Paying to tryout? AAU
- Thread starter Twinsburg
- Start date
PositiveAttitude
New member
Not sure of the AAU program in SW Ohio that does not charge. I have seen many programs charge a fee to tryout, which they say covers the gym rental.
girls b-ball coach
New member
tburg,
i can feel your pain and appreciate the fact that you want the kids to have a venue where they can try-out for free. In the same content though whos going to pay for the gym time if the rental fees are not free. Most travel coaches do not have access to unlimited free gyms. What i so suggest is that you find a team that will charge but the kids are getting something out of it. For example my program charges $10 to try-out and we have gatorade and snack bags for each player afterwards. These programs im sure are working on very limited budgets. If you don't have a major shoe contract or a big tyme sponsor you really have to create your own revnue to do the things that your doing with the kids.
i can feel your pain and appreciate the fact that you want the kids to have a venue where they can try-out for free. In the same content though whos going to pay for the gym time if the rental fees are not free. Most travel coaches do not have access to unlimited free gyms. What i so suggest is that you find a team that will charge but the kids are getting something out of it. For example my program charges $10 to try-out and we have gatorade and snack bags for each player afterwards. These programs im sure are working on very limited budgets. If you don't have a major shoe contract or a big tyme sponsor you really have to create your own revnue to do the things that your doing with the kids.
braddavis97
New member
I think the Cincy Angels have free tryouts.
girls b-ball coach
New member
the angels probably have what we call build in gym fees. I really don't know of clubs that have reserve money from last year that they didn't use on misfortunate kids that couldn't afford anything. Just so you know gym time is $65 dollars per hour here and that per court. we use 3 courts for 4 hours so when we get done we may still come out of pocket. You may also have to keep in mind that some programs are tied into gym like the wolves of courts 4 sports and the angels or royals with the sphere or MBA with basketball academy. So as you see some teams are blessed and others have to pay their way. I truely wish there was a cheaper way to cut the cost because i believe that all you collect from the players should go back to the players experience.
Sam Martini
New member
The Angels have their own gym.
girls b-ball coach
New member
yeah so i guess it all works out for the better.
girls b-ball coach
New member
change the subject
I can't believe that we are making a big to due about a $10 try-out fee. what about those that make the team and don't play but pay thousands of dollars. That more of an issuse than $10. Even if you had 150 girls try-out its only $10 i really don't believe that some one could make a living having try-out. I sure couldn't survive on a mere $1500.00. Guys/Gals let me more reasonalbe we have bigger fish in this pan to fry. This post should say "should kids that make the team and don't play have to pay full price just for the experience of getting better". Now thats a conversation piece.
I can't believe that we are making a big to due about a $10 try-out fee. what about those that make the team and don't play but pay thousands of dollars. That more of an issuse than $10. Even if you had 150 girls try-out its only $10 i really don't believe that some one could make a living having try-out. I sure couldn't survive on a mere $1500.00. Guys/Gals let me more reasonalbe we have bigger fish in this pan to fry. This post should say "should kids that make the team and don't play have to pay full price just for the experience of getting better". Now thats a conversation piece.
Yes, the Cincinnati Angels is "free" but they will only field 8th,10th and 11th grade teams this spring/summer. Free tryouts and no "Fee" to play.
http://www.angelsbasketballclub.com/
This is the girls bball thread but there is a "Big" program in Cleveland sponsored by Addidas that charges $20 for the 2 hour workout/tryout! And they are doing this through February and you pay the fee at each visit!
I know this program don't need the money and the venue it was held at the last 3 weeks charges about $50 an hour.........:wallbang:
I know this program don't need the money and the venue it was held at the last 3 weeks charges about $50 an hour.........:wallbang:
I am in agreement that charging to have tryouts is crazy. I like the organizations that do not even do tryouts, they have their coaches already lined up and will then go get the players they want. This way they cannot be accused of taking kids money and not getting nothing in return for it.
Disagree there as well UKFan.... so tired of the dishonesty, lack of ethics, and attempted stealing of players from one team to another. If a kid isn't committed to a team, then it's all good, go after them to play for you. The lies, false promises, and all else some use to get kids to go from one program to another though make it hard to like dealing with 'AAU ball' sometimes however too
Bballmom08
New member
SMAC makes you pay $10. One tryout I attended years ago, they made 60 girls pay the 10 dollars, went through the tryout then sat down with them afterwards and said they only had 2 openings. Nothing was said up front. Heard now they even make you pay a portion of the $500+ dollars in the fall to reserve a spot on your spring team. We quit that program and went to a team sponsored by someone and everything was free. tops, bottoms, warmups, shoes and tournament entry. Funny thing about it, the team has better skilled players.
