Mike Krzyzewski, NBA seek to transform youth basketball in USA for global stage

Three years ago, Silver called his good friend who a year earlier had stepped aside as the Duke men’s basketball coach after 42 Hall of Fame seasons. Silver, a Duke alum, wanted to know if Krzyzewski had interest in chairing a committee that examined the state of youth basketball in the USA and implement changes to address issues, strengthen programs and improve the overall quality of a U.S.-based player’s game.

"I can't think of anything that is more important to basketball than the development of the next generation of players," Silver told USA TODAY Sports. "What we've noticed as a trend is that while we get spectacular athletes who are incredibly skilled, they haven't played as much team basketball on a consistent basis than some of the players from the generation before them.

"The opportunity presented itself to work directly with one of the greatest coaches of all-time, and somebody who is passionate about teaching the game of basketball and passionate about youth basketball."

Also on the committee: New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who was a co-chair before leaving the league office to join the Pelicans; Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, NBA great and Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul; Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers; Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum; and Pelicans general manager Troy Weaver.

While the committee's primary focus is on the men's side, Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson is a strategic advisor for the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Court of Leaders program and WNBA and head of WNBA league operations Bethany Donaphin is involved in youth development programs.

Krzyzewski and the global basketball committee have been tasked with reshaping the direction of elite youth U.S. basketball and creating a holistic approach that addresses player development with a focus on team play, off-court leadership skills, player wellness and enhanced collaboration with college basketball and AAU programs.

It is a massive and ambitious undertaking. Change at that scale is not easy, but Krzyzewski and the NBA seek a transformation they believe is necessary.

Krzyzewski remains committed to basketball – just in a different capacity. "I want to be involved with the game I love and the game that I spent my life loving and coaching," he said.

At the first NBA meeting Krzyzewski attended, he said, "Our country, it's on a scholastic model. Most kids play more basketball outside of that scholastic model. And how can we make that better? How can we educate coaches and help them become better? How can we teach kids the game?"

Some ideas are as basic as learning to play with a shot clock. Not every state high school association employs a shot clock, though the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations 31 states plus the District of Columbia will have a shot clock by 2026-27. However, several players reach the college game with no prior experience playing with a shot clock. He also wondered why men’s college basketball is the only elite level in the world that plays two halves instead of four quarters.

"We need to unify (and) modernize the game," Krzyzewski said. "There should be some time in coaching where you prepare for a game, you play the game, and then you give feedback about the game. And then you have some level of practice or instruction where you talk about a few of the points you didn't do well. And so just like a college coach would learn during the season, you bring your team along and the game is actually what you're getting prepared for. And then after the game, 'let's analyze what we did. Why didn't we do this?'"

The youth basketball landscape in the U.S. has changed dramatically in the past few years with NIL and alternative paths to the NBA that didn’t exist or weren’t as popular such as the G League, international leagues and Overtime Elite.

Youth basketball in the U.S. is a massive operation, from youth leagues to high school to AAU to elite tournaments sponsored by athletic apparel companies. The committee has received buy-in from major backers, including Nike which runs the prominent Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) comprised of travel AAU teams, some sponsored by NBA players such as Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. The EYBL has pledged to curtail the number of games played at each event and implement a day off for each team.

"One of the biggest deficiencies in our grassroots system is overuse," NBA senior vice president/head of youth basketball development David Krichavsky said.

The NBA began surveying top high school players about six years ago and found the average elite youth basketball player plays between 80 and 110 games per year. Half of the respondents said they did not have time off from organized basketball activities in a 12-month span, and 50% responded that they had played four games in a day and seven games in a weekend.

The Global Basketball Committee also wants to inject portions of the European coaching and training model into the U.S. That means teaching and coaching that operate within a 5-on-5 game while still developing individual skills.

"The U.S. player is very skilled with the ball, can shoot and has the athleticism," Krzyzewski said. "The international player is skilled in 5-on-5. They understand better than the American player movement off the ball, the total concept."

The NBA also is focused on player health and wellness and has created guidelines.

"Those guidelines recommended multi-sport participation, age-appropriate limit on the number of games, both in a day and in a week, specific durations of time off for rest and recovery," Krichavsky said. "And that's all age- and stage-based to promote healthy development. The first piece is making sure that you've documented what the science is to promote healthy development in the sport."

The NBA/WNBA Jr. Court of Leaders program assembled in July some of the best boys and girls high school players in the country for a week of on- and off-court seminars. In attendance: Alex Constanza, Jason Crowe, Caleb Gaskins, Caleb Holt, Cayden Daughtry, Jaxon Richardson, C.J. Rosser, Autumn Fleary, Sanai Green, Jordyn Jackson, Haylen Ayers, Ryan Carter, Lauren Hassell and Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka.

The group went through sessions on mental health and wellness, film study, media training, social impact, financial education, contracts and agents; and skill sessions from experts in those fields.

"We want," Krzyzewski said, "to be able to help teach that boy or girl along the path of becoming, maybe a WNBA player, maybe an NBA player, the total game of basketball."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Krzyzewski, NBA seek to transform youth basketball in USA