Select Basketball vs High School Hoops

Basketball insiders are aware of Select or Amateur Athletic Union (A.A.U.) basketball. Many parents invest in their young athletes through participation in AAU programs. Often, there are expectations associated with the investments however, it is important to KNOW how things like recruiting works. Clearly, playing ball with a select team is more enjoyable and loaded with other kinds of experiences than their high school teams.

For example, players have more freedom within the style of play; the teammates are generally high level players from various schools in local areas; there is not as much practice and conditioning, as many teams will have more games in the summer than practices; opportunities to travel to fun places, play against better competition, and stay in hotels many times with little parental supervision. I recall it being some of the best times of my young life. Not only that, but playing several games in the course of a weekend is much more exciting than once a week. Not to mention, you are playing in the summer when there are NO ACADEMIC STANDARDS to be met! What a great program to just pay your money, show up, play, and be seen by hundreds of college coaches who pack gyms every summer. Why wouldn’t this path be more popular? As a basketball player, you “gotta love it!”

Now, compare it to the real high school experience which is much different. Your talent pool is limited to those who attend your school and are able to keep their grades that allow them to play. “No pass, No play”. The coach is generally a teacher on campus and not someone you have invested in financially. High schools must structure their practices differently than AAU coaches as they have freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams to manage. This makes it very difficult to pursue individual skill building because of this time constraints. Also, many student-athletes choose to play other sports which further limits time that High School Coaches can spend with them. Oh and of course, there is a much smaller chance that college coaches will fill your high school gym. However, high school basketball is more like college atmosphere much more than AAU basketball.

In school, developing a team means being engaged with teammates on and off the court; The ability to hold each other accountable on a daily basis; Building that special team bond over the course of 4 years. This is something all college coaches want in a young student-athletes but it is tough to gain those qualities by only playing AAU basketball.

It is my experience that both avenues will get you closer to the goal of earning a basketball scholarship however, becoming too reliant on one or the other is a bad idea. No AAU or High School coach SHOULD promise a college scholarship. However, they can put you a better position to get the looks necessary to be recruited. Too many times it is not the team you play on, but the extra mile that a coach is willing to go for you that makes the difference in your recruiting.

Coaches who spend time working on your weaknesses, contacting college coaches on your behalf and are dedicated to helping you achieve your goals are the coaches you want to play for, whether it’s A.A.U. or High School. Invest some time in understanding the coaches’ goals for your athlete in order to ensure, you develop the accurate expectations of AAU and high school coaches and invest time to build a team concept by learning more about each other.