Coach Kosta

Basketball Night with the Stockton Kings

October 29, 2019 by Coach Kosta

Ares Basketball is holding a fundraiser event with the Stockton Kings during their opening night against the Santa Cruz Warriors at the Stockton Arena Friday, November 8, 2019. The event is aimed to help offset costs of gym, travel, and tournament costs into our new basketball season. Buy your tickets online or by contacting us directly. Come out to support your local G-League basketball club and Ares Basketball with a fun night out to Stockton Kings’ opening night!

Tickets are $19 – Access and inclusions:

Reserved seating rows 9-10 in section 117 (see image below)
Admission to Stockton Kings vs Santa Cruz Warriors Opening night
Access to “Friday Family Feast” $1 Soda, $2 Hot Dog, $4 Unlimited Popcorn!
Free Stockton Kings Hat *
Tunnel Buddies – kids receive access to the tunnel pre-game **
$4 donation towards the Ares Basketball program

Image of section 117 row 9 at a Stockton Arena hockey game.

* Please ask for the hat while picking up your tickets at will call.
**Tunnel buddy spaces are limited and are reserved for players first.

Ares Basketball wins at WCBBA AAU Tournament

October 4, 2019 by Coach Kosta

After 3 months of training and playing against bigger, more advanced teams, the Ares boys got the job done.

11u held it down!

This past Saturday, we attended the WCBBA tournament held in the Concord California area and brought out the 10/11u and our 13/14u teams. Even though we only have one 11yo and one 14yo on each team, we normally play the upper bracket with both teams and don’t even bother asking for an exception to help push the kids, however, with missing a few key members for the older team, we played the 13u bracket this time around, and glad we did.

Our first game for the afternoon was against Prime. We battled hard for 40min to fall short by 4 points. Prime is known for putting together and training some top talent in the area and always a challenge to play against.

Second game was a lot different. I asked to be put in D2 11u and this tournament delivered. Our next game up was against the Titans 11u. You can tell most of these kids were about to turn 12 or were already 12 from their size and skill level, but that didn’t stop us from stepping up and do a great job against the Titans, winning by 8.

Third game I knew would be tough. SJ Unity had just defeated Prime in OT by 1 and if we beat Unity by 7 or more, we would win the tournament. The stage was set, the kids were ready to battle…

40min went by and we were looking to close out the game with a 10point victory. Out of the timeout the kids knew what they needed to do. Get a stop, don’t let them score, no 3’s, don’t let up.

5…4…3…

The whistle blows, foul on the 3point buzzard beater shot. SJ Unity player hits all 3 making it a tie between Prime and Ares…and since Prime beat us, they got first.

13/14u games were a lot better…3-0 better

For 3 months now we have been playing up against 14u teams which normally contain a mix of high school freshmen and 8th grade boys. The boys did well over the last few months hanging in there and playing some good basketball. I knew going into what our actual matchups should be that we would do well…but not as well as I thought we would since we would face off against some experienced teams.

Game one was against the East Bay Eagles. We got some history coaching against each other and my parents could tell by the way the other coach was acting. You can tell that he really wanted to beat me since it’s been years since he has been able to pull off a win against any of my teams…but I can save that story for another time.

The energy coming from the team was great the first game. There were still some chemistry missing but I the rotation was better this time around. Torey (I call him “Take-Over Torey”) really did well that game. There was no one on the other team that could stop him.

Game two was against the Bay Area Sharks. I knew that the team has been together for a while and he was watching our game against the Eagles so he knew he had to take care of “Take-Over Torey” in order to have a change. Over the next 40 min, there was constant pressure on Torey making the rest of the team step up…and they did an amazing job to pull off a win.

The third and final game was against the Aztecs. When I first saw we were playing that group I was a little disappointed. Last time we faced each other, we won my a big margin and was not sure what to expect. I am the kind of coach that will never under estimate our opponent no matter how much we won by the last time we faced off each other. You never know where they were in their process last time we faced off or if it’s even going to be the same kids.

As they walked through the doors, it was NOT the same team. I actually heard some of our parents sigh thinking its going to be a good but long game. The kids that came in looked like ballers, I will admit that. Even the kids who remembered this team from last time was starting to get a little intimidated…see…never underestimate.

I chuckled a bit.

I looked at our assistant coach and said “we got this” and called the team in for the huddle. After a short pow-wow and pep talk, they hit the court motivated to win the last game. Out the gates these guys were on fire! 16min went by and I had not realized that I had still to put in my bench. Score was 30-2 at the half.

In the second half I changed it up. I mixed some of my starters with the bench players and started to rotate them out every 4-5min. The kids knew what was coming to them and they were excited. They did so well, I was able to have some of my 10u players help and even almost score against kids much much taller than them.

Looking for a team?

Do you live in the Tracy, Stockton, Patterson, Manteca areas and looking for a travel basketball team? Visit aresbasketball.com to sign up for tryout information.

AAU Basketball Age Eligibility Guide

September 26, 2019 by Coach Kosta

One of the most confusing things I found for parents is wrapping their head around are AAU Basketball and placement of an athlete from K-8th grade. We constantly hear about AAU teams “cheating” and about kids playing up or down, but a lot of that comes from not understanding.

When first entering AAU Basketball as a parent, I didn’t know what to expect. Entering the unknown, sitting back and observing what others did was a must at this level of basketball. From the sidelines as a fan, we would hear all the negative talk about other teams cheating and about having a child in an older grade on the team. Does it happen? Yes. Does it mean is illegal? Maybe.

So let’s clear the air about AAU Basketball and age eligibility.

Did you know there are two types of age requirements in AAU? I didn’t either at first. Eligibility are broken down like this:
1. Age Based Division
2. Grade Based Divisions

What is Age Based Division in AAU Basketball?

