The State of AAU Basketball

Recently, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant made comments criticizing AAU basketball in the United States, going as far as to say that players in Europe are developed much more effectively. Bryant's words were eye-opening to many, but also were met with criticism themselves. Regardless of how his talk is perceived, it brought attention to what is becoming a major issue in youth basketball, the effectiveness of AAU basketball.

Bryant's main point was concerning the way that players are trained in Europe. European youth sports are almost entirely focused on the development of young players. For example, a practice with a team of 13 year-olds might solely involve 2 hours of dribbling drills. It is rare that teams will scrimmage in practice and they play far less games then American youth teams play. The philosophy is that that two hours of dribbling practice will without a doubt improve the skills of a young player. This system stands in a stark contrast to that of the United States.

In American youth sports in general, and specifically in AAU basketball, the leagues are based around the competition of young players. Coaches are very short-sighted, using players in a way that will benefit their team more so than the players themselves. Bryant's point holds some value when you look at the lack of skilled players coming out of the United States. European prospects are without a doubt more skilled when they come to the United States regardless of how much more naturally talented american prospects are. Bryant knows from experience, growing up in Europe as his father's professional career was winding down. For now, don't expect similar criticism of American youth sports to resonate immediately. In the future however, the win-first, money making culture of AAU and other such organizations will take a serious toll on the sport itself.