Have seen a lot of negative comments about AAU and how it's hurting the NBA, etc. Kevin Garnett in USA Today, Barkley, Wade in past articles. Since a lot of our high schoolers are playing for AAU teams, does anyone agree and if so, what's the alternative?
AAU
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Disagree with Garnet, he's a hypocrite. Garnet made his name in AAU which ultimately got him to NBA out of high school. There are negative & positives to AAU. The positive outweigh the negative. First let me say there are good & bad programs just like high schools. They should not be lumped in together. The reality is AAU runs recruiting & exposure. Coaches dont recruit at local high school games anymore, they go to the tournaments. They do go to mega high school tournaments like slam dunk, hoophall etc. Its just more advantages to see hundreds of talented kids under one roof. They may come to see a particular player they saw in AAU to show the family there level of interest. All delaware kids recruited so far in the last 20 years is because of AAU exposure. AAU participation is critical to getting opportunities, the only exception are powerhouse schools that play a national schedule. There is no alternative, gotta find a good program that attend major hoop group events, Vegas, or are part of a sneaker circuit. Make sure u study the recruiting calendar & the team is competing during live sessions. Avoid These mom & pap local operations, they are a waste of time & money. Any team playing on urban youth Inc is a waste, won't get you recruited.
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All you need to know about the quality of an AAU program where they're playing in April and July.
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Only thing I question about aau is why is it that I see kids playing on the major circuit, getting ranked in the country , all star camps invites, etc then in Delaware high school bball they're are very avg!!!
I think Garnett was referring to how players nowdays team up w/ one another instead of competing against each other like they did in the 80's & 90's when you had Magic in the Lakers, Bird and the Celtics, Jordan and the Bulls, Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons but I agree w/ the previous statement about exposure...
On an AAU team they are playing with like kind players! Higher tempo offense with player that have game experience and share the ball. Coaches that have played the game at the next level. When they return home they are playing with multi-sport athletes who don't have game IQ, playing for mostly average coaches who may or may not have played the game.
Everyones definition of AAU isn't the same, one of the main problems is people lumping everything all together, playing for a sneaker circuit "elite" team is a totally different experience than playing for the fundraising, tagging, everyone gets to play local AAU team that hopefully gets to go to Nationals.
I understand that but there's kids that play lower end aau or no aau that play better every night in DE. Also defensively I don't see many that stand out! I'm not knocking AAU at all but I do believe if your a D1 or D2 player or you are ranked in the country you should stand out from the rest on a Delaware high school basketball court everytime you touch the floor.
100 correct ... Local AAu teams is a joke...
He has to clarify that, & thats the problem with generalized criticism. Him & many others just sound hypocritical or forgetful of what gave them opportunities. Many once the money starts coming in & they are surrounded by certain people get delusional in there thinking by believing that they are self made without systems like AAU & want to Slam the door on others. This is especially bad when him & guys like kobe won't lift a finger to help kids or improve it, just takers in my opinion.
They shouldnt say nothing.. They all came up threw AAU.... Smh.. Millions change alot thinking..
I totally understand it, and there are kids that I read online about that are on the major circuit. I say I want to make sure I go see them playing high school but when I get to the game,it's the 4th quarter and I still can't figure out who's suppose to be this stud bball player something don't add up.
I love seeing ppl make it in life! Sometimes I look at these parents, coaches, etc and think if they spent the time,money and effort on helping these kids become better at academics they would be all receiving academic scholarships
I use to think the same thing but I have come to realize kids will perform to the level of their surroundings. Metal sharpens metal. Out of Delaware they let them play, PA would be a good example, the competition, officiating, coaching creates an environment that brings the best out of kids. There are some kids that don't fall into that trap like Mikey Dixon who torched this state last year. Anything aggressive or progressive is checked here which in my opinion suppresses talent.
Rankings mean NOTHING, we live in a Viral world. You could blow up tonight.
It happens, I went to see Shaq's son, he didn't make but 1 shot the whole game, and didn't even display the athleticism you read about.
But I have seen video, kid is a freak athlete! Sometimes the eyes lie.
Great players try to perform every night, I don't give excuses for not playing to your potential. Mikey, Donte, Lamar H. all played like they were the best on the court because they were it's pretty simple.
They did as mature seniors but where inconsistent in their efforts each year up to senior. From my experience this is usually the trend with kids. So what I look for is raw talent & attitude. This is why I try to watch a kid multiple times before I form an opinion & even watch a player a year or 2 later for maturity.
Here's the problem I see in Delaware concerning AAU. First, there are different levels of AAU. Let's look at it from a parent perspective, I have a son or daughter in 6 or 7th grade who has some basketball talent (IMHO after 9th grade it's too late). That player need to start working with a trainer that knows how to develop their skills and establish a work ethic that needed to develop at a higher level. Most parents don't know where to turn or what questions to ask and what to look for. So a local AAU program reaches out to them and say play for us we go here and do this and that all they know.
