Amateur Athletic Union Basketball, better known as AAU, molds the careers of many young basketball players with dreams of playing college.
Nearly all of LSU’s current and former players have spent time playing AAU basketball to stay in shape and gain exposure to make it to the college level.
LSU women’s basketball freshman guard Kuaneshia Baker said AAU basketball differs from high school with its up-tempo play, which players say is close to the pace of college basketball.
LSU junior guard Jeanne Kenney credited her recruitment to the exposure she earned while playing for her AAU team. It’s rare to get recruiters to come to high school games without playing AAU, Kenney said.
Charlie Domino, Kenney’s AAU coach at the New Orleans Domino’s, said when teams travel to large tournaments, about 1,200 players compete with nearly 300 to 400 college coaches in attendance.
“Nothing against high school coaches at all, but there’s never gonna be 300 coaches coming to a high school gym,” Domino said.
Domino, who founded the Domino’s Basketball organization in 1974, coached current players Kenney and junior forward Theresa Plaisance from age 10 until they were seniors in high school. Former LSU coach Pokey Chatman and 2012 NCAA champion coach Kim Mulkey from Baylor are also former players.
Domino’s program alone has won 17 national championships and earned players $23 million in scholarships.
Along with the exposure, the competition level in AAU is better than it is in high school, according to Domino. He said the most elite players compete with one another, causing the skills of a player to immensely improve.
“When you a take a group of kids that are all-stars and put them together and play against other teams that are all-stars, the competition level goes up,” Domino said. “The competition level in practice is increased. It makes for a better player.”
AAU Basketball is a time and monetary investment for players and their parents. Yearly team costs could range from $300 to $500 each year, not including the fees to enter tournaments.
Freshman center Derreyal Youngblood drove to from New Orleans to Texas every weekend to play with the San Antonio-based Team Xpress under Olympian Clarissa Davis. Youngblood said her investment in AAU paid off.
“Most of the things that we’re doing here I already did with coach Clarissa,” Youngblood said. “I’m thankful that I could have a coach that could use me more for teaching me and helping me develop into a player that could play at a SEC level. I’m really proud of that.”
