After a full blown (and very successful) AAU Spring Season, followed by a healthy Summer League for both girls and a triumphant scholastic premiere for Maja, I was hoping for a relatively relaxing Fall. Maja was taking up middle school volleyball, and after a year and a half of COVID remote instruction, Millie needed to embrace and thrive in face-to-face schooling.
My wife had other ideas, signing both up for the AAU's Fall season. Four or five tourneys, with one trip to New Jersey, reduced rates, but no new uniforms.
Troubles started early. Millie's nationally ranked 4th grade team was now playing 5th, but lost one of the twin point guards with a wrist injury early in September. One top of that, two players did not return, and the replacement tryouts were eager, but not entirely up to speed anytime soon.
Adding to this complication was that the now-6th and 7th grade girls teams were also depleted, so underclassman were going to get significant time playing up.
Maja's 7th grade team got some promised help with two new girls, one was one of her classmates and scholastic teammate, but again, there were rumors the girls would actually spend more time playing up to help the 8th grade team get depth. The other was a new point guard from a rival team that didn't seem to be gelling completely.
For the first tournament, Millie's team rolled through Saturday, outscoring their opponents 97-18, but a specter lorded over them: another team did the same feat in pool play, with a score of 94-17, plus half of their 12-player team were a good 4-6 inches taller than our girls.
Maja's team got two big wins in their Saturday pool play, both wins by at least 30, with different players contributing. They too had a monkey on their back, their Sunday morning game was against the nationally ranked team they lost to in the Spring.... and the game was scheduled in that team's practice facility, an hour away from the other site (and an hour before Millie's third game). I took Maja, and the promises of another tight game seemed alright at tip-off, but at 5 minutes in, the new point guard checked into the game, and the opposition ate her alive... and the other players in a 20+ rout.
Meanwhile, we raced back to see Millie's undermanned team face the oversized team from Delaware. It was an intense all-out brawl that went the distance (Seriously, with five minutes left in the game, not only were the other three on-site championship games completed, but the chairs and equipment were put away, and supplemental lighting turned off!)
After an hour and twenty minutes for a 28-minute game, Millie's team proved battered but victorious 32-14. The team built a big lead, but couldn't get to a twenty-point lead and initiate mercy rules and running clock, so every jump ball, every out of bounds, every scrum and foul shot stopped the clock. Playing a larger, still hungry opponent, the 12-16 point lead they kept never seemed completely safe, and it seemed like her team was always an injury from trouble.
With our late night and late dinner, we arrive home, got some sleep, and none of Millie's teammates fully recovered until the Wednesday practice.
As an organization, the AAU program did extremely well, fielding 11 teams, getting 7 of them into the finals, and having all 7 win the championship.
For the second tournament thus far, the team travelled down to Central/South Jersey against new competition from notable programs. Maja's team was fully armed including a newer, even taller center, but there was no division for 5th grade. Millie was offered a spot to play on the 6th grade team, and we waited to see what type of opponents would show up and how much playing time she would actually get.
Pool play for 6th grade seemed easy, outscoring their opponents 74-10, including a shutout. Millie got plenty of playing time. Of course, the team that did score against them reach the finals, but they had significant time to retool and plan against the team. Millie's team ended up winning 23-15, but there was not a happy face on the bench. To go from mercying a team in pool play, to only leading by 1 at the half was a shocker for most in attendance. Too many mistakes, too many miscues, too many missed easy shots. The last week of practice since the tourney hasn't been torture, but the coaches are applying the pressure.
Maja's 7th graders felt a bit more opposition, but with two Twin Titans dominating the boards, they games eventually got out of hand. Her team rolled into the finals, outscoring their opponents 156-49.
One of my pet peeves with AAU is the ever-changing rules from tournament to tournament. I thought everyone had a good hand on what tie-breaker criteria was for advancement or seeding. Usually the tourney organizers would look at Point Differential to decide and usually they would cap blowouts at 20 or 25 points. If that was tied, they would compare Points Scored Against a team, and then the Points Scored by a Team.
This weekend, the number one tie-breaker appeared out of nowhere: Head to Head record.
Maja's team had not play one of the other team's in pool play, and it looked as if they would make it as the second team in the finals. But despite scoring more points and allowing fewer, they had lost to another team in a nail biter. That other team managed to qualify for the finals.
Yes, my head hurts to, and it makes sense to me.
The finals was no contest, 42-17, with Maja getting significant playing time from start to finish.
Of the 9 teams the program brought to New Jersey, 5 of them one championships, including 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls teams (and we're pondering if the entire 5th grade team didn't have a shot to be in the 6th grade championship against their teammates).
Fall basketball loses a lot of players from Fall sports, but the program needs to seek out premiere competition. Some of the boys divisions did get challenged, and sometimes defeated, but the 7th grade girls game against nationally recognized competition was the exception thus far, and it needs to be the norm.
Of course, I've made the realization that the season ends in four weeks, and these girls will be holy terrors on any team they will play for over the Winter. Hopefully they can all come back next Spring and wreck havoc wherever they may go.
And in related news, I have been "volunteered" to record the games for the coaches, players, and ultimately the fans. It's an idiot-proof, press and a button and follow the action, but these iPads have never met an idiot like me. To be fair, the one simply died 5 minutes into a game, and another one was handed to me at 22% and ran out of juice with 5 minutes to go in another one.
I'd much prefer the scoresheet, but it keeps me honest, and quiet... since these end up somewhere on Youtube.
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