That's unbelievable. The 60 families that got juked should have filed a class action suit.
I think they create teams now so everyone plays. Remember, they run all of the tournaments, or have a hand in them.....
Twinsburg -
As much as I agree with you about virtually everything else that you've said, I do feel that coaches should be compensated, at the very least, for their expenses. That would include hotel rooms and gas, if they their own cars to tournaments. Plus a small stipend for the season; maybe three hundred bucks? If they put in anywhere near the number of hours that we did in J.O. volleyball, that comes out to around a buck an hour. This money should be incorporated into the club fee.
That's for elite teams, as I've said before. None of these organizations should have more than A&B level teams, at the most. For the rest of the prospective players, it should all be local, with the schools contributing free gym time and volunteer coaches.
As much as I agree with you about virtually everything else that you've said, I do feel that coaches should be compensated, at the very least, for their expenses. That would include hotel rooms and gas, if they their own cars to tournaments. Plus a small stipend for the season; maybe three hundred bucks? If they put in anywhere near the number of hours that we did in J.O. volleyball, that comes out to around a buck an hour. This money should be incorporated into the club fee.
That's for elite teams, as I've said before. None of these organizations should have more than A&B level teams, at the most. For the rest of the prospective players, it should all be local, with the schools contributing free gym time and volunteer coaches.
Yep, I noticed him in the website as well. However, i am not sure if he is coaching with teh Angels program but that is him in teh picture.
Personally, I believe that many of the AAU/Travel programs charge too much for tryouts and team fees. But that is just my opinion.
On the other hand I see no reason why Travel/ AAU coaches should work for free or expend their money and time to train someone else’s kids. These programs do not have any particular connection to a certain community or school, nor do the local communities sponsor, fund, or support them. You don’t send your kids to a babysitter and expect them to feed and watch them for free. So why expect an AAU coach to evaluate, train, coach, and travel around with your kids for free. Plus, your MS and HS coaches are paid for doing far less and they have connections to the kids they coach and the local community.
As a long time AAU coach I can tell you that most AAU clubs do not make any money. I myself, spend thousand’s of dollars of my own each year in gas, food, hotels bills, and for covering kids that can‘t afford it. I also spend countless hours each year watching our girls play on their other teams, running practices, traveling to games, coaching at games, recruiting new players, operating our team website, ordering jerseys, putting tourney schedules together, sending game schedules and maps to the families, finding hotels for the team, ordering balls and equipment, collecting fees and paying the bills, writing letters of recommendation, helping players get recruited, talking to college coaches etc…
All that being said AAU/travel basketball operates in a free market economy where the organizations are free to charge whatever they want and you are free to move on if the price is too high. And believe me there are plenty of options out there, you just have to look for them.
As far as the question of skills goes. Although I am sure some is deserving, I would not place the blame for lack of improvement all on the AAU/Travel coaches' shoulders. They have the kids for a limited amount of time and have a limited amount of control over them. You might look a little closer to home. You might ask why your local HS or MS coach has the kids 5-6 days a week 2-3 hours a day and still they show little improvement ???? But that’s another subject.
I personally have offered free skills training in our area for years and very few girls are willing to put the time in. We offer free practices from March-Oct. We practice 4-5 hours each session 3 times a week with the players being able to come and go as they please. Yet few take advantage of it. Some might say I don’t know what I am doing that’s why they don‘t come- well lets just ignore the 30 plus girls I have helped get into college to play basketball and take a look at my own kids, who I have trained since they began play.
My oldest is at the DIV I college of her choice and her basketball team has been ranked within the Top 10 every year she has been there. She has the option to turn Pro next year if she desires. My 8th grade daughter has been State Free-throw Shooting Champion twice and will return again on Feb. 17-18. She was also 2nd in the Nation in the Jr. Olympic National Shooting Challenge, She has scored 20plus and 30 plus points in so many games I can’t count them all. My 8 year old Son (2nd grader) played his first game ever this season in a 4th grade league- he scored 48 points (had 8 three pointers).
