Does my son need to play AAU?

[quadzilla200]

This is a serious question. He is in 8th grade and if the varsity coach allows freshman on varsity he should have no problem earning a spot next year. They stink currently and have no height. He has had some very good "AAU" coaches, but all I notice is kids showcasing their individual skills trying to please Dad. Very rarely do I see team basketball or more important, no kids having fun. Same in baseball for that matter.
I know the argument is always, they need the competition, college coaches don't look at high school ball anymore. I don't if that is true or not, which is why I'm asking. I told him if you earn a spot on varsity as a 14/15 year old you will be playing against men for the most part. Playing up 2-3 years. So do we need AAU? He also likes playing baseball and AAU and baseball season don't go well together. I don't think there is a future in baseball, but he likes hanging out with his friends in the summer and we have the high school gym right down the street assuming a coach opens it up in the summer to have open gym. He likes football as well, but that's a different conversation.

Any feedback would be great. Thanks.

 

[Comeagle]

If he likes playing baseball in the summer more than basketball then the answer is easy, do not play competitive basketball in the summer. To get exposure to college coaches he could also attend basketball camps at the schools he is interested in if they have summer camps. These are usually only 4-5 days. Good luck, hope it turns out well.

 

[WaggleQB]

This is a serious question. He is in 8th grade and if the varsity coach allows freshman on varsity he should have no problem earning a spot next year. They stink currently and have no height. He has had some very good "AAU" coaches, but all I notice is kids showcasing their individual skills trying to please Dad. Very rarely do I see team basketball or more important, no kids having fun. Same in baseball for that matter.
I know the argument is always, they need the competition, college coaches don't look at high school ball anymore. I don't if that is true or not, which is why I'm asking. I told him if you earn a spot on varsity as a 14/15 year old you will be playing against men for the most part. Playing up 2-3 years. So do we need AAU? He also likes playing baseball and AAU and baseball season don't go well together. I don't think there is a future in baseball, but he likes hanging out with his friends in the summer and we have the high school gym right down the street assuming a coach opens it up in the summer to have open gym. He likes football as well, but that's a different conversation.

Any feedback would be great. Thanks.

If he is good enough to play college basketball (or other sport collegiately), they will find him. If he likes all 3 sports, please let him participate in all 3. AAU helps, it is NOT the end all be all.

 

[quadzilla200]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I coach track. I'm thankful Mahommes is out there as a great example of a multi-sport athlete. We've struggled for years now losing kids to club sports. I'm going to check into the camps route as we don't know much about what options are out there.
.

 

[kaskaskiakid]

Play baseball and shoot 2 hrs per day in the offseason. Easier said than done. He has to have a real passion to get in his offseason shooting. Have fun, there's time for AAU if he develops in next couple of yrs.

 

[wahoolives]

Shoot the basketball as much as possible. If he will work seriously on ball-handling and shooting it can do more to improve his skils then playing AAU. Although it is pricey I would recommend one of the basketball camps put on by PGC basketball. If he continues to develop and has the potential to be a college basketball player you can always look at AAU after his sophomore season. AAU is not an absolute for playing in college. Bad AAU with no coaching and discipline is worse then not playing, AAU done right can be benefecial, I would do my research before joining any group. My other advice is don't force him to do anything, let him be a kid and have fun with his friends. If he is talented enough to play college basketball and you do some work he can find a place to play without AAU and unless he is high major recruit not that much difference in the experience at small D1, D2, NAIA or even D3.

 

[hangmanbobbyjaggers]

This is a serious question. He is in 8th grade and if the varsity coach allows freshman on varsity he should have no problem earning a spot next year. They stink currently and have no height. He has had some very good "AAU" coaches, but all I notice is kids showcasing their individual skills trying to please Dad. Very rarely do I see team basketball or more important, no kids having fun. Same in baseball for that matter.
I know the argument is always, they need the competition, college coaches don't look at high school ball anymore. I don't if that is true or not, which is why I'm asking. I told him if you earn a spot on varsity as a 14/15 year old you will be playing against men for the most part. Playing up 2-3 years. So do we need AAU? He also likes playing baseball and AAU and baseball season don't go well together. I don't think there is a future in baseball, but he likes hanging out with his friends in the summer and we have the high school gym right down the street assuming a coach opens it up in the summer to have open gym. He likes football as well, but that's a different conversation.

Any feedback would be great. Thanks.

Where is your kid from?