Age Based Division AAU Tournaments are based on the players age within a giving birthday range.

That simple? Yes! Still confused? Here is an example:

Scenario: When attending a tournament you are going in thinking you and your 10 year old 5th grade son will be playing against other 5th grade kids, however, you find out the other team has mostly 6th graders on their team and are already 11 years old. What you don’t know is, that this tournament is based around age. Most likely the 6th grade team has kids who make the age requirement because of birthday.

What is Grade Based Division in AAU Basketball?

Grade based division in AAU Basketball tournaments are based on the players actual grade and not age. If a player who is in an older grade but wants to play down on a younger grade they have to fit birthday requirements. If a player is in a younger grade, they can play up on a higher grade with no birthday requirement.

Taking the scenario above and using it here, if you went to the same tournament and this time the tournament decided to use “grade based division” rules, then the 6th grade team would be considered to be in violation if the birthdays do not match.

How do I know if the Basketball Tournament is Grade Based or Age Based?

Most tournaments are fairly good at communicating if they are an age based tournament or a grade based tournament. I found that most local tournaments in Northern California are using a combo of both age and grade that could make it even more confusing.

One of the most popular weekly tournaments in the San Francisco Bay Area is Bay Area Sports. Before entering your team to compete, check your roster’s birthdays before choosing the bracket to play. Parents, before getting upset about that massive looking high schooler who is actually only 13 playing on a 7th grade team, think about the tournament you are at and the type of bracket you are in.

At the end of the day, it is not worth getting mad or upset at something you cannot control. Cheer on your team and focus on your players and team’s growth. Find a tournament and skill level that can push your athlete to get better and work through the ranks. Work on the fundamentals, teamwork, and supporting each other on the team.

Further information regarding age and grade based eligibility visit https ://aausports.org/

Top Notch Tourney in Pleasanton

September 25, 2019 by Coach Kosta

Ares Basketball attended a AAU basketball tournament in the Pleasanton and San Ramon areas hosted by Top Notch Tournaments this past Saturday. This was our club’s second time attending this tournament both times seeing some competitive match ups. This time around we brought our 13/14u and our 11u teams.

Ares Basketball 13/14u Team

This team has shown great improvement since their last time out at a Top Notch Tournament. The first game had a great offensive start to it. Our newest member, Torey, seemed to start trusting his team. Everyone knows Torey can easily drop 20-30 points a game, but what made a huge differance in the first game was passing. The entire team knew where to be. Torey drew the defense and opened up the rest of the team to do some work dropping a collective 50+ points in that one game.

In games 2 and 3 the group was not as fortunate. They fought well on both games giving it their all for the first half only to lose their legs into the second. Most of the issues came from the defense. Reacting instead of reading really played a role in their fatigue.

Fighting fatigue is hard when playing basketball. This is where repetition is important and why we push our athletes when mistakes are made in practice. We believe in practicing how you play. If you practice like you play then the mistakes made when practicing are less likely to happen on the court.

Ares Basketball 11u Team

Our newly 11u squad had an impressive first game. With only 5 on the court, they rocked it. Coming out the gates, it took a little while before the 5 on the court became loose playing with each other. We went down 6 quickly but bounced back quickly and took the lead 10-6 and ended up walking away with a demanding win.

Like the other team, the next two games didn’t come as easy. Our first half with the scholars was a defensive battle. Our defense answered back every time we had a turn over, we forced a turnover. However, with the court longer and still a bunch of new players on the team, there was only so long we could keep the defensive intensity up without scoring a bucket.

At the end of the day, if you take each game win or lose as a learning experience, you are already a winner. As a coach and director, I already knew that the 11u was not walking away with a medal. The opportunity rose for us to play against a 12u for our last game, and as I expected, we lost but walked away with a lot of experience and knowledge.

Looking for a team?

Do you live in the Tracy, Stockton, Patterson, Manteca areas and looking for a travel basketball team? Visit aresbasketball.com to sign up for tryout information.

Ares Basketball Swag Shop Launched!

September 24, 2019 by Coach Kosta

It has been a longer road than expected when looking to find a vendor to fulfill our swag orders. For months we scoured the internet to find companies that can print our uniforms and another to print our swag but over that time we thought, “why not local?”

We quickly dropped our search for a basketball swag provider and start looking local. We ended up using two different vendors here in Tracy and were able to keep it ultra local! You can now order t-shirts, hoodies, and even towels. To see the store, use our top navigation and click on “Store” to browse and shop or click here to start browsing now.

This is just the start! We are working int he background to add more swag including socks, water bottles, hats, bands, and who knows…maybe even shoes?!?!?

Custom Ares Basketball T-Shirts and Hoodies

What is great about having a local vendor, we can customize swag! Currently we can customize the t-shirts and hoodies. Customization ranges from adding names to the chosen product to glitter…yes…glitter!

So don’t wait, go browser our Ares Basketball Shop and support Ares Basketball by showing your spirit!

AAU Basketball Open Tryouts

September 2, 2019 by Coach Kosta

Exciting news! Ares Basketball is holding open tryouts during the month of September. We are looking to fill spots on our 5th grade and our 7/8th grade teams. We are also open in building out a girls team so if your girl athlete is interested in basketball bring them out!

Tryouts for High School will be announced next year. With high school basketball season ramping up, the student athletes are starting to condition with their future teams.

How can I sign up to tryout?

Follow this link to or visit our main website at www.aresbasketball.com in order to fill out our form. Ares Basketball Program Director will then reach out to you on an individual basis and interview you. From there, an invite to come and practice with the team will then be sent. This will allow the organization staff to take a closer look at your athlete.