Bottom line is most parents don’t want to make the time to get their kids to practice because they see it as unimportant or as a burden. So in turn the girls see it the same way. Thus the individual skills stay the same and it is someone else‘s fault.
On the other hand I see no reason why Travel/ AAU coaches should work for free or expend their money and time to train someone else’s kids. These programs do not have any particular connection to a certain community or school, nor do the local communities sponsor, fund, or support them. You don’t send your kids to a babysitter and expect them to feed and watch them for free. So why expect an AAU coach to evaluate, train, coach, and travel around with your kids for free. Plus, your MS and HS coaches are paid for doing far less and they have connections to the kids they coach and the local community.
As a long time AAU coach I can tell you that most AAU clubs do not make any money. I myself, spend thousand’s of dollars of my own each year in gas, food, hotels bills, and for covering kids that can‘t afford it. I also spend countless hours each year watching our girls play on their other teams, running practices, traveling to games, coaching at games, recruiting new players, operating our team website, ordering jerseys, putting tourney schedules together, sending game schedules and maps to the families, finding hotels for the team, ordering balls and equipment, collecting fees and paying the bills, writing letters of recommendation, helping players get recruited, talking to college coaches etc…
All that being said AAU/travel basketball operates in a free market economy where the organizations are free to charge whatever they want and you are free to move on if the price is too high. And believe me there are plenty of options out there, you just have to look for them.
As far as the question of skills goes. Although I am sure some is deserving, I would not place the blame for lack of improvement all on the AAU/Travel coaches' shoulders. They have the kids for a limited amount of time and have a limited amount of control over them. You might look a little closer to home. You might ask why your local HS or MS coach has the kids 5-6 days a week 2-3 hours a day and still they show little improvement ???? But that’s another subject.
I personally have offered free skills training in our area for years and very few girls are willing to put the time in. We offer free practices from March-Oct. We practice 4-5 hours each session 3 times a week with the players being able to come and go as they please. Yet few take advantage of it. Some might say I don’t know what I am doing that’s why they don‘t come- well lets just ignore the 30 plus girls I have helped get into college to play basketball and take a look at my own kids, who I have trained since they began play.
My oldest is at the DIV I college of her choice and her basketball team has been ranked within the Top 10 every year she has been there. She has the option to turn Pro next year if she desires. My 8th grade daughter has been State Free-throw Shooting Champion twice and will return again on Feb. 17-18. She was also 2nd in the Nation in the Jr. Olympic National Shooting Challenge, She has scored 20plus and 30 plus points in so many games I can’t count them all. My 8 year old Son (2nd grader) played his first game ever this season in a 4th grade league- he scored 48 points (had 8 three pointers).
Bottom line is most parents don’t want to make the time to get their kids to practice because they see it as unimportant or as a burden. So in turn the girls see it the same way. Thus the individual skills stay the same and it is someone else‘s fault.
There's a big difference between coaches having their expenses paid/getting a small stipend and those who make their living coaching aau basketball. The difference becomes very clear in how many run their programs as well. There are more and more programs like some listed here that use 'feeder' teams to fund their elite level teams. I'm not even sure many parents realize what they're paying for.
tdslaz, always great to see coaches with their heart in the right place. We've been running free skills workouts up here (Canton area) this year as well and the numbers have grown a bit. Expecting middle school/high school kids who are in-season to come in is a bit much (though some do to work on 'kinks' in their game), but we've gotten some great work in with the younger kids all winter.
tdslaz, always great to see coaches with their heart in the right place. We've been running free skills workouts up here (Canton area) this year as well and the numbers have grown a bit. Expecting middle school/high school kids who are in-season to come in is a bit much (though some do to work on 'kinks' in their game), but we've gotten some great work in with the younger kids all winter.
