Some one just threw person in the lion pen

Looks like it will be football/soccer. Question withdrawn !!!!.

I would like to provide an unbiased/impartial/honest observation on this question.
I am not a parent or actively involved with any club, however, I have been involved in basketball for over 35 years (player, coach, official). Here goes:
Boys - I would have to place Sturt as No. 1 for junior boys. Strong coaching at the junior level with support from senior staff. Club has produced some excellent players. Norwood (particularly with Rupert Sapwell on board) or Forestville in second.
Girls - Once upon a time North were by far the best club for junior girls (closely followed by West) probably because of the standard of coaching from the top down. I believe that no longer is the case and Forestville are emerging as the best club for junior girls to obtain a solid grounding in basics and progress. Good coaching at junior level with strong support from senior levels. Norwood and Sturt would then be the next choice.
NOW I KNOW THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF PEOPLE OUT THERE TO DISAGREE - BUT AS I SAID AT THE START I DON'T HAVE AN AGENDA OR AN AXE TO GRIND OR A CLUB TO DEFEND.

Interested,

There is so much travel involved for games, why not try the Club closest to you (especially for training purposes).

All Clubs try and provide the best development they can, however, if your children aren't enjoying the experience (remember the key here is, YOUR CHILDREN!!!!!) then it is a relatively simple procedure to change clubs. By the time you have been involved for a year or so, you would get the impression of whether the Club you are at is doing the right thing for your children, or whether there APPEARS to be a Club doing it better).
Like the first anon said, these sort of thread (has in the past) can lead to a Flame Ware between Clubs (hence the derogatory posts already)
Best of Luck (also remember, when its 4 degrees & raining at 9am on a Saturday morning, its a lot warmer (and usually drier) inside a Basketball staidum than a Soccer Pitch or Footy Oval!)

all one needs to do, is to go into Sporting pulse and look at the tables, to see which clubs are doing better - that generally is an indicator of the quality of the program.
However each club has its own internal politics, and list of negative points.
Some of the more succesful clubs have very establish squads, which makes coming into them a lot harder.
Unless you have very special attributes (or connected parents), it is hard to break into these sides.

If your kids are starting from an early age, then that is a lot easier.

My advise to anyone, is chose a club that is nearby.
One spends an enormous amount of time traveling to trainings and games.
If you add up the km's travelled in a year, then by 7 years, you wll be amazed how many kms you have travelled - all good fun.

My experience, is that their are a many good clubs who provide very good training to the up and coming young basketballers.
go and watch them train, and if you do not like what you see, try somewhere else.

I'm not biased at all...South Adelaide!

Yes, David Sphere was a great player for West America!

Although it does hurt to say this, but Sturt are pretty hard to go past

Choose a top 4 club because everyone else does and that way you won't have to move when and if your new club folds or can't field a team.
Okay, seriously.

In a top four club you'll play your real games at practice and turn up Friday nights to practice sessions and drilling where you wallop your opposition by 40 plus points. Your coach won't let you drive unless you use your weak hand and you wont press cause the opposition would'nt get out of the back court. In some grades you may play a season and have only one or two competitive games in others as many as 4 or 5 but hey, you will win the premiership.

Basketball, sadly is Sturt, Forestville, Norwood and Norths with all the rest in various stages of death or rebuilding or in Southern's case reinventing itself to emerge as a genuine option.
As with all things program strength is coloured by talent and the best talent one way or another end up in the clubs mentioned. Are there programs any good? Of course.
The bottom line of course is if you put those same very talented coaches from successful clubs into the clubs with very few talented players and very low numbers, they would cease to be gurus.
All the clubs have decent programs but not all the clubs have the numbers to reap benefits from those programs.
Sturt actively recruits and wins hands down for proactivity in putting money into junior development.
Forestville a close second but has the reputation for being country obsessed through its association with country state coaches.
Norwood has got too big and for the 50 plus teams it has, underperforms.
North seems in transition having once been the powerhouse in the girls can only really boast about its 16's and 18's with not much on the horizon.
Without doubt Southern will take Sturt's mantle in the next 5 to 10 years with a tremendous talent catchment area and expanding population. Whether they can attract the coaches remains the question.
So interested, read this carefully then destroy it as I wouldn't want anyone else to know.

"canteatunderwater" where have north and forestville boys finished in state champs in the last 4 years i am sure its not above west! and they are still going strong. girls are starting to rebulid but still have some good teams.

Just get your kid involved early as the skills they will learn playing basketball will help in whatever sport they then pursue once they have grown older and realize they no longer need it. It is a great development sport and do not worry what grade they play, enjoy it.

