NEWS » Va. -- Darrien Allen scored 24

NEW YORK -- The best thing young players can do for their basketball careers is not play too much basketball.They should participate in other sports and delay specializing in just basketball until they are at least 14 years old. They should also take at least one day off from organized competition each week and extended time off at least once a year for proper physical and mental recovery.Those were among the guidelines announced Monday by the NBA and USA Basketball to begin Jr. NBA Week. The Jr. NBA is the leagues youth basketball participation program for boys and girls ages 6-14. The research and recommendations come from panels of medical experts, former players, and coaches and administrators throughout basketball.They found that athletes who have the most success played multiple sports at a young age and didnt focus on a specific one until late adolescence.The idea of sampling and participating in other sports does not mean youre getting behind, said Dr. John DiFiori, NBA director of sports medicine and UCLA team physician. They actually provide a strong foundation for success in your sport.LeBron James, perhaps the NBAs best player, played football through his junior year of high school. But those who focus on basketball too soon face some risks that can last well beyond their teen years.Theres a concern that single sport specialization may contribute to injuries and may also contribute to basically loss of interest in the sport from sort of the repetition of incessant participation in one activity, DiFiori said, adding there are cases of young athletes developing overuse injuries specific to a certain sport.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has made player health one of his biggest concerns, working to create a schedule that allows more time for rest and recovery. The league went further earlier this year by looking into the youth levels.Working groups were created in the areas of health and wellness, playing standards, and curriculum and instruction. Their guidelines stressed the importance of time away from the court, with recommendations on amount of practice and game time, and even amount of sleep.I think sometimes parents and coaches can forget that there are only so many hours in the day and that when you have someone whos going to high school and theyre at school from 8 oclock to 2 oclock, or to 3 oclock and then theyre at practice for a couple of hours and they need time to study, they need time to eat, they need time to commute back and forth to school and practices, they need time to sleep, DiFiori said. They need time to recover and its important that people actually look at that and realize that you cant pack everything into one day and still necessarily have a healthy situation.The guidelines suggest limiting high-density competition, such as tournaments that feature multiple games in a short period of time.DiFiori noted the guidelines apply only to organized competition, saying that individual practice time or pickup games are beneficial. They have been endorsed by numerous youth organizations, athletic apparel companies and supported by the NCAA.Were sending a message to families, young athletes, coaches about rethinking how we do things at the youth level, he said.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BriancmahoneyCheap Nike Air Max 90 . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Nike Air Max 90 From China . 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LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59.FARMVILLE, Va. -- Darrien Allen scored 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting and Khris Lane scored 12 and gathered 11 rebounds as Longwood beat Division III Averett 86-67 on Wednesday night.Longwood (3-6) shot 34 for 55 (61.8 percent) to Averetts 24 for 67 (35.8) from the floor. Isaiah Walton added 17 points and JaShaun Smith and Chris Shields each added 10 points for the Lancers.Taj Thompson made a pair of free throws and James Contreras Jr.s layup brought the Cougars to within 77-67 but they couldnt get closer. LLongwood maintained a double-digit lead for most of the game.ddddddddddddllens 3 in the first half gave Longwood a 23-11 lead with 12:44 to play before halftime. Darin Ketner later buried a 3 for Averett reducing the deficit to 32-29 but the Lancers responded with 10-3 run to close the half with a 12-point lead.Longwood leads the all-time matchup between the teams with a 7-5 edge. ' ' '