Your premier basketball club
We are back and we kicked off our first basketball tournament with a great start! 7 teams were able to represent our club participating in 20 games over the weekend at Courtside Basketball Center in Rocklin, CA. It was a lot of fun watching our teams finally hit the court and enjoying each other’s company.
[Read more…] about Spring Season Kickoff Basketball Tournament
The Armature Athletic Union (AAU), founded in 1888, is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, multi-sport event organizations in the word, and the sport of basketball is one of many programs under the AAU umbrella.
AAU basketball programs are normally made up of teams and organizations which participate in AAU events and other travel basketball tournaments. There are several “divisions” each team play with D1 & Elite levels showcasing the hottest talent in basketball down to D3, where more newer upcoming teams compete.
[Read more…] about What is AAU Basketball?
There are a total of five (5) AAU basketball teams/organization are based in Mountain House, CA. With Mountain House being in such close proximity to Tracy, CA, there is a lot of cross over in practice locations.
Several clubs, including Ares Basketball practices and free basketball clinics take place in the Mountain House community. With our member base (and other club member base) spreading from Mountain House, to as far south of Los Banos, and as far north of Lodi, the gym location seems to work best for a lot of local families.
AAU basketball teams are most likely in abundance near you without even knowing. A lot of the clubs rely on word of mouth, or scouting for the talent. We are here to make your search easier.
Bellow, you will find a list of AAU basketball teams in the Mountain House area. Each section contains all the information we could find regarding the club publicly online through google, instagram, facebook, and twitter. We hope that this will make your search for the perfect club easier!
Website: https://basketballatbestacademy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/basketballatbestacademy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BalajiKannan79
Website: http://mhtwolverines.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mht_wolverines/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mhtwolverines/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhtwolverines
Website: https://www.teamiconbasketball.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamiconbasketball/
Website: https://www.thehouseofhoops.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehouse_ofhoops/
Website: http://www.royalkings.org/home.html
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalkings1/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/royalkingsaau/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/royalkingsaau
If you are already familiar with all the basketball teams in Mountain House, make sure to sign up for our blog to receive updates on neighboring town team lists. With the abundance of AAU basketball clubs in the area, it does not mean there will be space or a team at your athletes skill level.
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!
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.
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
Instagram: @lightningaaubasketball
Website: http://steelhousebasketball.org/
Twitter: @Steelhousebuckets
Instagram: @tracy_falcons
Facebook: TracyHurricanes
Instagram: @tracy_kings1
Facebook: TracyKingz
Tracy Spartans
Website: http://www.tracyspartans.com/
Facebook: tracyspartans
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:
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.
Here is our list of the clubs here in 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 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 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
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!
One of the most confusing things I found for parents is wrapping their head around are AAU Basketball and placement of an athlete from K-8th grade. We constantly hear about AAU teams “cheating” and about kids playing up or down, but a lot of that comes from not understanding.
When first entering AAU Basketball as a parent, I didn’t know what to expect. Entering the unknown, sitting back and observing what others did was a must at this level of basketball. From the sidelines as a fan, we would hear all the negative talk about other teams cheating and about having a child in an older grade on the team. Does it happen? Yes. Does it mean is illegal? Maybe.
So let’s clear the air about AAU Basketball and age eligibility.
Did you know there are two types of age requirements in AAU? I didn’t either at first. Eligibility are broken down like this:
1. Age Based Division
2. Grade Based Divisions
Age Based Division AAU Tournaments are based on the players age within a giving birthday range.
That simple? Yes! Still confused? Here is an example:
Scenario: When attending a tournament you are going in thinking you and your 10 year old 5th grade son will be playing against other 5th grade kids, however, you find out the other team has mostly 6th graders on their team and are already 11 years old. What you don’t know is, that this tournament is based around age. Most likely the 6th grade team has kids who make the age requirement because of birthday.
Grade based division in AAU Basketball tournaments are based on the players actual grade and not age. If a player who is in an older grade but wants to play down on a younger grade they have to fit birthday requirements. If a player is in a younger grade, they can play up on a higher grade with no birthday requirement.
Taking the scenario above and using it here, if you went to the same tournament and this time the tournament decided to use “grade based division” rules, then the 6th grade team would be considered to be in violation if the birthdays do not match.
Most tournaments are fairly good at communicating if they are an age based tournament or a grade based tournament. I found that most local tournaments in Northern California are using a combo of both age and grade that could make it even more confusing.
One of the most popular weekly tournaments in the San Francisco Bay Area is Bay Area Sports. Before entering your team to compete, check your roster’s birthdays before choosing the bracket to play. Parents, before getting upset about that massive looking high schooler who is actually only 13 playing on a 7th grade team, think about the tournament you are at and the type of bracket you are in.
At the end of the day, it is not worth getting mad or upset at something you cannot control. Cheer on your team and focus on your players and team’s growth. Find a tournament and skill level that can push your athlete to get better and work through the ranks. Work on the fundamentals, teamwork, and supporting each other on the team.
Further information regarding age and grade based eligibility visit https://aausports.org/