I don't understand why people on this post seem so apposed to kids playing up. Believe me the HS and JV coaches are looking for kids that they can develop and only see it as a mechanism to make the program better. WI has been doing it for years and even if its just for practices the players get used to high speed the game is played and are more prepared when their time comes. When a town has a special player coming up in the ranks those coaches do everything they can to encourage and challenge them. It seems most the chatter on this post comes from the fear of parents worried the younger player "taking" time from upperclassmen. If thats the case you are not thinking about the long term success of the program and only your kid.
Its the pushy attitude of the parents that is so distasteful about the process. There are thousands of dilusional parents who all think that their little darlins are the next Rabil. The problem is, they can't all be - yet if it were up to most parents, they would have their kid moved up whether its the right thing or not. Sometimes even going over the coach's head to the AD or even higher. If I were a coach, that would be a huge red flag if a parent tried to strong arm or influence others in the administration. But it happens, and happens a lot, and its grotesque and most coaches see right through it. The whole accelerated college recruiting thing has warped a lot of parents into desperation to have their kid moved up as fast as they can. I feel bad for the coaches outside of the stronger schools - they are getting run over by the inmates. Only the coaches who have been around a while with a great track record can "flip off" these pushy parents and do it their way. The newer coaches are red meat for these parents.
