All Things Minnesota AAU Teams

[GopherPlaya]

Read my earlier posts. Clearly KG and other great players think that AAU has caused kids to come into the NBA with less fundamental knowledge of the game. Kids come into the NBA unprepared and unaware of how to play the game. They end up needing D-league training in order to figure it out. The kids who come to the NBA prepared to play are mostly Euro who have learned the game rather than just played the game.

Yet KG, Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant and 85% of the NBA played AAU and figured it out. KAT looks like he figured it out. Kevin Durant figured it out. That AAU nonsense is a false narrative because talented players that know they have a chance to be one and done work out as often as possible. The problem is that players are young and can't handle the lifestyle of the NBA. Ricky Rubio didn't play AAU and he still can't shoot. Darko didn't play AAU and he needed the D League and more. There are just as many European players, from a percentage standpoint, that struggle as the top flight 1 and done kids. The reason European kids are more prepared because they can play pro and be apart of a pro program at 14 15 years old. They don't play high school they are development players for the top European teams

 

[GopherPlaya]

Read my earlier posts. Clearly KG and other great players think that AAU has caused kids to come into the NBA with less fundamental knowledge of the game. Kids come into the NBA unprepared and unaware of how to play the game. They end up needing D-league training in order to figure it out. The kids who come to the NBA prepared to play are mostly Euro who have learned the game rather than just played the game.

I don't understand how shooting in a gym be yourself and working on fundamentals going to help you learn the game. It will make you more skilled but will not help your IQ like 5 on 5 or game settings will

 

[UpAndUnder43]

Read my earlier posts. Clearly KG and other great players think that AAU has caused kids to come into the NBA with less fundamental knowledge of the game. Kids come into the NBA unprepared and unaware of how to play the game. They end up needing D-league training in order to figure it out. The kids who come to the NBA prepared to play are mostly Euro who have learned the game rather than just played the game.

"The kids who come to the NBA prepared to play are mostly Euro who have learned the game rather than just played the game" is wrong. Here is a breakdown of the past 10 seasons of voting.

06-07: 3 rookies in the top 12 for rookie of the year (Bargnani was 2nd, Garbajosa age 29 was 8th and Herrmann age 27 was 10th)
07-08: 2 rookies in the top 9 for rookie of the year (Scola age 27 was 3rd, Juan Carlos Navarro age 27 was 6th)
08-09: 3 rookies in the top 13 for rookie of the year (Marc Gasol was 8th, Fernandez 9th, Batum was 13th)
09-10: 0 rookies in the top 5 for rookie of the year
10-11: 0 rookies in the top 5 for rookie of the year
11-12: 1 rookie in the top 12 for rookie of the year (Rubio was 2nd)
12-13: 1 rookie in the top 10 for rookie of the year (Valanciunas was 9th)
13-14: 1 rookie in the top 9 for rookie of the year (Antetokounmpo was tied for 7th)
14-15: 2 rookies in the top 7 for rookie of the year (Mirotic was 2nd and Nurkic was 6th)
15-16: 2 rookies in the top 9 for rookie of the year (Porzingis was 2nd, Jokic was 3rd)

So taking out players with advanced ages (over 25) only 11 Euros have gained vote for rookie of the year in the past decade. This is out of 91 players receiving votes. Only 4 of these have finished in the top 5.

Note: I took all international players, I'm not sure of the nationality or playing background of these players. I only took non-Americans who did not play college in the USA (Gorgui Dieng for example was excluded. All voting results per pro basketball reference.)
What basis were you using for your claims?

 

[GopherPlaya]

"The kids who come to the NBA prepared to play are mostly Euro who have learned the game rather than just played the game" is wrong. Here is a breakdown of the past 10 seasons of voting.

06-07: 3 rookies in the top 12 for rookie of the year (Bargnani was 2nd, Garbajosa age 29 was 8th and Herrmann age 27 was 10th)
07-08: 2 rookies in the top 9 for rookie of the year (Scola age 27 was 3rd, Juan Carlos Navarro age 27 was 6th)
08-09: 3 rookies in the top 13 for rookie of the year (Marc Gasol was 8th, Fernandez 9th, Batum was 13th)
09-10: 0 rookies in the top 5 for rookie of the year
10-11: 0 rookies in the top 5 for rookie of the year
11-12: 1 rookie in the top 12 for rookie of the year (Rubio was 2nd)
12-13: 1 rookie in the top 10 for rookie of the year (Valanciunas was 9th)
13-14: 1 rookie in the top 9 for rookie of the year (Antetokounmpo was tied for 7th)
14-15: 2 rookies in the top 7 for rookie of the year (Mirotic was 2nd and Nurkic was 6th)
15-16: 2 rookies in the top 9 for rookie of the year (Porzingis was 2nd, Jokic was 3rd)

So taking out players with advanced ages (over 25) only 11 Euros have gained vote for rookie of the year in the past decade. This is out of 91 players receiving votes. Only 4 of these have finished in the top 5.

