Hi Parent,
I am sure you will get some great advice from many of the coaches who read this forum, but since you have named me specifically I would be happy to give you my opinion (although without seeing the child I can only speak in general terms).
From your post I can make out the following facts:
- We are talking about a first year U/16 player so its certainly not a player that has 'missed the boat' for any important oppotunities as yet. This year they have U/15 Port Macquarie team trials, SASI development squads, TI camps etc to show the 'right people' they are good enough to be considered for higher level basketball. Even if they weren't identified at this time, in years to come they have State Teams, club development squads, senior teams and now the Academy program to be seen in. There are plenty of stories of players who 'bloomed' late and played NBL without representing their State or even there Division 1 club team in U/16s.
- Your child must have shown a great deal of improvement already at club level for them to move from Div 3/4 to being in Div 1/2. To me that means they must have some degree of work ethic/talent which is always a good base to work from.
- Your child has been part of a winning team at State Champs and Nunawading. Wins and losses are a big part of basketball, and if they are one of those kids that demonstates they are a 'winner' they will have an edge on the other guards in their age group who haven't tasted success (This may also go towards why your child prefers to play with his mates as there is a definate bond that exists between members of championship teams).
To answer your question, I dont think you need to sound any alarnm bells at this time. I can imagine it would be hard for a parent to know when is the right time to '
push' your child to work harder and what is the most successful way of doing it.
As a guide I think if your child has the following values then you know they are on the right track:
a) The knowledge of what is 'improvement' and how to go about doing it. The child must know that getting outside their comfort zone and performing skills that they are yet to master, more then the ones they are familiar with, is the best way of being a better basketball player.
b) They must know that they themselves are the best coach they will ever have. By this I mean that no coach will ever be able to spend as mush time with them as they could possably spend with themselves working on their game. Therefore they must listen and learn from their coaches, books, videos etc for the way to play, and take this knowledge themselves and transfer it to their 'backyard workouts'.
c) They must have a passion for the game. If your child loves playing basketball and plays the game 'the right way' (play hard, play fair) then they will always be more inclined to reach their potential as they love what they do.
I guess the other piece of advice is if you are worried about their rate of improvement or any other issue, talk to your club coach or coaching director. Their are very knowledgeable people at every club, and you dont have to look too far to find someone who will listen to your concerns, make an evaluation of your child, and be experienced enough to know how the best way of relaying the information to your child will be.
Hope this helps. Feel free to drop me an email if you have any further questions.
