4th and 3rd grade traveling basketball, parents think their kids will be Gophers

[abrams]

I'm in the middle of this right now, my 4th grader plays on a travel metro team. Without questions there are some goofball parents out there who thinks their kid is the next Kevin Lynch. Most are realistic, for me it has been a good experience. It teaches my son about hard work, team work, goal setting and dedication. It's funny 4th grade traveling has been going on for a long time, the redstar article made it sound like a new thing. Both my wife and I were D2 athletes, we are not pushing this at all it his choice. I'm frankly more proud of how well he is doing in school over how well he can dribble.

 

[HOOP DREAMS]

It's completely different. Literally anybody who is willing and able to put in the time and effort can be a doctor. Well over 99.9% of the population will never be Big Ten scholarship basketball players, regardless of the time and effort they put into it. Encouraging your kids to dream big is great, but being unrealistic about the possibilities does everyone a disservice.

Similarly a lot of people think they could have played at the MIAC level... truth is they would not have made it. I've see a lot of very good HS players think they were going to be MIAC starters and they end up being cut or they learn in one season with the JV squad that it's not going to happen.

95+% of the kids at these tournaments will never be able to be M.I.A.C players, but their delusional parents think they will be playing for the Gophers or Duke.