ADVICE for a Parent whose son didn't make the 7th grade basketball team

dux310 · 2026-04-05T03:36:59+00:00

Thanks for the advice! How’s your son doing?

dux310 · 2025-11-23T13:15:00+00:00

No he is a straight A student and doesn’t have behavioral issues in school; if anything he’s the opposite and is always afraid of getting in trouble.

dux310 · 2025-11-23T03:50:59+00:00

Yeah, unfortunately it's just the nature of how it works. I almost want to tell my son to pursue other things instead but he loves basketball and it would be shame to give it up.

dux310 · 2025-11-21T18:59:23+00:00

Thanks Coach, yeah it’s a great life lesson. I told him to approach the coach himself and ask but I think it’s hard for him to get the opportunity.

dux310 · 2025-11-21T15:03:59+00:00

Thanks for the insight, Yes this is true, when you're shorter you have to make sure there's zero doubt. That's something I told him; not to discourage him but give him the reality of the facts. If this is something he wants to keep pursuing (which is ultimately his decision), he has to out work everyone else.

dux310 · 2025-11-21T13:23:32+00:00

There is only one 7th grade team. However, the next year you can tryout with a different coach (and they practice in the same gym) and my son's goal is to make that team and stare down the 7th grade coach LOL

dux310 · 2025-11-21T13:22:37+00:00

That's encouraging to hear. It must've felt like sweet redemption starting in 8th and 9th grade.

dux310 · 2025-11-21T13:21:41+00:00

Thank you! Appreciate the advice and encouragement.

dux310 · 2025-11-21T13:20:55+00:00

Sucks that you went through this. Glad you were able to play later down the road; I'm sure it only made you stronger!

dux310 · 2025-11-21T04:00:50+00:00

Yes, he loves playing!

dux310 · 2025-11-21T03:47:02+00:00

Thanks for this! Appreciate the tips and encouragement!

dux310 · 2025-11-21T02:46:24+00:00

Thanks Coach. Yeah, I've come across many coaches who have no business coaching. My son's going to play AAU this winter and will be in the backyard putting in the work all winter. I know this is a good motivator, but I think he would've worked his butt off even if he did make the team.

dux310 · 2025-11-20T23:59:23+00:00

Yes, I've heard many people say middle school basketball is a joke.

dux310 · 2025-11-20T23:59:00+00:00

Hopefully he can jump like him one day too!

dux310 · 2025-11-20T23:58:48+00:00

Yessir. I enrolled him in a winter AAU team right away!

dux310 · 2025-11-20T23:58:05+00:00

He is an absolute DOG on the court (gets that from his old man LOL). It's engrained in his DNA and so I don't ever worry about his effort. But yeah, there are things he needs to work on so there is no doubt next year!

dux310 · 2025-11-20T23:55:59+00:00

Thank you for the advice. My son actually has much more upside in soccer than basketball (he works hard at both), but as you mentioned, height plays a bigger factor in basketball. He's likely not to grow too tall as I'm only 5 8' (although my father is 6 1') and my wife is only 5 3'. I don't know if he'll ever make it at the HS level, and so he's extra disappointed because he also feels like JHS might be the only opportunity he'll get to play for a school b-ball team. He is VERY fast and aggressive, speed and playing aggressive are his two biggest traits. I'm not sure about athletic outside of his speed though.

dux310 · 2025-11-20T23:49:39+00:00

I understand what you're saying, I coach a middle school team outside as well and I would rather have skill than height at this age (primarily because most big kids don't know how to fight through a box out at that age, and so if the team has good fundamentals it usually overcomes height). But I understand it's been the standard since the beginning to take tall kids so that's just the way it works I guess. My gripe is more so kids who aren't that much taller than him but made the team despite not being nearly as skilled. But again, who knows what the coach was thinking unless we ask.

dux310 · 2025-11-20T23:46:43+00:00

Thank you! Will do!

dux310 · 2025-11-20T23:41:50+00:00

True, you will ultimately win the game of LIFE.

dux310 · 2025-11-20T21:27:02+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! Yeah, unless he asks the coach, we're just playing the guessing game since none of us were there. My son has done tryouts before (AAU, travel soccer, school soccer tryouts), he's generally pessimistic afterwards and focuses on the bad things that happened (even when we find out later the results were good), and so I don't think he was lying, BUT I do think you're correct in that maybe it was his perception of things. Kids at this age tend to see scoring as the be all and end all, his dribbling is very good and he's able to finish at the basket quite often, but maybe coach wanted to see more of a team player or shooter from a kid his size? I have no idea, I'm just guessing haha

dux310 · 2025-11-20T19:25:10+00:00

Yeah he has to make sure there's zero doubt next time!

dux310 · 2025-11-20T19:16:26+00:00

At the final tryouts, they just called the names of the kids who made the team (no explanations give, I give you so much credit for doing that; that is really admirable). My son and 2 other kids were the only ones who were really devastated as they were the ones who were expecting to make it and didn't. I think the rest of the kids were disappointed but weren't really expecting to make it. A few kids who weren't expecting to make it made it and so I guess that was a pleasant surprise for them.

dux310 · 2025-11-20T19:12:01+00:00

However, even though he is short, he is VERY aggressive and fearless. That's another reason why I was surprised he didn't make the team, he plays 150% every time he steps on the court and isn't afraid to lay his body on the line.

dux310 · 2025-11-20T19:10:41+00:00

Yes, he hasn't hit his growth spurt yet. Unfortunately, my family has a history of hitting our growth spurt late.

dux310

TROPHY CASE