I'm disappointed that I have to write this. I have seen this exact issue for a long time now. One of my kids has made VC Rep teams, State Junior Teams & Australian Junior Teams. I sympathize with the OP. I know where he/she is coming from. My kid played in 5 Junior State teams, has represented Australia at the Junior Level. So that meant making U18 & U20 State teams as a BOTTOM AGE player. But even my kid suffered with lack of minutes at the U14VC & U18VC level? Go figure? At the end of the day, not being biased here, it was the coach's personal preference at the time, nothing more, nothing less.
For me there is too much emphasis on winning, certainly at the VC level.
Let's face it basketball is a great sport, it keeps kids off the street, keeps them fit and not obese, teaches team values, discipline, responsibility, respect, commitment, etc. But all the kids want to do is play - PERIOD!
The real issue I have is that on any given Friday night in Victoria there are probably 100's of kids, maybe a thousand or more that don't get much or any court time.
As a sporting code and a Junior one at that I ask is that OK????????
I know what the Ausport Code of conduct says in this regard. It is something along the lines of "play all, not just the talented ones".
Part of all player's learning and improvement process is to put in practice what they learn at training. Well if you never or rarely get on the court how can you? The typical response from a threatened coach is to blame the player or the parent/s. I have a different viewpoint - it is the coaches responsibility to only pick a player who they think can play at that level and not only to make up the numbers for a training squad. It is also the coach's responsibility to improve the skills and abilities of ALL players. Wouldn't it be better for the team if you have 10 valuable contributors, rather than relying on 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 regular players?
I think Basketball, certainly at the Rep level turns a lot of parents and kids off the sport for this very reason. If you turn the kid off the sport, do you think when that kid becomes a parent they will recommend the sport of basketball to their kid/s? I think I know the answer to that! Is this how you grow a sport? For too long basketball talks about numbers in the sport, but it is a bit of a false economy as there is always new players coming into the sport, the 5, 6, 7 Year olds feeding the bottom of the ladder. How many leave the sport, that is the $64,000 question and for what reason/s?
At the end of the day, most kids who play VC go nowhere with their basketball, relegated to playing midweek Women's or Men's comps.
I have for a long time wished the powers that be would mandate minimum court time at Rep Level.