Kevin Wenger, a father from Tennessee, took to his Facebook page to share some exciting news about his 13-year-old athletic son and asked for advice.
He shared that his son decided to step away from baseball and put all his focus on basketball.
Kevin revealed that he just wrapped up his 8th-grade season with an impressive 457 points scored, and now he is getting ready to jump into AAU ball for the first time this spring.
He explained that his son is a very aggressive and athletic player, and they are looking at a couple of different teams. One runs on the Puma circuit, while the other is on the Adidas circuit.
Meanwhile, Kevin is asking for pointers and advice on where to begin this new chapter.
In no time, the post drew a ton of responses from parents, coaches, former players, and others who have been through the youth basketball world.
The comments section showed how divided people have thoughts on AAU at this age.
Many warned that AAU has changed a lot over the years, while some said it is no longer really about skill building, but more about travel costs, politics, and winning at all costs.
Whereas others pushed back and said the right program can sharpen a kid’s game by putting him against better competition every day.
A good number of replies told Kevin not to worry so much about which big shoe circuit he picks right now.
One person put it plainly by saying to look for a coach who develops players and treats them fairly. Another advised to pick a team with only 8 or 9 guys so everyone gets minutes and the focus stays on improvement rather than flashy stuff.
Quite a few folks recommended staying local at first or playing up with older kids to build toughness and basketball smarts before jumping into a full travel circuit team.
They felt that at 13, the pressure and expense of Puma or Adidas events might not be worth it unless the kid is already elite.
A couple even brought up how single-sport focus this young can lead to burnout or injuries, and they wished he would keep playing baseball too for fun and balance.
Trainers came up a lot as an alternative, with people saying good private coaching would do more for fundamentals than most AAU practices.
