July 14th, 2010 by Dusty Rychart

I recently had a question from a frequent visitor to D-Rych.com, the question was “what was the most fun you had playing ball during your basketball career?” I would have to say the most fun I had was in high school and playing AAU during the spring/summer months. It was a time where it was more about fun and being around your friends than a business. I was passed up by the top AAU programs in the State of Minnesota because of where I came from and being unknown. During the mid 90′s there wasn’t too many AAU teams in Minnesota and none in Northern Minnesota where I grew up so there weren’t too many opportunities until the summer going into my senior year. That summer I was asked to play for the only Northern Minnesota AAU team out of Brainerd,MN. I was more than happy to accept because this was the first time that I could see how I compared to the best talent in the state and nation. That summer of playing AAU improved me so much and without it I don’t think I would sitting here today as a professional basketball player. It allowed my body to adapt to faster, quicker and more athletic players. It wasn’t easy at first but it’s amazing how your body and mind adapt when they have to and under pressure. This is why I tell people to get out of your comfort zone and really test yourself and you’ll be amazed what can be accomplished.

The AAU circuit in America is huge and you can catch some of the best basketball. The kids are playing for fun and is enjoyable to watch and on occasion you’ll see the big time coaches checking out the future NBA prospects.

Here’s a little video clip of AAU action. If only I had half this kids vertical I could do amazing back board taps. LMAO