Stan Van Gundy on The Problem with Youth Basketball in the USA

NBA Coach Stan Van Gundy addresses the problem with youth basketball in the United States at a coaching clinic. Stan spits truth. Video by Marquetta Sports Group.

[@stephenehrlich3914]

This isn't just a basketball problem..Its all youth Sports within the US.

[@ljuljajjavore]

In european soccer too...

[@LamarMatic]

Me being from Latvia and having gone through our youth basketball system, I can say that the same issues are relevant here. From what I've heard and read, countries like Lithuania and Serbia are way ahead of others in the approach they have for youth basketball.

[@ColinStanton215]

Lamar Matic, I love your channel. Can you email me or send me your email address? I have a question for you regarding classic footage. [e-mail]

[@LamarMatic]

Colin Stanton [e-mail]

[@mixumillianmass6986]

LamarMatic , I'm from Latvia too 👍🏻

[@ljuljajjavore]

Here in Serbia, youth basketball is mostly about skills and team work, and obviously that gives us great results later on... If a 8 year old kid is not passing the ball, he/she is sent off the practice...

[@fifi24ablefifi18]

you have good basketball in Latvia

[@Ma1q444]

Literally predicted the future now most best players in the nba is from overseas

[@muserussell2377]

What he said about the "big men" was me exactly I grew up to be 6'3 but my whole time growing up they put me under the hoop at pf of c just because the other players weren't tall. They discourage you from dribbling or playing the basketball you are familiar with. When I played at the Y or wherever recreationally I played as a sg or sf that would also post people up. When I got into high school they played me in between a 2-5 but even when you aren't really tall most places consider you a 'big man' and really try to kill your game. 6'3 is an avg to undersized point guard and a couple inches small for a typical sg but they want you to stay under the basket by the paint the whole game

[@emteedee21]

Same here in philippines :(

[@cdman882]

I hear you. I'm 6'7 (without shoes) and grew up with the same coaching mentality. I'm now fighting against that for my daughter, who is 5'10 and just 12 years old. Teach all players, all skills!

[@goku7297]

I am 6'1 and I was always made to do dirty job and small thing hustle rebound I played both pg and sg And at young age because I was very obsessed I played pf which was completely unfair but okay It is not very different in europe believe me

[@goku7297]

But always because of toughness and speed coach would put me between 1-4 on defense

[@JSE2023]

This happened to my son at a younger age and who is now nearly 6 feet tall & 13 years old. HOWEVER, he's actually going to benefit from it. He learned at a young age how to pivot, reverse-pivot, play with his back to the basket, box-out, play against bigger opponents, pass and rebound. It wasn't through the good intentions of coaches but it happened. Daddy-ball is real and SVG pointed it out correctly. Dad's kids are the ones playing carefree, handling the ball and jacking up three pointers from NBA distance. The taller kids are the ones asked to plant themselves near the basket and pass it out to the guards to shoot from distance. So much of the game has gone to the wayside now. You see defensive zones way too much and players rarely set good screens or cut to the basket anymore. The young players who embrace the fundamentals will excel in the future. I'm not trying to sound like an old man from yesteryear, I'm relaying what I believe to be true. Steph Curry, James Harden, Dame, Kyrie, Kevin Durant...these players are exceptional and few and far between. We shouldn't be encouraging kids just to come down and launch 3's because they're open. What the hell is that? They are open for a reason. They're likely shooting 10-20% from that range if they're lucky. One of the best examples of a player who had to play the "Big" in their formative basketball years but excelled on the wing in their NBA career was Kawhi Leonard.

[@DonOneDetroit]

The ridiculous hyper-focus on winning is because most of the youth basketball coaches are: 1). former Points Guards (many didn't make to the upper levels), 2). Under-employed dudes looking to supplement their incomes, and 3). fathers of the starting PG. Item #2 is really bad in the AAU as everyone is looking for a shoe company sponsorship to get paid. Some of these dudes don't even have real jobs! Ya'll really need to stop violating...just STOP!!

[@ELT1078]

Having coached youth basketball for 8 years I can safely say I feel he's spot on.

[@kalatheballa8122]

I was one of those kids that was just told to grab the board and give it to the coaches son. All my life basically. Ruined my love for the game even into high school. I hate it.

[@lclewis2417]

Great statement... hope more coaches listen. AWESOME!

[@Bobby6086]

I agree with his thoughts! He is right on! Coach the kids skills.to shoot/pass/screen/ pick handling /blockout/play team basketball Forget Win Vs Loss record. Back to basics.Amen

[@orangecucamonga]

Ahem!! Same here in Canada. In Ontario club ball (our AAU), zones are outlawed until grade 7 (should be til high school) but some coaches still complain. We're coaching U-15 now and we will NOT play zone. Our Bigs bring up the ball and make entry passes, our Smalls post up, and everybody shoots 3s. Don't coach. Teach.

[@ShotScience]

Absolutly!!! In total agreement.

[@dukestandard4743]

My son is 9, I can't understand for the life of me why a coach is worried about winning with 9 year olds....

[@muserussell2377]

Wow I was expecting that this was going to be bullshit but I actually really agree with what he's saying. The major competitiveness at a younger age can be harmful just worry about skill development and introduce the greater competition when they get older and their minds start to mature. It may take away from selfishness too. When you get older you start to get people who are more serious about it too rather then a bunch of kids that are just trying to have fun

[@thebackbonetv]

Excellent vid!