 

[mowesten]

Shoot the basketball as much as possible. If he will work seriously on ball-handling and shooting it can do more to improve his skils then playing AAU. Although it is pricey I would recommend one of the basketball camps put on by PGC basketball. If he continues to develop and has the potential to be a college basketball player you can always look at AAU after his sophomore season. AAU is not an absolute for playing in college. Bad AAU with no coaching and discipline is worse then not playing, AAU done right can be benefecial, I would do my research before joining any group. My other advice is don't force him to do anything, let him be a kid and have fun with his friends. If he is talented enough to play college basketball and you do some work he can find a place to play without AAU and unless he is high major recruit not that much difference in the experience at small D1, D2, NAIA or even D3.

Lots of good advice here and agree with most, but, I strongly disagree with your last thought. It’s certainly true that not all D1 basketball is created equal. But there is significant value in a scholarship.

D3 is non-scholarship. D1 basketball is still handing out scholarships. Even at Abilene Christian and Tennessee State.

I’ll tell you this much, you’d be hard pressed to find a D1 head coach or assistant coach willing to trade places with a D3 counterpart.

 

[wahoolives]

Good point on the scholarship issue, I was thinking about it from the playing perspective but getting an education paid for is obviously a huge difference.

 

[hangmanbobbyjaggers]

Good point on the scholarship issue, I was thinking about it from the playing perspective but getting an education paid for is obviously a huge difference.

The next few years, athletic scholarships will be less because the granting of another year to all athletes at all levels in college. Be sure to hit the books and read up on ncaa requirements academically for high school that he needs to take to qualify to play.

 

[freezeoption]

Make sure he hits the books. More money in grades than in athletic scholarships.

 

[quadzilla200]

I teach high school. I have a D1 caliber soccer player who has had multiple offers pulled because all of the senior college players are coming back. The NCAA really screwed over an entire graduating class for no reason. It seems like everyone ended up playing.
I think a few years from now basketball and football might be the only sports left standing with scholarships on a large scale. So many universities did not save for just a one year drop in enrollment. I read this article this spring after Stanford(who has extremely deep pockets) started doing away with sports.
Kills me as a former collegiate track and field guy.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sports...ther-sports-at-college-level/?sh=48e6475171c2

 

[hangmanbobbyjaggers]

I teach high school. I have a D1 caliber soccer player who has had multiple offers pulled because all of the senior college players are coming back. The NCAA really screwed over an entire graduating class for no reason. It seems like everyone ended up playing.
I think a few years from now basketball and football might be the only sports left standing with scholarships on a large scale. So many universities did not save for just a one year drop in enrollment. I read this article this spring after Stanford(who has extremely deep pockets) started doing away with sports.
Kills me as a former collegiate track and field guy.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sports...ther-sports-at-college-level/?sh=48e6475171c2

We will see where it ends up, but definately not headed in the right direction. Honestly, I could see colleges doing away with athletic money if athletes start getting paid while attending college. Honesty, kids are 18, can go off and join the service, but can not go directly to pro sports? There lies the problem. If kids want the money and are good enough to play, let them go pro. It is up to the pro leagues to have steps in place to help mold them more as adults then.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

It is up to the pro leagues to have steps in place to help mold them more as adults then.

This times about a trillion! As someone who's a huge fan of the free marketplace, what the NCAA and pro leagues has done is ridiculous. They've made their bed, and they crapped in it, and now they're having to deal with it...but the college or prospective college athlete is the one suffering.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

20 years of doing this. So many answers. But I think it starts with what the kid truly wants to do. If he wants to play baseball in the summer, then let him. PLENTY of time to get up shots and work on truly purposeful individual skill work. That's a lost art, I feel. There are plenty of good places. Hanlen and PGC come to mind immediately. Not sure if the Snow Valley stuff is still around. I think a huge help would be to find a week-long individual camp to give him a baseline of where gaps in his development exist and what he can do to develop and cover the gaps. Outline it for him though. If he wants to play baseball, those are the expectations...If he wants to go the AAU type route, just be careful about program selection. Sooooooo many just roll out the ball and let the talent take over. Granted, he's getting a ton of reps against good players, but there has to be a level of emphasis on the skill level of the individuals on the team. Have to be taught, be able to rep it, then carry it to competition. And I think that competition being high-level is a good thing...Whatever he does, get shots up and develop skill. If done right, I think any option past that will be a winner. Your kid is happy doing what he chose to do, but is also developing. Lastly, teach him to prepare his body to compete. Strength and flexibility. Summer between 8th and 9th is a perfect place to start it. All of this and about $5 will get you one of those fancy "coffees" somewhere too.

