AAU CULTURE: BREEDING GROUND FOR ABUSE

by Chris Spatola 

@chris_spatola

May 6, 2013

The news over the weekend that Ben McLemore’s AAU coach, Darius Cobb, took money from an agent…or runner…or financial advisor…or whatever he is… is not an incredibly startling revelation as it relates to AAU basketball.  The AAU system is broken on so many levels it’s a long list to itemize them all. 

Five-time NBA champion turned TNT analyst Steve Kerr said last year in reference to AAU basketball, “[today’s players] grow up in a basketball environment that can only be called counter-productive.  The process of becoming a team basketball player becomes completely lost in the AAU fabric.” 

Issues such as too many games, no teaching of fundamentals, players changing teams from tournament to tournament (or in some cases changing teams within the same tournament), have all contributed to the quality of basketball being played at all levels, and the increasing number of transfers from year to year in college.  Division I teams averaged only 67.5 points per game this season (the lowest since 1982), and shot 43.3% from the field (the lowest since 1964-65).  Scoring and shooting percentages have been dropping for decades, while the transfer rate in college basketball sits at 11%, the highest of any college sport.

Make no mistake, Darius Cobb is not representative of all AAU coaches.  There are many out there doing things the right way, trying to teach the game and influence young players positively.

Yet the Ben McLemore case highlights a business subculture which bubbles on the surface and earmarks the most concerning aspect of the AAU scene.  While the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) maintains itself as a “non-profit” endeavor, all outward appearances indicate that for many AAU programs the spring, summer, and fall circuit is anything but an amateur endeavor.  AAU for many its coaches has become a moneymaking venture.  For some, it becomes a pretty lucrative venture (i.e. Darius Cobb) if a coach is able to latch onto an elite prospect like a Ben McLemore.

The sponsorships, appearance fees, and revenue from hosting AAU events represent nice sums of money.  As such, while AAU started out as a vehicle to enhance youth basketball in this country, it has conversely deteriorated the game at the grassroots level while opening the door to an element of ethical corruption.  Darius Cobb was not the first AAU coach to leverage his relationship with a star player to make money, and he won’t be the last.  This McLemore case is not an outlier; it is only a glimpse of what goes on everyday in some corners of the AAU fabric.

The problem is that the AAU culture has become a breeding ground for these abuses.  Without a school board or meaningful governing body, men like Darius Cobb are allowed to use the AAU platform to establish and leverage relationships with young people without any real repercussions for morally questionable behavior.  Ultimately the cycle perpetuates as the money grows larger and larger and provides little incentive to modify behavior.

From what we’ve learned of the McLemore case thus far, neither he nor Kansas knew of Cobb’s dealings.  Cobb confirms as much.  How the NCAA interprets this and handles its investigation is anyone’s guess.  Frankly, Ben McLemore is a great kid.  But Darius Cobb and men like him are opportunists.  They use the AAU world as an incubator for relationships and a way to drive monetary ends.  Their behavior is affecting a lot more than scoring and field goal percentage.