I think we’ve lost the plot on youth basketball. It’s probably happening in other sports too, but basketball is the world I know.
Growing up, basketball was the neighborhood game. All you needed was a ball and a hoop. It was simple, accessible, and we’d play for hours without thinking twice about it.
I’d call myself a pretty good high school player. I started on a solid team and loved competing.
AAU wasn’t really part of the equation back then. I played in a few tournaments with friends, but everyone understood what it was. If you were elite, you played for Indiana Elite or Spiece. If you weren’t, you just kept hooping where you were. There wasn’t this pressure that you had to be in it.
Now it feels like the entire model has flipped. Kids from kindergarten through high school are paying thousands just to be on a team. And if you want to play, there’s always a team ready for you because there’s money to be made.
But it doesn’t stop there. Parents are paying $60/head every weekend just to watch. Some places are charging for parking. Tournaments are partnering with hotels and requiring teams to stay there just to participate. Then you show up and games are running an hour behind, officials are barely engaged, and someone’s parent is losing their mind over playing time.
Somewhere along the way, the focus shifted.
This isn’t about saying AAU is all bad. There are real positives. Kids get exposed to different competition, build friendships, and experience things they wouldn’t otherwise.
But it’s hard to ignore what it’s becoming.
For a lot of kids, this isn’t building a love for the game. It’s turning it into a transaction. A schedule. A bill.
And that’s the part that feels off.
It would just be nice if the kids were back at the center of it all.
Article is LIVE . 3 programs. 1 era. They didn’t just win… they changed the culture of hoops forever.
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Greenfield, Ind. -- The star turn for UConn's Braylon Mullins was generations in the making in a small town. No prep schools, no transfers, no far-flung AAU team. An organic Hoosier success story.
"If you're from Indiana, you better be able to shoot."
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Middletown South's Ryan Gannon is the 2025-2026 Shore Sports Insider Boys Basketball Freshman of the Year. See who else made the All-Freshmen Teams. @middsouthbball
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Of course your club coach is going to tell you how amazing you are, how your HS coach is hating on you and how they can “get you to the next level”. You keep paying them thousands of dollars every year to be on their team…
The 2026 Sansone Jr’s Auto Group Senior Boys Basketball All-Star Game is set for March 24 at Brookdale Community College. The game, organized by both SSI and @JSBLhoops will once again be played in honor of legendary Neptune head coach Ken O’Donnell with two scholarships being awarded in his memory.
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I’m launching The Coach���s Edge with JY with Opening Line Media and @sportstalkmatt.
New chapter. Ownership. Bigger vision.
Still on Sportsgrid + College Basketball Today .
Episode 1 drops tomorrow w/ @r22childress. #CBB #NBA #MarchMadness
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"I don't condemn anyone for looking at other schools, the thoughts are going to pass through your mind...for me, I found my place. This is my home. I have so much love, and it's reciprocated because I stayed. It's been a blessing and an honor."
-Martinelli
Congratulations to Ms. Ciezak from the Ocean Township Athletics and Activities Office for her recognition as The Directors of Athletics Association of NJ Central Administrative Assistant of the Year!
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- Stayed at the same school 4 years
- Went from averaging 2 PPG as a freshman to 22 PPG as a senior
- 25 20+ point games this year
A rarity in college basketball nowadays, legend
- Stayed at the same school 4 years
- Went from averaging 2 PPG as a freshman to 22 PPG as a senior
- 25 20+ point games this year
A rarity in college basketball nowadays, legend
Beyond grateful and proud that @MrLSingleton took time to speak to our Coaching Principles class @monmouthu last night!
Incredible message for our future world changers!