There’s no doubt HS ball is a drop off (no getting better/faster/staying fit in HS ball)
Playing with and against the best is ideal for player development
But there should be a choice to do one or the other or both (especially if the parents are paying the bill)
And for Academy to be successful, they need to have ALL the best players playing…..but that hasn’t happen, yet. Academy might go the same way as ODP and R3PL. time will tell.