Coach Kosta

Ares girls team starting soon!

January 12, 2020 by Coach Kosta

We are excited to announce that Ares Basketball now has a brand new AAU basketball girls team!

With the first practice only a few days away, the excitement from the coaches and parents has been so much fun. This group features mostly new girls to AAU but love basketball so we look forward to developing them and watching them grow.

When was the girls basketball tryouts?

We have been looking to put together a girls team for a few months now and became lucky enough to be able and muster up enough to get a team going. So if you missed tryouts, there is nothing to worry about, we are still looking to fill a couple more spots for the season

Find out more information how to join our tryouts mailing list

When does the girls basketball season start and end?

Season starts Thursday, January 16th with our meet and great and practice following right after. The season will end in May and start back up in June.

What age group is the team?

The team consists of mostly 5th graders new to AAU. Looking for girls 4th-6th.

Team Bonding with Stockton Kings Basketball

December 1, 2019 by Coach Kosta

Ares Basketball Night out highlights

The Importance of Team Bonding

Coaching and competing in the AAU circuit is and can be tough. The competitive environment we find ourselves in can be an incredibly stressful situation that can create barriers with each other even if we have similar goals. Some folks realize how these barriers are created in an early stage of their experiences of life and are usually OK with not really understanding the other person or need a special bond to work well with others. However, the benefit in creating that special bond in a work environment or on a basketball court really makes a difference in overall performance.

Team bonding can come in different forms, in our case, we had the opportunity to gather our teams together and have a team bonding night at the Stockton Kings season opener against the Santa Cruz Warriors. Both these teams are affiliated with the NBA and compete in the G-League.

Bonding Events During the Kings Game

After speaking with our representative at the Stockton Kings, we found a perfect match for what our goal was with the teams. What better way to bond as teammates and parents than going to something they already enjoy! Practices and games there is limited time to get to really know your teammate and outside of the few hours you spend together during the week, there is no real time to hang out as a team unless planned out.

At the Stockton Arena, we were escorted onto the court to participate in the opening night “tunnel buddies” program the Kings had put together for us. Long description short, the teams got to participate in welcoming the players to the court and got to watch the opening ceremonies from the sideline. They had an absolute blast!

Once all the opening ceremonies were concluded, our group made way to our seats and gathered snacks along the way. It was family night so that meant $4 unlimited pop-corn, $2 hot-dogs, and $1 drinks. With the players and kids satisfied and excited, we enjoyed the game from some great seats.

Closing Events

The night didn’t end with just a great victory for the home team but a great time for the kids as well. At the end of the game, the teams had an opportunity to take a few shots on the court. The group made their way back out to the court as the game concluded and was able to interact more with the opposing team and entertainers who were court side leaving or getting ready to perform.

Overall, the experience was great and just right for the group. The players walked away with a better bond and a great night out. Over the last few weeks, I have seen the growth in the player’s chemistry on the court and has been helpful with the team bonds as a whole.

AAU Basketball Teams in Tracy, CA

November 21, 2019 by Coach Kosta

Ares Basketball players waiting for their game to start

Here at Ares Basketball, we get to speak with a lot of parents and other AAU basketball club directors & coaches. One common theme from our conversations with these folks is finding the right team or a team at all, so we did a little digging to see what is out there.

*We have updated this list. Read the updated version today!

How can I find a AAU Basketball team here in Tracy?

There are many ways to find a basketball team in the area. A common search term would be something like “basketball teams near me,” however, some basketball organizations can be hard to find. Since we are a AAU member, we can see the different types of clubs located in the area, so we put a list together of AAU basketball teams in Tracy (directors, I hope next time we bump into each other, you thank me for putting this together).

This list of basketball clubs in Tracy contains all the information we could find regarding the club publicly online through google, instagram, facebook, and twitter.

Ares Basketball

If you found us, then you probably already know about us! If you haven’t seen our social media, then check out the social links below.

Website: https://www.aresbasketball.com/
Instagram: @ares_basketball
Facebook: Ares Basketball

Tracy Spartans

Website: http://www.tracyspartans.com/
Facebook: tracyspartans

Other Teams in Tracy

Since our time in Tracy, there has been a few teams that are listed on the AAU website that we cannot find any information about online. Here is that list:

Bay Area Dream Team
Blackhawks
Central Valley Storm
Mid Valley Pain
Saints Basketball
Tracy Crossover Basketball
Tracy Horned Frogs

Other Less Competitive Basketball Teams/Organizations in Tracy

Ares basketball player during game action

With an overwhelming amount of choices in basketball clubs in Tracy, some may not be ready for that level. There are some great leagues here in Tracy that could benefit a student athlete just getting into the sport. AAU basketball is a big commitment and going through a recreational league would be helpful before committing such long hours and really get the athletes confidence up. There are still members of Ares Basketball that join the recreational leagues to get some extra games in and help with their confidence along the way.

Recreational Basketball Teams in Tracy

Here is our list of the clubs here in Tracy.

