August 13th, 2005

By Mike Melton at www.metrohoops.com

Is AAU Basketball Becoming Professional Boxing? - Editorial

Metro-Area Top Players Durant Scott and Dexter Strickland
 

This piece is not to take shots at any person or organization. I just need to get something off my chest. It seems like amateur basketball is turning into boxing with players sitting out certain events because they supposedly don’t have anything to prove. Is it really that or they just don’t want to put their rep on the line. I first saw this a few years ago when a senior from California name Tyson Chandler didn’t take part in the McDonald’s All American Game because he didn’t want to hurt his draft status. This phenomenon has worked its way all the way to AAU 14 and Under nationals.

Last week in Florida I was very disturbed that many of the top 8th Graders blew off the national stage because of fear of having a bad showing. What happened to the days of accepting challenges from any youngster that steps up?  That's the way players earned and maintained their status as a one of the top players in the country.   If a player is one of the best, then prove on the court!

 Many onlookers criticized Demetrius Walker all week, saying he was overrated and wasn’t the true number #1 player in the country, but I have the up big respect for the kid because he was in the building laying it on the line. He could have stayed in California and let the so-called experts debate his rank among the elite. I'm just saying that the business side of this game will come soon so lets let the kids be kids and earn or lose it on the floor. Dexter Strickland (Team NJ) and Lashon Edwards (Team Melo) also took big risk by showing up but they were more concerned with seeing their team succeed than dropping a couple of notches on someone’s ranking.

Next year maybe I'll call all the coaches in advance to find out  what player's will be attending the 2006 nationals !