Key to Success in Team Basketball MA | True AAU Basketball Program in Mass

There are several pieces to having a successful basketball program and team.
This article will aim to talk about the different aspects that we feel make up a strong AAU program and basketball skill development program in Massachusetts.

• Team chemistry/comradery/loyalty
• Good coaching
• Good skill development
• Working hard and being positive
• Setting goals as coaches and players
• Outstanding organization

Team chemistry/comradery/loyalty | A good team/program does not need to have ALL all-star players. Good chemistry usually happens when players do what they do well consistently. For example, if a player is very athletic, but can not shoot very well, this player will contribute by consistently rebounding hard and playing good defense. The team can rely on this player for getting to loose balls and being a pest on defense.
The goal of many good AAU programs in Massachusetts and the US is to develop players from middle school through high school by keeping them together as a unit. All successful programs show team unity and loyalty. For example, if a team had a good season, the players will want to keep up this success and show up next season and play together. Success is not only measured by wins or losses, but by fun, positive attitudes, friendships, and individual/team improvement.
Good Coaching | This is one the most IMPORTANT parts of having a good team and program in MA. Good coaching means that a coach has experience in skill development and game situations. Good coaches will know how to break a press, set up a zone defense/break a zone defense, run an offense, run good out of bounds plays, and mentor the players throughout a game. Good coaches are very hard to find in MA and in US because many of them are working professionals and may not have the time to commit to a quality AAU program. Good coaches are also excellent role models for the kids and should teach them about more than basketball such as: being respectful, responsible,  being a good citizen, and getting good grades. Also, we have found that there should not be parent involvement in coaching as a head coach. This creates conflicts and parents will have bias towards their kids (no parent coaching!).
Good Skill Development | There are many programs that claim that they have “skill development”. Make sure to do your research and ask for references because there are not a lot of programs that offer top level skill development. Look for programs that have small coach to player ratios and for workout sessions to be at least 75 to 90 minutes in duration. Another important characteristic to look for in skill development programs in Massachusetts is the division breakdown of kids. For example, 5-12 graders are not split up, the workouts will probably be less effective than if you split 5-6 grade and 7-8 grade, etc. Also, girls should be separate from boys in all workouts for players 5-12 grade. For elementary school kids (1-4 grade) girls and boys can be together.  Lastly, all good skill development programs should teach kids proper one on one and team defense. Playing one on ones may sometimes be better than working on your dribble moves.
Working hard and being positive | In order to have success as an AAU program and skill development program the players need to work hard in practice and outside of practice. All of the best players played more than everybody else… and this is what good programs should encourage players to do. Being positive goes hand in hand with working hard. After a loss or a bad play, it’s important to move on and make the next play! Instilling this type of mind set in each of your players will make your program strong.
Setting goals as coaches and players | Coaches need to set goals for any basketball program to be successful. An obvious goal for any coach is to have a competitive and positive team. Setting simple goals like improving the off-hand of each player and being more confident as a team is very important. Some other good goals are to win AAU tournaments in MA versus good competition, qualifying for nationals, and improving the skills of each player in your program.
As players, you should have goals of winnings championships as well as improving skills. We encourage our players at Premier Hoops to dream BIG! E.g. playing varsity, being the best player in your area, playing in college, etc.
Outstanding organization | Maintaining good and honest communication with your players and parents is one of the most important things to having a strong basketball club / program in MA. Players and parents should always know their game times and practices time ahead of time. There should always be a way for a coach to contact a parent/player at anytime and vice versa. If you ever notice a lack in communication or that you are consistently chasing around a coach for practice time/game time this means that the program is poorly organized and the coach is not doing this full-time (or does not care 100%).
Premier Hoops aims to do all of these things to create a very strong and positive atmosphere for their players in Eastern Massachusetts. Their mission is to train and nurture youth basketball players through conditioning and developing skills, while instilling the importance of setting goals, working hard, and being a good citizen.
Premier Hoops is hosting fall tryouts for basketball teams for boys and girls!
All fall information is located at this link: https://www.premierhoopsters.com/programs/fall