AAU Decline?

[etnmom]

Wondering? Is there a decline in AAU basketball?

[Bri]

I think one of the problems with AAU is the length & amount of money spent on one tourney. For what I spent on nationals this year, I could have taken my daughter to 3 other exposure tournaments. There were other tournaments available.

[robpride]

I agree . The tourny lengths are a problem. And ill open up a can of worms with this one but in the younger age groups the new age change has almost taken away the smaller clubs ability to compete.

 

As much as ive always enjoyed aau it seems to be trying to change in some areas just to be changing.For those of you who dont read the aau board recently a 10u team was allowed to take 2 new players to nationals that had started on an 11u team(and competed at nationals in the 11u division)

 

This is clearly against aau regs...but the exec commitee said sure in this case to a special request.

 

There have been other instances of this involving aau execs at a national level intervening for a disiplined coach.

 

Its my personal belief AAU could reach new highs or new lows in the next 4 years. They just need to decide where they are taking AAU and what there goals are.

[BigDaddy_1]

I think one of the problems with AAU is the length & amount of money spent on one tourney. For what I spent on nationals this year, I could have taken my daughter to 3 other exposure tournaments. There were other tournaments available.

 

I agree on the money end of it.. I didn't get to go to nationals with my wife and daughter but what was spent was crazy! And they were not out of line with their spending either! As far message boards and such, that I have no clue on. As far as interest, most players come straight from school ball and get very little rest/break from their school season causing some to have maybe a bit burn out...Of course this is not the case for all but i am just posting from what I know. I know my family and daughter enjoys AAU, although it can be long, expensive, and tiresome... we are together as a family, hopefully making memories, and like I said doing what we like. There are worse places than a gym to take your kid /blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" /> ! As far as a decline in AAU, no clue. It works for us now.

[mamaball]

I resisted the AAU circuit as long as I could. Too many rumours about politics and expenses. Once my child got involved, I was never comfortable with the pay to play concept. I understand the expenses involved with traveling, but community gyms ought to be free for practice, and there is probably enough raw talent in every age group in most neighborhoods to create healthy competition. And it seems that because of all the good - not to mention tax write-offs - that comes of organized, franchised amateur ball, community & business sponsors might be more willing to help with expenses. Maybe they just haven't heard the right sales pitch. That said, maybe AAU just needs to be revamped. It couldn't happen to a better concept. Heck, even humans get makeovers every now and then, at least those willing to change.

[twaugie]

I think some of it has to do with expenses. I think more of the smaller teams are going to exposure tournaments and bypassing AAU altogether.

 

As far as the lack of posting or interest I think burnout could be part of it. School ball is long and some parents/kids take a break. Others I think get involved in softball and volleyball, of just take the summer off.

 

I think what is happening in the older age groups are that schools are controlling their athletes. I know many schools have the kids working out in weight rooms, going to team camps, etc.. and these kids are discouraged from playing AAU.

 

My daughter goes to a private school and their team does very little during the offseason and encourage their kids to find an AAU team. We had a hard time finding a local team for her - and we live in a big city. We wound up travelling an hour away to find a team. I think there would be more interest if there was more information about these teams. I think alot of these teams operate under the radar.

[larry]

It is pretty simple, really. Look and see how money was made in the 1990s off of AAU and you will see that it is from national sponsors, if at all. Now look and see how much money is made nowadays by exposure tournaments along with sponsors and you have your answer. In addition, look who the major supporters of AAU were then and see where they are now. They have different agendas today than in the 1990s and early 2000s.

 

The level of basketball across the state is way down. The teams at the high school state in the last few years have declined tremendously. Very few if any teams at the state in 2008 could make the state 10, even 5, years ago. the main reason, in my opinion, is that parents and coaches are making kids concentrate on one sport and many do not end up in the sport for which they have the most talent. Basketball is losing athletes to softball and softball is losing athletes to basketball.

[samtofam]

Wondering? Now that practically every age division has played in their National tournaments, I seem to detect a downward trend in the interest in AAU girls basketball - or at least in the message boards posts. There has been relatively view posts on both Coach T and the AAU message boards about teams, upcoming national tournaments, projections, good natured bragging about teams, etc. It also seems like there has been fewer teams overall playing in AAU national tournaments although I do not have the data to back up that assumption. It is interesting that the boards have not been saturated with TN AAU girls basketball posts considering the number of Tennessee teams playing in national tournaments. Is there a decline in AAU basketball?

 

 

When comparing the number of teams in an age division in previous years to this year, many divisions are half the number they were in the past. I think the cost of travel has been the biggest deterrent this year. I'm sure there are other contributing reasons, but smaller clubs that have no financial backers are relying on their players' parents to bear all the costs.

[Not-so HeavyD]

I think you are suggesting that AAU is down and I agree to some extent, but if you compare the number of TN teams going to Nationals this year to last year. I don't think there was that large of a difference but I could be wrong, as I'm wrong alot.

[Indian]

I read a Chattanooga team won a 9-under national title recently, maybe this past weekend. Congratulation to them certainly, but am I the only one thinking third and fourth graders are too young to be subjected to that much pressure? They're youthful but I'm sure they're somewhat aware of the money and time put into it by coaches and parents and how big an event it is.

[BigDaddy_1]

I read a Chattanooga team won a 9-under national title recently, maybe this past weekend. Congratulation to them certainly, but am I the only one thinking third and fourth graders are too young to be subjected to that much pressure? They're youthful but I'm sure they're somewhat aware of the money and time put into it by coaches and parents and how big an event it is.

 

I am one of the ones that think that is too young..But, I would mean no disrespect to any who do. We got into it this year in AAU with 12u and enjoyed it (T-7th National with the TN Elite)...We did play some tourneys (but not aau sanctioned) last year up until like the middle of May. Only 4 or 5 tourneys. And then softball which she chose not to do this year. But I do wonder how young is too young for AAU? It's not too young for us right now (but hind sight is clearer) and considering travel, expenses, pressure to win from the sponsors, coaches and even parents, and on and on..Just thinking out loud.

 

What do you think is appropriate age to begin AAU? Any one jump in.

[toughnut]

The level of basketball across the state is way down. The teams at the high school state in the last few years have declined tremendously. Very few if any teams at the state in 2008 could make the state 10, even 5, years ago. the main reason, in my opinion, is that parents and coaches are making kids concentrate on one sport and many do not end up in the sport for which they have the most talent. Basketball is losing athletes to softball and softball is losing athletes to basketball.

 

 

 

I have a different take so feel free to disagree. When my daughter started the league was flooded with players, but as she has gotten older a bunch have dropped out, but it isn't necessarily because another sport stole them away-I'll get to that later--but because they realized that they weren't going to get past high school with it so why bust their butts on it. Basketball is VERY competitive and requires a lot of sacrifice and work to do it just for the "love of the game." Basketball requires girls to be more in shape than any other sport out there except track or cross country.

 

I think the biggest sports drain has been volleyball, not softball. Have any of you looked at how many volleyball teams there are now and how big Club Ball has become? I was staggered at how many girls tried out for club ball in Chattoonaga. I know I spelled that wrong. Girls have to make a choice between the two-Club Ball is on at the same time as school BB and the beginning of AAU season. The average VB team is now taller than the AV BB team in high school. I think that is where the sports drain is coming from. I have talked to many parent's of X basketball players who are now devoted VB players and they say that the girls feel more feminine with VB. They have sexier uniforms, etc, and they don't get beat up every time they step on the floor. /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

 

We are in a cycle, like everything else. It will come back around again.