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Post by bennyskid on May 30, 2017 7:50:41 GMT -8
Kaitlyn Mayhue was invited to another Adidas all-star hoopla.
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Many of these girls are also on the Adidas team traveling to Italy this summer. You'll notice Shayley Harris - UCLA's latest hot recruit - on the list, as well.
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2ndGenBeaver
Sophomore
Posts: 1,819 
Grad Year: 1991 (MS/CS) 1999 (PhD/CS)
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Post by 2ndGenBeaver on May 30, 2017 8:20:23 GMT -8
I also notice Amaya Brown on that list, whom we were recruiting at one time, but who has now cut her list down to UCLA, Florida State, TCU and Tennessee.
/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fbennyshouse.com%2Fthread%2F4787%2Flatest-amaya-brown-guard-mexico
Good to see Katie Mayhue keeping "good company" by way of these all-star teams......wonder if/when the ranking services will catch up to her. Don't know if Hoop Gurlz and Prospect Nation and what not will pay attention to her since she didn't go through the "start with a long list, shorten publicly to a small list" social media thing that many of her contemporaries go through (and might be smart marketing on their part for all I know).
Go Beavers!
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Post by 411500 on May 30, 2017 8:49:25 GMT -8
Anyone know how these Adidas All-Star players are selected?
Does anything from Adidas make this clear?
Since Mayhue is not a high profile player, and did not receive a lot of National press, her selection to this team takes an interesting twist.
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Post by bennyskid on May 30, 2017 9:28:20 GMT -8
I only have the vaguest idea how this all works, but Adidas sponsors an entire "circuit" of all-star teams and tournaments. Nike has a similar program, and there are all sorts of independent camps and tournaments (e.g US Junior Nationals). It's hard to tell just how these different tournaments and programs rank.
So Katie has obviously been playing in the Adidas circuit for a while - I'd wager that's how she got Scott's attention. I don't see any reference on the twitter or web sites regarding how the all-star teams are selected, but it's probably not much different than selecting any other all-tournament team.
I'm just fascinated by the business model. The independent camps and tournaments profit by taking entry fees from the teams, which in turn get money from the player's families, many of whom hope that the investment will translate into a scholarship someday. (Parents are like that . . . ) In their promotions, organizers like to point out that "hundreds" of college coaches will be at their events. I believe that the Adidas and Nike programs are exactly the same. What I'd like to know is whether it is the tournament organizers that pay Adidas/Nike to use their name (I know that Nike sells their name to other sorts of sports camps) or whether the shoe companies kick in real money and support as part of their brand evangelization.
I would assume that Adidas is at least paying the expenses and coaching for this trip to Italy, or maybe it's paid for out of the overall revenues of the program. Regardless, I'm sure that Katie was invited for her skills, not for the ability of her parents to write a check.
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Post by beavsteve on May 30, 2017 9:31:45 GMT -8
Anyone know how these Adidas All-Star players are selected? Does anything from Adidas make this clear? Since Mayhue is not a high profile player, and did not receive a lot of National press, her selection to this team takes an interesting twist. I don't know how they were selected, but some time ago on this board I posted the info on each player on this team. It turns out about half of them are not listed in the Prospects Nation list (Katie being one of them). I suspect they are trying to give some visibility to 'under the radar' players. Hopefully as a result of the Italy trip she makes it into the ratings system next year. They leave for Italy around June 10th. I'm hoping to pick up some info on how the trip is going from the Twitter feed, if not from the sports reporters. |
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Post by bennyskid on May 30, 2017 10:56:20 GMT -8
I don't think that "visibility" is an issue. The whole system is built around getting kids in front of college coaches, so you would expect that they would favor ...
1) girls that aren't signed yet, because they benefit most from the trip/camp, and
2) girls that are already 4 and 5 stars, because they add to the program's cache.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was some effort at regional balance, but otherwise, I think they just took the ten (or 24, for the camp) best girls.
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2ndGenBeaver
Sophomore
Posts: 1,819
Grad Year: 1991 (MS/CS) 1999 (PhD/CS)
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Post by 2ndGenBeaver on May 30, 2017 11:34:04 GMT -8
I only have the vaguest idea how this all works..... I'm just fascinated by the business model. The independent camps and tournaments profit by taking entry fees from the teams, which in turn get money from the player's families, many of whom hope that the investment will translate into a scholarship someday. (Parents are like that . . . ) I too am fascinated by the "business model".....and the parental commitment that is being requested (required?) to be at this level. We have recruited some kids that played on AAU squads many hours away from player's hometowns, some on teams in different states even. I recall Ruth talking about her Dad driving her something like 12 hours each way to some team/practice/event.....(granted she lived far from anywhere). I suppose this is also why there are so many fewer "diamonds in the rough". I must be getting old - I find myself hankering for the era where this was all for entertainment, and had not become the big business it has turned into.... Go Beavers! |
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Post by 411500 on May 30, 2017 15:20:03 GMT -8
You guys have raised some really good questions.
Now you've got me totally intrigued.
Who is paying for the "Adidas" athlete's Italy trip?
