How basketball actually works in the US and Japan — AAU, high school hoops, Japanese school basketball, development systems, and the cultures built around them.
Japan develops players inside schools; the US splits the year between a school season and a club season. A side-by-side look at practice, games, coaching, cost and exposure — without crowning a winner.
Varsity, JV, tryouts, cuts, a winter season and a rulebook that changes at every state line. A practical guide to how school basketball actually works in the US—and what you have to verify locally.
What the AAU actually is, how clubs, teams and sanctioned tournaments fit together, what a travel season really costs in time and money—and why not every “AAU team” is affiliated with the AAU.
