U17 Team (11th graders and rising Post-Graduates)

These teams are the most exposed teams within the ECF program. The main focus on these teams is to give each player the best chance to be recruited to continue playing basketball at the collegiate level. At this age, families can't afford to make the wrong decision on which AAU program to play with. It could cost them a lot of money (in scholarships) and frustration (with attending a school that isn't a good fit because options were limited) if the wrong decision is made in this last year. ECF coaches assess each player's ability so that we can promote each player to the correct level of college.

Player Selection

The types of players who generally participate on these teams are players who the East Coast Fusion staff believes they can help develop their game to get recruited at a higher level of play than they are currently being recruited at. Players who have already peaked in their ability and/or players who are uncoachable (and not committed to working hard) are probably not good fits for these teams. Rosters are formed based on the positions that players will play in college. The rosters include an appropriate amount of players at each position, we don't select an excessive amount of players at any one position just because they are the most talented players. Once these teams are formed, additional players are not added to the roster unless members of the original roster are removed due to injury or disciplinary reasons. If replacement players are needed, ECF makes every effort to add players of the same position as those who are being replaced. Players from the entire state (and on occasion bordering states) will be included on these rosters. Players for these teams are either invited to play (after evaluating them during the high school season) or selected from a tryout that takes place in early March. In the event that there are 20+ players that the ECF staff feels could benefit from the program, additional U17 teams are formed to give more players a chance to participate.

Expectations

The East Coast Fusion program is loyal to the players/families who are on the roster and make every effort to promote the players to the adequate level of collegiate play. Contrary to some programs who "promise the world" to players (and their families), ECF will be realistic in the level of play that each player can play at and will work with the family to find the right fit on where to play at the next level. Due to the distance that these players are traveling, workouts are either Tuesday/Thursday (on weeks of tournament play) or solely on the weekend (on weeks without tournaments). Players are expected to attend all workouts and will potentially have playing time reduced if they do not attend workouts. With so many families commuting to attending these workouts, it is unfair to not expect all families to be equally committed and attend workouts accordingly. One of the reasons why we have such a great reputation in the eyes of college scouts is because we practice on a regular basis and have committed players who are unselfish and play hard. All players play in each game, but the distribution of playing time will be at the coach's discretion with the goal to win the game and give adequate exposure. Winning games means more games are being played in each tournament which means more chances for exposure to college recruiters and scouting services.

Tournament Schedule

The tournament schedule includes events all over the country with most tournaments including overnight stays in hotels and some including air transportation as well. The selection of tournaments is based on those that provide a high level of competition and exposure. The tournament schedule starts in late March and continues through July for these teams.

Exposure

The reputation of the East Coast Fusion program comes into play with these teams. As these tournaments include over 100 teams in the U17 age division, scouts cannot see every team play. Due to the success of the ECF program, scouts make a point to attend these games because they know the talent level and types of players that make up these teams each year. It is important to remember that just because a team plays in an exposure tournament doesn't mean any scouts will actually watch the team play. Prior to each tournament, college coaches will call East Coast Fusion coaches to find out which players they should be watching at the event. Again, because of ECF's reputation, these coaches know they can save time by finding out who to watch prior to the event and they know that our coaches don't oversell players to places they can't realistically play at. This is an advantage that East Coast Fusion has gained because of the large number of players who have gone on to have successful college careers at various levels. Other programs might try and say they have this same advantage, but they don't. Contrary to younger age groups, players can't afford to listen to bad advice in their U17 year, this is the final chance for most players to get the needed exposure to play at the next level.

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U16 Team (10th graders)

This team is the youngest exposure team within the ECF program. The focus on this team is to continue with player/skill development, but to put the teams in events where they play against some of the best teams in the country and also have the opportunity to play in front of college recruiters and scouting services.

Player Selection

The rosters of this team tends to include players who have Varsity-level experience and are serious about playing basketball at the collegiate level. Players/Families from the entire state will be included on this roster. Players from the entire state (and on occasion bordering states) will be included on these rosters. Players for these teams are either invited to play (after evaluating them during the high school season) or selected from a tryout that takes place in early March.

