 In 1988 I traveled to New York City to watch a young player named Kenny Anderson play basketball. This trip would represent a turning point for me and the game I love. During this particular visit to New york I didn't watch Kenny play a high school game. I didn't even watch him on the playground or watch him workout in the gym like I had done when visiting hundreds of other athletes I recruited over the years. I watched Kenny play in a "travel team" (often referred to as AAU) tournament; my first travel team tournament of hundreds I would end up attending during my next decade of college recruiting.
At the time, I could not even begin to comprehend the implications of what this new travel basketball concept would mean to the game. I regret to say I was even excited about the idea. I could go to one location and watch all-star travel teams loaded with Division 1 talent and cover as much scouting as I could by going to half a dozen high school games with only one or two Division 1 players on each team. While the new "travel team" system made recruiting slightly more convenient in the short-run, I believe it also marked the beginning of a harmful change in the culture of basketball in the U.S.
(Read entire First Chapter)
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