AAU Tournaments and peer-pressure to move the games along...

[ODog]

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

I thought that AAU was actually about basketball, and officials actually cared.

DEFINITELY not. I always try to explain it to people like this: If "real basketball" (say, a legitimate boys varsity game) is a 10 in terms of site supervision, game administration, proper infrastructure, rules enforcement, sportsmanship expectations, officiating accountability, etc., AAU basketball is AT BEST a 5.

Originally Posted by ilyazhito

However, now I realize that AAU basketball is a mix between a zoo and a circus, with very little resemblance to actual basketball.

Atta boy ... exactly!

But, like another poster said, if you go in with the proper mindset, you CAN often get something out of it as an official, like seeing more plays, encountering more scenarios, applying new techniques and staying in shape, to name a few.