The most intense rivalry in adolescent basketball often times doesn’t play out on the court between players during championships anymore. In the current sports environment, the most ambitious duel is instead occurring between high schools and the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union), as their teams both struggle to capture the attention of college recruiters. That unrelenting competition is powerfully showcased in Shockya’s exclusive clip for the sports documentary, ‘At All Costs.’
The clip, which explores how the AAU basketball machine has professionalized youth basketball in America, is supporting the film’s upcoming release. XLrator Media will distribute ‘At All Costs’ on VOD and iTunes this Tuesday, September 20.
Shockya’s exclusive clip for ‘At All Costs’ features interviews with several sports experts, including Chris Palmer, who pens an ESPN NBA column. He explains that AAU basketball players are typically between the ages of 11 and 17, and they travel on all-star teams. They play in tournaments that are usually sponsored by sneaker companies. Doug Gottlieb, who works as a CBS basketball analyst, also noted that he thinks AAU basketball long along rendered high school basketball teams meaningless. Other experts who contributed their ideas on the rivalry between AAU and high school basketball teams include Eric Sondheimer, an LA Times sports writer; Scoop Jackson, an ESPN columnist; and Miles Simon, an ESPN college basketball analyst.
The feature documentary was written and directed by Mike Nicoll. The sports movie features Parker Jackson Cartwright, Ramon Cartwright, Etop Udo-Ema and Gabe York.
XLrator Media has released the following synopsis for ‘At All Costs’:
‘At All Costs’ is a feature documentary that explores how the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball machine has professionalized youth basketball in America. As the business of youth basketball balloons into a multi-billion dollar industry, the stakes for finding “the next big thing” have never been higher. The film follows blue-chip high-school recruits, their families and their AAU programs as they travel the country playing in marquee tournaments, competing against top-tier athletes, all fighting to make it to the next level.
Watch Shockya’s exclusive clip for ‘At All Costs’ below.
Written by: Karen Benardello