"IF" you are able to name any players that have done this I would love to know...if so, there sure aren't many.

I hear what your saying I really do. But are you suggesting that no girls draw college recruiters attention because they have had a tremendous high school year. And are you suggesting that if a girl works herself into one of the top 5 scorers in the the state according to KHSAA stats she wouldn't draw attention from recruiters. I'm simply saying that it can be done and I personally think it's the best route to becoming the best player you can be.

AAU is all about how many points you score. No defense. The AAU circuit and high school ball are two different animals.

AAU is all about how many points you score. No defense. The AAU circuit and high school ball are two different animals.

 

 

I'm not sure you've seen enough AAU games. Yes, some are run-and-gun with little defense but over the past three summers I've seen games that were won with defense. It obviously depends on the program and the coach but the idea that AAU has no defense doesn't match up with what I've seen watching a couple hundred AAU games.

 

And, if a player is on one of the better teams the competition they see is far stronger than anything they'll see in HS. My grandaughter, for example, played a game against Brittney Griner's old AAU team in late May. That team had 8 seniors who had signed with DI schools, some of them among the best, along with the No. 3 and No. 5 rated sophomores (juniors to be) in the country. Nowhere in HS do you go against an array of talent like that. And defense? That team was the quickest, toughest trapping defensive team I've seen at any level below college.

I hear what your saying I really do. But are you suggesting that no girls draw college recruiters attention because they have had a tremendous high school year. And are you suggesting that if a girl works herself into one of the top 5 scorers in the the state according to KHSAA stats she wouldn't draw attention from recruiters. I'm simply saying that it can be done and I personally think it's the best route to becoming the best player you can be.

 

I understand your point but I agree with others that the AAU route opens doors that can't be opened in HS. Again, using my granddaughter as an example...........she was drawing attention in HS because of her scoring and rebounding but colleges had to wonder if she could play out on the floor at her size. This summer showed them she could do that and do it very well so the recruiting interest has picked up dramatically.

 

That said, maybe she'll get the chance to show that same thing this year in HS but it isn't important now because the recruiters already know.

 

I think becoming the best player you can be involves a lot of things, including some of the things you point out, but I personally believe that going against the best competition you can find is a major key, and you can't do that without playing AAU.

I understand your point but I agree with others that the AAU route opens doors that can't be opened in HS. Again, using my granddaughter as an example...........she was drawing attention in HS because of her scoring and rebounding but colleges had to wonder if she could play out on the floor at her size. This summer showed them she could do that and do it very well so the recruiting interest has picked up dramatically.

 

That said, maybe she'll get the chance to show that same thing this year in HS but it isn't important now because the recruiters already know.

 

I think becoming the best player you can be involves a lot of things, including some of the things you point out, but I personally believe that going against the best competition you can find is a major key, and you can't do that without playing AAU.

You make some great points especially about playing against good competition. All I am saying to put all your effort and money into going out and just playing AAU games during the summer is not the best route to reaching your potential as a player. I really believe there are only 3 to 4 tournaments a year that are important for players to show up at and 3 of those are NCAA certified tournaments not AAU. Our philosophy is to work on skills at least 3 to 4 days a week during the summer and go play the important exposure tournaments. There are some great AAU coaches out there and I know players can get a lot out of being under the right coach but nothing can replace consistent drilling on skills. So my point is that skills training should be the priority over the summer if you want to reach your true potential then play some tournaments where you can show those skills.

You make some great points especially about playing against good competition. All I am saying to put all your effort and money into going out and just playing AAU games during the summer is not the best route to reaching your potential as a player. I really believe there are only 3 to 4 tournaments a year that are important for players to show up at and 3 of those are NCAA certified tournaments not AAU. Our philosophy is to work on skills at least 3 to 4 days a week during the summer and go play the important exposure tournaments. There are some great AAU coaches out there and I know players can get a lot out of being under the right coach but nothing can replace consistent drilling on skills. So my point is that skills training should be the priority over the summer if you want to reach your true potential then play some tournaments where you can show those skills.

