Bryan McCullough Blog

It’s been a long time, since I left you….without a dope blog to think to! Sorry about the hiatus but I have been working on my game harder than ever trying to get better! Now I am back so lets get back into it yall.

Today I wanted to get into the basketball system in America and if it is right for the players. Everybody who is from America knows somebody who could be in the NBA right now or at least should be playing for money overseas. You can find these guys at the local YMCA or the neighborhood park on Sundays. So I am wondering how these guys never make it to the various leagues around the world.

Before I can blame the system, I have to blame them as well. I always believe that if something goes wrong in your life that should always look in the mirror first. Maybe they never got that big break the rest of the players got or maybe they just did not have it “upstairs” (that means brains for you people that don’t know). No matter what the case may be, it just sucks for them in a way. This is an easy lifestyle and I feel bad for people who have the ability but no where to apply it.

Now let’s get into this basketball system of America! I like some parts of it but I hate it when it comes to the professional standpoint. From a youth development perspective, I believe we have the best system in the world. America is great at finding young talent and putting guys into positions to succeed. We start out playing kids leagues game on small goals and that helps us learn where to be on a basketball court if anything else. Youth coaches are so important teaching kids about the structure of the game and that is great. Once a kid matures and gets ready for middle school basketball, he already has an idea of what they can do well and what they need to work on. The basketball season does not end with school basketball. Now there is AAU and YBOA which lets kids compete from all over the country while you are matched up with the best kids in your area. A player can only get better when they play against the best. I love this about American basketball. It is set up so that you can dominate your school and then your city. After the city, you can volley for top in the area and then the state. From the state level, you can go after becoming the best in the nation. This is what I love about the American system of basketball! It gives the cream a chance to rise to the top!

From a player going professional, we have the worst system in the world. It seems like the “powers that be” wants guys to put in some kind of time (like a prison term) before they can play in the NBA. This is not fair. You already know my next argument; it is not fair because guys can turn pro in soccer (futbol), golf, and tennis without any age or college requirements. The only thing that SHOULD matter is TALENT! So when comes work hard and achieve the best player in the land title, why can’t they go into the NBA? The best players in the league never went to college (KOBE, LEBRON AND HOWARD)! It is not fair for players with the talent to not be in the league. I can also say that if a kid has the talent and the skill when he is in the 10th grade, he should play in the NBA.

I like what Brandon Jennings did and what Jeremy Tyler is doing. Brandon is the trailblazer for going overseas and not attending college. We go to college to find a career. If you find a career when you are 10 years old, why go to college? Take for example a farmer, he knows he is going to be a farmer so why an education? His education will come in the field tending crops. The same goes for the guys skipping college to go overseas. If their careers do not go according to plan, they will still have enough money to finish up school and get another career when everything is said and done. David Stern is just not thinking on this issue and is letting the league slip out of his hands in a way. That guy just has too much power right now.

Jeremy Tyler should have an easier time adjusting overseas than Brandon Jennings. Brandon is a guard who needs touches but is in a system that is not guard friendly. The overseas game is mostly played from the inside out (which is how basketball should be). In that case, JT should be alright overseas. The kid is not going to graduate from high school which is a minus but he is making a move for his future which is great. Most kids in high school have no clue of what they are going to do with their life. I am glad he made that decision already. Both of these guys have found a way around the system and I think that is the best part of this whole ordeal. Once a couple of more players go overseas instead of college and find success, David Stern will have to adjust his ideas. That is the major point of them going and I love that! Like Obama, it is time for a change!

Again, sorry for the delay but I am back…Leave the comments and your opinion on this topic! Take Care and God Bless!

bmac Uncategorized america, basketball, personal

I want to switch it up today and talk about other issues. The pros and cons are of overseas basketball is nice to debate but when it comes down to it, we are all blessed in one way or another. This does not mean I am going to stop talking about the pros and cons because there are a whole lot more issues to address but let’s talk about missing God’s blessings.

It all started for me when I started playing basketball and I was no where close to the player I am today. Growing up it was just something to do to stay around my friends and be accepted by them. I never thought when I was young that it could take me places around the world. I remember being cut from the first AAU team I ever tried out for because I was too young and too small to play power forward. There is a big difference playing a year older when you are 11 and the AAU team is 13 and under. If we were talking about 15 and 16 year olds, it would be different. This is the first example of missing God’s blessings because I could have thrown in the towel when I was 11. Instead, God blessed me with the opportunity to work on my basketball game everyday.

My mother would take me to the YMCA everyday and I used that time to work harder than everybody there. I could have thrown in the towel and sit on my butt during that time watching TV like all of my other friends. Instead I choose to rise above all of the negativity and eventually become one of the best out of Rowan County.

Let’s fast forward pass high school and college basketball when I wanted my pro career to happen right after I finished. I ended up picking the wrong kind of agents and things did not take off the way I thought they were. I was forced to come home to Salisbury and work in the gym even more. I thought I was ready but God had other plans. It came to a point right before Christmas when I suddenly got an email from a team in Germany that was not on my level as far as my game was concerned. God put that opportunity there so he could see my commitment to the game that I loved. After some debate, I took that chance and the rest is history.

I shined in that league and got better offers for the next season. Just think if I would have missed that blessing/opportunity, who knows where I would be today? Just food for thought. If you want something in this life, you have to leave what you know and let God handle things. I will leave you with that one!

bmac Uncategorized basketball, god, personal