In Sunday's New York Times Magazine, Mike Sokolove has the cover story on the life (all 13 years) and times of Allonzo Trier, a kid basketball player who has his own clothing line, travels around the country playing in all-star tournaments and plays footsy with covetous college coaches.
Mike paints a picture of a sweet kid with exceptional basketball skills. The adults in the article - tutors, advisors, AAU coaches, summer-camp counselors and talent scouts - mostly seem, stating the obvious, to be opportunists. I wasn't sure what to make of Allonzo's mother, Marie.
I'm trying to imagine the pressure on this kid now that he's been on the cover of the Times Mag. I can't.
Monday, March 23, 2009
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Mark,
I've been around basketball all of my life. My father was a college basketball coach and I was a scout in the NBA for 11 years. I've seen and heard it all, but this story takes it to another level. Can't say I'm surprised, just disappointed with many aspects of youth basketball.
I want to alert you to a very positive site that discusses issues pertaining to youth basketball and many other youth sports. Brian McCormick's excellent web site "The Crossover Movement" is a must read site for parents who are navigating the youth sports scene. On his site he has three articles that are relevant to this story. Early Specialization and Developing an Athletic Superstar. Here's the link: http://thecrossovermovement.wordpress.com/
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