Before a child can play organized basketball, they must first know the basics, which is why the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in Selma is here to help youth find success on the court and beyond.

Tryouts for AAU basketball are about to begin, with tryouts for middle school-age children beginning Jan. 7, and tryouts for elementary school-age children beginning Jan. 14.

For more information, call 334-526-0431.

Roosevelt Johnson, director of the AAU in Selma, said AAU is designed not only to help children learn the fundamentals of the sport, but to get them involved in something positive.

“The purpose of AAU derived out of our church (New Selmont Baptist Church) and was mainly to get youth off the streets to show them something different than the environment they’re used to in Selma,” Johnson said. “Right now currently, let’s be honest, Selma doesn’t have a lot that really has kids focused on wanting to get better. That’s why we started this, and the components we wanted to do were mentoring, tutoring, we wanted to do the Christian component to  know they can do all things through Christ, who strengthens them.”

Registration for AAU is $20 and includes a membership card that allows participants to play in any AAU NCAA sanctioned event, and insurance, which is required for players to play at practice facilities.

Last year the program had two teams, including a 13-year-old team that qualified for nationals in Orlando, Fla. and almost defeated the No. 2 team in the nation.

Johnson said the program had to expand on the girls and boys side  due to the high demand from parents and is looking to have six teams this year.

Johnson said newcomers will spend an extensive period learning the basics before they play any games.

“The fundamental side, kids that never played before, get the training that they need and when they get really good then we’ll pull them over to the traveling side, so they get exposure,” Johnson said. “Kids that come now, they’re going to create a fundamentals league where the first eight weeks of that will deal strictly with fundamentals, no game play, just fundamentals, then we’ll create the league by summer. By summer we’ll do the league, and if they’re really good, we’ll put them on those teams that travel.”

Johnson said the program has not yet found practice facilities for this year and is hoping to get help from last year’s sponsors, which included Wallace Community College-Selma, Pastor Garry Crum, Concordia College, F.L. Williams (who provided AAU with its first practice facility), Rose and Hank Sanders (who provided transport for AAU to go to nationals,) Selma Mayor George Evans and the Selma City Council.

But, as Johnson stated before, AAU is not just about basketball.

It also aims to help its participants find success in other avenues of life.

“We’re going to go kind of deep with the big kids in our program this year—our 14 year olds and up,” Johnson said. “AAU has taught us how to prepare them for the ACT, make sure they get that Alabama High School Graduation Exam out the way and get it done. We’re also starting classes that are going to be called

‘Lights, Camera, Action’ that will teach a kid how to be interviewed, what to say, what not to say and how to dress, professional lingo and what coaches are looking for.”