Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 21, 1994, edition 1 / Page 20
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Exposure Is The Name from page 15 ., merit is t/ie recruiting package of the >ear tor high-school players. Most college coaches do their eval uations at this time." Henighan saw i ust how. competitive the basketball v*. o r Id is when he played in the Pive-Star Basketball Camp in Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago. - 'Most of the players were from up north and they were saying they __ka4 tournaments* all the time and that the> got a lot of exposure" Henighan said. "We need, to get as " much exposure as possible to keep . ith them." . . . "We've been traveling so Josh I can play basketball since he was \2.' Ka'ye Henighan. Josh's mother, vaid.' "\Ve need to help him and his . mends get as much exposure as possible "For Paul. Russell and_ ? rdw'ards. each 11 -year-olds with pieni>;of time to impress college ' scouts; the lure of AA4J basketball ?v the competition. Paul used' to . dominate his local league, but felt the only way to improve was to pla\ against better players, thus the l trips to Hickory where he plays for the Hickory Express. Ditto for Russell and Ed wards. 1 , 'Ms cousin. John Alexander. ? enarhedan AAl' team in Winston Salem and wanted to know if I ? f. anted more exposure and more of a challenge for Dovonte* and 1 said si i".\ " Harry 1 Kd wards explained as to why his sop skipped recreational hasketball-in Chapel Hill to play for the I l -and-under Winston Lake lakers before being picked up by the Lxprejts for the national tourna ' me nt . "Dovonte* needed a chal lenge I wanjed to get him involved I m something1 that would get him out ? there with some o the best players to see it his ability was a hoax or I not. Cl ou- want to measure vourself against qualits competition." That was ttie driving force in H.e.nighan's decision to play for the North Carolina Express and the Durham I-.agles this year. Without the hipjier level Of competition otl-ered in AAl' play, he doesn't ?<, think lie would, be the pjayer he is t.nl u "1 think I'm a better player playing \AL." he said. I _m' to plav against better players jni\ I saw where I stood anainst them and what I had to work on to > 1-hr* liH el lht?\ Wr'TV ^ ? : ? Aiuuiul Winston-Salem there is not .i lot ot attention on basket ball . so maybe >ou don't get the .< on>pettt ion you would in a place . lit New > ork or Memphis where . v .;?? lot- aiul learn what they need to do to improve." he said. Under AAL' rules, a player can play for any team within his or her association. The North Carolina AAL' Association encompasses the slate, making it legal for a player to play for any^AU team he chooses within North Carolina. Allen com pares it to college recruiting in the sense that what attracts a player to a particular team depends on personal "preference or intangibles, such as a coach's or association's reputation, the caliber of teammates or a team's track record. Or it could be the chance to practice and play against ^top-quality competition, as Henighan decided. "People think AAU is nothing but the games, but the practices are just as competitive," Allen said. "The practices are probably as intense as any a kid could go through, so a kid is going against a better caliber player to push himself as far as he can go." ' One of , the reasons Kaye Henighan .stretches the. family gas and tire budget to let her son play in Durham is the belief that high-level competition will make him a better play er." I don't know- about playing time, hut Josh will he a hetter play-? er just from practicing against those - guys in Durham." she said. "At {east four .of those guys w ent to the NIKE Camp. Josh has to practice against one Of the best point gudrds in the nation ; in Courtney Alexander. 