AAU Basketball Tournament Underway in Greensboro
By Elaina O’Connell | Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 12:14 PM EDT
GREENSBORO — Two North Carolina teams tipped off against one another Tuesday morning during the Amateur Athletic Union’s 7th Grade Basketball Tournament.
“It’s real good competition, and it’s bragging rights; they beat us last time so we have to come out here and get it done,” said AIA player Silas Mason.
Mason has been playing basketball since he was 4.
“My dad played college basketball and so I picked it up at a young age,” said Mason.
He worked his way up into the elite AAU.
“To get here they all had to qualify in their district which means finish in a top eight in their respective location,” said NC AAU District Gov. Sean Kilmartin. “We’ve got teams from Seattle, San Diego, Texas and all over the country.”
Overall, the AAU has 34 sports with about 750,000 athletes. In North Carolina alone, there are more than 20,000 athletes, participants and volunteers.
“To get to this level, these are some of the most talented basketball players in the country. It doesn’t just take an hour a day at practice,” said Kilmartin.
It takes much more. Players like Myles Evans practice four to five hours a day.
“Morning, middle of the day, and end of the day working out,” said Evans, who plays for the Garner Road Bulldogs. “It is a lot of work and a lot of dedication you have to have in order to play for a team like this.”
The last day of the tournament is Saturday, July 9. Admission for adults is $15 daily and kids’ tickets are $12.