AAU is way of getting kids involved at an earlier age in all sports. Every weekend in Louisville at Hoops or Mid America they are playing. I think AAU has rally enhanced girls basketball. I think that is why you are seeing a lot of 8th graders having major impacts at the High school level. Cierra Rickets has been starting for Fairdale since 7th grade.

Yes, no doubt.

I believe it's at least, an 11 month program.

 

:thumb: Had a coach tell me one time that everyday you take off, someone passes you up. 11months is good and enough , imo also though:thumb:

I'll take a kid who spends the same amount of time on the play ground and gym working his game, learning and polishing off his skills over the who can score more format of AAU and just playing games. For it being year round, where does weight lifting, endurance, hand eye get developed? Skinpig is dead on his description.

I'll take a kid who spends the same amount of time on the play ground and gym working his game, learning and polishing off his skills over the who can score more format of AAU and just playing games. For it being year round, where does weight lifting, endurance, hand eye get developed? Skinpig is dead on his description.

 

Sounds good in theory, and I wish it were that way, but:

 

Good luck finding a play ground where they actually play basketball. If you do, you don't necessarily find a game where a competitive player is challenged. It is easier to get pot than a good game anymore at the "playground".

Basketball can be played year round I'll say that. But as far as kids wanting to play year round would be up to them. Practice makes perfect, AAU is a good idea to get kids onto the court instead of in court.

Im like dawg, every sport is year round now.

For me it was year round when I played. Regular season, summer season, and practices for each not to mention All-star games, lifting/running and Individual camps in the off season. Because basketball was my 1st love I gave up football before my SR. season, which was a sport where I was actually more recruited in but didn't have the love for, just goes back to what Rojas4 said. Track and Cross Country are great for basketball and I did those all 4 years in HS however.

Sounds good in theory, and I wish it were that way, but:

 

Good luck finding a play ground where they actually play basketball. If you do, you don't necessarily find a game where a competitive player is challenged. It is easier to get pot than a good game anymore at the "playground".

 

There's a couple of courts here in Clay County that has some good action going all spring and summer. Believe me, there's plenty of the older guys that will challenge ANY high school "competitive player". I'm talking games where if you don't bring it, you won't last long. As long as you win, you stay up...Lose and you sit. Sittin ain't no fun. Plus you don't have to worry about the ole coach harping at you when you throw that no-look behind the backer for the game winner. You could argue that the courts would really be A-Buzz if all the younger guys were encouraged to participate (when not working on footwork drills and lifting for football or basketball) instead of being tied up with AAU. I've watched many a Clay player grow up down at the ballpark courts...anyone on here from Clay can vouch for that.

Depends on whether you mean basketball of winning basketball

Depends on whether you mean basketball of winning basketball

 

:confused: Please explain.

:confused: Please explain.

 

Winning baskeball is a year-round sport.

 

Mediocre basketball is not.

Winning baskeball is a year-round sport.

 

Mediocre basketball is not.

 

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Winning basketball has been synonymous with Clay County before and after AAU. I've been around a long time and I just can't see the benefits of AAU as a whole. Some players can benefit, but not enough for coaches to be making it sort of mandatory. IMO "players" 25 years ago were more plentiful than they are now. I'm not blaming AAU, it just hasn't proven to me that it's turning out anymore "players" these days. I'd like to see some stats if there were some way to compile them. Say...How many KY HS seniors signed with Division 1 teams before AAU became the money pit it is, compared to how many AAU can claim.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Winning basketball has been synonymous with Clay County before and after AAU. I've been around a long time and I just can't see the benefits of AAU as a whole. Some players can benefit, but not enough for coaches to be making it sort of mandatory. IMO "players" 25 years ago were more plentiful than they are now. I'm not blaming AAU, it just hasn't proven to me that it's turning out anymore "players" these days. I'd like to see some stas if there were some way to compile them. Say...How many KY HS seniors signed with Division 1 teams before AAU became the money pit it is, compared to how many AAU can claim.

 

The thing is, back in the day noone was doing AAU. These days you have to play year round to keep up with everyone else. Back in the day, if half the teams were playing year round and half were not, the teams that were working on their game all year would have won the majority of the games.

The thing is, back in the day noone was doing AAU. These days you have to play year round to keep up with everyone else. Back in the day, if half the teams were playing year round and half were not, the teams that were working on their game all year would have won the majority of the games.

 

I know it's hard to do, but if you're old enough to rewind to the seventies, try and compare those teams with the teams you watch today. Don't just pick out one or two teams, compare them as a whole. When I go back to those years I see guys like Gary Gregory, Markus Mckissic, Glenn Bishop and Russ Corum. The teams that had these guys, ranging from 1974 to 1982 could smoke, and I do mean smoke, ANY team the 13th region has had in a loooooong time, and they never played a day of AAU. That's why I say it's not a must to play AAU year round. IMO a player is a player is a player, no matter how many AAU games he plays. Trust me, you can work on your game without playing AAU.