Youthbasketball123 is a website designed to provide ideas, drills by grade, books, teaching tools, basketball jokes, guest blogs, basketball quotes, and so much.
- AAU Basketball Year
- 365 Top Basketball Twitter Accounts: Basketball Account of the Day
- AAU Basketball FAQ
- High School Basketball Year
- How to Be a Good High School Basketball Player
Playing AAU is a very useful way for the development of basketball skills, but they are so many options, how does a parent make the correct decision?
We have come up with a few important areas to consider before making a choice.
Cost: Probably the 1st consideration is cost. Now if your child is an elite athlete who has been identified by one of the top AAU programs in your area, there may be no cost, However if your child is like most AAU players, there will be expenses. Can your family afford the costs of AAU? Costs will range from $500 – $1,000+. Be sure you speak with the program to get an exact figure.
There are two AAU seasons, fall and spring. The fall season is typically a little shorter with reduced costs.
Program director: The program director is at the core of any AAU program. This person establishes the culture, curriculum, and basketball development. A parent should have a full understanding of this person’s values, what the individual stands for, and should have a high level of trust in his character.
Some questions to ask are
- What is your basketball playing and coaching background?
- What is your basketball and life philosophy?
- What is your playing time philosophy?
Coach: This one individual will have the most contact with your child and therefore should be one of the most important considerations when choosing an AAU program. In some cases the coach may be an experienced youth, high school, or college coach. On other cases it might be a well intentioned and under qualified parent. There is no doubt who the coach is, is a very important piece of the AAU puzzle.
Practice Location & Times: In the busy world of family life, the location of practices is very important. Where will practices be held? How long is the commute? How will the location impact family life? It has to be a location that can work with limited disruptions to you and your your child’s life.
Teammates: Who are the other players on the team? Is your child interested in playing with friends or looking for the highest level of competition? Neither of these priorities are better than the other, just be clear of the objective. Some teams have a high retention rate of players will others have a revolving door. If possible I would choose good players who are hoping to remain with the team so there is some level of consistency over time.
Travel: Most programs have different skill level teams. The local teams are average players who usually play within 2 hours of the team’s location. Many programs also offer elite or national teams that travel all around the country playing as many as 15 tournaments and hopping on up to 9 planes. Most elite teams may travel to 3 tournaments within a region of the country. Travel can be exciting, eye-opening, and allow for exposure to college coaches. The more travel, the bigger the commitment of time and money. Be aware of the travel expectations.
High School Coach: The goal of AAU in our eyes is to prepare a player to have s successful high school career. It would make sense for a player to speak to his / her high school coach to get feedback on possible AAU teams. Sometime high school coaches are part of an AAU program. The feedback is useful, but consider all factors
Hopefully these suggestions will help you and your family make the best choice for your child and his AAU basketball development.