AAU - Thoughts about the athletes

[Red81KPsmash]

It is my opinion that students should not be allowed to participate in AAU events during the school year. By playing basketball or other sprots year round, I think we are doing a huge disservice to these young athletes. Let the kids play football in the fall, not baseball. Let the kids play baseball or run track in the spring, not basketball. This will serve to make the athletes more rounded and not have them "put all their eggs in one basket". I know people will say, "If they want to play these other sports, they can. No one is stopping them. " However, let's be real. We have people coaching these AAU teams who are not willing to work around the school sponsered sport, so it is the in season sport that must work around AAU. These AAU coaches, for the most part, are guys who are not educated enough to be teacher/coaches or do not have the moral background to do so. These coaches are totally against "sharing" their players with other sports and often flat out lie to the kids about scholarship potential. Let's face it, not many college level basketball players are playing in the state of TN. These kids need to be told that earning a football or baseball scholarship is much more likely on pure mathematics. 85 D1 scholarships for football, 18 for baseball while only 12 for basketball.

[bigymca]

13 for hoops. In the Memphis area alone as many as 35 males will receive a basketball scholarship to schools at a variety of levels.

[Bsims33]

AAu is a great thing. There are many people that just want to play basketball and don't care about football and baseball. So should we try to make them play these sports because they have a better chance at a scholarship? Also in many cases, especially in the bigger cities like Memphis and Nashville this keeps a lot of kids off of the streets and out of trouble. So that right there is the best argument for AAU.

[Stokomo]

You've touched something really soft in my heart, AAU Basketball. I do not understand how anyone can say kids should not play AAU during the school year. It is the choice of each kid and ultimately the parents (Hopefully) that decide to play or not. No sport, not even high school sports, is a requirement. IF you want a chance at a D-1 scholarship, then you probably should get noticed. AAU gets a lot of kids noticed that never would have been noticed. It is a guaranteed fact that Lee Humphries got his ride to Florida from AAU via TN Travelers. Yes he is a great palyer but he would not have been noticed by any big time school if it were not for other avenues like AAU and the traveling teams. I coached for 13 years in the AAU and other spring/summer leagues. My rule was that a player was on the roster but school issues came first, like baseball or track. But the main thing is to get these players good looks by college coaches. You also play the best talent that most local schools can't afford to schedule play against, and you play them on a loaded team so you can compare your game with the tops of the country. Shawn Marion of the Phoenix Suns played AAU ball. He got noticed at the AAU Nationals. The rest is history. AAU is for competitive players that LOVE the game of basketball and have fun doing it. You are right in that some coaches are only out for themselves and not concerning about the kids. But that happens in high school sports also. I have said this a million times on here and will continue to say it...."Parents and coaches need to screen who their son or player isgoing to play for. Get to know the coach, get to know his style and WHY he is coaching. Then!! Make your choice wisely.!!!"

 

 

[Tnbreakers]

Red81KPsmash,

 

Your post shows your ignorance regarding this subject. Obviously, you have issues with particular situations and want to lump everyone into the same group. Seek therapy and good luck in the future.

[CoachReed]

Thank you TnBreaker!!!!

[noone]

Red81KPsmash,

 

I believe you need to stick to playing golf and let the golf ball feel your frustrations instead of airing them out on coacht. I am a teacher and I am all for AAU basketball. These children need to feel a belonging to something, and basketball is where they belong. As I have already stated, stick to golf, maybe one day Tiger Woods will want to listen to your whining.

[smalltown]

Great point by TN Breakers: Nobody makes the kids play, and AAU has done much more to help high school athletes than hurt them. I would argue that some kids are done a disservice by playing too many sports. It is the era of specialization, and if a kid loves a particular sport, he/she needs to focus on it. One of best decisions Lee Humphrey made was to give up football after middle school. He still would have been a good high school player, but had he played football he would not have been playing SEC basketball. Same thing with Corey Brewer. If these guys gave up 3-4 months a year to play another sport, that translates to over a year missed of working on their games. The guys they are competing with for scholarships are working year round. Summer basketball provides competition and exposure, and that's what the kids need more of.