If your kid is any good then coaches will bend over backwards - literally !!!

Yes B, your right, West have a good U18 girls team but your strength is the boy's teams. You have excellent history and names with some highly respected coaches but I think the top 4 clubs have got you covered across the girls and boys.
I looked more at the results of the Classics as it gives a better indication of ability in good company and the qualifications to get there tell a story too. The teams that made it and positions say it all.

18 boys: Sturt 6th North 10th West Adl 11th.

18 girls: All top 4 clubs 4th to 12th. Wests Not There.


16 Boys: Sturt 4th,West 5th, Norwood 8th, Forestville 15th.

16 Girls: All top 4 clubs.

14 Boys: 1 top 4 (sturt) Eastern, Southern and South. No West.

14 girls:3 of top four and South Adelaide. No West.

12 Boys: West 8th, Southern 12th, Sturt 13th and Norwood 15th.

U12 girls: Three of the top 4 clubs. Forestville, Sturt, North and eastern.

are you for real about west under 18s.......they play an ugly game bringing the game down...watch them and learn how not to play....compare them to Sydney AFL...ugly...no indivudual talents or girls standing out. Must say they play well as a team but no flare....boring to watch...

Who Me! Drier, yes; warmer? I think it is way colder inside latley. Try Wayville at 8.30am on a Saturday morning.

Overall, looking at boys if you want to develop as a player, you certainly could not go past West. Provided you could make their Div 1 sides I guess. From the games I've seen, they have an excellent range of Div 1 coach's.

Much closer in the girls, Sturt North, Norwood.

Forestville are number 1

for the guys i would say sturt and west would be the top 2. not sure about the girls

Woodville, is best for me, as I live there, and I walk to the dome and 5 mins. to Port Adelaide. I would not play for anyone else. Just much easier to go to the club in tour area.

If you are well off and have plenty of surplus cash the best club is Southern.
There for your fees, you may or may not have a coach. If you have a good coach they will be asked to leave.
On top of fees your have to pay a levy for the debt to stop the club going broke. dont pay you are asked to leave.
You will have to pay a second levy. but if the committee (bill) deem you have done enought to help around the club you may or may not have to pay this second levy.
Then you are expected to send your child to 'expert' special shooting coaching for another $60 per child. and this is the best. Coached and run by the same coaches that have tought the kids to shoot problematically in the first place.
Your child then only has to train every now and then because the courts are taken up by fund raising events, "special clinics" using up the courts.
At southern you are can be sure your kids are able to play at least one div above their skill level.
and the best is the parents dictate what happens so you get a chance to not only influence your child but the whole team as well.
No other club gives so much opportunity with such a great program for juniors as listed above.

Lets get seious.
If you are looking at who has produced the most NBL/WNBL players over the last 5 - 10 years Sturt is streets ahead.
For all of Forestvilles results at the AIS resently, half of them have come from other clubs. Martin and Bishop barely played for them, developing their gaeme at North under Wallace.
Same goes for West in the Boys. If you want to learn how to play zone and set plays, West is great. But it won't help at Nationals and get you anywhere. For all of Chris Molitors ability, he hasn't made any team of note.

intheknow, very funny but can you use your own alias.

Which is the best football team in the land? Who's the best player in the world? Who's got the cutest smile?
Ain't no best just good.
A club which makes you welcome, teaches you a thing or two and doesn't promise what it can't deliver is a good one.

Wallace? haha you have to be joking!they developed further because they finially left him as all players do.

mmm,
I guess it must have been those 3 games and training before being selected to the AIS that made all the difference.
Oh, thats right, she had already been selected before she was recruited, after Nationals when Wlaace was her coach.

this is a boring topic going no where and who really cares

intheknow

Please do our Club a huge favour and leave.

We don't need or want those that continually live in the past and whinge continually.

Its not those that leave that prohibit growth its the disenchanted that stay.

By the way make sure you have paid the levy as we won't clear your kid and if your kid can't shoot properly maybe you should have sent them to the clinic to learn as additional training.

Or you could have sent them to one Norwood run!!!

what do you have to roar about? Horrible state champs, no one developing players and dwindling numbers? You guys are in another world down there.

"heartheroar: I dont think "in the know" is with your Club - my guess is they left long ago.......

Elmer,

Ever heard of Mia Newley? Brad Newley? Shannon Seebohm? Trent Fildes? (Aus Junior Team)...................

Elmer

Stop living off some one elses past. Will I see you friday nite at 6pm. I will hit more that a squash ball - Obviously you wont' be there chickenshit. AIS means anal, idiotic and stupid referring to you.

Somebody has a serious case of anger management problems, don't they.