The work that gets you noticed at AAU starts 8-12 weeks before the season tips. Players who arrive at April circuit weekends out of shape, with rusty skills, and without a recruiting outreach pipeline lose 3-4 weekends of full-effort scouted minutes — and those are the weekends that move recruiting profiles. This is the pre-season checklist that produces a circuit-team-level player by April.
This is part of the Recruiting Hub cluster — practical recruiting work organized by calendar.
The 8-12 Week Pre-Season Checklist
Five workstreams, all running in parallel:
- Skill work (3-4 sessions/week, position-specific).
- Conditioning (3 sessions/week basketball-specific + 2 strength + 2 mobility).
- Film (build a fresh 4-minute highlight reel + study high-major NBA players in your archetype).
- Recruiting outreach (send updated profile + film to 30-50 programs).
- Academics (lock in GPA + SAT/ACT prep — recruiting won't matter if eligibility is shaky).
A player who does all five for 10-12 weeks enters AAU sharp, conditioned, with fresh film and active recruiting conversations. A player who does two or three drops out of the recruiting cycle for the year.
Workstream 1: Skill Work (Position-Specific)
Don't try to overhaul fundamentals in 8-12 weeks. Pick the 2-3 highest-leverage skills for your position and drill them hard.
For guards (see [what NBA scouts look for in guards](/blog/what-nba-scouts-look-for-in-guards)): - Pick-and-roll reads across all four coverages (drop, hedge, switch, blitz). - Pull-up symmetry (right hip vs left hip). - Closeout attack — 1-2 dribbles into a finish or pull-up.
For wings (see [what NBA scouts look for in wings](/blog/what-nba-scouts-look-for-in-wings)): - Catch-and-shoot mechanics with pre-loaded hands. - Switch defense lateral mobility. - Secondary creation off the dribble.
For bigs (see [what NBA scouts look for in bigs](/blog/what-nba-scouts-look-for-in-bigs)): - Short-roll decisions (shoot/pass/attack). - Three-point range (if your archetype includes shooting). - Screen-setting quality.
Roughly 60-75 minutes per session, 3-4 sessions per week. Track make rates and improvement weekly. Our Player Development Hub has archetype guides for the model players in each category.
Workstream 2: Conditioning
AAU weekends are 3-5 games over 2-3 days. The conditioning question isn't "am I in shape" — it's "can I play full effort across 5 games in 48 hours without breaking down?"
The pre-season conditioning plan:
- 3 days/week basketball-specific. Defensive slide endurance, sprint intervals, transition speed. 30-40 minutes per session.
- 2 days/week strength. Lower body (split squats, single-leg RDLs, hip thrusts), upper body push/pull, core anti-rotation. 40-50 minutes per session.
- 2 days/week mobility. Hip openers, ankle dorsiflexion, thoracic rotation, shoulder mobility. 15-20 minutes per session.
The goal isn't to peak in February. The goal is to enter April with a base that lets you play 4-5 games per weekend at full effort. Players who try to peak too early are flat by June.
Workstream 3: Film
Two pieces of film work to do simultaneously:
Build a fresh 4-minute highlight reel. - Film 3-4 high school games or scrimmages. - Edit a 4-minute reel that includes 4-5 defensive possessions alongside the offensive clips. - Update it again after each AAU weekend.
Study NBA players in your archetype. - Pick the model NBA player closest to your projected body and skill set. - Watch one full game per week with a notebook. - Tag the possessions where they did something you want to steal.
The Play Like X series covers Brunson, Wemby, Edwards, Curry, Luka, SGA, and the modern PF archetype. Pick your match.
Want to tag your own film with the 12-lens framework college coaches use? Start a HoopBrief plan and apply the same lenses to your own pre-season scrimmages.
Workstream 4: Recruiting Outreach
Most players over-rely on coaches finding them. The players who maximize their AAU exposure do more outreach than expected.
The pre-season outreach plan:
- Week -12: Build a one-page recruiting profile (height, weight, position, GPA, SAT/ACT, contact, AAU team, HS coach).
- Week -10: Send profile + film to 30-50 programs you'd consider. Use the assistant coach who recruits your region as the contact — not the head coach.
- Week -6: Follow up with updated film and any new offers. Note any responses.
- Week -2: Final pre-AAU outreach. Send your AAU schedule so coaches can attend.
- After each AAU weekend: Send updated film + stats from the weekend to your top 10 target programs.
Cold outreach with fresh film works more often than you'd think. The assistant coaches who recruit your region often respond within 48 hours. Our recruiting timeline pieces walk through the cadence by class year.
Workstream 5: Academics
The workstream players skip until it's too late. Recruiting won't matter if your eligibility is shaky.
- GPA: Maintain a 3.0+ minimum (3.3+ for high-major programs that care about academics).
- SAT/ACT: Take one official test by the spring of your sophomore year, another by the fall of junior year.
- NCAA eligibility tracking: Register at eligibilitycenter.org and confirm your core-course transcripts.
- Senior-year course load: Don't drop AP classes for "scheduling" — it signals lack of academic discipline.
Academic eligibility is the variable that nullifies a scholarship offer. Don't let it.
The Final 2-Week Pre-AAU Checklist
Two weeks before your first sanctioned weekend:
- Body weight on target (or close to it).
- All skill work intensity at game speed.
- Final film update sent to recruiting outreach list.
- AAU schedule sent to top 10 target programs.
- Sleep schedule normalized to game-day timing (no late nights the week before).
- Game shoes broken in (not new for the first weekend).
Want to enter AAU with a personal scouting report that mirrors what college coaches will see? Start a HoopBrief plan today and apply the 12-lens framework to your pre-season film starting tomorrow.
Where to Go Next
Recruiting calendar: Junior Year Recruiting Timeline, Senior Year Recruiting Timeline, Basketball Signing Day 2026 + Recruiting Timeline.
Recruiting tactics: How College Coaches Evaluate Recruits Early, What Makes a Recruit Stand Out in Film, Recruiting Mistakes That Cost Players Offers.
Hub: Recruiting Hub.
Foundation reading: AAU vs High School Basketball — What Coaches Watch, What College Coaches Want From Recruits.