1 think practicing and playing against those boys is only going to be beneficial for him." Questions have arisen in Winston-Salem, as no doubt in other cities, about the dilution of ^ talent within a locale when player?! are allowed to play anywhere they choose. Allen says there are two ways of looking at the controversy. "You could sav. ves. 1 would have a better team if 1 took the best kids in Wihston-Salem and they played here." he 'explained. "You would have a powerful team on paper. But would \(\u really have a team or would. you have a bunch of stars? "Sometimes it might work and sometimes* it might not." he said. "You have to hast team chemistry. That is one thing about AAL". if you win. The other way to look at it is that' for every kid that doesn't stay and pla\ . you have in a sense creat ed in opportunity for another kid to pla\ . I t we had one strong team cer tain kids may not get to play." K tye Henighan has been involved with AAU basketball since Josh began playing as a 12 year-old. Her status as a board member of the Winston Lake YMCA. one of the oldest AAU clubs in the state, gives her keen insight into AAU basketball in' Winston-Salem. "1 think Winston-Salem could be more competitive if we could put our best players on the court at the same time, but there are so many choices right now, that we can'u"^ she said. "I guess the deciding fac tor has to be whether you want to put a team on the court that will win a national tournament or whether you want to give as many kids exposure as possible. The latter appears to be what mpst people in Winston-Salem think. That is why teams pop up every now and then. If some kids aren't able to make Team X, then someone will start a team just to give them the opportu nity to play on that level. You can't say that is bad because you are talk- . ing 60 kids versus 12 or 15/' "We need to pool together and get all the top talent together," Butler said. "It was happening for a while, but this year a couple of guys started other teams and it diluted the talent. One reason teams pop up. at least in Winston, is because of having_ther national tournament here the last two years." Human nature being what it is. people may perceive AAU basket ball as a quality program for young- - sters and want to be*a part of it. which may explain, in part, why the Triad has become^ as Allen says, a hot +>ed of AAU basketball in North Carolina. There are several teams inj the Winston-Salem area plus teams > in Kernersville. Greensboro High Point. Lexington and Tbomasville. That's a lot of teams to share the limited talent With that many, teams and coaches, and especially , with players, some at impression able ages, in essence being recruit ed and allowed to choose where .. they play, what keeps the AAU from running amok? \ "The checks, and balances are the coaches." Allen said. "Since these teams play within one area, if a coach is paying a player it is hot ? UkeJ-^u> he f.ep4-a secret. You ? would be surprised how the coaches police themselves. If a kid got something they probably wouldn't ? keep it a secret. If the state associa tion finds out. we will investigate - and sanction coaches and players." KOUte SU from downtown to Westside areas with a new extension off Westgate Center Drive, Healy Drive, and Maureen Drive. Route 51 from downtown to Northside/Eastside areas with a new extension - from University Parkway to Walmart to Patterson Ave. Route 52 from downtown to Southside.areas with new expanded services to Salem Gardens and Easton. V ' ? Detailed map* are available at I he WSTA Dimnlomi Transit Center mm open frmii 6:00 a.m.- 11:30 p.m. Mondax- Krirla>. or eall The \\ msion-Salem Transit AutHorits .it 7 2 7- 2( X M ) Harris feeler REDUCED PRICES USDA CHOICE BONELESS CHUCK ROAST LB. F&ESH 80% LEAN StBS. WITH ADDITIONAL PURCHASE i LB. LOW PRICES GREAT VALUE ICOKE OR DIET COKE WEEKLY SPECIAL KRAFT BBQ SAUCE SELECTED VARIETIES IN THE DELI-BAKERY TURKEY 1 BREAST SUCED TO ORDER LB. HARRIS TjnBLTHE BEST IS WHAT WE'RE All ABOUT I HARRIS TEETER POTATO CHIPS 6o, 2/|00 HARRIS TEETER _ GRANULATED 2/^00 SUGAR 5 LB. BAG SEJ.ECTEDVARIETIES IN THE DEU-AAKEKY SUCED TO ORDER^ HHS mozzareua022 LB. WHITE HOUSE APPLE JUICE 64 OZ. VIENNETTA ICE 2M00 CREAM CAKES 3? 1 Prices Effective Through July 26, 1994 Prices In This Ad Effective Wednesday. July 20 Through Tuesdayjuly 26. 1 994 In Our winston-salEM Stores Only.We Reserve The Right To Limit Quantities. None Sold To Dealers, we Gladly _ , Stores Accept Federal Food Stamps.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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July 21, 1994, edition 1
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