ago UK fans were screaming for his head, when they didn't make the tournament?  And every year they have been predicted to win the whole thing, and when they have lost (at least the games I have seen) it has been because the superstars got selfish.

[IUHoosier5 1,366]

The only thing I would disagree with the original post is about Calipari. This years team is playing together, but only about one out of three do so. Remember how a couple of years ago UK fans were screaming for his head, when they didn't make the tournament? And every year they have been predicted to win the whole thing, and when they have lost (at least the games I have seen) it has been because the superstars got selfish.

That's a fair argument, but that was only for the losses. The fact that his teams have been able to play together without huge repercussions speaks volumes for the mindset for his teams. I think selfishness is becoming more prominent due to the players young kids look up to these days. James Hardin? Selfish and doesn't play team defense. Lance Stephenson? No brainer. There are many others. It's sad