 

My daughter is finishing the process and will be making her decision this fall. I am not a huge fan of AAU, but if your daughter has the potential to play at the next level it is the way to get the exposure she needs so that the college coaches will follow up during the school ball season. The team she played on targeted good NCAA exposure events on a regional basis and went to those tournaments her freshman and sophomore summers. She got great exposure and had interest from 40-50 D1 schools. Would she have been able to garner that kind of attention without the summer tournaments, probably not. This past year she had a lot of coaches come see her play during school ball but it was only because of the summer exposure. She has been working with a basketball trainer on mainly post position skills for three years on the side and has been working with another trainer for the past year on strictly ball handling. She has also been working with a strength trainer for two years. There is no way she would be the player she is today without those aspects as well. You are correct when you say that most summer teams will not emphasize that kind of skill development. Simply going out and playing 60 games in the summer is not the answer. It is interesting to note that most of the college coaches recruting my daughter were not that worried about how many tournaments she played in this summer. They were thrilled about the skill and strength work.

My daughter is finishing the process and will be making her decision this fall. I am not a huge fan of AAU, but if your daughter has the potential to play at the next level it is the way to get the exposure she needs so that the college coaches will follow up during the school ball season. The team she played on targeted good NCAA exposure events on a regional basis and went to those tournaments her freshman and sophomore summers. She got great exposure and had interest from 40-50 D1 schools. Would she have been able to garner that kind of attention without the summer tournaments, probably not. This past year she had a lot of coaches come see her play during school ball but it was only because of the summer exposure. She has been working with a basketball trainer on mainly post position skills for three years on the side and has been working with another trainer for the past year on strictly ball handling. She has also been working with a strength trainer for two years. There is no way she would be the player she is today without those aspects as well. You are correct when you say that most summer teams will not emphasize that kind of skill development. Simply going out and playing 60 games in the summer is not the answer. It is interesting to note that most of the college coaches recruting my daughter were not that worried about how many tournaments she played in this summer. They were thrilled about the skill and strength work.

Great points!!!! That's all I'm saying is I wish more people would buy into that approach.

Great points!!!! That's all I'm saying is I wish more people would buy into that approach.

 

I misunderstood your point...I am not a fan of AAU as an organization "at all". I "assumed" you were talking about off-season/summer ball as a whole and therefore I completely disagreed. AAU is an acronym that is most used and equated to Summer ball. I'm a huge fan of college exposure tourney's "only" for getting recruited...along with a couple of smaller tune-up tourney's to prepare for the big one's. I agree, there are 3-4 that are great and all a player needs.

Edited August 18, 201016 yr by Crunch-time
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I misunderstood your point...I am not a fan of AAU as an organization "at all". I "assumed" you were talking about off-season/summer ball as a whole and therefore I completely disagreed. AAU is an acronym that is most used and equated to Summer ball. I'm a huge fan of college exposure tourney's "only" for getting recruited...along with a couple of smaller tune-up tourney's to prepare for the big one's. I agree, there are 3-4 that are great and all a player needs.

No problem sounds like we are on the same page. Make developing your skills your number one priority over the summer and play the 3 to 4 important exposure tournaments. I just see to many kids who make playing games over the summer the priority and really never work on developing their skills.

Shock...you are absolutely 100% correct...playing in front of literally 100's of scouts is a huge advantage and a "must". A college coach will tell you in a heartbeat "I will spend my budget to come to a HS game to WOO a player that I've scouted and want, but why would I spend my limited budget/time to watch 1 player at 1 mediocre game versus going to exposure tourney's and seeing 100's of players competing at the highest level".

 

SMP...No one is saying you shouldn't work on skills in a gym 4-5 days per week...that's a no-brainer! But, getting the highest exposure during the limited summer weekends in front of college coaches...also a no-brainer.

I can only go by what I have witnessed first hand. My niece played this summer for the Louisville Lady Legends and her last 2 tournaments in Marietta, Ga., and Augusta, Ga. she was pretty dominating and she drew the attention of quite a few D-1 coaches that were on hand. This resulted in 2 full scholarship offers. Her and her teammates have improved their skills immensely over the summer. Crunch-time: Thanks:)