I agree with Ryno. Unless money and the cost of the private school is a constraint, this appears to be a no brainer. I think any HS coach in this day and age who requires his players to play on his or any specific "local" travel team is not only doing the players a disservice but is also hurting himself. Your son is a perfect example. He very well may not (and should not) play for him for that very reason.
Agree. Trying to understand the HS summer team requirement. I get there is some value from team building/skill development standpoint. But from what I have learned here it's about exposure during summer too.
Exposure, yes, but it is more than that. As someone else mentioned, it is about each player getting out and playing against the best possible competition and becoming a better player for it. That level of competition is not the same for each player. BucsFanSon's HS team went 25-3 and were State Champs last year....team chemistry and commitment was off the charts. To my knowledge, none of the kids played on the same travel/summer team. Each was encouraged to do their best to get on the best team possible where they could get reasonable playing time. Many of the players, including my son, went into that season with a high degree of confidence because they had been accustomed to playing with and against a very high level of competition...regionally, nationally, etc....much higher than the average HS team that they would face. You get it but I thought I'd add to my original comment.