cant escape the fact that it is no fun to travel to tournaments and watch your son/daughter not get any light or barely move off sidelines....watching other kids have fun and contribute stinks...and the hotel afterwards is a bunch more fun when you and your kids can say they enjoyed the game(s) seems like $$ would be better spent with one-on-one trainer... yes, true that players get better against better talent, but they are still kids who want to play ...
As a 2021 coach, this is poignant. No matter how much you know that a kid on the bottom of your roster will improve through the practice time with talented kids and end up a better varsity player, a kid has to feel like he has a role on the team and at least gets some minutes in most games. Small "elite" AA brackets are great for 100% high-end competitive games, but larger brackets with a range of competition allows the bottom of your roster to have fun and contribute. And at this age, even some kids with AA skills and athleticism haven't hit puberty yet.
