Originally Posted by Anonymous
I think the year round programs are the best for development. Most of the improvement is realized through clinics and practices. Games not so much. There is nothing wrong with your kid playing on the B Team. Some of the best players out there both boys and girls started on B Teams.
I am a big believer in, look at what makes the kid good. Is he just simply bigger than everyone else and running over people. Are his stick skills better because he had a stick stuck in his hand at 2. Is there a foundation for sustainable success?

In middle school, can't tell you how many kids that were studs at 4,5,6 grade have now been surpassed. To me the things you look for are age agppropriate quickness and speed, IQ, vision, hustle/heart. All of those things can be developed on B Teams.

It really only makes a difference around 9th grade as not too many college coaches are going to be on the sideline watching a B game. Look at Rutgers and all the skill guys they have, most of them were off the radar guys and under recruited. Rob Pannell, Dylan Molloy, and the list goes on of kids that hit their stride Freshman year of college but developed out of the spotlight. How many really highly touted kids really delivered when they got to college.

Personally I think Matt Rambo has underdelivered in college considering his pedigree and look at the kid that was ranked #1 in his class, Jordan Evans that went to Syracuse and donned #22 to cite him as a disappointment is an understatement.

Keep on "developing" with reps from QUALITY coaches and see where that takes you.
Great post, and keep in mind that quality of the instruction. Is there feedback? My biggest chagrin is watching kids do things wrong with out correction. I would say most coaches i've watched over the years have set up great drills and have gotten kids a ton of reps but haven't stopped to correct the little things. Therefore coaches holding kids accountable about all the little things is what I would look out for. You can shoot a ball 1000 times, and if your doing it wrong you can get REALLY GOOD and shooting REALLY BAD.