AAU season tips off March 15 with 3×3 tourney
We may be in the most exciting stretch of the high school basketball season this week but for 400 or so teams the year is already over and top players are already prepping for spring and summer ball. This year the AAU season officially tips off next Sunday, March 15, less than 24 hours after the state high school champions are crowned. That’s when the AAU 3×3 Championships takes place at Chanhassen. Because the high school season will be over all players will be eligible to participate this year and teams do not have to be affiliated with an AAU club.
Ellie Buzzelle Ellie Buzzelle 5'9" | SG Rogers | 2022 State #60 Nation MN , a top-10 player in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2022, played in the inaugural event last year and had a blast. “It’s a nice tournament to come from high school back to AAU,” said Buzzelle, whose Rogers team was eliminated in section play last week by Moorhead. “You get your conditioning up because it’s a fast-moving game with no whistles or breaks and you are just having fun with a small group.”
Buzzelle’s group last year included top prospects Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN of Chaska, Alexa Ratzlaff Alexa Ratzlaff 5'9" | CG Rosemount | 2022 State MN of Rosemount and Emma Miller Emma Miller 5'1" | PG STMA | 2022 State MN of St. Michael-Albertville. Although the rather formidable unit all play together for Minnesota Fury 2022 UAA, their 3×3 team wasn’t affiliated with the club. Let’s just say it went well – they won.
“Coming from high school, where the floor is pretty packed offensively and defensively, this tournament gives you a chance to really just improve your half-court game on the offensive side with plenty of room for pick-and-rolls and the iso game,” Buzzelle said. “It also improves your defensive game when you only have two of your teammates instead of four on help side, plus there are a lot of one-on-one moments you have to defend through.”
3×3 is huge internationally
The AAU 3×3 Championships is part of a larger national effort to grow the 3×3 game, which is a huge part of the international basketball scene. In Europe 3×3 tournaments are giant festivals of basketball with an X Games type of atmosphere. Some elite players have chosen to forego traditional basketball altogether in favor of 3×3 which is now going to be an Olympic event. There are more than 110,000 officially registered players around the world competing in sanctioned tournaments.
In addition to being a whole lot of fun, the 3X3 game is great for skill development and conditioning. Players learn the importance of spacing and movement, as well as executing plays at high tempo. “As a retired, long-time high school coach I would have strongly encouraged all my players to form teams and play in this format,” said Dave Preller, who is AAU’s director of girls basketball in Minnesota. “You get more touches, and the emphasis is on basketball fundamentals to score rather than plays or offensive sets.”
Buzzelle agrees. As one of the state’s most skilled players, she gets amped up about this style of play where there is plenty of room for improvisation and creativity. “Only having six players on the floor means there is a lot of room to spread out with the drive-and-kick,” she said. “There’s obviously no plays in 3×3 so it’s nice to just go out there and do what you are best at and compete at a high level.”
How to participate
This tournament will use modified 3X3 rules. Teams are awarded 1 point for a basket shot from inside the arc, 2 points for scores from beyond the arc, 1 point for a made free throw. The games are 18 minutes running time. If the contest is tied at the end of regulation play there is an overtime period and the first team to score 2 points in OT is declared the winner. The defensive team gets possession of all jump balls.
Last year’s event was held the weekend before the high school state tournament which meant than anyone whose team was still in contention was ineligible to play. This year that’s not an issue. Teams can have three or four players and rosters do not have to be locked in until the day of the event. No coach is required, although each team does need to have an adult on the bench. There will be high school-certified officials and individual scoring stats will be tracked.
The cost is $80 per team. The tournament is for girls in 4th through 12th grade. The event is open to anyone, and teams do not have to be affiliated with an AAU club. Players can put together a squad of friends from school or travel ball or anywhere else.
AAU is aiming to grow the 3X3 game to create a steady pipeline of high-quality players for the international competitions just as it has done in providing opportunities for potential collegiate players. “We have listened to what coaches and former players said out there across the country and around the world,” Preller said. “3X3 is going to be global and it’s going to be in the Olympics. ”
As an added bonus this year, Minnesota will send a 6th grade team to the AAU 3×3 national event in Knoxville, Tenn., which is held in conjunction with the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction weekend. Players will tour the Hall of Fame and meet the new inductees.
For more details on the AAU 3×3 Championships, including how to register, visit aauevents.com/3on3.
Top photo: 3×3 basketball is huge around the world and AAU is working to grow the game in the United States. (Photo courtesy of Columbus Ledger-Inquirer)