Fall 8th grade AAU teams
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| I don't think anyone just asking for input on what AAU teams to join is looking to be recruited this young. Could be wrong tho'. OP--you need to start looking now because tryouts are shortly coming and open gyms are happening. |
Anonymous
I am "insane"  ! I drive my DS (under 12 years old) from NoVA to PG county twice a week to practice 1.5-2 hours. We started this routine a year ago. The coaching, development, team work and camaraderie is amazing and worth the hassle of driving through DC at rush hour! Unlike most of the NoVA teams, the PG teams are year-round, playing leagues and tournaments. DS improved significantly and now plays for a top tier AAU team.
Of course the downside is a huge time suck. Little time for other sports or swim lessons. But the upside is less time for YouTube and gaming  because dinner, homework and reading take up the rest of his evening time twice a week.
OP, figure out what your family and your DS are looking for in a team and your time commitments. Some teams travel and expect you to sign on to weekend trips. And basketball is the number one priority for most serious coaches--no skipping practices once a week for soccer or baseball! |
Anonymous
| So people are just posting to brag about their own kids and not provide OP with any actual advice? The vast vast vast number of middle school basketball players are not playing at the nba, D1 or even local pybl level. |
Anonymous
| Thanks all. Don’t think my son would ever be a d1 play but has D2 potential. 5’10 and 13. We are in falls church and was thinking something closer than PG but don’t know what that commute looks like or if he would ever make that type of team. Looking more for local tournaments than big circuits. |
Anonymous
| When does he turn 14? Is he redshirted? Are you holding him back for 7th grade since you are changing schools anyways? Several 7th graders in my nephews team really should be in 9th grade but are doing the second year of 8th grade. |
Anonymous
This is the first poster that named the PG teams. To be honest, even D2 level talent takes a lot of work and talent. Bball is probably the hardest sport to be recruited for in college and the DMV area is probably the hardest of any area in the country. Watch Something In The Water documentary to get an understanding of DMV bball. Anyway, without knowing what level your kid is right now, I would say go ahead and try out for a lower level team in Nova for fall season. Also still try out for Winter PYBL. Once he’s at his local high school, he will meet more bball boys and could potentially move up to a higher tier AAU team at the 15U level Freshman year. It does become easier at that level as he could carpool with high school teammates etc. I would still look at skills development training in addition and would highly recommend DNA Elite in Springfield. I have no affiliation with them but their development program is too notch. Not recommending it but they even have an 8th grade program where the boys are homeschooled at the facility all year to prep for high school. Not recommending that route as they do have regular non-intense training sessions both group and individual. If your kid develops enough, they could invite I’m to play on their 8th grade team for next Spring. |
Anonymous
|
Here is their main IG page:
https://instagram.com/dna_skills_academy?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Here is their current 8th grade team (rising 9th). My son has played against them, every single one of them will likely play D1. Their golden playwr is currently a rising freshman at O’Connell and was the team’s top scorer during summer league. https://instagram.com/dnaelite2026?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Here is their rising 8th grade team: https://instagram.com/dnaelite2027_platinum?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= But again, even if you don’t play for them, they have great training programs and group sessions |
Anonymous
|
Their star player.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfXZESvlzgW/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= |
Anonymous
|
OP, I would definitely consider signing your son up for tryouts on a Fairfax County Youth Basketball League team (NoVA travel) for fall/ winter. The league teams are grouped by zip code but each club offers 1 or 2 exceptions for outside players. Zip code list…
http://www.fcybl.org/Page.asp?n=154934&org=fcybl.com |
Anonymous
|
It's interesting this kid is listed as 6-6. He doesn't look that tall, but I guess it's because he's with a bunch of other tall kids. |
Anonymous
|
It's interesting this kid is listed as 6-6. He doesn't look that tall, but I guess it's because he's with a bunch of other tall kids. The hair adds extra 3-4 inches . Lol 
|
Anonymous
He’s really that tall. I know him. He may be 6’5.5. He just grew 3 inches as he was 6’3 at beginning of 8th grade. |
Anonymous
My kid played for a couple of AAU clubs in PC County. For our not-very-aggressive kid, what we really valued was that DS’s teams there explicitly taught aggressiveness and contact, which two teams he played for in MoCo did not. One popular drill was to roll a ball out onto the floor and tell two kids “go”. They’d race to the ball, and whoever came up with it was on offense for one point. At end of the drill, kids kids with less than X points ran. Kids did it in good fun, laughing and joking, but they dove for the loose ball and played hard. There were a lot of drills that taught kids to hit the floor, to play through contact and to not worry about being fouled. It totally changed how my kid played. |
Anonymous
| Anyone know if the basketball at the St. James is good? |
Anonymous
Depends on the program out of the St. James. Not familiar with a “St James” team but I am newish to the AAU world. |