I think the state of AAU basketball in general is hitting new lows in terms of helping players. For the very top players, it can help at very big tournaments. For the other 99% of AAU players its just an illusion of what drains them of any potential they may have had. The small measures recently put in to regulate AAU is a joke. How many players are running from team to team just looking to play bigger and bigger? How many players (and coaches and parents) still look at getting "held" back as a positive? AAU sure makes it useful. If over 95% of aau players never get a college scholarship for basketball, then why are these kids travelling all over playing games to get "exposure". Exposure events for the most part are another waste of time for the majority.

 

The only way for players to get ready for the real next level is to work hard in school. For the 95% of aau players who want to play in college, make sure you are practicing at LEAST ten times as much as you are playing. In the long run, the players staying behind to practice and get ready for high school will do much better then anyone running around from tournament to tournament. And if your good enough, they will find you in high school. Theres quite a number of players going to play basketball in college every year who never played aau, who just found a coach or someone to work with, practiced hard, studied hard, and played hard in school. Those are the players who will not only do well in college, but more importantly after college when just about virtually every college athlete goes into the workplace outside of basketball.

 

I am not saying going to play in the occasional tournaments is a negative, just like many things doing so in moderation is good. I dont know if this really is written the way I want so I might make an add-on to this at a later date.

 

 

Written in 2006

I was recently thinking about how unimportant high school basketball is becoming in regards to college. Sure, you can just play for high school and nothing else and if your that good, someone will know. But its almost becoming the point of playing high school is just to get recognition so you can get on a good aau team or go to some good camps. More importantly, I think the goal of the aau teams, camps, and high school for the top players is to be listed on a site such as this in hopes it will bring recognition to ones name, and later on, perhaps, college recruiters as well. I hope everyone keeps in mind that grades are important also, and much more important then any basketball. It is what, at some point, EVERYONE will need to fall back on. 

 

Written in 2004 or earlier. I need to date these when I write them.
MORE Thoughts---I saw the United States team lose in a tournament for the first time ever and then continue to lose. It is not the talent of the players, although players overseas are getting better and better. It is the little emphasis that is placed on these games. It seems that when they arent being paid millions of millions of dollars our top stars either dont want to participate or do show up to run through games like they are out playing in the park. This is not true of all of the players, some did show up and gave it their all. It is a shame that such little overall effort was given to the game that allows many of them to make more money in one single game then most americans make in a year.