Las Vegas

Now that fall sports have started here in Minnesota, I'm going to go into why Las Vegas is a terrible place for AAU basketball and why teams shouldn't go there.

Vegas is an absolute disaster for college coaches

Depending on what colleges are looking for, it's the worst place to go watch games. Why?

1) There isn't a central location for games. Yes, all the tournaments have a headquarters but the chances of all a team's games to be at that spot are extremely slim.  Coaches are driving for up to an hour to get to a game and games are NEVER on time and that puts even more stress on coaches trying to see prospects.

There was one time a few years ago that a whole tournament was on UNLV's campus in their Rec Center.  It was perfect for coaches because all the coaches could sit tight for a majority of the day.  That next year, the NCAA decided that it wasn't a good idea to have D1 colleges to host AAU tournaments. Even though, they generally have the best facilities to host large tournaments.

2) Would you want your 14-17 year old walking around the Vegas Strip after 10pm unsupervised? I'm not a parent but I have to think most parents would say no, especially if a scholarship is potentially on the line.  I've even seen recruits out past midnight when they play at 8am the next morning. Not sure if I would want that kid on my team as a college coach.

3) There are a lot of gyms that will never see a college coach walk through the door.  Why? These tournaments want an entry fee from the team and will take ANY team in order to fill their tournament.  If a team goes there, with exception of the new Adidas Super 64, the chances of a team playing a team that is AWFUL is very high.  I spent many hours in a gym by myself with no other college coaches in sight.

4) Tournaments are diluted.  When a specific tournament crowns a total of 35 champions then there is an issue. I get that you want as many programs to be successful in order for them to come back next year but three divisions is enough for ANY tournament.  Like I talked about in AAU Economics, if you crown 35 champions, someone is making a TON of money and it's not any of the kids or parents there.

5) It costs way too much money for any family to send their child there.  You have to think about the flight out there, five days in a hotel, and potentially all the admission fees that the tournaments will charge throughout a weekend.  Imagine if a family of four goes out there for "vacation" to watch their son play. $2000 in flights, $600 in hotels, $200 in rental car, $150 on gas, and probably close to $200 in admission fees.  That's roughly $3000 (without food) for a trip. That's a little much if you ask me. Kansas City and/or Chicago would be MUCH cheaper.

6) It's way too hot there.  The air conditioners are on way too high in the gyms. Nothing like a 40 degree temperature change when going in and out of the gym.