Excited to announce that my @NJTV Learning Live Lesson will air this Tuesday (May 5th) at 10AM! @NewJerseyDOE @WNETEducation @NJEA #NJTVLearningLive

3pm Players of the Game! #NJBCA #JerseyLive @SetonHallPrep @SPPBASKETBALL @CTownHoops @BCCrusaderHoops @OTSpartanBBall @statrojansbball

I think we’ve lost the plot on youth basketball. It’s probably happening in other sports too, but basketball is the world I know. Growing up, basketball was the neighborhood game. All you needed was a ball and a hoop. It was simple, accessible, and we’d play for hours without thinking twice about it. I’d call myself a pretty good high school player. I started on a solid team and loved competing. AAU wasn’t really part of the equation back then. I played in a few tournaments with friends, but everyone understood what it was. If you were elite, you played for Indiana Elite or Spiece. If you weren’t, you just kept hooping where you were. There wasn’t this pressure that you had to be in it. Now it feels like the entire model has flipped. Kids from kindergarten through high school are paying thousands just to be on a team. And if you want to play, there’s always a team ready for you because there’s money to be made. But it doesn’t stop there. Parents are paying $60/head every weekend just to watch. Some places are charging for parking. Tournaments are partnering with hotels and requiring teams to stay there just to participate. Then you show up and games are running an hour behind, officials are barely engaged, and someone’s parent is losing their mind over playing time. Somewhere along the way, the focus shifted. This isn’t about saying AAU is all bad. There are real positives. Kids get exposed to different competition, build friendships, and experience things they wouldn’t otherwise. But it’s hard to ignore what it’s becoming. For a lot of kids, this isn’t building a love for the game. It’s turning it into a transaction. A schedule. A bill. And that’s the part that feels off. It would just be nice if the kids were back at the center of it all.

This may be the best (most important 🤷‍♂️) paragraph I have written in 25 years.

Article is LIVE . 3 programs. 1 era. They didn’t just win… they changed the culture of hoops forever. This one is FREE — but if you want REAL 🏀 breakdowns (not hot takes), it’s $5/month. Coaches eye. Betting lens. No fluff. Read Subscribe👇 #CBB substack.com/@jamesyoung5071…

Should be a great night - come out and support our own @aidans_haitian !

More love for our @OTSpartanBBall superstar frosh Omar & Ahmad!

Coaches can’t get tired, can’t have off days, can’t get away with being unprepared and can’t fake it. You have to have the juice, all day, everyday.

STAY AT HOME & BE A LEGEND @ethanlin8_ !!! @CoachKovy

Of course your club coach is going to tell you how amazing you are, how your HS coach is hating on you and how they can “get you to the next level”. You keep paying them thousands of dollars every year to be on their team…

The 2026 Sansone Jr’s Auto Group Senior Boys Basketball All-Star Game is set for March 24 at Brookdale Community College. The game, organized by both SSI and @JSBLhoops will once again be played in honor of legendary Neptune head coach Ken O’Donnell with two scholarships being awarded in his memory.

🚨 Big Announcement 🚨 I’m launching The Coach’s Edge with JY with Opening Line Media and @sportstalkmatt. New chapter. Ownership. Bigger vision. Still on Sportsgrid College Basketball Today . Episode 1 drops tomorrow w/ @r22childress. #CBB #NBA #MarchMadness 🎥 Watch ⬇️

Awesome video production from the Spartan Legacy Committee @jtlp @CoachYoungNJ @OTSpartanLegacy highlighting our basketball program!

"I don't condemn anyone for looking at other schools, the thoughts are going to pass through your mind...for me, I found my place. This is my home. I have so much love, and it's reciprocated because I stayed. It's been a blessing and an honor." -Martinelli

Congratulations to Ms. Ciezak from the Ocean Township Athletics and Activities Office for her recognition as The Directors of Athletics Association of NJ Central Administrative Assistant of the Year! #spartanlegacy #spartanpride

This is what it’s supposed to be about!

- Stayed at the same school 4 years - Went from averaging 2 PPG as a freshman to 22 PPG as a senior - 25 20 point games this year A rarity in college basketball nowadays, legend

To all my Mid-Monmouth and youth coaching friends…

Beyond grateful and proud that @MrLSingleton took time to speak to our Coaching Principles class @monmouthu last night! Incredible message for our future world changers!

Thank you, I’m truly humbled and honored to receive this recognition. Camden County is full of great coaches and programs that make this area so competitive, and I’ve learned a lot from many of them along the way. I’m grateful to be a part of such a strong basketball community.