AAU is a form of club or travel basketball. For Canadians, this primarily means playing in tournaments in the US in the off-season (spring and summer).  Many competitive Canadian teams play AAU as a way to gain exposure to US college/university coaches and teams. Other players and teams use AAU as an opportunity to extend the playing season. Only non-school teams compete in the AAU. 

 

Typically, AAU basketball takes place in the US during the spring/summer months.  AAU basketball can also take place during the winter months, however, most players from Canada choose to travel to the US to play in tournaments during the spring/summer.  But AAU is not the only way to play in the off-season.  In Ontario, more and more tournaments are being established for various age groups in the spring/summer.

Some rep teams choose to play AAU as an extension to their regular season.  Other AAU teams are specifically created to just to play AAU and will often require tryouts.  For girls, teams such as KNE (Kia Nurse Elite), Canada Elite, Become One, and A-Games are AAU programs that host tryouts in the fall, train throughout the winter months, and then play several AAU tournaments throughout the spring and summer months.  In this situation, players play for their rep team in addition to the AAU team. This is obviously a very large commitment.

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It’s important to note that AAU teams can be expensive due to the team fee, travel and accommodation costs, and meal expenses.

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There are many AAU opportunities for girls in Ontario because of the various ages and skill levels of teams.  The facilities used for AAU basketball are generally larger centres including arenas, convention facilities, and large multi-court buildings. Click here to see the AAU pathway.