The Amateur Athletic Union, known to most as AAU, is a non-profit amateur sports organization that is primarily dedicated to the development of athletes beyond what is received during their respective athletic seasons at school. While football is king in the South (especially in Georgia), there has been tremendous growth in the AAU basketball circuit in the last 15 years. Many young men and women have begun to gravitate toward the hardwood, and the expansion has become visible in the world of traveling ball.
In 2013, my brother-in-law aligned himself with a local AAU basketball team and started coaching with them, also signing my nephew up as a player. The following year, I joined them in the organization because I had always had an itch for coaching. It figured it would cater perfectly to my lifestyle and philosophy: I love basketball, and I love to help others learn new things.
During our coaching tenure, we focused primarily on middle-school aged players; my nephew was in sixth grade when I joined, so it made it easier for us to work with him. Upon joining the fold, I noticed quickly that there are many issues that are prevalent in a lot of AAU programs. I realized that, while the organization was created to help improve the abilities and talents of young players, many organizations have overlooked the fact that training starts on the ground floor. A majority of participants in travel ball do play for the respective schools, but it must be noted that some do not. Because of that, as a coach, there must be a gray area of teaching that can cater to everyone.
Originally, I thought that the problem was simply a local issue; our first tournament completely destroyed that idea. In the first competition of the 2014 season, I observed that nearly every team in attendance was the same way. You would have a handful of flashy, superstar kids, and the bench would trickle down to players that would be surprised to see game time (even though their parents paid just as much for the opportunity as the others).
But what stuck out the most to me was the lack of fundamental skill. Growing up in the game, I was always made to work on the basics before anything else. Dribbling (with both hands), passing, defense; all were in a day’s work. However, as we traveled, I noticed that many kids can finish flashy layups a la LeBron James or Stephen Curry in pregame drills, but once the buzzer sounds, they can’t put together a string of dribbling coordinated enough to complete a simple layup in a game. Part of this is because of inflated schedules; most teams will play anywhere from 4-6 games in one weekend, but only practice twice a week. Emphasis is being forced toward performance because there is simply too much to be taught to fit everything into two practice sessions a week.
Many current and former professional stars, including Kobe Bryant, Robert Horry, and Charles Barkley, have voiced their displeasure with the way that AAU basketball is going. While I can’t agree with everything they’ve said, I can see the basis of their arguments. There is becoming too much focus on the visual appeal of the game and not enough focus on building players from the novice level. At the end of the day, what good is the exposure for a player if he’s never practiced (or been made to practice) dribbling with his off hand? Attempting contested layups? Working on free throws?
Most of the coaches from other areas that I observed weren’t “coaching” during games. They acted more as ringmasters, handing the reins over to their star player (or players) and allowing them to run wild. I believe that this, in the long run, will hurt those individuals. There’s no sense of accountability. No sense of responsibility. And with carte blanche on the court, there is no sense of having to answer to an authority figure or be forced to make real decisions in game time. Sure, some of the kids are able to make choices that involve the entire team, but I would venture to say that their travel team is not where that lesson was learned.
Although heavily rooted in plays and game plans, basketball is a game that thrives on improvisation. And improvising becomes incredibly difficult when a player’s skill set is not forced to grow. While AAU basketball is, for many, a showcase of talent, it should also be an adequate supplement to the perhaps one of the most important aspects of the game: skill development. There has to be a balance between “grit and grind” and “glitz and glamour”.
In the Game / January 2016
ITG Fastbreaks
AAU Basketball
AAU Basketball: Help or Harm?
By James Washington
