Jason Cadee: The problem crippling junior Aussie hoops

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He was a star junior himself and went on to become an NBL legend but now Jason Cadee has spoken about a problem he believes is crippling junior basketball in Australia.

On the latest episode of the Cut to the Jase podcast, the man who played 15 seasons and 424 games in the NBL for the Gold Coast Blaze, Adelaide 36ers, Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets said juniors and parents of young athletes were prioritising winning and results, rather than development - a choice which would prove a hindrance for that player's future.

Cadee spoke about the issue while reflecting on Rio Bruton's journey to sign as a development player for the Brisbane Bullets, continuing his family's legacy with the franchise, just years after playing division two basketball in his early junior career.

"It doesn't matter if you play div two, div three (in under) 12s or 14s," he said on the basketball.com.au podcast.

"Like everyone's journey is different. We live in a world now where people are so concerned about winning and listen, winning is great, I won as a junior, no one asked me how much I won as a junior now as a 35-year-old but everyone treats under-14s and 16s like the world ends if I don't play on a team that wins.

"Half of the kids that aren't on that team that's stacked with talent that win by 60 will get better than the kids that are on a team winning by 60 points because you're not getting better competing on the best team playing against teams and beating them by 60.

"You're actually better off being the kid that's on the team getting beat by 60. It's hard work but you'll learn more from that than you will being on the team dominating everyone by 50-60 points."

Cadee, who went to the Australian Institute of Sport and represented Australia at the junior level, said we've gotten lost on what junior basketball is all about.

"We live in this place now where everyone gets so worried about winning their under 14 div one, div two, div three. It's really, like, if you want to talk about development, the worst thing for you is being on the best team that wins every game by 100 points," he said.

"We've got lost in the importance of winning juniors. If I'm being brutally honest, it means sweet FA.

"No one asked me when I got to being a pro, did you win your under 12s, div one? No one asked me. No one cares. Everyone's journey is different.

"It starts in different places, ends in different places and I think we've got a little bit mixed up in what's really important for a lot of the kids at certain age groups."

Cut to the Jase co-host Brayden Heslehurst, who is a WNBL assistant coach and coaches at the junior national championship level, echoed Cadee's comments.

"No one is too good to play in a second team or anything like that," he said.

"Just a message to parents and everything around junior basketball. Stay in whatever system you are and work through different situations because it can teach the kids a lot going forward."

New Zealand international junior and southeast Queensland product Jayden Cecil was the latest guest on Cut to the Jase.