After All These Years: AAU Program Continuing to Make Noise
With the AAU season into full swing, below here is a feature on the first, in a series of many, AAU programs in the state of Iowa. This is an…
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Continue ReadingWith the AAU season into full swing, below here is a feature on the first, in a series of many, AAU programs in the state of Iowa. This is an AAU grassroots program that you could say has been around since the “beginning of time”, since the early 2000’s.
Across the United States, there are several AAU grassroots basketball programs in every state that provide endless opportunities for youth basketball players of all ages and gender, anywhere from first grade to pre-senior year (summer prior) in high school; to play during the fall, winter, spring, and summer months. These AAU programs are very successful, and provide many opportunities for these players to develop friendships and memories, compete in a winning team atmosphere, become better overall players, develop principles and life lessons, create an environment of good health and well being, and many more. A few of these organizations go above and beyond the call of duty and establish teams that get recognized at the national level, and bring home many wins and championships against high caliber competition.
One AAU grassroots basketball program that quickly comes to my mind when brainstorming AAU organizations in the state of Iowa is the elite All Iowa Attack program. This is an AAU program that has been around for quite some time, and has evolved over the years into a predominant, special program. I actually got the opportunity of playing against some AIA teams in my time spent in AAU programs, particularly the Cedar Rapids Panthers AAU team. I remember we played their team many times over the course of three years, specifically in the 2005 6th grade AAU State Championship Title Game, as well as the 2006 13U AAU State Championship Title Game when I was in 7th grade. We also played their team a couple of times when I was on the Iowa Lightning AAU team in high school in the summer of 2009 and 2010, prior to my junior and senior year. I remember very vividly and clearly when the program began, as my Panther team played against one of their teams in 2004 at a local tournament. It’s an honor to have that memory of being one of the first teams to play against this AAU powerhouse. This program has produced some extremely talented teams and players that have gone on to do tremendous things at all collegiate levels, particularly producing some significant NCAA DI players.
This AAU program started off as a basketball academy in 2004. They have had a pivotal impact on the state of Iowa over the past seventeen years for both girls and boys. The main goal of the All Iowa Attack program is to, “Provide an educational and national-level competitive basketball program that focuses on learning, fundamentals, leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship.” On the girls side, the Attack is one of 32 teams that play in the Nike Girls Elite Youth Basketball League (GEYBL). They get the opportunity to play in the most prestigious events across the whole nation, while also competing for a chance to qualify for Nike Nationals that is in July. In 2017, 2018, and 2019; a few Attack teams were either named National Champions or National Runner-Ups. This has made the Attack program not only well known to people on a national level around the world, but also has caught people’s attention around the state of Iowa. The boys side is also very good, and produces some outstanding players that go on to accomplish great things as well at the collegiate level, while also having many players go on to play at the NCAA DI level that thrive tremendously.
The Attack program has various gyms that hold practices, tournaments, camps, training sessions, etc; and provides adequate and reliable travel for all families. It is not uncommon now to see players in the Attack program that are from and are current residents of nearby states. This definitely goes to show you what kind of organization they are running, and proves that people want to be a part of this amazing AAU program. The camps and training sessions they hold throughout the course of the year provide a lot of great opportunities for players to enhance their talent, craft, and make improvements in their overall game. The tournaments they hold at their facilities are top notch, and I’m sure every college coach across the country loves coming to an Attack hosted tournament while they are on the lookout for prospects, as there are loads of them throughout the course of the year for all teams, grade level, and gender. Also, the coaches hold compeititve, rigorous, and fun practices for all teams. Dickson Jensen, the founder of the All Iowa Attack program, has been an essential reason in the development of this program into becoming one of the nation’s top AAU organization. His passion and dedication is evident for not only promoting talented youth basketball players around the state of Iowa and Midwest, but also providing exceptional leaders and people with high integrity. His coaches that coach each Attack team display the same characteristics, and they all follow in his path and footsteps. This clearly carries over to all of their accomplishments this AAU program has had through the years, and there is no doubt that the trophies will keep rolling in.
In conclusion, this AAU organization will surely continue to expand and grow as the years go on. The impact they have on the game of basketball is truly unbelievable, and their program has become a household name. Please follow and keep up to date on games and tournaments of this AAU organization, as they produce some high level players with a lot of natural talent, skill, basketball IQ, and athleticism. Their website can be found at https://www.alliowaattack.com/. You can also follow the program on social media at: @AllIowaAttack, @Attack_bball, All Iowa Attack, All Iowa Attack Tournaments.