It all comes down to the coach. They tend to come and go as their kids age. I'd stay away from the coach that doesn't have a kid on the team. They seem to be more in it for themselves than for the kids. Also, look for the club that the core kids have been there for awhile. There are many coaches out there where it is all about them. You will see him bring kids to a tournament that aren't on the team. They get to play instead of the kids who have been busting it. It is one thing to bring in kids as a backup to a tournament where you know you might be light on players. It is another to bring in a "star" player to replace a kid that has been loyal to the team. Also, go watch the practice or go to a trial practice. Watch the coach. At that age, they should be teaching fundamentals.
Unfortunately, you have to be in it to get what I'm saying. Once you are on a club for a year or so, you make contacts and can find other clubs that suit what you are looking for. My daughter's first club was ran and coached by a parent on her jr. high team. She was on the B team, but he and his wife really liked her work ethic and hustle. She played for them for 2 years where her skill greatly improved. The team folded because the father ended up having to take a job which didn't allow him to take the time to coach. We were given the name of the team she ended up with for high school. She went to a practice and that was all she wrote.
If you get into it you will figure it out. There were teams we played that I would not want my daughter to be associated with and whose parents I didn't want to be associated with. Some from rich areas, some from the ghetto. Our goal for my daughter wasn't to get her a scholarship. She is extremely smart and everything came super easy to her. She was a good basketball player but was never going to be great. We needed her to have to work at something to be good at it. Plus... she needed to learn how to associate with normal people. As a growth opportunity for her, I don't think we could of found a better team.
