Questions about AAU basketball in NOVA
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Anonymous
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My son would be playing 12U. He really wants to play in an AAU team, but we have some questions/reservations:
*) He has one friend who plays with VA Elite who have traveled across the country (LasVegas, Nashville etc). The thing is, this friend doesn't seem that good when I see him in games so I wonder if some teams are more like glorified pay to play groups. Leaving money issue aside (we've got other kids) if my son does go into an AAU team, I'd want him to be challenged. *) The money issue. The teams run from 200- 1,000 a season. We're fine with something under 500, but anything else would not work for us. *) My son plays well. He's on travel a year ahead of his grade (so he's about to turn twelve and plays with 13-14 year olds) but he's not physically what you'd think of a basketball player, except for his height (5'6 right now). He's heavier than most of his teammates and moves slower. He makes up for it in ball handling skills and defense. One of his coaches calls him Shaq and a lot of people urge him to play football- to give you a visual image. That's fine, but there's really only room for two guys like that on a team so he needs to probably be a smaller developmental team. Are there such things in AAU? *) He's our last kid, so I find myself agreeing to do a lot more with him than I ever did with his brother and sisters (like taking him to tryouts all weekend and then to his game. and....looking for advice on dcum etc). I've probably missed a few things. Any advice you all may have would be welcomed. Thanks! |
Anonymous
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With youth basketball, terminology gets kinda tricky because different people use the same words to mean different things. When people say AAU they might mean:
- any kind of non-rec and non Catholic league basketball (i.e. select, travel) - teams that play in AAU sanctioned tournaments where all the kids are members of AAU and they check birth certificates. - teams that play in shoe company sponsored leagues. The 3 shoe company leagues have about 20-25 teams per age group starting at 15-U, and that's where the best talent in the country is (i.e. McDonald's all-Americans play for those teams). - teams that aspire to shoe company sponsorship and play in large tournaments put on by HoopGroup or similar that are either open to any team that pays or fairly easy to wrangle an invitation to. To give you a sense of the landscape, in the past 5 years DS has played for: - A bad select team that played in a local travel league (where they lost a lot) and also played AAU tournaments (where they got crushed every time). Fees were about $400 per season (fall, winter and spring, so $1200 a year). They were definitely pay to play, because the organization had tons of teams and would find a team for any kid. - A good select team that played in a local travel league (where they always won the championship) and AAU tournaments (where they occasionally won but also got crushed fairly often). Fees were similar but they were a small club and only took kids who could play. - A fairly good AAU team (the "b" team at a sponsored club) that plays in the top division of big tournaments plus the occasional invitation-only showcase event made up entirely of sponsored teams (typically when they are standing in for the "a" team due to a conflict). I say all of this to clarify that there is definitely pay-to-play among so-called AAU teams, and about the only teams where you don't really see it are the top level circuit teams (i.e. fully sponsored shoe company teams where the kids get hundreds of dollars worth of gear, travel, and coaching paid for and there are no fees at all). Even at the "b" team of a sponsored club, there is some pay-to play (e.g. the dad of a player on DS's team works for the club, so his kid gets more playing time than he would strictly based on merit). In terms of whether your kid would be challenged, it's tough to know. A kid who plays JV at DS's school and hardly ever scores also plays on a low-level travel team where he gets like 20 points a game, so the same kid will look really different based on the competition. I get what you're saying about wanting a team that will develop your kid but also wanting him to be challenged, but recognize that those are to some extent competing goals, and it's going to be tough to find an exact fit. I would definitely advise going to a lot of tryouts and, if at all possible, talking to parents. All teams say that they focus on development over winning, but few really do. For example, DS's AAU coaches say they want to develop kids, but parents were actively trying to poach players from other teams all season last year, and a loyal, hardworking kid got cut from the team halfway through the season in order to make space for a poached player. As you might expect, the focus on winning (over player development and over teaching fundamental basketball) generally increases as you move up the scale toward fully sponsored teams. |
Anonymous
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This is OP- thanks for your detailed response- its very helpful.
The select team he's on now (which he could certainly continue with in the summer) isn't attached to an AAU affiliated team, but we were thinking of checking out two organizations(CYA and BRYC) that run the gamut from house league to AAU. The thought was that maybe the lack of elite status would actually be a plus for a kid who could only play in the DMV area and may not be ready for 'the best'. |
Anonymous
| A few thoughts: Nova Heat U12 is a low-cost AAU team in the Oakton/Fairfax City area. CYA is a larger, more stable, more reliable organization than BRYC when it comes to spring and summer basketball. A Shaq-like player would probably be a great fit for an AAU Division II team (not necessarily Division I), so you could look at the Nova 94 Feet Blue teams (not Orange), although Nova 94 Feet is relatively expensive. Nova Suns AAU, out of Herndon, has a strong U13 team. Virginia Thunder AAU, also out of Herndon, has a smart coach. |
Anonymous
| Agree that CYA is one to look at. The aau team is pretty cheap |
Anonymous
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So not to derail this thread, but can someone more knowledgeable than me explain how true AAU fits in with the world of UAA/EYBL/Adidas Uprising circuit teams? And with the various "JamFest" tournaments put on by HoopGroup and the like?
