Every year I watch the same thing happen. A kid who held their own in a rec league or a Saturday AAU program shows up to middle school tryouts, and suddenly the game looks completely different. Faster. Rougher. Less forgiving. Parents come to me confused — "he was good last year, what happened?" — and the answer is almost never talent. It's preparation. Most elementary schools in Florida don't have a basketball team, so for most kids, middle school tryouts are the first time

I see it almost every week. A parent tells me their kid is automatic in the driveway — fifty makes in a row, no problem. Then Saturday comes, the kid gets an open look in a real game, and it clangs off the rim. Parents usually think this means their kid needs more reps. More form shooting. More cones. More "just keep practicing." I used to think that too, early in my coaching career. But after ten years of working with players one-on-one and in small groups, I've learned the