 

[MelWest]

If he is good enough to play college basketball (or other sport collegiately), they will find him. If he likes all 3 sports, please let him participate in all 3. AAU helps, it is NOT the end all be all.

You don't fatten a hog by weighing it. You don't really get better playing AAU.

If he is bought in to putting in the time and effort....save your money...lift, workout...do what he can to make himself a better athlete......put in the time practicing on skills, not playing in glorified pick up games. Practice you shoot 200 shots...you dribble with 2 balls, you work on ball handling....improve your skills.................and enjoy the other sports. How much do you shoot in a game?

Study and get a high ACT score...that is where the money is.

Have fun playing sports in high school...don't worry about "the next level"....it will be a disappointment most likely.

Big mistake parents and kids make...looking ahead. Make the most of the current situation.

 

[AC100]

You don't fatten a hog by weighing it. You don't really get better playing AAU.

If he is bought in to putting in the time and effort....save your money...lift, workout...do what he can to make himself a better athlete......put in the time practicing on skills, not playing in glorified pick up games. Practice you shoot 200 shots...you dribble with 2 balls, you work on ball handling....improve your skills.................and enjoy the other sports. How much do you shoot in a game?

Study and get a high ACT score...that is where the money is.

Have fun playing sports in high school...don't worry about "the next level"....it will be a disappointment most likely.

Big mistake parents and kids make...looking ahead. Make the most of the current situation.

I agree with this. I have seen parents spend thousands of dollars a year for 6 to 8 years and the kid gets a community College scholarship, which is free to anyone that gets A+ credits by doing some community service. I would only do AAU if my kids had interest from D1.

 

[3Rfan]

I agree with this. I have seen parents spend thousands of dollars a year for 6 to 8 years and the kid gets a community College scholarship, which is free to anyone that gets A+ credits by doing some community service. I would only do AAU if my kids had interest from D1.

Not many get D1 interest in Jr High. If they do they're pretty dang good already.

 

[MelWest]

Not many get D1 interest in Jr High. If they do they're pretty dang good already.

I wouldn’t do it if they did. It doesn’t make you better and if you are good enough they are going to find you. Not like it was before hudl and all the media we have now. There are no hidden gems. Enjoy sports....don’t make it a job

 

[mowesten]

To say that the average kid who plays AAU doesn't get better than the average kid who does not play AAU is rather silly.

I guess the question is are they getting better specifically because they’re playing AAU basketball — or are they getting better because the kids most likely to want to play AAU basketball are kids who love basketball and are workint on their game?

IMO AAU basketball is going to attract kids ate up with basketball who want to compete against other good players and who want to get better.

This is a topic I could literally write a book about, but in general AAU basketball is a mixed bag and it’s not all the same just like not all high school basketball is the same.

If you were to judge high school basketball on what the worst programs in the state are doing then you’d probably think it was hot garbage and a waste of everyone’s time.

The same is true for AAU basketball.

 

[Al SC]

If he is plays high school basketball almost every team now has summer camps to keep them busy. They will usually play about 20 games over the summer in a short timespan. My son graduated 4 years ago and they did that & I also coached them in a league where we played 12 games during the off weeks the coach could not spend with them. He also went to a trainer twice a week to work on skills for a couple hours with around 10 other guys. My son did not play other sports but would have had time to if he wanted to.
Just saying you can get the time in without an AAU team.

I would see what happens after first year of high school as that will really decide what he wants to do. My son loved football before high school and after freshman year was going to start both way for varsity but after spending the summer practicing football decided he didn't want to play and just played basketball the next 3 years. I had hoped he would play multiple sports as he was also very good at track but he just wanted to have fun and basketball was more fun to him.

 

[kaskaskiakid]

I firmly believe that the biggest issue is parents overestimating their child's abilities. Unless they have seen up close a D I or good D II basketball team, they are clueless to the God given natural physical skills of D I athletes in college basketball. Especially if the player doesn't have size, they better have exceptional speed and strength. Most people don't get that genetics play the biggest role in sports like basketball and football.

 

[Al SC]

I firmly believe that the biggest issue is parents overestimating their child's abilities. Unless they have seen up close a D I or good D II basketball team, they are clueless to the God given natural physical skills of D I athletes in college basketball. Especially if the player doesn't have size, they better have exceptional speed and strength. Most people don't get that genetics play the biggest role in sports like basketball and football.