Here are the reality of this. IF YOU WANT TO PLAY A HIGH LEVEL YOU MUST LEAVE DELAWARE!!!! Listen to the people who have experience and know what there talking about. Not to say you must move but you must go out to state to play AAU. Whom ever says that you don't is boldly lying to you. If not then tell me one Delaware based AAU program that plays on EYBL circuit orwho plays in Nike’s Peach Jam or Adidas’ Gauntlet OR under Armour’s Association Finals in July?
Trust me I'm was just as much of a homer as the most of the posters here but after going to Boo Williams Nationals, Battle of the Boro and Nike Nationals, then no body can tell me that you can stay here and play @ Urban Youth or West Chester or Ocean City tournaments and if you are good that offers will come, the sad truth is, there equivalent to rec league. Sorry if this rubs some people the wrong way but seeing for myself has open my eye's to the truth.
Here are the reality of this. IF YOU WANT TO PLAY A HIGH LEVEL YOU MUST LEAVE DELAWARE!!!! Listen to the people who have experience and know what there talking about. Not to say you must move but you must go out to state to play AAU. Whom ever says that you don't is boldly lying to you. If not then tell me one Delaware based AAU program that plays on EYBL circuit orwho plays in Nike’s Peach Jam or Adidas’ Gauntlet OR under Armour’s Association Finals in July?
Trust me I'm was just as much of a homer as the most of the posters here but after going to Boo Williams Nationals, Battle of the Boro and Nike Nationals, then no body can tell me that you can stay here and play @ Urban Youth or West Chester or Ocean City tournaments and if you are good that offers will come, the sad truth is, there equivalent to rec league. Sorry if this rubs some people the wrong way but seeing for myself has open my eye's to the truth.
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I understand, I won't say the kids name but I've heard about about him for years doing this and that in aau but I've seen him 20+ times now and have yet to be impressed at all.
Lamar and Donte played each other for the championship and as a sophomore(LH) and junior(DD) they were the best 2 bball players on the court
AAU=college scholarsship opportunities. That's what it's all about doesn't matter to me rankings or performance in state or out of state. College is expensive. When kids go to school on scholarship whether sports or academics, kids, parents win. Whether kids like cale, Donte, Mikey or others have bad instate games is irrelevant to the fact that they have full ride scholarship to attend school for free some valued at over 60000 a year. That is why playing with the right AAU team is important. Even if a kid gets 75% of their education paid for at d2 from being in AAU it's still a win.
Yes they were, are we talking talent or effort. Talent is easy to recognize the question I thought was regarding consistency of effort. It was my opinion that effort is usually inconsistent with kids until they mature.
If you go to the sneaker circuit you will see elite play. If you look at MC he played for an circuit team and dominated! At Appo hes playing with no AAU players. Its totally different basketball with teammates and coaches not knowing how to use him. When he gets to SH he will fit right in...
I know it sounds strange but it so true especially if you are not a PG with ball in you hands, the HS game is different than AAU, I seen players excel vs top competition in AAU but are not as dominate at the high school level.
AAU players play their next level position against other players who are doing likewise, in Delaware high school you play where the Coaches want or need you, and then you have these misleading rankings,newspaper boxscores, bias media,two play highlights and players getting all these points against subpar teams,all this leads to kids,fans and parents getting big headed... AAU got my child seen to receive a scholarship, School got my child qualified to receive that scholarship ride. High school ball kept my child focused and apart of something... All the coaches played a big part in this also and more importantly my child did what needed to be done. All above posts are good!
I love the game and I like Watching great talent as long parents and coaches are striving for a kids education before college as hard as they do AAU basketball I support it!! Too many kids are way behind with education in high school but travel all around the country playing bball. The goal is to get them to college for a education right?
The chances of getting drafted are very slim period so a kid that has great bball talent but has been in "slow classes" to keep there gpa up ,what gd is that? For those who don't know, in college they have some special classes for athletes to keep their grades up to be able to play sports. It's a bussiness!!! Those athletes finish college and are qualified to do the same thing a high school graduate can.
The chances of getting drafted are very slim period so a kid that has great bball talent but has been in "slow classes" to keep there gpa up ,what gd is that? For those who don't know, in college they have some special classes for athletes to keep their grades up to be able to play sports. It's a bussiness!!! Those athletes finish college and are qualified to do the same thing a high school graduate can.
Read NCAA eligibility requirements. That world is gone. I see more elite kids on honor role than I have ever seen before. There are still many that slip through the cracks but I give credit to the NCAA for stepping in and making changes. I also give credit to those that invest their time and money into tutoring programs for kids. This is why many elite kids attend top private schools. I think it's the other kids that don't get the special education attention that are more at risk these days.
