|
AAU stands for Amateur Athletic Union. It is the highest level of competitive ball available. If you see a Division I player on TV, men or women, chances are really high that they played AAU ball somewhere. The AAU season runs during the spring and culminates with a national championship tournament in July. The best teams will travel nationally (or over a large multi-state area) throughout the spring to get competition.
Depending on the area, the best team in one region may completely dominate that region and draw most (if not all) of the best players. In other regions, there are many high quality organizations and the dominant club will vary by age group. If you go to the AAU web site
I coach 13U girls (1989 birth year, generally 8th graders)in the Potomac Valley region, which has several really good clubs. Fairfax (VA) Stars are the best in my age group (but have many solid challengers). One year younger, the best two teams are the (N. VA) Vogues and the (Mont. County MD) Classics, both of whom finished in the top 5 at nationals last year. One year younger, and it is the MD Flames (MY CLUB!) and the (Mt Vernon, VA) Cardinal, both of whom finished in the top 16 last year. With this kind of dissemination of talent, there are a number of opportunities to get great competition right here at home. When you travel, you can easly go to Pittsburgh, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, Richmond, etc., in the process seeing new teams and great players.
The Classics team, a long-time rival, is composed of 7th grade girls, yet they competed in a fall HS JV league (one of the unofficial leagues with teams coached by parents). They finished 3rd in that league, playing girls that were 2-3 years older than they are. Their best players will start on high caliber varsity teams as freshman in two years. They will be all-Met players, some as early as their first year.
One other note. Boys AAU is the area where a lot of controversy exists, due to the interesting relationships between teams, coaches, shoe companies and players. The best boys teams have shoe contracts, the coaches may be paid by the shoe companies, and player relationships with the almighty dollar begin at a younger age every year. There is little regulation of what goes on here, and many players have recently been suspended because of circumstances related to AAU clubs. This is not yet happening on any wide scale with the girls, probably because the money has not been so big yet. With the WNBA and the advent of women getting sponsorships, it will undoubtably change with time.
|