If parents are paying that is just plain gross.
I would really be interested in learning more about this. Any help out there?
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Post by ochobeavo on Jun 1, 2017 12:18:34 GMT -8
You guys have raised some really good questions. Now you've got me totally intrigued. Who is paying for the "Adidas" athlete's Italy trip? If parents are paying that is just plain gross. I would really be interested in learning more about this. Any help out there? Here's an article about some AAU kids out of Whitney Young in Chicago (Ahmad Starks HS if I remember correctly). The Adidas thing could be completely different, but it's a data point at least... news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/becoming-an-elite-basketball-player-comes-at-high-price/I'm guessing the sleaziness, under the table stuff is probably associated more with the top tier male players. But that's just me guessing. I also have buddies who have kids on the summer fast-pitch softball circuit and they both tell me it's an absolute killer in terms of cost to the parents to get to all of the tourneys where the so called recruiters will be. |
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Post by bennyskid on Jun 1, 2017 14:23:24 GMT -8
The question is, when does this become predatory? I don't have a problem with the family that's put up $40k over the years - apparently most of that money was for their own travel expenses. I'd have a problem if that much money was going to coaching and tournament fees. Just looking at this site: premierbasketballtournaments.com/tournament , which seems to be affiliated with the same Adidas program that Katie is in, the tournament fees range from $200-$900 per team. Not trivial, but it doesn't seem predatory. A quick search shows that the going rate for coaches is $20/hour, and it is very seasonal, part-time work. Some of the teams are run by sports clubs, a few by private schools, some by parks-and-rec departments. I imagine that there are some Willie Lyles-type characters in the system, but overall the system doesn't seem predatory. |
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Post by 411500 on Jun 2, 2017 6:38:11 GMT -8
Good points bennyskid....
Getting back to one of the starting points related to this thread: K. Mayhue, Adidas and the trip to ITALY.
In August, after her return, one of the local blogs or newspapers will write a feature on her trip. She'll talk about what a great learning experience it was, etc.
However, at least to me, a question at the heart of the matter is finances. If the athletes had their expenses paid by Adidas (the obvious sponsor) that is a good thing.
If each family paid, for example, $2,000 or $3,000 for their daughter to make the trip, that is another issue altogether.
I think a lot of fans and parents would be interested in knowing when a team travels under the "Adidas" banner whether they are guests of Adidas or financial contributors to Adidas.
To me, it makes a big difference in how I evaluate the purpose of "Summer Basketball."
The Mayhue family lives in the Corvallis area, this should be a fairly easy question to investigate.
If anyone understands this scenario I'd be interested in learning more.
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Post by baseba1111 on Jun 2, 2017 8:37:03 GMT -8
It is strictly pay to play. No different than if your kid wanted to "apply" to go on a sponsored trip to Europe. The arrangements are made and are discounted, but you as a parent are paying the freight.
The same stuff goes on all the time on smaller scale... NW Baseball has different levels of "all- star" traveling teams that attend tournaments. Of course you have to have some talent, but unless you pay you don't play. As for the most part unless you're in the very best group of players you are not "rated" by them unless you pay to play. I've seen players rated in the top three for their age group, not rated again when they stopped paying to be on their NW Baseball tournament teams. Which by way pay the coaches, and pay all their expenses at the tournament.
I believe on the basketball trail the sponsored teams have been severely curtailed by NCAA rules and former honchos like Sonny Vaccaro steering players to "Addidas" schools.
Overall it's mostly a money grab.
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Post by bennyskid on Jun 2, 2017 12:30:32 GMT -8
"I believe on the basketball trail the sponsored teams have been severely curtailed by NCAA rules."
So, basically the NCAA puts the kibosh on anything put "pay to play"? I guess I understand the reasoning, but that rather sucks . . .
But I wonder . . . Andrea Aquino is playing on an AAU all-star team in NJ. I can't imagine a Paraguayan family putting up the money for that.
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Post by baseba1111 on Jun 2, 2017 12:38:43 GMT -8
"I believe on the basketball trail the sponsored teams have been severely curtailed by NCAA rules." So, basically the NCAA puts the kibosh on anything put "pay to play"? I guess I understand the reasoning, but that rather sucks . . . But I wonder . . . Andrea Aquino is playing on an AAU all-star team in NJ. I can't imagine a Paraguayan family putting up the money for that. The AAU racket can get shady and secretive with sponsorships, but the big shoe company camps and teams were the main culprit. I'm sure they are still deeply involved in "steering" players to schools. |
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Post by 411500 on Jun 2, 2017 14:22:51 GMT -8
"Andrea Aquino is playing on an AAU all-star team in NJ. I can't imagine a Paraguayan family putting up the money for that."
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I presume AA comes from a low income family - but don't know for sure....Her Mom was in Corvallis for AA's Official. Pretty sure that OSU can't foot Mom's travel...
I'm sure there are no cheap flights Paraguay-Portland.
I am not saying anything is shady - not even hinting at it. But it is another head-scratcher in the how-do-they-pay-for-this in the basketball world.
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