Couldn't have said it better!
hooverspfan
New member
AAU basketball is not what you think and some of the cost is over inflated. Your kid my make the team, but there no guarantee that they will play. If you want to really improve your kid skill set have them work on the fundamentals. AAU is basically control street ball and the referring is suspect at best, but you pay to play. I have seen more dishonesty and cheating in AAU why would anyone want their kid to be part of that. Money talks with a lot of the AAU organization. AAU has no regulating body to enforce the rules. Most of the high school coaches that I have talk to dislike AAU basketball. Fundamentals are were the building process starts if you can’t dribble, defend or shoot than you will not make it. Fundamental basketball is fading away at every level, but when you see a kid who has the fundamental skills they’re fun to watch.
girls b-ball coach
New member
My question to this whole post is that why when you have a high school coach that is getting a stipend for 5,000.00 to 10,000.00 dollars for coaching kids that they don't even travel all over the country with, they don't have to feed, they don't have to pick up from their homes, and they don't field as many call for (college coaches mostly call aau coaches). Why do they get the free pass. No one is complaining about the high school coach that is getting money and his kids are not getting into school. No one is complaining about the high school coaches that are not teaching the fundamentals. Yet in still everyone is complaining about what aau teams are doing. It sounds like the same situation in different settings. I would really like to know who was the last high school coach that really benefited with out the support of an AAu program.
Most AAU programs are not that badd if you look at the whole prespective. The market is what cause these programs to charge the type of money that they do no one really makes a living off this unless your doing events.
Price break down
events:
deep south $850.00 per team (Mike White events cost avg $775.00)
Windy City $650.00 per team
adidas Hardwood $675.00
Boo williams $400.00 invite only
uniforms:
estimate $55.00 per kid x's 12
Travel expense: (coaches)
estimate hotel cost $70.00
estimate gas expense $150.00 per trip
food expense: $70 for weekend (3 meals)
Travel expense: (unfortunate Players)
estimate hotel cost $70.00
food expense: $70 for weekend (3 meals)
can some one please explain to me where this extra millions of "get rich" money is coming from. Unless you are running tournaments and have no overhead which i find highly unlikely I don't see where these coaches are getting rich. Even SCU covers expenses for their players so you have teams that could easily charge and they don't. I happen to know for a fact that there is a team in ohio that only charges their kids $650 and covers all of their travel and hotel expense within that.
Now for all you anti aau coaches "haters" please take this and digest it and show me where all this money is going that you are talking about because is still don't see an aau coach with a BMW ( more like a mini astro van).
The player needs to work on his fundamental skills or attend some type of workout. AAU is how you get recruited to play college basketball. If you are in the right program that plays the right tournaments. Exposure!
I do understand what you are speaking about but you have to be seen to get the scholly......
cagerwatch
New member
Angels
Dante coached with the Angels U-14 team last season and will coach the Angels U16-17 team in 2012. This program stresses individual skills development and is a fully funded program. That means all expenses, entrance fees, travel, uniforms, etc are covered. The financial burdens of a player and her family are generously funded but the quality of the opportunities provided, dedicated gym facility, fundamental player skill development and competitive offerings are priceless. Young ladies seeking a team and organization to commit to in this modern day era of team jumping should look at the Angels before committing to other AAU programs.
Dante coached with the Angels U-14 team last season and will coach the Angels U16-17 team in 2012. This program stresses individual skills development and is a fully funded program. That means all expenses, entrance fees, travel, uniforms, etc are covered. The financial burdens of a player and her family are generously funded but the quality of the opportunities provided, dedicated gym facility, fundamental player skill development and competitive offerings are priceless. Young ladies seeking a team and organization to commit to in this modern day era of team jumping should look at the Angels before committing to other AAU programs.
I grow so tired of the 'aau is street ball' generalization. In this day and age of a huge number of programs/teams out there, you have to realize that there'll be great diversity in them and how they're run. Yes there are 'bad apple' programs and teams that are like those listed. Many of them are also the financial feeder teams in programs that use those people simply for their money to pay for their elite teams that they pull kids to with promises of over-inflated scholarship offers and free play/uniforms/etc.
There ARE however plenty of us out here who do things the right way, take no money from the work (heck I put $$ into it if anything), and work HARD at fundamental skills work and player development. Our kids have fun, get much better at the game, and get their $$'s worth and then some. I'm so sick of being lumped in with the weak, unethical, and $$-mongering 'bad apple' programs. Those are the exception, not the rule in girls' basketball at least.
There ARE however plenty of us out here who do things the right way, take no money from the work (heck I put $$ into it if anything), and work HARD at fundamental skills work and player development. Our kids have fun, get much better at the game, and get their $$'s worth and then some. I'm so sick of being lumped in with the weak, unethical, and $$-mongering 'bad apple' programs. Those are the exception, not the rule in girls' basketball at least.
Sam Martini
New member
:clap: :clap: :clap: