Premier's Own Spot!

[AlwaysImprove]

If the people running ASA were smart, they'd schedule as many ASA nationals as possible in California for the next few years and try to smother PGF in the crib. It may already be too late, but next year's crop
18G Oklahoma
18U Tennessee
16U Alabama
14U South Dakota
12U Illinois
10U Indiana
is not going to put a damper on PGF in California. I would imagine that AZ would also prefer SoCal to the other trips as well.

10U and 12U Westerns are in NorCal (both in Roseville?), but 14U in Oregon and 16U in Las Cruces, NM are not big draws for the California teams.

If PGF is the success I expect this year and next, it will be too late for ASA to get the horse back in the barn.

There is a natural progression that will occur. ASA has made it clear they are going to continue to pick hosting locations and run the tournament in a fashion to maximize profits for the foreseeable future.

ASA has been infiltrated/taken over by a few very savvy politicians like James K. Ellis. These politicians work for the those cities that regularly host ASA tournaments. These politicians driectly profit from these tournaments, not in their role as ASA directors, but none the less their pockets are lined for their votes. The cities that have learned the formula for using ASA to rip-off parents. I am referring to Midland TX, Johnson City TN, Montgomery AL.

As PGF becomes very popular, those cities will no longer be able to make the mass profit they make on these tournaments. These tournaments mast have 100+ teams to really make the level of profits that interests these cities. As soon as it becomes evident that ASA will have much smaller tournaments, these profiteers will move on to volleyball, basketball or some other sport/activity that is dopey enough to let them infiltrate their political process and leverage it for their profit.

When we reach that point, ASA will return to a more rational way of thinking. At that point UmpSteve can come back, all the stuff that MTR talks about makes sense again. At that point PGF and ASA could begin working together.

[ontheblack]

As PGF becomes very popular, those cities will no longer be able to make the mass profit they make on these tournaments. These tournaments mast have 100+ teams to really make the level of profits that interests these cities.

What are the projected numbers for number of teams at 12U, 14U and 16U ASA nationals this year?

[ice_67]

Just more snubbing of the rest of the country by SoCal. Geez, aren't all of you used to it by now.

Bugs, You are Old School, really old school.

[Joe]

ASA has been infiltrated/taken over by a few very savvy politicians like James K. Ellis. These politicians work for the those cities that regularly host ASA tournaments. These politicians driectly profit from these tournaments, not in their role as ASA directors, but none the less their pockets are lined for their votes. The cities that have learned the formula for using ASA to rip-off parents. I am referring to Midland TX, Johnson City TN, Montgomery AL.

Right on! Although I would add Fort Worth.

[brewtusplease]

As PGF becomes very popular, those cities will no longer be able to make the mass profit they make on these tournaments. These tournaments mast have 100+ teams to really make the level of profits that interests these cities.

What are the projected numbers for number of teams at 12U, 14U and 16U ASA nationals this year?

Not sure on 12U/14U, but 16U has 134 currently to last year's 160. And I'm not sure how many more qualification tournaments remain. I believe the number of teams won't differ much. There will just be more teams that qualify for ASA that would not have if there was only one national tournament.

[joemcq51]

ASA will still make money. I don't see a huge dropoff in the number of teams at Nationals. Just a dropoff in the number of quality teams. As PGF grows, it will have to find a way to attract teams from a more national pool. This would force some of the local Cali teams back to ASA Nationals. It will be interesting to see in 10 years which Nationals is the best.

[YellowBalls]

As PGF becomes very popular, those cities will no longer be able to make the mass profit they make on these tournaments. These tournaments mast have 100+ teams to really make the level of profits that interests these cities.

What are the projected numbers for number of teams at 12U, 14U and 16U ASA nationals this year?

Not sure on 12U/14U, but 16U has 134 currently to last year's 160. And I'm not sure how many more qualification tournaments remain. I believe the number of teams won't differ much. There will just be more teams that qualify for ASA that would not have if there was only one national tournament.

And that will affect the level of play ASA offers, esp in the upper divisions where the college scouts will be, moving them more towards Premier, thus affecting the number of teams that will continue to jump ship and ride on over to Premier..

[brewtusplease]

There's no 'let's all hop on the bus and take a ride over to Premier'. The teams still have to qualify. Like any event, there can be only so many spots available. While I agree the overall level of play is better in Premier because of the initial agreements to jump ship, it will not and has not stopped college coaches from watching ASA Nationals or even Regionals for that matter. What % of starting players in 18HS at Premier and 18G ASA Nationals are already committed? So maybe the importance is much greater at the 16 level for where a team should attempt to qualify. We skipped that age group, but that's another thread. At the 18 level, unless for personal reasons, I really don't care where we play. Save for the fact that if the choice is on the table, would my girls want to play the best and lose or play the lesser teams and win? It's a no-brainer. They would tell me, let's play the best. That's where Premier has the edge.

My kids were/are being recruited in showcases for the most part. We get quite a few college coaches watching in Qualifiers. But it's not like Colorado or the Ronald McDonald. In a recent conversation at a camp, a coach was going to pass on the ASA HOF Qualifier and go to a showcase a couple weeks later. The reason, why go watch committed players(for the most part) try to qualify? Knowing that there are some solid uncommitted kids playing, I still see the point comparing to a showcase that's loaded with uncommitted kids. And of course that thought process varies with all college coaches and what class they are working on. I would skip nationals before I would skip Colorado or the Ronald McDonald, I can guarantee that.

This should probably be a separate thread. But whatever.

[bruisedshin]

I don't know what rules there are for college coaches and recruiting, but it seems to me that it is obviously easier to scout the highest quality players from multiple age divisions in one place than to be in Texas, Tennessee, Illinois and San Diego during the same week.

[AlwaysImprove]

ASA will still make money. I don't see a huge dropoff in the number of teams at Nationals. Just a dropoff in the number of quality teams. As PGF grows, it will have to find a way to attract teams from a more national pool. This would force some of the local Cali teams back to ASA Nationals. It will be interesting to see in 10 years which Nationals is the best.

18 Gold team numbers will be kept up, teams that may have played 18A in the past will be very happy to get a Gold berth. 18A will fall off significantly. The days of the 180 team Gold qualifiers are gone as well.

In 14's, 12's and 10's teams that are playing ASA nationals are already not playing in the best division, so they are already playing in a "B" tournament. Teams just barely tolerated going to the hell holes where ASA held tournaments when ASA nationals was an "A" tournament.

Teams can can go stay in a Disney Hotel on the property at Disney World for the same price that you are paying for the Super 8 with just barely working A/C in Midland, and you get a free day pass to the park.

At some point I would think a USSSA trophy and the memories of Disney make more sense.