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Why Don’t the Hawks Enter AAU National Tourneys? |
The Hawks’ focus is on development for MS teams and then for College Exposure for HS girls.
When the girls get into the program in middle school, then the emphasis should be on playing as much as we can and not on who you are playing.
For HS players, the focus shifts from local play/development to regional and Showcase play. You can expect 3-4 of your tourneys to be Showcase tourneys such as Bluechip, USJN, Gym Rats, etc. The purpose of these tourneys is to play in front of college coaches.
If you want to play college ball, you must be seen by recruiters. However, not all our HS kids want to play college ball. If not, then these tourneys will provide the best competition you can get so you can get better for your HS team. |
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What’s the Difference Between AAU, Bluechip and US Junior Nationals? |
AAU has become a generic name for most Spring and Summer club basketball. You can actually be on an AAU team and not even play in AAU sponsored events.
Blue Chip and US Junior National tourneys are designed as College Showcase tournaments and play host to hundreds of college basketball coaches as a recruiting forum for college basketball.
For our MS teams, expect to play 4 local tourneys and one travel tourney to the NJ Beach for a total of 5 tournaments.
Once your daughter gets into the 9th-11th grade programs with the Hawks, you will start to see more of an emphasis the college showcase tourneys rather than the local AAU or grade based tourneys so you will see better competition which will make you better and be seen by college coaches if you want to play college ball. |
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I hear that the Hawks’ coaches are actually paid, non-volunteer coaches. How can you do that? |
We’ve taken the politics out of basketball! No mom’s and dad’s coaching; all coaches are paid and answerable to us, the organization. Again, we generate revenue thru out Fall Streetball program which allows us to pay our coaches without if affecting your fees.
Kids play better without a parent coaching. We know, we’ve been there, done that and will not do it again! Once your daughter gets into a program that allows her to play without the constant input from parents on the bench, they will become better players, teammates and students of the game.
We do have one parent coaching this year, Jose Medina. But, if any of you were at our last Streetball program, you will see why Jose is on our staff! He’s an Asst. Varsity Coach at Emmaus and brings a wealth of knowledge and energy to the MS program. So much so, we’ve named him as our new MS Coordinator. |
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Some Clubs Claim To Play Showcase & Recruiting Tourneys but Only Play into June. What gives? |
If you want to be seen by college coaches, you must play Showcase tourneys such at Bluechip Penn State, USJN or Bluechip Philly. The NCAA allows all college coaches to view prospects throughout the month of July.
So, if your club states that they play Showcase or recruiting tourneys, make sure they are playing in July! Any tourney you play in can call themselves a Showcase but in reality, any tourney prior to July are Showcase for DII and DIII only.
To make sure you get seen by 400+ colleges and to Showcase yourself to all schools, DI thru DIII, you must play for a team like the Hawks that actually goes to tourneys in July, which is the only viewing period for all colleges, DI thru DIII, throughout the US.
Look at our calendar and see for yourself… the Hawks have been playing in these tourneys for over 10 years! |
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Why are the Hawks so Cheap Compared to Other AAU Clubs? |
Because we get it! The Hawks are a non-profit organization that puts all the revenue directly back into the program. We are also able to keep our fees low because we run the Valleys best Fall Basketball Clinic and take all that revenue and pass the savings on to you and your daughter.
Fees for the 2012 AAU season are as follows……. 5/6th Grade: $425 includes 5 tourneys; no uniform cost and no fund raising. 7/8th Grade: $425 includes 5 tourneys; no uniform cost and no fund raising 9th thru 11th: $495 includes 5 tourneys; no uniform cost and no fund raising
HS fees are higher because cost of tourneys are higher; for example, the Penn State Bluechip in $950 per team! |
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Are there a lot of college scouts at the Showcase tourneys? |
Yes! In fact, once you get into the 9th grade, most of your tourneys will be Bluechip and USJN tourneys. But remember, you must be going to the right Showcase tourneys from late June thru the month of July. If not, then you are only playing AAU and not getting the exposure you need if you want to play college ball.
At the 2011 US Junior Nationals in Hershey, there were 250+ college scouts. At the 2011 Penn State Bluechip, there were over 300 college scouts. At the 2011 USJN in DC, there were nearly 300 college scouts. At the 2011 Bluechip, Villanova, there were 225 college scouts.
And this year, your HS registration also includes the Fall Bluechip Showcase at Villanova! |
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Some programs enter 7-10 tourneys and practice every week. Why don't the Hawks? |
Because sports for kids is a marathon, not a sprint! If you want to play 8+ tourneys per spring/summer, then there are plenty of programs that do just that. We want to make sure that when our season ends, you want more, not less basketball! Besides, how much time do you have; how many sports do you play, etc?
LOOK AT OUR CALENDAR…. WE ALSO ARE THE ONLY VALLEY CLUB THAT ACTUALLY SCHEDULES AROUND SUMMER HS TOURNEYS. Yes, that’s right, we understand HS is important and we will work it out with you and your HS coach.
We’re going to temper our program so that when your kid reaches the HS level, she’s playing tourneys in front of college scouts as much as we can. In the younger grades, 5-8, the emphasis should be on playing ball, having fun, building a team & doing other things like other sports, weekends with family, hanging out with friends! Hawkball is more than just basketball………….
Most kids at this age play second and sometimes a third sport. We don’t think you should have to make a choice at this age. |
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