Personally I hate the summer basketball circuit, that has exploded because of stupid NCAA rules. The NCAA restricts the number of days a coach can see a player play, in person. During the summer months, all those days are in July. Thus, because of this rule, the NCAA indirectly created this summer basketball circuit; which has created a terrible cycle, teenaged girls, played lots of basketball, far away from home.
Kids join club teams, looking for a chance to get a college scholarship. But club teams aren't free. They cost a lot of money, some parents have told me they spend up to $3,000 a year, for their kid's club team. That doesn't include the cost of travel to these summer tournaments. Kids play a ton of games, over a short period of time, with little recovery or rest time. I really believe that is one reason, why there are so many injuries in women's basketball.
The majority of club teams are coached by well meaning people. But, just like in other walk of life, there are the scum, who prey on young kids. There have been many stories about club coaches who sexually assault or molested, one of his players.
The worst part is, unlike high school, which require any adult to go through a background check, there is no governing body for club teams.
What can parents do to prevent this?
Background check:
Before even signing your kid up on any team, do a background check of that coach. All you have to do is go to your local police department and they will help you. If the coach isn't willing to give a parent his background information, you as a parent should not allow your daughter to play for that coach.
No unsupervised overnight trips:
In summer, club teams travel to cities like Portland, actually Oregon City, OR, Memphis, Chicago, and Atlanta to play in tournaments. Where they are staying in hotels with the coaches and maybe a few other parents. So my question is; What kind of parent would allow their young daughter to go to a city, far away from home, to stay in a hotel with only a few adults?
If I had a kid, I would not allow my child to stay overnight, in any city, alone, with a stranger. I don't give a damn, how well you know a coach. I would go on the trips with the kid and I would make sure my kid is staying in the same hotel room, as me.
Trust but don't be too trusting:
Watch your kid, carefully. Do you notice any personality changes? Does your daughter hate going to practice or games?
You are the parent, act like it. Protect your kid from being subjected to the scumbags.
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