Higher Level AAU Wants to Take Boys to Another Level

Ron Bailey, Publisher

Tryouts for program concerned with academics and athletics slated for this weekend.

March 4, 2009– 'Tis the time of year when AAU/travel teams are compiling their rosters, preparing for their spring/summer seasons. Call it a second season of sorts for young basketball players, one in which increasingly names/reps are made and scholarships are secured.

This weekend, Higher Level AAU is conducting tryouts for high school aged young men in grades 9-11, with juniors possessing a birthday after September 1, 1992 welcome. The place is Carteret Mortgage Boy's and Girls Club
9501 Dean Park Lane, Manassas, VA, on Saturday the 7th (4-7p) and Sunday the 8th (2-5p) of March. A $10 fee is required to try out , as are report cards.

Want to know more about the organization, check out its Mission Statement: "Higher Level AAU is a basketball program committed to the overall development of Student-Athletes in the Northern Virginia area who desire to compete at the college level. This program uses the game of basketball as a teaching tool to reinforce the importance of discipline, hard work, commitment, respect as well as good sportsmanship. The Higher Level AAU program places special emphasis on the significance of strong academics as well as athletics to enable youth to become successful Student Athletes".

Many are sure to say, 'That's all good, but what about the people involved? Who is going to be working with the kids? To that end, meet Allen Johnson via a listing of his hoops experience:

-Former walk-on at GMU in the late 90's.
-4 yr lead assistant at Freedom-Woodbridge. Helped newly built school to 3 straight Cardinal district titles, 3 NW Regional appearances and 1 AAA semifinal. Director of player development and college recruiting coordinator.
-Produced kids like Cam Long(GMU), Craig Hayes(Mount Olive), Jaren Haley and Joseph Velez(Barton) and Sadonis Davis(Augusta State). All received full scholarships.
-Mentored Raphieal Putney signed to UMASS.
-Numerous college contacts and training techniques.

Sound interesting? The tryouts are this weekend. What's stopping you?