Whether you are a young basketball player or a high school player, AAU basketball is an outstanding option to play this great game outside of the season.  Typically clubs have tryouts in the fall or early winter months so don't wait too long to contact them or research options regarding tryout information.  

Not every player does have the opportunity to play basketball in the spring/summer due to their schedule (softball, track, soccer, etc.), but for those that do have the time and desire, it is a terrific way to get exposure to the best talent, let the college coaches see you play (especially important to HS and MS kids if you want to play at the college level), and most importantly it allows you to improve your skills before heading into the summer schedule and eventual winter basketball season. 

However, you have to be careful and not get caught up in the belief that you have to play AAU to improve or you have to play AAU to be considered a "good" player.   In reality, there are some kids that just have that "it" quality on the court while some that play all the time just lack that, regardless of how much they practice/play.  Trust me, I've seen some very poor AAU teams/players but more times than not, the kids are benefiting from the experience and are playing because they love the game, the competition, and they have a desire to improve.  The best way to improve is to get a ball in their hands (AAU or not) and have them work hard!

Lastly, if your ultimate goal is to play college basketball, it’s going to be very difficult to do that if you are not playing on the AAU circuit.  However, when you decide to go that route is different for everyone based on a wide variety of factors.  Anyone that tells you that a player needs to play AAU as early 3rd and 4th grade if they want to play college basketball is completely incorrect.

 

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