If you look at what are widely regarded as the best teams in our area (e.g. Boo Williams, Team Takeover, Team Loaded, Blue Devils, etc.) they all call themselves AAU teams, but they play no actual AAU tournaments... it's all EYBL (or whatever their circuit is) plus some of the big invitational tournaments in places like Las Vegas, Atlanta and LA. Are these just completely separate worlds? If so, why? Is it because real AAU tournaments check ages and almost everybody on the showcase teams has reclassed? |
Anonymous
| I'm not more knowledgeable than you are, but I did notice a few years ago that teams started calling themselves "grassroots" rather than AAU. Team Takeover being one example, I think. It was when AAU went to age-based rather than grade-based, meaning, in theory, that the holdbacks couldn't play against younger kids. You could think of the EYBL, UAA, and Uprising as the highest level of grassroots exposure basketball or travel basketball or select basketball for high-school players. AAU tournaments (including the Div. 1 national championship) still mean something in baby ball through sixth grade. I guess you know there are also elite regional leagues/circuits for eighth-graders now, too, boys and girls. But yes, AAU's brand has lost its significance for high-school players especially. |
Anonymous
Thanks, this makes sense. The age thing really bugs me. I was sitting in the stands at a tournament last summer, and a mom from the other team sat next to me and asked "are your kids playing up a year?" When I said no, they were 15 year olds, she laughed and said "Wow --- REAL ninth graders. Your boys are the first group of 15 year olds our boys have played in 15U." And - a kid I know on a 2020 circuit team told me that he was younger than all but two players on the 2021 team at the same club. It sucks because it ripples down -- now even relatively average players like DS want to reclass so they can hope to compete. |
Anonymous
| +100 |
Anonymous
| Bumping this to ask what plans anyone has for your DS or DD to play AAU this year? What teams are you looking at? What are you doing differently from last year? Some tryouts are being posted |
Anonymous
| Well this is a lively discussion. DS has decided not to play AAU this year but focus on improving his post skills, just working on his own. He enjoyed playing last three AAU seasons but needs to get better fast. |
Anonymous
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How’s he going to improve if he doesn’t play? This may be a mistake.
I’m looking at a couple teams who’ve contacted me about one of my sons. Not quite sure which direction we will go in since he has a brother one year younger and I am hoping to find a convenient spot for him too. |
Anonymous
I’d suggest you find a team that will allow him to work on his low post game and do some work on his own too. Even if the team in a is house league. Chantilly has a spring house league that I know of. You can talk to Walter Webb who offers training partication in a league too for $250 per month. Tell him or some of the other trainers you contact specifically what you want to work on. And how much you are willing to spend. If they want your business they will work with you and give you a fair price |
Anonymous
| +1 |
Anonymous
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Nova 94 Feet is mentioned here, and it has a strong reputation overall, but parents should go into it with their eyes open. Many of the coaches and teams are top notch and the best you will find anywhere. But a few could completely destroy your kid's connection with basketball, and do so very quickly. That's because Nova 94 has expanded so much in the past couple of years, rebranding rec teams as Nova 94 teams sometimes, that no one can realistically be expected to keep track of what is going on across the organization, which is now very, very large. For example, some excellent teams will probably be Girls Grade 8 National, Boys 13U National, and Boys Grade 10 Nmah. These are outstanding coaches - great character, ability to teach, and winning culture. The problem with those teams is that there may be no spots open at all. That's also true of the U14 Boys teams except for White. This age group should be avoided altogether anyway because of the serious issues, from costs to non existent discipline to losing, that are always coming up with the 2023 year Nova 94 boys program. If your son is a D1 prospect, he might fit in with the U14 Orange team. Just be ready to spend $$$ for travel and prepare yourself to deal with the politics that come up when there are five parent volunteer coaches! If he doesn't make Orange, run as fast as you can from Blue. Also, I have heard that Corras is a very legit coach on the girls side. Things to watch out for generally with Nova 94 Feet:
Teams lying to parents that they are age based when they are actually grade based and will play in weird tournaments that have no affiliation with the AAU The idea that tryouts are open when they are not (there is a $20 fee to tryout, and this is considered high) Parents being pressured to buy new, expensive Adidas shoes Hidden fees for extra gym time Having said all of that, you may find that Nova 94 Feet is the best organization you have ever dealt with in basketball. There are amazing coaches and teams here, but I do think there are some pitfalls as well. Good luck. |