I made the following two videos as a way to use humor to spread important messages:
I Need Exposure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYlSTojkLFc
My Coach Sucks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iymXdRQDISg
These videos led some folks to believe that I am anti-AAU. Nothing could be further from the truth! I have been fortunate to work with several AAU programs over the years – programs that do things the right way and for the right reasons. The nucleus of our varsity team at DeMatha plays for Nike Team Takeover, a program I am honored to work with.
AAU has taken a bad rap over the last decade because of the actions of some unsavory characters. I recommend you read George Dohrmann’s Play Their Hearts Out for insight. The recent suspension of Baylor University freshman Perry Jones III has also shed a corruptive light on AAU as his mother allegedly received an improper loan from his AAU coach. NOTE: Based on the facts I have heard, in my opinion, Perry and his mother did nothing wrong. She simply borrowed money from a family friend and paid it back.
Even though these negative stories make the headlines, there are plenty of AAU programs that provide a positive experience for youth players. Boo Williams of Hampton, VA is an upstanding humanitarian and mentor. He has impacted the lives of thousands of youth players as he runs one of the nation’s most accomplished AAU programs.
Bottom line is this – it would be ignorant to make a blanket statement that AAU is ‘good’ or AAU is ‘bad.’ Every situation is different. It is up to the player (and their parents) to find a quality AAU program that meets their specific needs, offers the right level of competition, and provides a game schedule that fits into their overall off-season development plan.
An AAU program can provide a platform to:
· Play against appropriate levels of competition
· Travel to different parts of the country
· Get additional exposure for college
· Build friendships with players from other schools
· Have fun!
But even playing for the right program needs to be done in moderation. Playing AAU should be a portion of your off-season development plan, not the entire plan itself! If all you do in the off-season is AAU, you will never maximize your potential as a player.
Here are the pitfalls of playing too many games in the spring and summer:
· Reinforce poor fundamentals – you don’t fix improper shooting form or improve your weak hand during games… you do those things in your individual workouts. Similar to academics, you don’t learn the material when you take the test; you learn the material when you study!
· Cause overuse injuries – your feet, ankles, knees and back are under constant stress… you don’t get enough time to rest and recover if you are always playing.
· De-value the thrill of winning and the agony of defeat – you become numb to both winning and losing when you play 8 games in one weekend. Winning and losing needs to mean something!
How many games are too many games? That is for you to decide! The two determining factors are age and ability level. The younger and less skilled you are, the fewer games you should play. A fundamentally sound 17 year old 11th grader should play more games than a skill deficient 13 year old 7th grader. As I mentioned in my previous blog, you have to crawl before you walk and walk before you run!
As always, please let me know if I can ever be of service. You can reach me 24-7 at Alan@StrongerTeam.com.
Work hard. Work smart.
Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com
www.Twitter.com/AlanStein
www.Facebook.com/StrongerTeam.com
PS: We invited 20 junior high and high school basketball players to try-out for Season 2 of the highly anticipated online reality series, Can He Dunk?
Last year was a huge success. We expect this year to be even better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbdi0Ndsa90
You can follow all of the action at www.CanHeDunk.com