Expectations

The East Coast Fusion program is loyal to the players/families who are on the roster and make every effort to help develop the player's skills and prepare them to play at the collegiate level. Due to the distance that these players are traveling, workouts are either Tuesday/Thursday (on weeks of tournament play) or solely on the weekend (on weeks without tournaments). Players are expected to attend all workouts and will potentially have playing time reduced if they do not attend workouts. With so many families commuting to attending these workouts, it is unfair to not expect all families to be equally committed and attend workouts accordingly. One of the reasons why we have such a great reputation in the eyes of college scouts is because we practice on a regular basis and have committed players who are unselfish and play hard. All players play in each game, but the distribution of playing time will be at the coach's discretion with the goal to win the game and give adequate exposure. Winning games means more games are being played in each tournament which means more chances for exposure to college recruiters and scouting services.

Tournament Schedule

The tournament schedule includes events all over the country with most tournaments including overnight stays in hotels and some including air transportation as well. The selection of tournaments is based on those that provide a high level of competition and exposure. Some teams might also participate in the U17 Division of tournaments if that means better competition and/or exposure. The tournament schedule starts in late March and continues through July for these teams.

Exposure

The reputation of the East Coast Fusion program starts to come into play with this team. As these tournaments include over 80 teams in each age division, scouts cannot see every team play. Due to the success of the ECF program, scouts make a point to attend most games because they know the traditional talent level of those teams. It is important to remember that just because a team plays in an exposure tournament doesn't mean any scouts will actually watch the team play. Scouts being present at games is more dependent on who is playing as well as what game it is (quarterfinal, semifinal, championship, etc). It is also important to understand that many college coaches don't recruit rising juniors in high school because they are putting most of their effort and energy toward rising seniors. Our goal is to get the ECF U16 players on the radars of college coaches while also giving them a taste of the type of events they will play in during the most-crucial U17 season.

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U15 Overview

This team is a transitional team within the ECF program. The focus on this team includes a blend of player/team skill development and highly competitive tournaments where the players start to see talent from up and down the east coast. The rosters of this team tends to include players who have experience playing at the JV or Varsity high school levels, but occasionally you find a raw player who still hasn't developed their skill level yet. Players/Families from greater distances (1-2 hours) start to make up more of the roster on this team. The coaches are expected to prioritize the development of the players while at the same time give the players a chance to win games by "playing to win" in the last quarter of the game. Players will receive comparable playing time over the first 75% of the game, but the coach will decide who plays in the last quarter based on who is performing and who can help the team win that specific game. The tournament schedule is regional-based with 1-2 tournaments including overnight stays in hotels. The selection of tournaments is based on those that are organized and those that provide a high level of competition. Even though college coaches are permitted to attend some of these tournaments, these coaches (and scouting services) do not normally attend games in the U15 age group. If another program is promoting that they will be playing in front of coaches and scouting services as part of their schedule, they either don't know what they are talking about or they are intentionally lying to you. This includes teams that want to emphasize that going to "Nationals" is a great opportunity. There are at least 5 organizations around the country that have "Nationals", each event brings 50+ teams and they are nothing more than money-makers for the organizations at the U15 level. Tryouts for this team are held at the end of February and/or beginning of March.

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U13 & U14 Overview

These two travel teams are the introductory teams for the ECF program. The focus on these teams is help develop each player's individual and team skills with the hope that when they finish their U14 season, they are ready to be competitive at the high school level. The rosters of these teams generally include "local" players (less than 1 hour drive to practice) with the exception of very committed families who may travel more than 2 hours each way. The talent level of each player tends to vary because some players will have potential (even though they haven't learned the game yet), while others have been fortunate to already understand the game and with that comes a higher skill level. The coaches are expected to prioritize the development of the players rather than winning as many games as possible. The tournament schedule is regional-based with the team playing most of their tournaments within a 90-minute drive. The selection of the tournaments is based on those that are well-run and competitive. There is no focus on players being exposed to college recruiters or scouting services at this age. Tryouts for these teams are held at the end of February and/or beginning of March.

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