What is your purpose in playing travel team ball?

It's paramount for any prospect beyond those benefiting financially and those who are being kept in shoes and apparel to determine the why of their participation in travel team basketball.

Now there's nothing wrong with desiring to play in the spring and summer alongside buddies or the enjoyment of hitting Las Vegas once or twice a season but the foremost raison d'être for this type of involvement is to land a college athletic scholarship or financial aid of some sort.

So with that in mind, the question looms of how best to do just that?

If you can land a spot on a sponsored team, go for it unless the likelihood of ever getting on the floor during exposure events is minimal. Doing so can be a moneysaver to the family and squads with the backing of shoe companies have a much greater odds of being showcased in primary rather than auxiliary gyms.

However, in general said programs are frequently ones that do not practice as a team and may not even provide skill training. The group individually or collectively flies into a town where a tournament is taking place and then disperses on Sunday until the next event takes place. There are a limited number of these type of entities vis-a-vis the amount of talents seeking a spot on a travel team.

However, there are also prospects -- the vast majority actually -- who are not at a caliber of being sent airline tickets in order to get them to make an appearance at tournaments. Plus, some kids are also geographically indisposed and playing for a local or regional travel team is their only option. They typically pay an annual or monthly fee to become a member. If such a team doesn't practice as well as not offering individual skill development, a longer look and tough decision are required because of how will any degree of betterment take place? Will further money need to be spent acquiring the services of a trainer?

Kudos to the squads that actually do practice as a team and are also involved with quality skills training. That's an invaluable two-fer for any kid and the perfect situation.

Not to digress but hiring a skills trainer, if need be, requires performing due diligence. Who has this person previously trained? How many and which talents went on to land scholarships? Does this individual provide a straightforward analysis -- the positives and negatives of a trainee's game -- prior to the hiring or is he simply blowing smoke 24/7/365? What's the consensus of a number of respected area high school coaches about this trainer? Well thought of? A waste of time and money?

It's a more than fair question to ask the head of a travel team program about which tournaments the team will be appearing and why. Also inquire about which gyms the team usually plays in during an event, the headquarters one or gyms in outlying areas because if a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound if nobody is around to hear it? In this situation, a well-connected program leader who can get college staffs to take his call and is trusted is a must.

Yes, nobody can 'get' a prospect a scholarship. Plenty of travel team coaches have relationships with a multitude of their collegiate brethren but the bond doesn't extend to signing prospects missing elements such as size, athletic ability, attitude and skill or who have burdensome parents. Run from any travel coach or skills trainer for that matter 'offering' such a deal.