Agree on a lot of this. I do think D1 get the greatest athletes. Being good isn't enough at that level. D2 has a lot of the hardest working athletes that just don't have the God given genetics they need to make it to the top.
Although with great grades you can make a D1 team due to the GPA rules you just may not play much.

 

[hangmanbobbyjaggers]

You don't fatten a hog by weighing it. You don't really get better playing AAU.

If he is bought in to putting in the time and effort....save your money...lift, workout...do what he can to make himself a better athlete......put in the time practicing on skills, not playing in glorified pick up games. Practice you shoot 200 shots...you dribble with 2 balls, you work on ball handling....improve your skills.................and enjoy the other sports. How much do you shoot in a game?

Study and get a high ACT score...that is where the money is.

Have fun playing sports in high school...don't worry about "the next level"....it will be a disappointment most likely.

Big mistake parents and kids make...looking ahead. Make the most of the current situation.

I would have to argue that point about not getting better. You get better by playing better competition and pushed out of your comfort zone. Most high schools and junior high teams do not have 10 equal guys to compete with each other. Therefore, most players have to do extra things outside of the school to get better. I run a program and our kids get better. It is not about going and playing. Our kids spend many hours practicing on individual and team skills. They are pushed by their teammates who are equally as good as they are in every drill. Something they do not get at their school.

 

[kaskaskiakid]

Depends on the AAU program.

 

[Al SC]

I would have to argue that point about not getting better. You get better by playing better competition and pushed out of your comfort zone. Most high schools and junior high teams do not have 10 equal guys to compete with each other. Therefore, most players have to do extra things outside of the school to get better. I run a program and our kids get better. It is not about going and playing. Our kids spend many hours practicing on individual and team skills. They are pushed by their teammates who are equally as good as they are in every drill. Something they do not get at their school.

Yes if you are the best player on your high school team then this is a very good point. You don't get better by playing or practicing weaker opponents. That's why many coaches when they have good teams go outside the area to play games or bring in outside teams. In practices I always split up the talent so the top kids would go up against each other. But AAU you are taking the elite athletes against the elite. Something most high school teams can't don't have.

 

[hangmanbobbyjaggers]

Yes if you are the best player on your high school team then this is a very good point. You don't get better by playing or practicing weaker opponents. That's why many coaches when they have good teams go outside the area to play games or bring in outside teams. In practices I always split up the talent so the top kids would go up against each other. But AAU you are taking the elite athletes against the elite. Something most high school teams can't don't have.

So true. AND I always had trouble splitting up equal because they need time to develop chemistry together as a team in season.

 

[MelWest]

I would have to argue that point about not getting better. You get better by playing better competition and pushed out of your comfort zone. Most high schools and junior high teams do not have 10 equal guys to compete with each other. Therefore, most players have to do extra things outside of the school to get better. I run a program and our kids get better. It is not about going and playing. Our kids spend many hours practicing on individual and team skills. They are pushed by their teammates who are equally as good as they are in every drill. Something they do not get at their school.

So they get better by practicing and with that I agree with you...and they can work on skills and work on becoming a better athlete without AAU.

I am not saying AAU hurts them...I am just saying there are alternatives that will still allow you to play other sports and not spend hours traveling and spending a lot of money.

If a kid wants to play...and they have the time and the resources...no problem, but I can accomplish the same thing and more in other ways.

 

[hangmanbobbyjaggers]

So they get better by practicing and with that I agree with you...and they can work on skills and work on becoming a better athlete without AAU.

I am not saying AAU hurts them...I am just saying there are alternatives that will still allow you to play other sports and not spend hours traveling and spending a lot of money.

If a kid wants to play...and they have the time and the resources...no problem, but I can accomplish the same thing and more in other ways.

I agree.... to an extent. You can put in the time on individual stuff sure, but it is not the same as going against someone who is just as talented or better than you. Basketball is all the same. Everyone does the same thing, it is just the speed at which you do it. You can not immitate that in individual workouts. There is a reason why most freshmen college players see an increase in their abilities after the first year of college.

 

[MelWest]

There is a reason why most freshmen college players see an increase in their abilities after the first year of college.

Sure....they are a year older, they have first rate nutrition and physical training.........and they get better because they practice with those better players.................not because they play in games.