Just finished my first major assignment as a member of Blue Star Media/Basketball at the 16U USA Basketball trials in Colorado Springs and all I can say is WOW! Aside from the obvious experience of being able to watch all of the incredibly talented athletes compete on such a high profile stage, the opportunity to meet new people and reacquaint with old friends made this seem almost like not working at all. However, rest assured, the long hours put in each day focusing, observing and discussing 124 athletes is work. Enjoyable work, but work nonetheless. That being said, here are a few of thoughts and observations from my first USA Basketball experience.
Let me start by congratulating USA Basketball from top to bottom on a very organized and professional approach to the extremely difficult job of giving each of the participants a fair chance of making the team. Even though, in my opinion, there was an obvious gap between about half the players in attendance, the structure of the trials allowed for all of the girls to get an equal amount of court time to be evaluated. As any of us who have had to ever make “cuts” on the AAU / High School level with far fewer players know firsthand, it’s not an easy thing to do.
First let me qualify this by saying that I think the selection committee did a great job on a truly difficult task. All of their picks are very deserving and I’m sure fall into the guidelines that USAB follows in selecting a “TEAM” to compete against the varying styles of international basketball. Being my first time observing selections, it was obvious that evaluation for college potential and international competition don’t exactly have a lot in common.
That being said, I “missed” on four of my 12 final picks. T’ea Cooper, Jaylen Brown, Kennedy Burke and Joyner Holmes were part of the Burbidge roster but didn’t make the “official” cut by USA Basketball. I tried to determine my picks with the thought of putting together a basketball team but it’s obvious that the committee leaned a little bit in a different direction. Not wrong by any means, just different.
Not to minimize the efforts of anyone, but a special “shout out” goes to the coaches, both on and off the floor. One of the things I say all the time about what makes basketball such a great sport is that there are hundreds of different ways to do things. None are any more the right thing to do than another if, in the end, they accomplish the same goal. You can have fast pace versus slow down, set offenses as opposed to organized “chaos”, zone or man, isolation versus continuity. The coaches led by U16 Head Coach Sue Phillips did a tremendous job of keeping things organized and moving at a great pace, which is a credit to their hard work and preparation.
Beyond the basketball it would be unfair not to offer up a big shout out to USA Basketball Communications Manager Jenny Maag. She was the epitome of professionalism in making sure everyone was provided with constant updated information while affording controlled access to the requested players following each session. Her efforts allowed the considerable number of media and evaluators on hand to do their jobs effectively.
As I said earlier, all of the committee picks are certainly deserving and I have no doubt will represent USAB with the performance and character that goes hand in hand with putting on the USA uniform! To all of the young ladies who did not make the team, please know that you all did a terrific job. Not qualifying for this year’s team, as disappointing as it may seem at the moment, is in no way a failure. You now have a better idea where you stand in relation to the rest of the country. Now it falls to you as to just how hard you’re willing to work! All of you have God given abilities but the ultimate difference in players is what each decides to do with the talent they have. Remember Michael Jordan once got cut from his High School team and we all know what he did with that experience.
Thank you all for the enjoyment of watching you compete. I look forward to seeing you play throughout the summer. To all who made the team, a big congratulations! I know you will represent your country and USA Basketball well in Cancun next month.
New to Blue Star but hardly a stranger on the sidelines is Fran Burbidge. The Philadelphia native brings a wealth of experience that includes college, high school and club basketball. In that time, Burbidge has coached two consensus National Players of the Year, eight McDonald’s All-Americans and six USA Basketball participants. Along the way he has collected two high school state titles, one AAU national championship, eight AAU top 10 national finishes and over 10 Mid-Atlantic AAU crowns. Burbidge is the proud father of three along with one granddaughter.