[@casinothachamp6347]

Real talk right there!

[@jennifersparber354]

Pass to a guard who is usually your own kid!! Lmao so very true👍👍👍

[@steve3790bday]

Very true…my some coming off the bench can’t make one mistake …his son is allowed to corrrect his mistakes

[@xb0426]

Detroit fans, prepare for good basketball in your future. Stan Van.. The man.

[@k_lewis29]

xb0426 lol

[@Pavvy88]

very valid points! it makes a whole lot of sense

[@BooBooDaFoo330]

Now look at the top players in the league, Van Gundy predicted the future.

[@tlofton520]

So true. 2nd grader is the BIG, center, on our team this season.

[@ricknelms8606]

Bravo

[@HoopsMovement]

preach!

[@djekna]

this is not only a problem in US. New Zealand struggles with it, too, big time!

[@weston_bey]

Going through this same shit with my son so I don't stick around on teams very long...I am not about to let him be taught to be someone's corner man or high post bum 😂

[@precisionhoops365]

I'm all about player development

[@joshb1056]

Teaching the tallest kid on a youth team that he is a big man and not coaching him pass dribble shoot can ruin a players development. Just cause hes tall now doesnt mean hes going to be a big man in high school and college so when he gets to the higher levels hes gona have big man skills but be the height of a guard, been seeing this since i was in middle school.

[@dubbyu4286]

Josh Bouma Exactly! A high school coach try put me as big man because I'm tall and lengthy but won't allow me to play my game.

[@joshb1056]

those are just lazy coaches that are stuck within their own world, the kid has a future after your done coaching them.

[@JamezMykaelOfficial]

We have lost a lot of good athletes because of this. They don't get paid attention to in practice, even though they go to each and every one and then they go to all the ballgames just to sit and watch and be bench warmers. VERY VERY SAD!

[@pasabaxaquibk4954]

Alguien me lo puede traducir al español? Gracias.

[@babyboi98]

STRAIGHT FACTS!!! I been saying that since I was in HS more than 20 years ago now... None of our y’all guys Could handle the Rock...

[@thunderking8925]

I just heard of Aau and I feel from what I saw basketball has become a show than a smart game. Most players come from aau and often times they have lousy or overhyped nba careers and we always ask the question "what happened to?"

[@TXLtv]

The X LeVeL believes that a better basketball player is not built with trophies and records, but through development and the focus on a strong foundation of skills, education and repetition. The true measure of a coach is not measured by how much talent you stack on a team, but how well you can develop the talent you have on the team.

[@erikm5121]

........and this is why I RESPECT Lavar Ball

[@ShahidujzamanShahidcs]

I read plenty of good opinions on the net about how exactly Spovelax Training Program (just search it on google) can help you to improve your skills, has anyone tried this popular popular training course?

[@mikemajor54]

What's amazing (and sad) about Coach Van Gundy's observations is that the problem in the U.S. has gotten worse since he gave this advice. Many adults, especially in smaller communities where the pool of players is smaller, are still taking all of the top 2nd graders, putting them on the same team, crushing everyone else in local rec leagues, and then wondering why these kids struggle in high school. These are the adults who sit in the stands, watching their kids' high school Varsity teams lose but say to everyone around them, "I don't know why this coach is losing. When I had these kids in elementary school, we won all our games by 50. Nobody could break our zone trap." Perhaps if these same adults would struggle and *gasp* risk losing some games by teaching man-to-man defense and positionless offense instead of prioritizing winning the elementary league championship, U.S.A. Basketball wouldn't struggle on the international stage. The fact that the U.S. 3x3 Men failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics is a sign that the U.S. has the wrong priorities at the youth level.

[@jonnydavis6066]

im comes lavarv ball!!!

[@Shinobi33]

AAU they're talking about you

[@mkz2017]

This is why Luka is crushing it.

[@squattystx]

American ball is still the best. there is a warrior mentality on the courts here, and the cream definitely rises to the top. and there is a new breed of coach out there that sees things in a more open-minded, yet scientific way. throw out that word "fundamentals" because half of that is trash.

[@sandman1347]

+squattystx the best players in America tend to be kids who grow up around the game and learn from their family members and people in the neighborhood. They put in a lot of extra work on their own. It's just unfortunate that their coaches rarely help them to actually improve their game. They must do that on their own. Their coaches just use them to win games as if they are pros. Stan is right on the money about this topic.

[@anthonybrown3481]

Every coach that loses says "I just coach fundamentals". If fundamentals dont help you win games then what are they for. In fact it sounds like he doesn't believe in fundamentals because he is not associating fundamentals with winning. 99% of coaches will never coach a player that will go on to play pro basketball so why worry about developing them for the NBA. Just win the game.

[@squattystx]

Anthony Brown i wanna hear somebody say "i teach subtlties of the game."

[@johnwest194]

gundy is the problem with basketball as he did not know how to coach just like the majority of coaches today allowing the players to shoot 3 point shots that they do not make. no defence, no layups not close range shots - this has ruined the game and nobody cares

[@X02Overdose]

Gundy coached multiple teams to 50* wins on great defense wtf lol that 09 Magic team was even ahead of their time with the way they played wtf are you talking about lol