Is AAU basketball really worth the extra time? Does it make you better?
High-school athletes every year get recruited to play at high levels after their skills have been showcased at weekend club-sports events, such as AAU basketball tournaments, but do these high-speed, high-scoring games create better athletes?
Or does it further promote low defense, selfish basketball?
“AAU doesn’t necessarily create selfish players unless they’re with the wrong program,” said Minnehaha boys basketball junior forward George Norsman, who plays AAU for Jsizzle. “Disorganized programs often negatively affect players by creating a false narrative of the superstar mentality,”
Norsman advises young players to choose a program wisely. “Finding the right place to play for an entire summer is crucial for fundamentally heightening your skills,” he said.
Minnehaha senior captain Donte Thomas also played for Jsizzle. “AAU can be really good, but it all depends on the team you play for and who’s the coach,” he said. “AAU doesn’t necessarily create selfish players but can create selfish tendencies. AAU has changed how I view basketball entirely because when I got to play against some guys that made me realize maybe I’m not as good as I thought.”
Players use circuit basketball to show off their skills. They don’t have selfish intentions, although, they might do something the team didn’t need for their benefit. Younger players, that are at the beginning of their high-school career would benefit from AAU.
“I think it improves you as a player since you are going against better competition teams being formed from all over your state,” said Minnehaha sophomore Malachi Snell, who also plays for Jsizzle. “It also helps since you can play teams from other states. I think it can create a more selfish play style since many players find AAU to work on their craft and game which causes them to look to score more and try things that they wouldn’t do during their regular school season.”
AAU basketball exposes players to others from all over the country. The cost of traveling can be expensive and time-consuming. There’s pressure on parents to spend money and spend their time helping their children try and succeed in sports.
Norsman added, “AAU basketball is fundamentally about getting live experience in preparation for the school season. In addition, AAU practices are primarily skill-focused which helps players grow their game in all aspects,” he said. “Missing out on AAU, without training for an entire summer truly is wasted time.”
Players need to consistently improve to reach higher collegiate levels, that player will improve much more than the player who has to relearn how to dribble, pass, and shoot a basketball every year after a long off-season.
Is school sports enough to make it to the next level? Is it crucial to be in a basketball circuit?
Minnehaha Girls’ basketball junior guard Addi Mack has scored over 3000 career points and has offers from high-level collegiate basketball programs around the country. She competes with the AAU program, the Minnesota Fury. She shared her perspective on AAU basketball and how it has affected her career.
“I would say it’s not necessary, but it really helps people reach their goals. I definitely recommend any person that is interested in playing college basketball to play AAU because it really accelerates your progress and puts you in the coach’s eyes,” she said “AAU has really changed my career. It helped me get scouted because there are certain live periods in the summer where all D1 college coaches can come out and watch you,” she said “Being able to showcase my talent for them
is a lot of fun.”
Does AAU basketball negatively impact a player’s development?
“It has helped me especially because I’m on one of the top circuits in the country and I play nationally ranked players every weekend,” said Mack “We get to play the best teams in Minnesota so you get to play with and against really good players. I wouldn’t say it’s made me worse at all. I think that for me there are only positive things that
have come out of it.”
Non-scholarship basketball programs have a positive impact not only on young athletes careers but also lives. Busy players working on their game help high-school, middle-school, and even elementary school athletes stay out of trouble and learn valuable lessons.
Many players on high-level high school, college, and professional teams have used programs over the high school off-season to help them reach their goals. AAU basketball has brought to light thousands of talented players and has made a positive impact on the basketball community.
Hundreds of thousands of young athletes compete to be the few to move up to the next level. Athletes like these four have used AAU circuits to boost their careers and improve their game.
Off-season basketball is here to stay and is embedded in the high-school basketball experience.