Elias Weston
Now a junior, he has already been to the WIAA State Championships twice, with a State Championship title under his belt. As a sophomore, Alex Wegner earned Second Team Nisqually honors and was third on the team in scoring. During his freshman year, Wegner was called up to play on the varsity basketball team, and played a big role in the Pirates’ State bid. He has never looked back.
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) has been around for a long time, having been established in 1888. However, in the last decade the recognition and improvement in youth sports has exploded off the scene. As a result, colleges are recruiting high school athletes heavier than ever before.
“I first started playing AAU in seventh grade for Salvation Army Hype, and then in the ninth grade I started playing for Emerald City Pioneers,” said Wegner.
Wegner is talented, but is also very young.
“Physically, he needs to get bigger. He also needs to develop his right hand more. His left hand is golden, but it’s his right hand where his weakness is,” said Pirate basketball coach Andy Sears. “Alex’s game has gotten a lot better since he first started playing on the team. He is a natural offensive-minded player, but he is also learning better mental aspects on the importance of team defense.”
Over the years, AAU has gained a reputation for solely improving individual games, and not putting teamwork at a high priority. However, the individual skills of athletes playing AAU are tremendously improved. It is also a key aspect in gaining recognition from colleges.
“Since Vashon is such a small school, college coaches don’t usually come to our games, but at big AAU tournaments in the summer there can be 50 coaches from all over the country there,” said Wegner.
Wegner has received letters and calls from WSU, University of California at Berkeley, University of Portland, Portland State, Seattle University, Whitman, Cal Poly at San Louis Obispo, and Seattle Pacific University.
Wegner attributes much of his college recognition to playing AAU. The competition and skill on AAU teams are much higher than school sports teams. Only truly dedicated athletes can play on select sports teams and balance it well with school, homework and school sports. By playing basketball year round for Vashon and Emerald City, Wegner’s life revolves around basketball.
“I played in two different leagues in the spring, one for the high school and one for AAU. Combine that with high school practices every day, homework, AAU practices and tournaments, and things get can get pretty busy,” Wegner said about his schedule. All of Wegner’s work has paid off and the improvements will be on display this upcoming Pirate season. The upcoming years will be an exciting experience for the players, and fans of Pirate basketball.
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