15u

[BBallExtreme]

Which teams and players are favored this year? Are more AAU teams doing more exposure than AAU? What's up? Can't wait to get started already! /popcorneater.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":popcorneater:" border="0" alt="popcorneater.gif" />

[PANTHER2331]

I would bet on a team (take your pick) that has the word "Flight" somewhere in their name.

[AB23]

I would bet on a team (take your pick) that has the word "Flight" somewhere in their name.

 

 

I wasn't aware that there were teams left in the state of Tennessee that didn't have "Flight" on their name. . . . .

[PANTHER2331]

/roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[robpride]

Gonna start a new club team with P.F Flyers as the sponsor . Yes wearing the P.F Flyers will make you run faster,jump higher and you might even outrun Lassie to drag poor Timmie out of the well!

[BBallExtreme]

Gonna start a new club team with P.F Flyers as the sponsor . Yes wearing the P.F Flyers will make you run faster,jump higher and you might even outrun Lassie to drag poor Timmie out of the well!

 

Hey, as long as P.F. Flyers is paying tournament fees, and travel and hotel expenses, and making sure D1 coaches are watching our players we just might join you! /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

In all seriousness, the shoe company teams are successful because they are willing to bear the financial burden that parents themselves endure under AAU. Also AAU may not be the best venue for exposure once teams reach 13u or so. We have been invlolved with AAU since our daughter was ten and had a great time. When we played up (14u) in our very first "exposure" tournament--reluctantly, I might add-- several of our girls received their very first recruitment letters from prominent D1 schools (they probably thought they were high school freshmen). Now those opening ceremony balloon tosses are great, but our players opening those letters and having their hard work validated by someone other than their coach or parents was priceless. Needless to say, we probably won't be playing in AAU Nationals this year, it conflicts with a major exposure event.

It all comes down to the parents and the choices they make for their daughter. We didn't select an organization, we chose a coach whom we trust and whose opinions and knowledge we respect--and other parents should do the same.

[PANTHER2331]

Ummm.... how can you call charging players $300, $400, $500 per player "bearing the financial burden"???! Plus, many times you'll see 14-15 players on a team(one roster shows 17 players!!). Cha-ching!! The shoe company teams are successful because they recruit like madmen. The best players make the best teams. There are shoe company teams being coached by coaches that are high school coaches that can't even turn in a double digit victory season in school ball. These shoe company teams also advertise "past players" who sign scholarships and make it seem like it was because they played for certain teams or organizations. Many times these players were already being recruited before they ever played for the shoe company teams. You do not have to play for a shoe company team to be recruited!!! You simply have to be on a team that plays in front of coaches.

[BBallExtreme]

Ummm.... how can you call charging players $300, $400, $500 per player "bearing the financial burden"???! Plus, many times you'll see 14-15 players on a team(one roster shows 17 players!!). Cha-ching!! The shoe company teams are successful because they recruit like madmen. The best players make the best teams. There are shoe company teams being coached by coaches that are high school coaches that can't even turn in a double digit victory season in school ball. These shoe company teams also advertise "past players" who sign scholarships and make it seem like it was because they played for certain teams or organizations. Many times these players were already being recruited before they ever played for the shoe company teams. You do not have to play for a shoe company team to be recruited!!! You simply have to be on a team that plays in front of coaches.

 

 

Apparently we aren't talking about the same "shoe company" teams. The teams that I am familiar with pay all player expenses (uniform, shoes, tournament fees, travel, hotel--and some even pay for meals), there is no player fee at all. These teams want the best players and are willing to pay. If you are paying for a player to pay on a shoe company team with promises of grandeur on the back end then you're probably better off sticking with AAU. You are right in the respect that these teams want the players who are already competing at the highest level--not players that they will have to develop themselves. If they expect the parents to pay for everything they don't think the player is worth it. Find a good coach whose ablility you trust and he will place his players in the best possible situation, both financially and career-wise.

[robpride]

BBXTREME no offense but your talking pro status.......i dont know why AAU would allow such . That is if it is amauter.

 

 

 

 

I know what your saying but wanted to play devils advocate here.

[BBallExtreme]

BBXTREME no offense but your talking pro status.......i dont know why AAU would allow such . That is if it is amauter.

 

 

 

 

I know what your saying but wanted to play devils advocate here.

 

 

No, I'm on the right thread, still talking 15u! An organization paying for a teams exposure expenses is not uncommon at all. Sometimes it's a larger AAU organization using general funds--raised through fundraising, hosting tournaments, charitable contributions, etc.--to sponsor teams with a certain level of talent and D1 interest. Sometimes it is a shoe company that sponsors the team. Sometimes it's an exposure tournament sponsor who wants to guarantee the highest level of competition at his tournaments, whatever. In any case the teams' expenses are met by some entity other than the parents. Now of course parents have to pay for their own travel and expenses if they want to see their daughter play, but that's their choice. Believe it or not, some teams even pay for the parents' travel and meals, but I won't name names! /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[Bri]

My daughter has been playing AAU since she was 9yrs old. She's now 16. We've had great experiences & she received plenty of letters from colleges the past 2 years who say they saw her playing @ the AAU nationals. However, this last nationals I was very frustrated with the fact that they spread the games over so many days. There was 1 game a day, when they could have had 2 & shortened the length of the tournament. Spending almost $1,000 on hotels alone for just 1 tournament is not feasible in these economic times. Sad to say, but I can get my daughter to 2-3 exposure events for the price of 1 AAU nationals (& I wont have to drive to Kansas to do it). AAU has not kept up with economic times & it's hurting them.

[robpride]

Im fully aware xtreme of what your talking about and every possible scenario you can come up with.