Boys & Girls Club – Tracy

The Boys & Girls club is another great way to start getting some experience under the student athlete’s belt. The program this year consisted of 60 kids so seems as spots may be limited and all games are played at the Boys & Girls club in Tracy. If interested in their program, I would highly recommend on contacting them for more information. You can find out more about the Tracy Boys & Girls club and their programs offered by visiting https://www.bgctracy.org/

JR. NBA – Tracy

Jr. NBA used to be called “Jr. Warriors League” when it first started out. Over the years, the NBA adopted this program nationally and changed it to Jr. NBA. Locally, this program is ran trough the city of Tracy so the information is hard to find. Sign ups for this program is usually distributed by the school. For more information reagarding the programs the Jr.NBA offers, make sure to visit their website: https://jr.nba.com/

Tracy NJB (brach possibly closed)

Tracy NJB has been around town for a long time now. At the peak, NJB would attract over 700 players. Today, that number of kids is down to about 150 but its a great place to get started. Here is what we dug up online:

Website: https://www.tracynjb.org/
Facebook: NJBTracy

Basketball Teams in Tracy Conclusion

There are several options in just Tracy alone and there is a right club out there for everyone. Having so many teams can also thin out a lot of the talent in town but could open a lot of opportunity for those players looking to grow their skills after playing recreational basketball.

Remember that all clubs are not created equal and I highly recommend to ask questions regarding each program. Some vary in prices but what is included? What type of network does that basketball team or club have? What are some of the clubs goals?

For the reader trying to find the right team for their student athlete, we hope this resource helps you find the right option for you.

If you are a club director here in the Tracy area and would like some edits made, feel free to comment or reach out by contacting us!

Basketball Tryouts in Mountain House

November 20, 2019 by Coach Kosta

A long wait is finally over. Ares Basketball is opening tryouts in December to find players to expand and fill their teams. Looking for players from ages 10-14 years old to participate in our Winter/Spring 2020 season. Don’t miss out this bi-yearly open tryout event!

Our last tryout session we have over 50 student athletes show up and we only took 20. Do you have what it takes to compete on our teams? Find out more and register for our upcoming tryouts for our 2020 season by visiting our basketball trouts registration page.

Basketball Tryouts Video

Here are some highlights from our first ever tryouts.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Ares Wins at Trust The Process Fall Showcase Tournament

November 15, 2019 by Coach Kosta

As the season seems to be blowing by, we are all excited to watch the teams grow. The teams seem to start understanding where they need to be and what needs to be done on the court. Recent drills to fine tune some fundamentals on both offense and defense, rebounding, and playmaking, really paid off this last tournament.

Saturday we battled at the Trust The Process Fall Showcase Tournament held at Soldiertown in Oakland, California. 11u walked away with the championship and 13u walked away having an amazing tournament all around.

13u Ares Team

The 13u is a special group of kids. They range from age 11-13 and have shown a tremendous amount of growth of the last few months. There is no secret to who one of our key players are on the team. Torey who runs the point for out team has been an exceptional player and young man. As the team gets to know each other, there is only good things to come.

The 3 games 13u played were against Trust The Process, Scholars, and the Hayward Panthers finishing 2-1 for the tournament. All 3 games were great. Two, one point games and a win by 20. Even though these boys still have a long process ahead of them still, we are proud how far they have come along.

11u Ares Team

The 11u executed the game plan just like we practiced it the week of. They have gotten down the concept of the fast break and their defensive positioning was just right. These boys went 3-0 on paper, our last game of the evening we ended up playing a 12u team as a scrimmage and even a couple of the siblings who are almost/are 12 got to help and earn them self a ring.

With an actual record of 2-1 in the tournament, the 11u won big in the first two games and hung in there well with the 12u team they competed against.

Phenom Coach at Soldiertown

Alex and Rehmat got to compete and participate in the Phenom All American Camp help annually in San Diego. Their Coach Leo Svete from the camp happens to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we ended up running into him at the tournament. The kids who participated naturally were happy to see him and were quick to pose with him between our games.

Coach Leo has played basketball both in College and in the European league. He holds training on the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area and we hope to have him out to get a session in with our club. Alex and Rehmat both have been invited back to Phenom and they look forward to seeing their coach again.

Basketball Night with the Stockton Kings

October 29, 2019 by Coach Kosta

Ares Basketball is holding a fundraiser event with the Stockton Kings during their opening night against the Santa Cruz Warriors at the Stockton Arena Friday, November 8, 2019. The event is aimed to help offset costs of gym, travel, and tournament costs into our new basketball season. Buy your tickets online or by contacting us directly. Come out to support your local G-League basketball club and Ares Basketball with a fun night out to Stockton Kings’ opening night!

Tickets are $19 – Access and inclusions:

Reserved seating rows 9-10 in section 117 (see image below)
Admission to Stockton Kings vs Santa Cruz Warriors Opening night
Access to “Friday Family Feast” $1 Soda, $2 Hot Dog, $4 Unlimited Popcorn!
Free Stockton Kings Hat *
Tunnel Buddies – kids receive access to the tunnel pre-game **
$4 donation towards the Ares Basketball program

Image of section 117 row 9 at a Stockton Arena hockey game.

* Please ask for the hat while picking up your tickets at will call.
**Tunnel buddy spaces are limited and are reserved for players first.