[jek]

Stokomo Posted on Mar 19 2004 - 01:05 PM

 

  You've touched something really soft in my heart, AAU Basketball. I do not understand how anyone can say kids should not play AAU during the school year. It is the choice of each kid and ultimately the parents (Hopefully) that decide to play or not. No sport, not even high school sports, is a requirement. IF you want a chance at a D-1 scholarship, then you probably should get noticed. AAU gets a lot of kids noticed that never would have been noticed. It is a guaranteed fact that Lee Humphries got his ride to Florida from AAU via TN Travelers. Yes he is a great palyer but he would not have been noticed by any big time school if it were not for other avenues like AAU and the traveling teams. I coached for 13 years in the AAU and other spring/summer leagues. My rule was that a player was on the roster but school issues came first, like baseball or track. But the main thing is to get these players good looks by college coaches. You also play the best talent that most local schools can't afford to schedule play against, and you play them on a loaded team so you can compare your game with the tops of the country. Shawn Marion of the Phoenix Suns played AAU ball. He got noticed at the AAU Nationals. The rest is history. AAU is for competitive players that LOVE the game of basketball and have fun doing it. You are right in that some coaches are only out for themselves and not concerning about the kids. But that happens in high school sports also. I have said this a million times on here and will continue to say it...."Parents and coaches need to screen who their son or player isgoing to play for. Get to know the coach, get to know his style and WHY he is coaching. Then!! Make your choice wisely.!!!"

 

 

Good post. Kids need varied experiences in order to know what they really want to do. AAU can be a tremendous asset to a player's development. However, school activities (and academics) need to be the priority. As Stokomo said, choose your coach wisely.

[athlete12]

Red81KPsmash,

 

I believe you need to stick to playing golf and let the golf ball feel your frustrations instead of airing them out on coacht.  I am a teacher and I am all for AAU basketball.  These children need to feel a belonging to something, and basketball is where they belong.  As I have already stated, stick to golf, maybe one day Tiger Woods will want to listen to your whining.

I believe there is nothin wrong with AAU at all, but if a kid dedicates his or her self to a sport in their school they should give that sport 100% when its time for their practices and games. AAU should come next & if you don't want to make that big of a commitment to another sport than you have no buisness playing it at all

 

come on now I'm not even a coach and I understand that much

Edited March 30, 2004 by athlete12

[bkelly]

What I am seeing as a high school coach, is a lot of kids not spending time in the weight room in the off season. They think that playing AAU will get the job done. It is true the more you play, the better you get. I believe in that, my players will play close to fourty games this summer. Talent and skill are out there all over the place. What is not out there is size, speed, and strength. Play all the AAU, YBOA, YMCA, and what ever else you can come up with. Just get in the weight room. I had three kids this year that were looked at by a lot of colleges, and all the responses where the same. Not ATHLETIC enough. Size, speed and strength. I played D1 ball and I remember how physical it was. It is worse now. The college game is a wrestling match. If you can't get open, you can't score. If you can't guard people you won't play. If AAU coaches want to help us all (players, parents, each other) do two things. 1. check report cards of all of you players, if you see any F's, do not let them play. 2. Get your players, who are our players also, into a weight room. If you don't know much about it find someone who does. If you don't care about it then get out of coaching. You aren't helping these kids until you give them what they need. Our weight room is open 2:45 to 5:00 every day, come and see me I will give you a program.

Edited April 2, 2004 by bkelly

[Stokomo]

Amen, Bkelly!!!! You hit the nail on the head!!!! Our athletes are already in the weight room. I do not know why but last year we stopped weights during the regular season. And by the end of the season, come tourney time, they had lost their muscles and their shots and agressiveness.

Great Post!!!!