AAU stands for Amateur Athletic Union, which is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that offers kids and teens a way to compete against the best athletes across 41 sports programs. AAU basketball is a youth sports organization where groups of players get together and form independent teams that compete in AAU tournaments against other teams. It is also referred to as club basketball or travel basketball.

AAU basketball is generally played outside of school and is intended to advance the development of youth sports and physical fitness programs. The AAU chooses students based on their vicinity to specified high school borders, and the team is selected through a series of kid tryouts. The season lasts roughly two and a half months, or ten weeks, and consists of around 8-10 games for each team, as well as a competition at the end of the season.

AAU basketball is different from school basketball in that it is generally more intense and competitive, and players can compete against the best of the best and have a bigger opportunity to get noticed by a coach who may offer them a scholarship in the future. However, one disadvantage of playing in the AAU is the ineffective coaching structure, as AAU teams are mainly managed by parents who have no training expertise or knowledge of basketball.

In summary, AAU basketball is a non-school basketball league where players form independent teams and compete in tournaments against other teams. It is intended to advance the development of youth sports and physical fitness programs and is generally more intense and competitive than school basketball.