On June 9th 2009, the NCAA and NBA named a joint youth basketball initiative entitled iHoops. Kevin Weiberg, iHoops CEO, and Duke University men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski made the announcement at a press conference prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Orlando. Nike and adidas will serve as founding partners for the initiative, and adidas Vice President of Global Basketball Lawrence Norman and Nike Vice President of Global Sports Marketing John Slusher were on hand to participate in the announcement.

The NCAA and NBA says that they have established iHoops to provide a structure and develop programs to improve the quality of youth basketball in order to enhance the athletic, educational and social experience of the participants.

"We are excited to partner with the NBA and NCAA in bringing this program to life," said Norman in a press release. "This partnership is a part of our continued focus on growing the sport by developing youth basketball in the US."

Active.com is the technology provider for iHoops.com and will operate the site, which is scheduled to launch this fall. iHoops.com is looking to become the premier youth basketball online community and network in the U.S. and Canada by facilitating communications and thereby becoming an essential resource for players, coaches, officials, parents, and youth teams at all levels. iHoops.com says they will provide skill-training curriculum, certification programs for coaches and officials, and the opportunity to register for events, tournaments, and programs. In addition, the site will feature instructional videos, player profiles and highlights from tournaments.

With basketball currently the number one U.S. participatory team sport with 23 million American boys and girls playing the game, iHoops says they will provide an emphasis on the health and safety of youth basketball participants. The initiative also intends to provide an online community and network of events that they say will play a vital role in the game's continued growth.

Others aren't quite so sure about the motives of the iHoops initiative and see it as a covert power play by the NCAA and the NBA to eliminate AAU and Grassroots basketball programs by decreasing their relevance to the college recruitment process.

The president of one of the largest independent basketball camps, who did not wish to use his name, said, "It's such hypocrisy. Now that the NCAA and NBA are married, they're just trying to squeeze out grassroot programs like ours. Why does my camp coaches have to pay the NCAA to be certified yet the coaches for College Day Camps don't?"

Board members for the iHoops initiative include Krzyzewski, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball and Business Strategies Greg Shaheen, NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President of Social Responsibility & Player Programs Kathy Behrens and attorney and college basketball television analyst Len Elmore.

A former high school coach agrees with the iHoops initiative saying, "iHoops is going to put control of high school players back in the hands of high school coaches all year round and get rid of these grassroot programs that take advantage of the kids. AAU basketball is in trouble."

"Its all about money," says yet another AAU coach with an opposing viewpoint. "Who's actually better for kids? A guy like Gary Charles, who drives the kids from game to game all summer long or the high profile D1 coaches who fly in on charter jets?"

Gary Charles is the director of the New York Panthers, a grassroots basketball team, but also the President of Grassroot Basketball of America (GBOA). GBOA is an organization whose mission statement is, "To sustain, improve, and clean up the grassroots basketball world by giving it structure, purpose for the players."

Charles has mixed opinions when it comes to iHoops and the NCAA's attempt to regulate grassroot basketball through initiatives and certification. "I remember when the whole NCAA certification started. It was also supposed to be to protect the kids. To prove a point, I registered (with the NCAA) online as Jack the Ripper and paid the $40 and was accepted. It wasn't about the kids, it was just about the money."

Charles maintains some optimism. According to Charles, iHoops and GBOA are scheduled to meet on Tuesday July 21st at the Palms Resort Hotel in Las Vegas to discuss the iHoops initiative and get GBOA's input. "I give them credit for at least reaching out to us to meet," says Charles but he still says he has reservations.

Charles says that Neil Dougherty, Director of Athlete & Coach Programs of iHoops, called him to schedule a meeting. "We were going to be in Vegas anyway for a GBOA Hall of Fame induction ceremony," said Charles. "We plan to induct Sonny Vacarro as the pioneer of Grassroots Basketball as well as NBA stars Stephon Marbury, Philipe Lopez, Antoine Waker, Sharif Abdul Raheim, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rafer Alston and others. Asked if Vaccaro would also be attending the meeting, Charles replied, "No."

This not surprising due to the fact that Vaccaro has long been a vocal opponent of NCAA and NBA policies regarding student-athletes and the requirement that they be one year removed from college before being eligible to participate in the NBA Draft.

Vaccaro, who pioneered the ABCD camp which was the prototype of the Nike and Reebook Elite Camps, most recently counseled and negotiated for NBA rookie Brandon Jennings when he played overseas. Jennings successfully avoided the NCAA, playing professionally in Italy, then returning to the USA and going #10 in the NBA draft. "Many kids who went the traditional route to College went lower in the draft than Brandon," says Charles.

Whether iHoops is ultimately looking to help the kids or simply looking form a monopoly and take over basketball from top to bottom, or both, is yet to be seen. The results or consequences of the meeting between iHoops and GBOA may shed some light on the subject.

The participants in the July 21st meeting will be Charles, Jim Hart (Albany City Rocks), Carl McCrae (Atlanta Celtics), Dino Trigonis (Pangos), Lance Sugiyama SVP of DHR Int'l and college coaches Paul Hewitt and Bill Self.

Charles says that GBOA is taking a wait and see approach. "They can't just get rid of us," says Charles. "I want to see what they have to say first."

NYCHoops.net will keep you updated as to the progress of both the meeting as well as the initiatives.

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