AAU Recap: 5 takeaways from a summer to remember

It was the beginning of June when the first official practices of the 2020 AAU season took place. Back then we had no idea how the year would actually turn out. We just knew how happy everyone was to be back in the gym or out in the park or wherever those initial very strange, very awkward socially distanced practices were held. Here we are three months later and the official AAU season is over, the awards have been handed out, and next year’s teams are largely selected. And do you know what? It turned out to be pretty darn great.

The doomsayers said holding an AAU season would be a catastrophe that would produce egregious health consequences and do great harm to the kids. They were wrong. Plenty of people in the basketball world said the quality of play would be terrible, the kids were risking serious injury by playing after such a long break, and there was no point in playing if coaches couldn’t be in the gym. They were wrong, too. Many folks thought the top teams and players would stay home and choose not to take the risks involved. They were wrong. And thank goodness for that. All of it.

For the most part the coaches and clubs and individuals and teams involved followed the health protocols, stayed home when someone had a positive test for COVID-19, and respected the unique rules of engagement set forth during these crazy times. The basketball was good right out of the gate and got better every week, and more players landed college opportunities than ever before. And you know what else? It was still a whole lot of fun – even yours truly wearing a sweaty mask for 14 hours and being starved of that fattening concession stand food we’re all hooked on.

Although there have been a few small events added to the calendar this fall, the primary AAU season is over. We have written more than 50 articles about the players to watch in Minnesota and how they performed this summer. Now we offer one final wrap-up featuring 5 takeaways from the 2020 AAU season.

5 TAKEAWAYS FROM AAU IN 2020

1. People are willing to sacrifice a lot to play and watch the game of basketball

In previous years any minor schedule change was cause for complaining. A team withdrawing from an event at the last minute was usually the subject of scorn, particularly from tournament organizers. Limiting the number of parents in the gym? A dress code involving facial coverings? Not being allowed to watch games all day long for the price of admission? Unthinkable. Yet people adapted, there were few complaints and we all learned how to cope with the new normal. Everyone just wanted the kids to be able to play basketball and that’s exactly what happened.

2. Kids are resilient in spite of the obstacles

I get tired of hearing adults from my generation whine about teenagers. I suppose every generation complains about those that follow but it still gets old and so do we. What the 2020 AAU season showed – and what all aspects of this strange year have demonstrated – is that kids are resilient. They adapted when they couldn’t play. They adapted when they could play. When teams had to sit out due to a positive COVID-19 test the players took things in stride and waited patiently for their next opportunity to compete. Most importantly, they didn’t use the pandemic as an excuse to stop working. If there’s one character trait that all successful people have, regardless of their field of endeavor, it’s resiliency and these kids have it.

3. Even a pandemic can’t halt recruiting

AAU basketball is good for a lot of things but the primary reason for its existence in this day and age is as a venue for college coaches to watch college prospects display their wares. The idea that coaches would not be allowed to watch probably hadn’t occurred to anyone before now. It was a given. This summer, however, not a single Division 1 coach has set foot in the gym at an AAU event. And you know what? Things worked out just fine. As usual in this country, free enterprise stepped up and the folks from Baller TV and other streaming services served as a conduit between AAU events and college coaches. Not to toot our own horn, but venues like Prep Girls Hoops became more important than ever as coaches reached out in search of vital information like never before. The end results are positive and getting better by the day as nearly 30 Minnesotans in the class of 2021 have made D1 commitments and another 30 have announced their commitments at other levels.

4. The class of 2022 is worth the price of admission

We saw a lot of great basketball in July and August but no class delivered more bang for the buck than the kids of 2022. The incoming juniors put on a show, from those first few weekends down in Iowa to Amaya Battle Amaya Battle 5'10" | PG Hopkins | 2022 State #29 Nation MN ’s four-overtime winner against North Tartan in the Meltdown/AAU Nationals championship game. Battle had an incredible three-week run, but she wasn’t the only one. Mara Braun Mara Braun 5'11" | CG Wayzata | 2022 State #21 Nation MN and Nia Holloway Nia Holloway 6'0" | PF Eden Prairie | 2022 State #45 Nation MN of North Tartan were amazing. Mallory Heyer Mallory Heyer 6'1" | PF Chaska | 2022 State #36 Nation MN , Lilly Meister Lilly Meister 6'2" | PF Rochester John Marshall | 2022 State #55 Nation MN and Callin Hake Callin Hake 5'8" | PG Chanhassen | 2022 State #64 Nation MN of Fury 2022 UAA were terrific. Ditto for Lily Fandre Lily Fandre 6'2" | SF Eagan | 2022 State MN , Desiree Ware Desiree Ware 5'8" | CG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN , Ally Schultz Ally Schultz 6'0" | CG Lakeville South | 2022 State MN and more from Stars 2022 Nilsen, plus Kiani Lockett Kiani Lockett 5'9" | PG Minnetonka | 2022 State MN and Alayna Contreras Alayna Contreras 5'7" | CG Hopkins | 2022 State MN and so many more.

We saw the emergence of Madison Mathiowetz Madison Mathiowetz 5'10" | CG Sleepy Eye St. Mary's | 2022 State MN , Mackenzie Schweim Mackenzie Schweim 5'10" | PG Mankato East | 2022 State MN , Lizzie Holder Lizzie Holder 6'1" | PF Stillwater | 2022 State MN , Audrey Swanson Audrey Swanson 5'11" | SF Waconia | 2022 State MN and Kyla Overskei Kyla Overskei 5'11" | SG Maple Grove | 2022 State MN along with the AAU debuts of Rose Wille Rose Wille 5'8" | SG Farmington | 2022 State MN and Sophie Stork Sophie Stork 5'9" | CG NRHEG | 2022 State MN . Along the way Ware committed to Alabama-Birmingham, Hake said ‘yes’ to Nebraska and most recently Ellie Buzzelle Ellie Buzzelle 5'9" | SG Rogers | 2022 State #60 Nation MN of the Fury verballed with Grand Canyon University. And there will be many, many more D1 commitments to follow. This class is loaded and we’re looking forward to more of the same next spring.

5. AAU basketball has never been more important in Minnesota

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has some very important decisions to make in the weeks ahead. Will they severely limit the number of high school games? Will they nix the state tournament? Will there be any tournaments of any kind allowed? Will spectators be permitted in the gym? Right now there are plenty of questions and absolutely no answers. The one thing I do know is this: If the MSHSL gets it wrong the folks who run AAU clubs in Minnesota will be ready to step up and take charge and the high school game will not be the same in this state. Ever.

What the AAU operators were able to accomplish this summer, amid a vast web of unknowns and under a great deal of pressure, was impressive. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for taking on substantial risk to do what was best for the kids. Club directors like Bill Larson (North Tartan), Andy Meinhardt (Metro Stars), Mark Smith (Minnesota Stars), Nick Storm (Minnesota Fury) and others deserve a lot of credit for coming together to make this season happen. If it becomes necessary I am confident they will do the same when the snow flies, as well.