Note: I took all international players, I'm not sure of the nationality or playing background of these players. I only took non-Americans who did not play college in the USA (Gorgui Dieng for example was excluded. All voting results per pro basketball reference.)
What basis were you using for your claims?

That was my point exactly. All the older players going on and on how these Euro players are more prepared and they struggle just as much as one and done guys. It's lazy logic. The NBA version of get off my lawn and college coaches scapegoat when their team is under performing. My only gripe is that AAU programs don't have to prioritize winning because most games are meaningless. That's why I love the EYBL. You got to win to be invited to Peach Jam same with the Adidas Circuit. That's why games are beginning to be more competitive.

 

[die hard gopher]

That was my point exactly. All the older players going on and on how these Euro players are more prepared and they struggle just as much as one and done guys. It's lazy logic. The NBA version of get off my lawn and college coaches scapegoat when their team is under performing. My only gripe is that AAU programs don't have to prioritize winning because most games are meaningless. That's why I love the EYBL. You got to win to be invited to Peach Jam same with the Adidas Circuit. That's why games are beginning to be more competitive.

AAU coaches and directors put an immense amount of pressure on the players to win games.

If the team doesn't perform well, especially in a year that their contract is coming up, they can lose their funding with whatever shoe company sponsors them (Nike, Addidas, Under Armor) which results in a loss of funding for travel expenses, loss of funding for the top gear and shoes to recruit players and a loss of exposure from getting dropped from their respective circuit. It can be difficult for a program to recover from that.

Theres a documentary on Netflix called "At All Costs" about the AAU circuit that explains it really well.

 

[oleboy41]

The main mistake people make is failing to understand what AAU is and is for at the high school level. Really for the players it is 1st, 2nd and 3rd about being able to play in front of college coaches. AAU is where you get noticed and where colleges decide if they'll pursue you or not. After that its about being able to play against top competition. The top 50 - 100 or so guys also get opportunities to go to USA basketball and shoe company camps to compete against other top guys as well. These guys definitely work on their games but they do it on their own time. Thats the same for High School teams too. Sure some HS coaches emphasize skill work but they're doing team-centric stuff and guys work on their game individually too. The thing that's tough about AAU is that on the lower levels its becoming the only place to find decent competition. My son is in 6th grade and played on his schools 7th grade team and was playing teams with guys that could barely dribble or make an off hand layup. The high school feeder programs are slightly better but not much. Its only in AAU where you play teams with other good players these days. Part of that is because teams pull from a wider area of course but if you've got a kid that can play its almost a waste of time to play for your school (speaking strictly about skill development and competition).

 

[GopherPlaya]

The main mistake people make is failing to understand what AAU is and is for at the high school level. Really for the players it is 1st, 2nd and 3rd about being able to play in front of college coaches. AAU is where you get noticed and where colleges decide if they'll pursue you or not. After that its about being able to play against top competition. The top 50 - 100 or so guys also get opportunities to go to USA basketball and shoe company camps to compete against other top guys as well. These guys definitely work on their games but they do it on their own time. Thats the same for High School teams too. Sure some HS coaches emphasize skill work but they're doing team-centric stuff and guys work on their game individually too. The thing that's tough about AAU is that on the lower levels its becoming the only place to find decent competition. My son is in 6th grade and played on his schools 7th grade team and was playing teams with guys that could barely dribble or make an off hand layup. The high school feeder programs are slightly better but not much. Its only in AAU where you play teams with other good players these days. Part of that is because teams pull from a wider area of course but if you've got a kid that can play its almost a waste of time to play for your school (speaking strictly about skill development and competition).

I agree

 

[GopherPlaya]

AAU coaches and directors put an immense amount of pressure on the players to win games.

If the team doesn't perform well, especially in a year that their contract is coming up, they can lose their funding with whatever shoe company sponsors them (Nike, Addidas, Under Armor) which results in a loss of funding for travel expenses, loss of funding for the top gear and shoes to recruit players and a loss of exposure from getting dropped from their respective circuit. It can be difficult for a program to recover from that.

Theres a documentary on Netflix called "At All Costs" about the AAU circuit that explains it really well.

I will check that out. I was talking more about the teams that aren't part of the major shoe company AAU circuits.

 

[goldygoph]

I will check that out. I was talking more about the teams that aren't part of the major shoe company AAU circuits.

Before his high school years, I would recommend that if your kid plays for a decent winter travel team, I would say let him play AAU with his winter travel team and his friends in April and May (local tournaments), and then, if HE WANTS TO/OR IS ASKED, let him join a AAU team in June and July (regional and national tournaments).

Why? He will get to be the best player on his winter travel team for the first 2 months of AAU (which develops him more individually), he gets to play with his friends, his parents will only have to interact with parents they do not know for 2 months instead of 4, its less expensive, and he can go travel with another team in the summer months and face tougher competition.