US Soccer Ahead of USA Basketball Again

When will USA Basketball learn from US Soccer and look to the future of its sport through development of its future players? In 2003, I published an article titled Arrested Development; How US Soccer became a Role Model for USA Basketball, most of which appears here. It's now 2005, and the chasm between US Soccer and USA Basketball appears to be growing.

While the NBA attempts to rid itself of some of its best players through the use of an age limit, US Soccer has expanded rosters, encouraged younger players to join its league and created an avenue for the players to train with professionals and get minutes on the field through a Reserve league.

While the NBA proposes an age limit to help veteran players maintain roster spots (a flawed concept in and of itself as explained below), the MLS seeks more talent to bolster its growing league and provide competition for its burgeoning talent:


"The kick-off of the new reserve division is another milestone in the League's commitment to developing new stars and world-class professionals in the United States," said MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis. "The reserve division will be the proving ground for countless young players and will increase the competition for roster spots on every senior team in MLS."


What a concept? Competition for jobs, not guaranteed salaries! At UCLA, legendary men's volleyball coach Al Scates uses the "blue curtain" to motivate his players; basically, any player can be banished behind the curtain to play with the red shirts and walk-ons, and the players behind the curtain do not suit up for the next game. A player has to work his way back onto the main floor to play on game day. Eighteen national championships later, the curtain works.

Instead of forcing LeBron James to sit through college lectures and inhibiting his development by not allowing him to work with his coaches for more than three hours per week during the off-season due to the NCAA's archaic rules, why not develop a Reserve League for NBA teams, allowing those on the end of the bench to play an abbreviated Reserve League schedule? Instead of forcing these dis-interested athletes upon universities, allow them to make some money playing professional basketball and earn their way onto the "real" team.

This would be a fantastic development. Teams could play double-headers, or allow the Reserve Teams to play in nearby smaller towns. The Clippers could send its Reserve team to Orange County for games, while the Lakers could its team to the Inland Empire. The Kings could concur Reno, while Golden State could send its team to the South Bay. The Supersonics could play in Spokane and Portland in Eugene.

Instead of forcing players like Ndubi Ebi and Trevor Ariza into classrooms, let them play for pay and learn the professional game on a Reserve Team. College is not for everyone; why force it upon borderline students uninterested in classes with minds totally focused on a professional basketball career? And, why allow players like Ebi to rot on the end on an NBA bench with a guaranteed contract?

The Reserve League is a win-win. Players like King James have access to the League, while other players not yet ready for NBA play get paid to work on their games with professional coaches in a professional atmosphere, and universities remain educational institutions, not minor league stopovers.