Importance of AAU Basketball

Special to Greensborosports.com:

Now that basketball is over for much of Guilford County schools, it will continue
for those players that are seriously considering on how to get better and maybe
reach the next level in their athletic career. Granted, AAU Basketball is not for
everyone because it does require a great deal of sacrifice and out of pocket money.
Those prospective players that are entering their senior year, whether it is a boy
or girl, the time is of the essence because college recruiters will be on the look
out for talent; Never forget that this is how they feed their families. Hundreds of
respective colleges will roam the United Sates this Spring and Summer to see whom
they will make an offer to for their program. Student Athletes must keep in mind
that they are in competition with thousands of other prospective student athletes.
Students must understand that their grades and SAT and ACT scores needs to be in
tact. No matter how talented an athlete may be, if the grades
are not in order and the correct courses have not been taken, then colleges will
look for the next person. It is not personal. It is a business. College coaches
whom do not recruit and get the right mixture and do not win are gone in short
order.

Selecting an AAU Team to play for:

Too often this could be very misleading. Some believe that the larger the
organization the more of a chance that one would get noticed and maybe receive a
scholarship. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as receive a scholarship. It
must be earned. Granted getting the right exposure is very important because the
events that a respective organization attends or put on, helps to bring college
coaches in. Now, one must understand that if your game is not that good, it does not
matter what organization a player plays for; That may sound harsh, but it is a
reality. It is never about any person who may not like a player for whatever
reasons. The only person that counts are the college coaches that watch with their
own two eyes with pen and paper in hand. College coaches will often tell you, “If a
person can play they will find them”. It has nothing to do with what Highschool team
they play for or AAU team. Many kids tend to run from organization to
organization looking for that pot of gold, when in reality, discipline, hard work,
character, skill set are the main ingredients that seperates one athlete from
another.

Getting Offered a Scholarship:

Some kids are fortunate enough that they get offered scholarships very early on.
College coaches have recognized that this particular student athlete can play at the
next level. Keep in mind that it has nothing to do with what anyone else thinks that
are not in that position to make that offer. It is not your highschool coaches
fault. It is not your AAU coaches fault. Coaches get to see you during the Spring
and Summer. Rarely do they have the time during the school year. So is the Spring
and Summer crucial? Only you can answer that. Prospective student athletes get too
caught up in believing that if they do not get offered a Division I scholarship that
some how they have failed. Nothing can be further from the truth. Getting an
opportunity to get an education and play the game that you love should be a time to
rejoice and not start blaming everyone else. Those who are humble and excited about
the opportunity usually do extremely well.

Student Athletes that Surprise:

Many times student athletes that are recruited by many colleges are well known and
it is expected. What surprises many is when some athletes come out of no where and
receive a scholarship from a school that many never knew whom were recruiting them.
Its called the Element of Surprise. Many times these student athletes have a very
quiet demeanor about themselves and they just move along in a very business like
manner and continue to put in the proper work when no one else is looking.

3 thoughts on “Importance of AAU Basketball

  1. The same can be said for many, many other local sports: swimming, lacrosse, baseball, soccer. I like that you include an emphasis on grades, SATs, etc.

    Nice article

  2. The problem is the deception of the importance of sports taught to these kids by parents and coaches. Statistically speaking a minute number of athletes will make any money whatsoever playing sports. College scholarships are not free rides. Many hours of student life are spent in their sport and training for it. Self -esteem is based on performance in a game rather than a well rounded life that prepares youth to be better adults. I played sports all my life, there are some good merits, but to base one’s self esteem on throwing a baseball 95 mph is warped.

  3. A few points to add.

    Play at the highest level that is available, so that you can learn to compete at the highest level. There are teams out there that are not concerned about development.
    These teams go from one small town to the next looking to win a trophy against easy competition.

    Set your goals high. If you set your goals low that is probably where you end up.

    Be proactive and contact the colleges that you or your student athlete is interested in. Do not wait around for someone else to determine your fate. As a parent I am actively looking for opportunities for academic and athletic scholarships.

    I welcome any assistance I can get from others, but I feel that it is my responsiblity to look for scholarship opportunities or it will be my responsibility to pay my student athlete’s tution out of my pocket.

Comments are closed.