Their is good things and bad things in AAU just as their is good things and bad things in high school basketball. On the AAU side you as a parent need to do some research before you put your kid on a AAU team.

what qualifications do AAU coaches have to have? and who decides? Past records, work history, credentials, military or criminal record?

what qualifications do AAU coaches have to have? and who decides? Past records, work history, credentials, military or criminal record?

Depends on what tourneys they enter. The tourneys we go to in July are NCAA certified and there is a background check. Not mentioning any names, but some AAU coaches are not allowed to be at any NCAA sanctioned event or even on any NCAA member school property. If the team/coaches are going to attend NCAA sanctioned events they have been checked out.

 

Just as in anything else in life, there are some that can bring down an entire group if people don't look at the full picture. Some AAU coaches have most of the control on where a kid goes to college, that is not entirely all that bad in SOME cases, but in others they have too much control, and usually they are in it for the wrong reasons and the parents of the players are just as much to blame as the coach, as in those cases both parent and coach are looking for a huge payday.

 

Most AAU coaches, like most high school coaches do it for the kids and for the love of the game, you won't get any money out of it, if you do it's not nearly as much as the time you put into it. Yes, some/a very few AAU coaches get offered a college position when one of their players signs with a college, same happens with a few high school coaches. Example, in the mid 90's one of the Bardstown football players signed with UK, next his father/high school coach was named as a UK assistant, not saying he wasn't deserving of it, but it does happen.

But back to the topic, it is an asset. If a kid wants to play more basketball outside of his/her school teams season they should be able to, you can't get better unless you play more games.

 

The BCI has tourneys all the time in Florence, you see a lot of younger or JV/Frosh players there as well who are trying to get more games under their belt and experience, which will help them as well as their high school team next fall and winter. It's nice going there and seeing younger HS players from Mason Co., Elliott Co., Corbin and so on.

AAU allows a kid to choose its coach and teammates in a private environment. With school, KHSAA, and the school coach are in charge and that can be good or bad. I think AAU provides alot more collegiate exposure than school can ever provide. In certain cases the AAU will provide alot better competition with the big time travel teams.

I'm 24 years old, I've coached or helped with 4 different AAU teams. One 12u, one 16u, one 18u, and currently a 14u team. I also played AAU for more than 6 years and If anyone has said it best its been TubbyCAt:

 

"It depends how it is ran, but if it is ran correctly it can be very beneficial or an asset to the player and the team!!!!!!!!"

 

It totaly depends on how the program is being ran. Coach are the biggest problem and I'll admit that right up. The older the program the better chance the coaches are in it for the wrong reasons. If there not in it for the wrong reasons, they are doing it the wrong way.

 

Two of the best AAU teams I saw when I coaches the 18u team were coaches who never spoke to ONE college coach or recruiter the whole time they had the team. Both of these coaches I'm speaking of had 10 or 11 players on there teams and out of the 22 or so guys, 2 ended up with D-1 scholarships, 1 with a D-2 scholarship, and 9 had lots of interest from D-3 schools.

 

This shows that AAU provided kids with collegiate exposure, but the coaches don't have too like many of them try too.

What motivation does the AAU sponsors or coaches have? Money, ego?

Just because high school teachers get paid less doesn't mean that ego can't be a BIG, BIG part of their motivation as well...

but the coaches don't have too like many of them try too.

No sure what you mean? Can you clarify what you meant here?

No sure what you mean? Can you clarify what you meant here?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NKYBOY1487

but the coaches don't have too like many of them try too.

 

Sorry. I was trying to say that too many coaches aren't in it too make players better or teach them anything. The only reason they want to coach or be a part of a AAU program is to get kids exposure. If kids are good enough the exposure will come.

 

In my opinion, a coaches job is to teach a player how to be a better basketball player. Teach them how to win games. Teach them how to improve. Teach them about life. And team them about how to become a better person and become a respecatable young adult.

 

Too many coaches coach just get exposure for either their players or themselves.

Quote:

Teach them about life. And team them about how to become a better person and become a respecatable young adult.

 

IMO this is one of the most important things.

Quote:

is to get kids exposure. If kids are good enough the exposure will come.

 

 

But on the exposer part, AAU does give the kids exposer just by playing. Again, I won't mention any names but one highly regarded KY player in the last couple of years never played AAU, they just thought since he had a name in KY that the exposer would come, then the summer before his senior year they realized he needed to be on a team to get exposer outside of the state. The parents told me they just didn't realize the exposer and that they needed to put their kid on a team.

 

But, I have only seen a few coaches who I wonder why they are in it, maybe ego? I am not sure I am not a therapist, lol. But cussing left and right at the players, some I have seen do it to 12-13 year olds, and physically shaking the kids is just plain wrong! Again, I have only seen a couple of them like this. But then again, you have coaches here and there in high school who do the same.

 

Did your team travel any? Or did you just stay in the state?

 

were coaches who never spoke to ONE college coach or recruiter the whole time they had the team.

I don't know why a coach would not want to talk to colleges or college recruiters. But I se this in some high school coaches as well.

AAU is like anything in this world...it can be done right or abused. Think about it, it is great for kids to get exposure and be seen by multiple college coaches. However, it is often at the expense of team concepts (mostly one on one ball). It gets taken advantage of when coaches are trying to ride players coat tails and get kickbacks from taking the big players to signing day with a particular college...this does happen. College coaches will make contact with AAU coaches often before the parents. Like it or not one good day on the AAU circuit could pull in a $100, 000 scholarship so the advantage is HUGE.

 

This isn't new, soccer has had select team for years and that is where athletes get their scholarships...school ball for soccer has been rendered obsolete. Like it or not AAU is a perminant fixture.

AAU is like anything in this world...it can be done right or abused. Think about it, it is great for kids to get exposure and be seen by multiple college coaches. However, it is often at the expense of team concepts (mostly one on one ball). It gets taken advantage of when coaches are trying to ride players coat tails and get kickbacks from taking the big players to signing day with a particular college...this does happen. College coaches will make contact with AAU coaches often before the parents. Like it or not one good day on the AAU circuit could pull in a $100, 000 scholarship so the advantage is HUGE.

 

This isn't new, soccer has had select team for years and that is where athletes get their scholarships...school ball for soccer has been rendered obsolete. Like it or not AAU is a perminant fixture.

 

 

You are right about soccer...in addition, soccer has the ODP Olympic Development Program - National/Regional/State which is the first line of recruiting even before clubs. A difference however, is that the soccer clubs play in structured leagues, whether state or regional + play in tournaments. The AAU basketball is all about tournaments and exposure, but there is not a structure unless I miss it.

 

In both sports, the college scouts prefer to go to major tournaments (plus Regional ODP events) because they can save money on their recruiting travel budgets, and their assumption is that the best players will be there.

Their is good things and bad things in AAU just as their is good things and bad things in high school basketball. On the AAU side you as a parent need to do some research before you put your kid on a AAU team.

 

Agree!

In both sports, the college scouts prefer to go to major tournaments (plus Regional ODP events) because they can save money on their recruiting travel budgets, and their assumption is that the best players will be there.

Agreed. I was asked by a former play and his dad to visit a school with them this past weekend, one of the coaches there mentioned this, as had several others in the past.